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When you think about weight loss, what do you think of first? Which aspects of weight loss are important, which are essential, and which ones can you take or leave? You be the judge.

Once you begin to move beyond basic background information, you begin to realize that there’s more to weight loss than you may have first thought.

It probably comes to you as naturally as breathingthe art of eating. However, you might never have been taught to eat well. This is critically important because, unless you learn to eat well, you may never master the art of dieting. In our society, certain inappropriate eating habits have become routine. By attacking these habits, you can increase the likelihood that you will actually lose weight.

To begin with, it is important that you learn to eat slowly. At first, this might be quite a challenge. We have been conditioned to live in a fast food world. We rush meals in order to have time to run to soccer practice, to a piano recital, or to school and work. We think that rushing saves us timebut such a routine can easily backfire, leaving us with unwanted pounds. Studies have shown that at least 10 minutes is required before the brain receives the message that the stomach is full. This means that you could be eating long after you are actually satiated. Your mealwhether it’s in the morning, afternoon, or eveningshould last at least ten minutes. Train yourself to lengthen your meal by engaging in conversation, resting your fork between courses, chewing slowly, and drinking plenty of water between courses. You should also wait at least ten minutes after your main meal before deciding if you need dessert. Within that period of time, you may discover that you weren’t really hungry after all.

Another trick is to place serving dishes on the counter and leave them there. As a result, you’ll actually have to get up out of your seat in order to get more food. You may decide that it’s not worth the bother. Or you may find that you discover that you need no more food between courses. Also, do not eat directly from an ice cream carton, tortilla chip bag, or cracker box. Otherwise, you could find yourself easily overeating.

You should always eat at the table. This prevents you from trying to engage in multi-tasking, such as surfing the ‘Net, watching television, or flipping through magazines while you eat. At the table, you’ll be forced to concentrate on how much food you are putting into your mouth. If you eat anywhere else, you may lose track of how much food you’re consuming.

Abandon the idea that you must clean your plate. It is simply not true. Research has shown that more than half of adults insist on cleaning their plates, even when they are already full. This means that you are overeating simply out of politeness. Such a habit only serves to add unwanted pounds. Instead of cleaning your plate, try eating only that portion of food that makes you feel full. You’ll be healthier and happier that way.

Do not keep food in plain view during the day. If the cookie jar is open or the pretzel bag is out on the table, you’ll have a tremendous urge to eat, even if you are not hungry. After a meal, put your food away in the refrigerator, inside your cupboard, or in the Lazy Susan. This way, you’ll actually have to do some work to get at food before you consume it.

If you happen to overeat, don’t spend a great deal of time sulking. Accept your mistake and move on. If you’ve veered off course, take corrective action and forget about it. Otherwise, you could find yourself eating out of frustration, or going off your diet entirely. It’s better to sabotage a single meal than a lifetime’s worth of meals.

You may be self-conscious at first as you attempt to change your eating habits. Realize that your bad habits did not start overnight, so it will take some time to correct them. While it may seem an arduous task initially, it is well worth the effort. You’ll quickly find that your new eating habits have helped you to lose unwanted weight. Granted, such techniques as hiding your food and eating more slowly will not in themselves cause you to lose weight, but they will help you to curb your overeating over the long run. And you’ll be a better person for it.

Take time to consider the points presented above. What you learn may help you overcome your hesitation to take action.

Author J. Brian Keith is a proud contributing author for
Weight Loss and Dieting and enjoys writing about
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Becky Yates, 40, from Blackheath loves to travel abroad, especially the Greek Islands, but she has a problem… every time she goes there, she is bitten by mosquitoes… not just a few but dozens. In fact, in 2002, she counted 56 insect bites over her body.

“They swell up like golf balls and become infected,” she explains. “I look and feel terrible. If I am bitten around the ankles, they swell up so badly, I can’t get my trainers on.”

In 2003, Becky travelled to Greece with a spray of citronella, tea tee oil and some plug-in atomisers, but nothing seemed to work and yet again she was forced into the local chemist to coat her numerous bites in iodine.

2004 brought about a change of strategy, as a friend recommended she take vitamin B1. At her local health food store, she bought Viridian’s High One B-Complex.

“This time I was off to Zante. I took two capsules of the High One B-Complex every day for two weeks before I travelled and carried on taking them right through the holiday,” explains Becky. “I came back to the UK with just six small bites. I was delighted! The thing that really convinced me was that everyone else in the hotel was complaining about the mosquitoes, I was the only one who didn’t suffer!”

Vitamin B1, also known as thiamine is a very safe, non-toxic vitamin. Some studies suggest that taking large doses of thiamine is effective in reducing mosquito bites. This vitamin apparently produces a skin odour that is not detectable by humans, but is disagreeable to pregnant mosquitoes (Pediatric Clinics of North America, 16:191, 1969). It seems to be especially effective for hypersensitive allergic individuals. Thiamine takes about 2 weeks before the odour fully saturates the skin.

Viridian’s High One B-Complex is available from selected independent health food stores in the UK and internationally.

Cheryl Thallon is director of Viridian Nutrition, the leading brand of ethical vitamins. The Viridian Nutrition range of more than 130 vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids, nutritional oils, tinctures and ointments is available from selected indepentdent health food stores in the UK and internationally.

Viridian has won numerous awards for the company’s commitment to ethics and the environment. More than 40% of the range is organically produced and certified by the Soil Association. Viridian has a charity donation programme and has so far donated in excess of £60,000 to children’s and environmental charities.