Sometimes, all it takes is a word (or a few)

We can trawl through endless advice and ideas on dieting, much of which is valid and useful.  Some people will take the information and act upon it.  These people will yield their desired weight management results.  And yet, there are so many people out there who just cannot seem to succeed.  What on earth could be going on?

Well, something that is often not addressed at all in weight management/loss programs is the mindset of the person.  I don't want to go into this here and now, but so often people tell themselves that (despite being on a diet) they 'deserve' the cake, or it's just a 'treat', one 'won't hurt' and so on.  They are making these foods which are not good for you into 'treats', things to 'deserve'!  Don't you think you 'deserve' to treat' your body to some natural nourishing food?  Something that is actually good for your body and mind?  I do.

I know this is a short post, but my main reason for writing it was to share a quotation from a book with you.  One that made a difference to me anyway.  Read it, think about it.  Read it more than once if necessary but do take it in...

"Here is a rich man who is the victim of painful and persistent disease as the result of gluttony.  He is willing to give large sums of money to get rid of it, but he will not sacrifice his gluttonous desires.  He wants to gratify his taste for rich and unnatural foods and have his health as well.  Such a man is unfit to have health, because he has not yet learned the principles of a healthy life".  ~  James Allen

So, what changes can you make to your attitude towards 'unnatural foods' that would help you to lose those excess lbs?  I'm sure there are several.

You can do it! :)

Beating Those Cravings

If you are a successful dieter, this opening will probably not sound terribly familiar to you... but if you have tried and failed to stick with diets, then this will most likely strike a chord with you.

You get yourself all motivated for your weight loss and the diet plan which you are now about to follow.  The day goes well, you have counted all your points or calories, or stuck like glue to all the rules of whatever the plan you're following is.  Dinner time has been and gone and you have been really good.  You sit down to chill out for the evening knowing that you have got off to a great start, you are going to succeed in your weight loss efforts!  Then, this funny little feeling starts creeping into your mouth.  You try and ignore it but it won't leave you alone.  You're perhaps watching TV, but your mind is now distracted by this feeling, this desire to eat something... and not just anything, but something really off limits!  You try and ignore it, you try and fight it.  Then you may decide to get yourself a drink instead, yes that'll do it right?  You have your drink.  That seemed to have worked... for now.  The evening goes on like this until eventually, just before bedtime, you give in and help yourself to whatever you can find in the snack cupboard!!!  Cursing what you just did, you go to bed and vow to do better tomorrow...

Of course this issue with cravings is not just limited to evenings, it can strike at any moment in the day but the evenings seem to be where they become the hardest to resist.

So, what can you do about it?  You have all the good intentions and yet you continue to keep sabotaging your efforts...almost against your own will!  Unfortunately, unless you live on your own or with a family who are happy to have no unhealthy snacks in the cupboard, I have only discovered ONE thing that really works long term.  First of all though, let me go through the other ideas that can and do work although not as successfully in my opinion.

Drink Plenty of Water.  The reason behind this is two fold.  By drinking plenty of water you are helping to keep your cells refreshed and your body cleansed.  By doing this, you can also help to eliminate the chemicals and sugars that you have consumed and are craving more of.  It also provides you with an 'action' to replace eating with.  You are putting your hands to your mouth and consuming something.  If water is not your thing (although it really should be!) try adding some flavouring by making a fruit tea, allowing it to cool and adding to your water as though it is a cordial.

Create a Food 'Road Block'.  If you have a snack cupboard in your home - intended for the use of your children and other family members of course -  put the most unhealthy or hard to resist snacks at the back of the cupboard and place healthy options in front of them.  Now, when you go to that cupboard, you will see the fruit, rice cakes or whatever else you have chosen to put there, first.  Okay, so you may just reach over them but you will have to make a concious effort to do so.

Know You Will Cave In.  If you really can't resist despite all your best efforts, then allow for what you plan to eat in the evening in your daily plan.  It is suggested that if you cut your calories in the day, then you will just get hungry and binge later on in the evening BUT, if you are going to do it regardless of what you have had through the day, then allow for it.  If for example you are doing a diet where you count points, then work out how many points you will need to have the intended late night snack and cut back through the day in anticipation.

So those are some ideas for you to try out to help you with your cravings.  And, may I just say, I nearly wrote 'carb cravings' there but thought some of you may not think of them as such... although I can't remember the last time I really craved an egg, or some fish etc... can you?  Hmmm...

Now, that ONE thing that works long term.  It is not easy at first but once you get through the early days, it becomes REALLY easy.  Cut out ALL refined carbohydrates.  This means breads that have sugar added to them (opt for a natural rye bread for example), white rice, sugar in all forms, pasta etc.   You can still eat carbohydrates, you just need to ensure that they are in their 'whole, natural state'.  If you are eating potato, you must eat the skin too.  Eating sugars makes you want to eat MORE SUGARS!  It's a physical fact and the only thing you can do is to avoid them completely.  Sorry about that.

Hopefully some of the earlier tips will be enough for you to take control of your cravings without having to eliminate sugars altogether, but if they don't, at least you know what you can do to beat them once and for all!

15 quick tips for people who don't like to exercise

  We've all had days when we don't have the energy to tie our athletic shoes,  let alone bounce around in them. But exercise can give a daily blast to your mind, body, and soul. 

 Here are fifteen quick tips to get you moving:

   1. Don't get intimidated by the prospect of a daily exercise regimen. You don't have to run a marathon. You need only get your body moving each day.   Once you tone your muscles, you'll naturally find yourself wanting to do more challenging workouts.

    2. Reframe the way you think about exercise. Begin to think of each workout as a gift you give to yourself instead of just another "should," "ought," or "must."
       3. Make sure you enjoy your exercise program. Some people like classes.  Some people don't. Choose what's right for you so it becomes something you actually look forward to.
       4. Make sure your workout is convenient. Schedule it for a time of day when you typically feel the most energetic. Have your gym bag packed and ready to go by the door or in the car. 
       5. Make your workout weather-proof. If you run or walk outside, get the right workout gear so weather conditions are never an excuse. 
       6. Make sure you're doing it right. One reason for wanting to quit exercising is injury or pain. Check with your doctor before you start an exercise program so you know you're safe in the workout you choose. And check in with trainers, too, if you're working on equipment at the gym or trying a new sport. 
       7. If you're having a low-energy day, tell yourself you have to exercise for only ten minutes. That will get you moving, and once you're in the exercise groove, you'll usually want to finish your workout. 

     8. Go with friends. Start a group for walking, running, or training. The camaraderie (and peer pressure) can do wonders for your daily motivation. 

     9. After a really good workout, write a few notes in your journal about how good you feel. Use it as a reference the next time you don't want to begin.  

    10. Start with small goals. If you want to run for 30 minutes, for example, start by walking fast. When you can do that, make a goal to spend those 30 minutes running for one minute, walking for one minute. When you build on these smaller goals, you'll be running in no time. And you'll give your confidence a boost, too. 

    11. Recognize that some days it will be easier to exercise, and some days you'll have to struggle through the workout. This has to do with a lot of factors, including mood, hormones, the glass of wine you had last night...Take the pressure off by understanding the fluctations. And exercise anyway. 

    12. Try behavior modification tapes. Mike Brescia has a good one for exercising at Momscape.com:  This audiotape is not self-hypnotizing or subliminal. You'll hear every message, but these messages are subtle and, for many people, effective.

13. Use a visible reward system. The effects of exercise are cumulative and long-term, so sometimes it helps to see your results on a daily basis. After each workout, put a big red star on the calendar as a symbol that you completed the day's workout. Take photos of yourself every month in your workout gear so you have a visual record of your results, too.

14. Get to the bottom of your exercise aversion. For women, if it's the run-of-the-mill gym you can't stand, try a women-oriented fitness center, such as Curves. This is a fast-growing fitness phenomenon, and many women feel like their workout becomes a 30-minute vacation--like a girls' night out at the exercise machines. 

15. Be gentle with yourself. Take a day off at least once a week. And if you do skip a few workouts, don't beat yourself up, but do get right back in the routine. The fewer consecutive days you skip, the more likely you'll be to make your workout a lasting gift you give to yourself. 

Fitness: By Susie Cortright

Healthy Eating on the Road

Staying On The Right Track... When You're On The Road.

 Typical freeway fare includes fast food, microwave-ready service station options, bags of chips, and lots of sodas. These foods are almost always full of bad fats, lots of calories, and not much valuable nutrition. Plus, eating junk food for a couple of days can leave you feeling fatigued and crabby, and give you a stomach ache.

With a little bit of effort and willpower, you can navigate your way around the junk food and maintain your healthy diet while on a long road trip. You'll feel healthier, more alert, and have more fun.

Breakfast

You may be eating breakfast at a restaurant, a hotel continental breakfast bar, or even the food aisle of a gas station. Avoid excess sugar. High carbohydrate meals may improve your mood for a short time, but lots of sugar can also make you sleepy. That's not good if you are the driver.

Healthy eating at a restaurant:

• Choose an omelet filled with vegetables and order a side of whole-wheat toast instead of a stack of pancakes and syrup.
• A bowl of oatmeal with fresh fruit is very filling and good for you.
• If you want something sweet, choose a bran muffin, which is a good source of fiber. Or opt for whole-grain toast with just a little jam or jelly.

At the hotel continental breakfast bar:

• Choose a whole grain cereal with low-fat milk.
• Fresh fruit gives you vitamins and fiber.
• Yogurt or hard-boiled eggs are good sources of protein.
• Avoid sugary muffins, sweet-rolls, and pre-sweetened cereal.

At the service station:

• Look for single-serving whole grain breakfast cereals and low-fat milk.
• Protein bars can make a good breakfast food substitute, but watch out for extra sugar and calories--read the labels.
• As a last resort, choose a hot breakfast sandwich or small breakfast burrito over donuts and sweet-rolls.

Fast food restaurants:

• Most breakfast choices have lots of calories and saturated fats, but breakfast burritos may have less than other selections.
• Fruit and yogurt parfaits will give you some calcium and protein without too much saturated fat.
• Drink low-fat milk or 100 percent juice instead of sodas and orange-flavored soft drinks.

Snacks in the Car

If you are the driver, you probably should not be snacking since eating can be a big distraction. Snacks to keep your passengers happy should be low in saturated fats, low in sugar and nutritious. Take a cooler with ice packs to keep your snacks and beverages cold.

When you stop for gas and restroom breaks, find a local grocery store which will have a better selection than the gas station.

Eat healthy snacks in the car:

• Load up on fresh-cut vegetables and fruit. Bring along a small cooler with ice packs to keep your snacks fresh.
• Bring plenty of water. It will keep you hydrated and, if you spill it, won't stain the upholstery like sodas.
• Individually wrapped portions of string cheese or vegetarian cheese alternatives can be kept in the cooler with the fruit and vegetables. They are a great source of calcium and protein.
• Bring baked whole grain crackers along on your trip. This is good for added fiber and nutrients.
• Don't overindulge in greasy chips. There are baked varieties that have a lot less unhealthy fats. You need to watch how much you eat of those too, however, since they don't offer much in the way of nutrition.
• You can also pack sandwiches made with whole grain bread and peanut butter or lean meats. Keep these in the cooler, too.
• Nuts such as almonds, cashews, and walnuts contain polyunsaturated fats and are easy to take on a trip in either individual bags or larger containers.

Lunch and Dinner

Lunch and dinner on the road usually means going to a restaurant. Don't spend too much time at fast food restaurants; instead opt for full-service restaurants that offer more choices.

Healthy eating in restaurants:

• Order a soup or a salad to eat with your main course. Soups and salads are generally healthy and start to fill you up so that you eat less of the more calorie-dense main meal.
• Skip the entrée altogether. Soup and salad might be enough for a healthy meal.
• Split a meal with your dining partner. Most restaurants serve huge portions, so there is usually enough food to share. This saves calories and money. Besides, sharing eliminates the temptation to take leftovers back on the road, where they can't be properly stored.
• Select foods that are prepared with healthier, low-fat methods. Baked chicken is healthy, but fried chicken has too much fat.
• Eat the vegetables. Most entrées come with at least one vegetable. If not, be sure to order a vegetable side dish.
• Skip dessert, or choose some fruit. A full meal that ends with a sugary dessert may make you feel sleepy. That might be fine if you are passenger, but a bad idea if you are the driver.

At fast food restaurants:

• Find sandwich shops like Subway or Quiznos that let you select your sandwich ingredients. Choose whole grain breads, lean meats, and lots of vegetables.
• Many fast food restaurants offer salads, but you need to be careful when you select one. Some of those salads are very high in fat, especially taco salads or those topped with fried chicken strips.
• Don't super-size your meal. It sounds like a great deal, but you will eat way too much calories, fat, and sodium.
• Order sandwiches made with grilled chicken rather than fried chicken.

At the Hotel

If your trip requires a hotel stay, you might get a bit hungry after a long day of travel. If going to a restaurant is not an option, you should still find healthy foods.

Eating at the hotel:

• Find a local grocery store and buy healthy snack items such as fruit, nuts, or healthy choices from a salad bar or deli section. If your hotel has a microwave, you can find healthier frozen dinners or soup.
• If your only choice for a snack is the hotel vending machine, skip the candy and chips and look for nuts or microwave popcorn.
• Some restaurants will deliver food to your hotel room and may have some healthy menu items available. If you go for a pizza delivery, don't order extra cheese or meats high in saturated fat. Choose lots of vegetable and mushrooms. Order a side salad too.

Follow these easy tips for better nutrition on the road, and have a safe and healthy road trip.

  by Shereen Jegtvig, About.com Guide

How to Stick to Your Diet

Keeping Motivated

Sticking to a healthy diet isn't easy, but it is essential for long-term success.

Thomas Egger

The most important aspect of maintaining a healthy diet isn't the type of diet you choose, but whether or not you can stick to it. Whether you go low-calorie, low-carb, low-fat or high-fiber, you need to be able to eat that way for a long time to keep the extra weight off and enjoy any real health benefits. Everyone who follows a diet has times when it is tough to stay motivated and that is when it is just too easy to give up.

Following a diet is easy at first, but how do you stick to your diet when it becomes boring and you're no longer motivated? Have a plan so that you know what to do when the initial excitement of a new diet wears thin. Here are some tips for maintaining a healthy diet:

Choose the Best Diet For You

The first thing you need to do is choose the diet that is easiest for you to follow. How do you choose the best diet? All diets require you to monitor your consumption of something. You need to count calories, carbs, fats, fiber or something. Which one is the easiest? That is really up to you.

You may also feel physically better following one diet over the others. Feeling healthy will help keep your willpower strong when you are faced with a dietary dilemma. If you really don't know which diet you would like best, you can always give a diet a two-week test drive. This way you can see how you feel and find out how easy the diet is to understand and follow. Remember to choose healthy foods, no matter which diet you choose.

Set Realistic Goals

Put some thought into why you are going on a diet. Are you trying to lose weight? Do you need to reduce your risk factors for chronic disease? Do you want to look good in a swimsuit? Maybe you had a heart attack and you want to do everything you can to see your grandchildren grow up.

Your goals are important to you, yet to be successful, you need to be realistic about how to set those goals. Don't put too much pressure on yourself to make huge changes over night. If it took you ten years to gain 50 pounds, don't pretend that you can lose 50 pounds in three months. You can, however lose five to 15 pounds in three months. Think along similar lines for changing from junk food to healthy food. If you eat a big bowl of ice cream and chocolate syrup every night after dinner, it might be tough to give that up completely and forever. Start with replacing that bowl of ice cream with a bowl of fresh berries two or three times per week. Keep your goals reasonable and you can have the fun of reaching them quickly and setting new ones.

Choose the Right Tools

Very few people can follow a healthy diet without keeping track of the foods they eat. Just like you need to keep track of your bills and the money in your bank account, you need to keep track of the calories, carb grams, fat grams, or fiber grams that you take in each day. In order to keep track of the foods you eat, you need to write them all down in a food diary or join an online service like Calorie Count. Keeping track of your diet will help keep you motivated and give you a realistic idea of how much healthy food verses how much unhealthy food you are eating.

Find a Friend or Join a Community

Sometimes it seems like everyone else around you is eating what they want and tempting you to go off your diet too. Dieting can be tough when you do it alone. Find someone to go on a diet with you. Having a spouse, family member, co-worker or friend who has similar dietary goals will help keep you both on track. Another option is to join an online community such as the message boards on About.com's weight loss site or on Calorie Count.

Keep Reminders

It is good to give yourself a little nudge now and then. Remember those reasons you have for going on a healthy diet? Write those reasons down on a small note card and tuck that card into your purse or wallet. You may not see it every day, but you will find it often enough to remind you about why you are watching your diet. Another option is to find a weight loss quote you like and use it as a screen-saver on your computer.

Make Your Bad-Mood-Foods Healthier

Sometimes your mood can have a major impact on your diet. Think of comfort food. What do you eat when you are having a bad day? A banana split? Big greasy burger and fries? A pile of fried chicken? All of these are real diet-breakers because the calories can pile up fast while you are feeding your bad mood. Find some new comfort foods. Make sure they are high in fiber and you will fill up before you eat too many calories. Did you love PB and Js as a kid? Make a healthier PB and J with whole grain bread. Instead of that banana split, how about banana chunks, strawberries and blueberries with whipped topping and nuts. It is just as sweet, but much better for you. Still want that fried chicken? How about just one piece after you eat a healthy salad.

Be Good to Yourself

We all slip up now and then. That's OK. If you fall off the healthy foods wagon, don't beat yourself up over it. Tell yourself you will do a better job with your next meal and when that next meal rolls around, choose something healthy like baked chicken or fish with lots of green vegetables. Congratulate yourself for eating a healthy meal again and know that you will do it again at the next meal.

Get Some Exercise

Physical activity will help you watch your weight, give you strong muscles and keep your heart healthy. Aerobic and resistive exercises will also boost your mood, decrease your appetite and help keep you motivated to eat right.

 By Shereen Jegtvig, About.com Guide

Beat The Bloat!

I loved and wanted to share this article to help you beat the bloat, which will help you to look and feel slimmer in a hurry!

Bloating, belching and intestinal gas: How to avoid them

Bloating, belching, gas and gas pains can be embarrassing and uncomfortable. Here's what causes these signs and symptoms — and how you can prevent them.

Bloating, burping and passing gas are natural and are usually caused by swallowed air or the breakdown of food through digestion. You may experience gas and gas pains only occasionally or repeatedly in a single day. When gas and gas pains interfere with your daily activities, it may be an indication of something serious. Find out how to reduce or avoid gas and gas pains, and when you may need to see your doctor.

Bloating: Gas buildup in your stomach and intestines

When gas doesn't pass through belching or flatulence, it can build up in the stomach and intestines and lead to bloating. Bloating is often accompanied by abdominal pain — either mild and dull or sharp and intense. Passing gas or having a bowel movement may relieve the pain.
Bloating may be related to:

• Eating fatty foods. Fat delays stomach emptying and can increase the sensation of fullness
• Stress or anxiety
• Smoking
• A gastrointestinal infection, blockage or disease
• Irritable bowel syndrome, a condition characterized by abdominal pain or cramping and changes in bowel function
• Conditions such as celiac disease or lactose intolerance in which the intestines aren't able to digest and absorb certain components of food

To reduce bloating, it may help to avoid or reduce the amount of gas-producing foods you eat. Many carbohydrates cause gas, and the following items are common culprits:

• Baked beans
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Carbonated drinks
• Cauliflower
• Chewing gum
• Fruits such as apples, peaches and pears
• Hard candy
• Lettuce

Belching: Getting rid of excess air

Belching or burping is your body's way of expelling excess air from your stomach. You may swallow excess air if you eat or drink too fast, talk while you eat, chew gum or suck on hard candies, drink carbonated beverages, or drink through a straw.
Acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) can have the same effect. If stomach acid backs up into your esophagus, you may swallow repeatedly to clear the material. This can lead to swallowing more air and further belching.
Some people swallow air as a nervous habit — even when they're not eating or drinking. In other cases, chronic belching is related to inflammation of the stomach lining (gastritis), peptic ulcer disease or delayed stomach emptying (gastroparesis).
You can reduce belching if you:

• Eat and drink slowly. Taking your time can help you swallow less air. Also, avoid drinking through a straw.

• Avoid carbonated drinks and beer. They release carbon dioxide gas.
• Skip the gum and hard candy. When you chew gum or suck on hard candy, you swallow more often than normal. Part of what you're swallowing is air.
• Don't smoke. When you inhale smoke, you also inhale and swallow air.
• Check your dentures. Poorly fitting dentures can cause you to swallow excess air when you eat and drink.
• Treat heartburn. For occasional, mild heartburn, over-the-counter antacids or other remedies may be helpful. GERD may require prescription-strength medication or other treatments.

Bloating, belching and intestinal gas: How to avoid them

Flatulence: Gas buildup in the colon

Intestinal gas is typically caused by the fermentation of undigested food, such as plant fiber, in the colon. Gas can also form when your digestive system doesn't completely break down certain components in foods, such as gluten or the sugar in dairy products and fruit.
Other sources of intestinal gas may include:

• Food residue in your colon
• Changes in intestinal bacteria due to antibiotics or other medications
• Carbohydrate malabsorption, which can upset the balance of helpful bacteria in your digestive system
• Swallowed air that migrates to your colon
• Constipation — the longer food waste remains in your colon, the more time it has to ferment

Sometimes, gas indicates a digestive disorder, such as irritable bowel syndrome or lactose intolerance.
To prevent excessive gas, it may help to:

• Avoid the foods that affect you most. Common offenders include beans, peas, lentils, cabbage, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, bananas, raisins, whole-wheat bread, salads and carbonated drinks. If dairy products are a problem, try low-lactose or lactose-free varieties.
• Eat fewer fatty foods. Fat slows digestion, giving food more time to ferment.
• Temporarily cut back on high-fiber foods. Fiber aids digestion, but many high-fiber foods are also great gas producers. After a break, slowly add fiber back to your diet. Add products such as Beano to high-fiber foods to help reduce the amount of gas they produce.
• Eat slowly. Try to make meals relaxed occasions. Eating when you're stressed or on the run can interfere with digestion.
• Get moving. It may help to take a short walk after eating.
• Try an over-the-counter remedy. Products such as Lactaid or Dairy Ease can help digest lactose. Products containing simethicone help break up the bubbles in gas.

When to see your doctor

Bouts of excess bloating, belching and gas often resolve on their own. Consult your doctor if your symptoms don't improve with changes in eating habits or you notice:

• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Severe, prolonged or recurrent abdominal pain
• Nausea or vomiting
• Bloody stools
• Weight loss
• Fever
• Chest pain

These symptoms could signal an underlying digestive condition. Intestinal symptoms can be embarrassing — but don't let embarrassment keep you from seeking help. Treatment is available.

By Mayo Clinic staff

Coconut and Weight Loss

I have been a huge fan of coconut my whole life.  As a child, I would take the option of buying a coconut from the store over a candy bar any day.  I used to love drilling into the eye and drinking the beautiful water  before spending the next few days working my way through the pure white flesh.  Mmmmm...

Anyway, lately people seem to be more and more interested in the wonderful benefits of this fabulous nut and it's little wonder as there are so many benefits of all things coconut to our health! Coconut water contains loads of vitamins, minerals, and incredibly, electrolytes!

Coconuts, believe it or not, may actually help us with weight loss! Most people seem to be really worried about the saturated fats in coconuts and are skeptical that consuming coconuts will affect their waist lines! So here's some information about coconuts and coconut water that I hope you find useful.





There has been an explosion of coconut water on the scene lately! Coconut water, which is the liquid that comes out when you whack open a coconut,  is our natural 'Sports Rehydration Drink' and the perfect post hangover beverage to help replenish and re-balance your electrolytes.

Coconut water also keeps you hydrated and feeling fuller for longer and has been reported to increase your metabolic rate. Coconut water also flushes out toxins, and contains 3 grams of fibre per cup, helping keep to maintain balance of blood glucose levels, thus helping you to get control of sugar cravings.

Not all brands of coconut water are created equal however. When reading the ingredient list, make sure to look for pure coconut water without any sweeteners, and sans sulphites. My personal favourites are Dr Martins and Vita Coco although Dr Martins can be quite tough to get hold of and works out to be rather more expensive.  This is largely because their coconut water is raw though.  Both are however, 100% pure unadulterated coconut water.



So, what about weight loss? Well, coconut milk is a puree of water and the fresh white coconut meat that has been cooked down, and strained.  Creamed coconut is the version that is solid at room temperature and is usually purchased in 'blocks' weighing about 250g each.   Although there is a lot of saturated fat (yes, this scares people), the saturated fats in coconut milk are composed mostly of medium chain fatty acids.
This is fantastic news because medium chained fatty acids are easily metabolized in the body.  Instead of being stored as fat, medium chain fatty acids get burned off and used as energy quickly (vs. long chain fatty acids found in cow’s milk). Therefore, consuming coconut milk can actually help with weight loss! Also, the medium chain fatty acids do not have an negative effect on cholesterol levels.

And, just one more thing to tell you.  Although I did go over the top and got a bit bored with it, (learn from my mistake and don't go silly! this was a short term experiment) last year, I was eating, on average, a block of creamed coconut a day.  Having for example, coconut crepes with berries for breakfast, curries made using various meats, fish or veggies and creamed coconut and any other coconut recipes I could come up with for lunch and dinner.  I would also take fresh coconut flesh out in a serving saver in my bag when I went out in case I got hungry (although I rarely ate outside of mealtimes because I had no cravings nor was I hungry) and made myself homemade dark chocolate sweets with... you guessed it, coconut!  In 7 weeks I lost 11 lbs.  Then it was Christmas, I ate Christmas foods and didn't go back to eating so much coconut again afterwards but I didn't regain that weight either.  My point is, I still drink coconut water regularly and that's great, but all the fat in creamed coconut and I LOST weight.  You decide :-)