Mass Appeal News » Real Talk with J.J. Smith

JJ: How to cut stomach fat

wayne — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 23:02:13 +0000

GETTING HEALTHY: IF YOU CLEAN THE GUT, YOU WILL LOSE THE GUT. Views by JJ Smith

WASHINGTON – We all know what belly fat is; we see it every day when we walk out of the house. Although it is very common, most people do not know that belly fat is the most dangerous fat on the body. Belly fat, known as visceral fat, is located behind your abdominal wall and surrounds your internal organs.

Visceral fat typically shows as the belly fat/spare tire around the waist and mid-section. Even thin people can begin to store excess weight around the stomach and midsection. Visceral fat contains toxins and substances that are harmful to our health and can affect the nervous system and the endocrine (hormonal) system, which ends up affecting metabolism and appetite.

Most people do not know that belly fat is the most dangerous fat on the body. Because of where it’s located around the delicate organs, it has the potential to destroy good health, or worse yet, kill you. Because belly fat resides within striking distance of your heart, liver, and other organs, it is to blame for many health conditions.

According to a 2006 study published in the journal Obesity, visceral fat is a significant predictor of early death. In other words, visceral fat means you have an increased risk for a shortened life. Even if you removed visceral fat via liposuction, it may cause you to look physically better, but it does little for improving your health because the dangers of visceral fat would still exist for you.

The good news is that even a minimal amount of physical activity and dietary changes will go a long way in shrinking visceral fat. Studies have shown that exposing yourself to an excessive amount of environmental toxins increases belly fat. Thus, a very effective way to address this visceral fat/belly fat is to eliminate toxins from the body.

Detoxifying the body and eliminating toxins can be accomplished through various detoxification methods. Detoxification is a total-body cleansing process that removes toxins from the body. Detoxification is critical to losing fat because many of the toxins the body holds onto are stored in fat cells. In my new book, Lose Weight Without Dieting or Working Out!

I share ten ways to detoxify the body including Colonics, Saunas, Body Brushing and many others so that you can reduce the toxic overload and reduce belly fat.

JJ Smith (www.JJSmithOnline.com) is a nutritionist and certified weight-management specialist who has been featured on The Montel Williams Show, The Jamie Foxx Show and on the NBC, FOX, CBS and CW networks. Her advice has also been featured in the pages of Glamour, Essence, and Ladies Home Journal. Since reclaiming her health, losing weight, and discovering a “second youth” in her forties, bestselling author JJ Smith has become the voice of inspiration to women who want to lose weight, be healthy, and get their sexy back! JJ may be contacted by email at info@jjsmithonline.com.

Watching what you eat

wayne — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 07:50:44 +0000

REAL TALK: WHAT ONE FOOD IS MUCH WORSE THAN A DRUG ADDICTION? Views by JJ Smith

WASHINGTON – Many people are addicted to sugar and don’t even know it. I believe this addiction is the main reason people get fat. They don’t think they eat a lot of sugar because they don’t eat a lot of candy, cakes, and pies, but the problem is that sugar is hidden in many foods, including breads, muffins, and even dried fruit.

I believe sugar is toxic. It has no nutritional value, it’s highly addictive, and it makes you sick and fat. Certain types of foods, such as processed foods and simple carbohydrates (candy, sugar, sweets), are high in sugar, toxic to our digestive system, and cause us to gain weight and make poor food choices in the long run.

Processed foods and simple carbohydrates (sugar) are low in nutrients and high in calories. Many of us have heard that excess sugar consumption can lead to food cravings, binge eating, and, worst of all, sugar addiction.

Sugar stimulates the dopamine and opioid receptors of the brain, which are the same receptors stimulated by other addictive substances, such as cocaine and morphine. Just like those drugs, sugar can become addictive.

If you try to cut back or break your addiction to sugar, you will experience withdrawal symptoms, the same as a drug addict does. Over time, having an excess of refined sugar in the diet leads to not only weight gain but also other serious diseases, like heart disease, stroke, or type-2 diabetes.

Dr. Judith J. Wurtman, a nutritionist at MIT, has shown that eating refined carbohydrates like cookies, cakes, candy, pasta, or white bread raises serotonin and endorphins in the brain, creating a happy, feel-good, peaceful state.

This is why we crave these carbs when we’re anxious or stressed. However, you only “feel good” in the short term and then you crave more in order to remain in that happy state. You begin self-medicating with food—eating sweets to make yourself feel balanced and calm.

No matter if you crave sweets or breads or pasta, it all has the same effect because it all converts quickly to sugar in your body and causes you to crave more of the same.

The food industry has been extremely successful at designing foods to capture the hearts and minds of those who enjoy food. Food manufacturers and restaurant owners may not fully understand the science behind why sugar, salt, and fat sell so well, but they know that they do.

Thus, they make foods that are laden with sugar, salt, and fat. When food appeals to our taste buds, we say that it is palatable. But scientists know that food that is palatable stimulates our appetite and cravings and causes us to eat more of it.

In fact, we become motivated to pursue that taste over and over again. Eating foods high in sugar and salt makes us want to eat more foods that are high in sugar and salt. Eating foods that taste good causes us to eat more food that tastes good.

The average American’s sugar load is about 100 pounds per year. We have become physically addicted to simple carbohydrates (candy, sugar, sweets).

In a 2007 study conducted in France, cocaine-addicted rats were offered super-sweetened water using a combination of sugar and artificial sweetener. In just three days, the cocaine-addicted rats switched their allegiance from cocaine to the super-sweetened sugar water.

The conclusion was that sugar activates dopamine receptors just as cocaine does.

But unlike cocaine, sugar has no adverse effects on the nervous system.

When the rats got a hit of sugar, they gained the highs of cocaine without the downside of increased nervousness. Since cocaine is known to be one of the most addictive substances on earth, we can see how humans can so easily get addicted to sugar.

Sugar gives them the same effect of the hit on their dopamine receptors as cocaine does. Humans can easily become addicted to sugar and go through withdrawal if they can’t get sugar quickly.

To find out if you are addicted to sugar, take the Are You Addicted to Sugar Quiz in my new book, Lose Weight Without Dieting or Working Out!

There’s also several strategies to help you break the sugar addiction so you can lose weight and get healthy!

Black women & weight

wayne — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 06:13:41 +0000

WHY BLACK WOMEN GAIN MORE WEIGHT THAN OTHER RACES OF WOMEN? By JJ Smith

WASHINGTON – The statistics are widely published. The National Center for Health Statistics reports that more than one half (54.3 percent) of Americans are obese, with black women comprising the most overweight segment of the U.S. population, followed by Hispanic women.

The statistics indicate that 78 percent of us are overweight—that’s nearly four out of five black women—and 54 percent of us are obese. African-American women are suffering from obesity at an alarmingly disproportionate rate compared to women of other races.

Many black women feel that being thick or “phat”—“pretty hot and tempting”—is cute or sexy. However, we must know when PHAT is actually FAT that needs to be burned away to reveal a slim, healthier body.

There are a variety of reasons that black women gain more weight than other women. In my new book, Lose Weight Without Dieting or Working Out!, I dedicate an entire chapter on all the reasons black women gain weight and provide solutions that meet our unique needs.

Never before has there been a weight loss book that focuses on the unique reasons that black women gain weight and provides solutions for sistas who want to lose weight permanently! In this blog, I want to provide you with 3 reasons why black women gain more weight than other women to get you started.

Black Woman Have a Slower Metabolism

Genetically, African-American women tend to have a slower metabolism, according to research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. A University of Pennsylvania Medical Center study found that black women have “a biological disadvantage” that makes it more difficult to lose weight. Researchers have found that even at rest, overweight black women burn nearly 100 fewer calories daily compared to their overweight white peers. While this news may seem like gloom and doom for black women who want to lose weight, know that it is a challenge that can be overcome. In my new book, Lose Weight Without Dieting or Working Out!, there is a chapter dedicated to the 12 ways to speed up your metabolism and lose weight effortlessly.

Black Women Are More Prone to Insulin Resistance, Which Causes Excess Fat Storage in the Body

Black women, even if their weight is normal, may be at increased risk for insulin resistance, a condition linked to diabetes and high blood pressure, according to research by Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Insulin resistance means the body can’t effectively use the hormone insulin to process glucose, forcing the pancreas to produce more insulin, and elevated insulin levels lead to excess fat storage in the body. Almost half of lean black women had insulin resistance, which was double the rate in both Hispanic and Caucasian women. The study showed that 47 percent of black women of normal weight had insulin resistance compared to less than 20 percent of the Hispanic or Caucasian women.

The researchers looked at how obesity relates to insulin resistance in Black, Caucasian, and Hispanic women as a part of the Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study (IRAS). The research suggested that race, in addition to obesity, is an important contributor to the development of insulin resistance and type-2 diabetes. This means that black women, even when lean, have a higher risk of developing insulin resistance, which leads to excess fat storage in the body if not properly treated.

Many Black Women Are Prone to Emotional Eating

Many black women have had to become heads of households, hold down multiple jobs, and raise kids alone. Eating may become a way to deal with the stress and disappointments of life. But unfortunately, weight gain leads to chronic illness. Mortality rates for black women are higher than that for any other racial/ethnic group in nearly every major cause of death, including heart disease, lung cancer, and breast cancer. We are the lifegivers, the caregivers, and think it is our job to take care of everyone but ourselves. However, self-love demands that we take care of ourselves first, so we can give to others from our abundance. We must become accountable to ourselves.

Self-love is essential to survival.

There is no successful, authentic relationship with others without self-love. We cannot nurture others from a dry well. It is not selfish or self-indulgent. We have to take care of our needs first so we can give to others from our abundance. You will have to love yourself and love your body. Whether you feel fat or overweight, you have to love your body now, unconditionally. If you can’t love your body now, then you can’t truly love yourself unconditionally.

If you can’t love your body because you don’t like the way it looks, then know that the reasons you became overweight were not all your fault.

But once you get new knowledge about healthy eating, it’s time to forgive yourself and others so you can let go of your old body and move toward your slimmer, healthier body.

To my sistas, it’s time to lose weight and save your life; you’ve got a lot of living left to do!

Dating Diva: Sex Games

wayne — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 01:00:10 +0000

SHOULD SEX BE CONSIDERED ON THE VERY FIRST DATE? by J.J. Smith

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A man still holds a woman to a higher sexual standard than he holds for himself. Most men don’t want to think of their wife as promiscuous or easy. In fact, if he could delete all of her prior sexual experiences, he would. After you sleep with a man, the balance of power starts to shift in his favor. By sleeping with him on the first date, you could end the need for him to court or pursue you, and his primary interest in you could just be for sex.

Women generally don’t like to have sex on the first date, because we really don’t like being a victim of a “hit-and-run.” However, in this day and age, if you decide to have sex on the first date, it should be your own decision based upon want you want. You should already know that there is a good chance that he may not call you anymore, but that’s the chance you take. Men rarely turn down sex, and they don’t need to be in love or in a relationship with you to have sex. There are many women who feel that way about sex nowadays, too.

Having sex on the first date can sometimes depend on the circumstances. Let’s say you have a date with a guy, and it ends up lasting all day because you really hit it off quickly. Then “things” just happen. In that case, there’s a good chance he may want to continue seeing you. However, if you met him a club, and then had sex at about 4 a.m. at your place, there’s a very good chance you will not hear from him again. If you’re looking to just have fun with him, enjoy yourself. If you see him having some serious love potential, then it may make sense to wait. It is generally best to wait to have sex if you want him to consider you a serious long-term partner.

I have learned that men will be pretty honest about your sexual encounter if you ask them, outside the bedroom, of course. If you have sex with a guy, don’t make assumptions.

* Having sex with him doesn’t mean he will continue to call you or ever call you again.
* Having sex with him doesn’t mean he won’t be having sex with other women.
* Having sex with him doesn’t mean that you’re entering a committed relationship with him.
* Having sex with him doesn’t mean that getting to know you better will be a primary focus in his life.

If you find yourself in situations where you often have sex too soon, then we’ll assume holding out is not your strong suit. An easy suggestion for overcoming this is to not be physically ready to have sex when you go out on a date. This could include not shaving your legs or underarms, wearing big granny panties, or wearing clothes that are difficult to get out of. If you really don’t want to have sex with him, but you don’t trust yourself, then some of these tactics may work for you.

Based on every man that I know, I can tell you that having sex is very important to them. It might even be at the top of the list of their favorite things to do. You have to remember that men can have sex with a total stranger and find it physically enjoyable. Meanwhile, even though some women have gotten comfortable with having sex on the first date, they still are more likely to want and desire love from that person more than men. Women do want the physical enjoyment of sex, but they also desire the love and intimacy that comes through lovemaking.

Sometimes we want love so bad, we confuse lovemaking with sex, but they are two different things. Lovemaking starts while you’re on your feet, when you love and care for a person. However, sex is the easy part, as it is a physical act for pleasure and enjoyment. Most people would agree that sex is even more fulfilling when it is accompanied by lovemaking, when deep feelings exist between the two people. So, you determine for yourself if sex on the first date makes sense for you!

J.J. Smith is a Dating Diva who offers a fresh perspective on dating and relationships that will help you create a wonderful life that attracts the best men for you and get the love you really want! To learn more about her highly anticipated book, Why I Love Men: The Joys of Dating, as well as other eBooks and free articles, visit www.jjsmithonline.com

Black Women dissed?

wayne — Thu, 26 May 2011 12:58:21 +0000

A scholar takes heat for writing an article stating ‘black women are less attractive.’

Dating Diva: Things to avoid

wayne — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 07:30:14 +0000

TOP 8 THINGS TO NEVER SAY ON A FIRST DATE, by J.J. Smith

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The first date is one of the most important events in a new relationship. First dates are important because they can either make a man eager to see you again or make him run for the highway. Know that your communication is key to making him interested in seeing you again. Considering the location of the first date is one of the most critical decisions that need to be made.

The first date location will affect the way you interact with each other so be sure to find an environment where you’ll both feel relaxed and comfortable. The other critical factor in a successful first date is your conversation, which should be light and upbeat to complete the overall first date experience. When communicating on a first date, it is important to let a guy get to know you before you begin to share too many details about your views and your past.

For most of us, the rough times in our lives have allowed us to grow and become the people we are today. However, until someone gets to know you, they may not understand or may pass judgments on some your past mistakes. Here are some tips for what NOT to talk about on your first date:

1. Getting Married: It scares men to get married to someone they love. This is definitely not a conversation he wants to have with a woman he barely knows.

2. Your Kids: You love your kids and they interest you. However, to a man, this just indicates increased responsibility or baby daddy drama.

3. Your Horrible Childhood: Don’t seek pity for injustices in your past; it will make you appear hurt, wounded and in need of healing.

4. Ex-Boyfriends: This is a no-win situation. If you say something positive about an ex-boyfriend, a man will feel threatened or discouraged. If you say how he cheated on you constantly, he will think you are weak and a pushover. The truth is that there’s no good outcome likely to result from talking about an ex on the first date.

5. Politics: People are generally passionate about their political beliefs, and these conversations can wait until later.

6. Death or Depressing Events: Do I even need to explain why you shouldn’t talk about death or depressing news? Emotionally charged topics such as death are too heavy to discuss on a first date. The goal is to keep the conversation upbeat and light and death and depressing events just brings everyone down.

7. Sex: If you start a conversation about sex, the guy will take it over and won’t be able to focus on any other topic for the rest of the night. There needs to be some things that are mysterious about you. Talking details about sex takes some of the intrigue and mystique away from the actual sexual encounter.

8. Therapy or Rehab: He doesn’t need to know how well your therapy or rehab sessions are going. He also doesn’t need to know that you had a nervous breakdown (if you did), at least not on the first date.

To increase your chances of securing a second date, it may be a good idea to remove these topics from your conversation.

To hear JJ & the Fellas talk about dating, click the arrow.

Dating Diva: The 2nd Date

wayne — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 11:56:40 +0000

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The first date is one of the most important events in a new relationship and know that how you communicate is a key factor in making him interested in seeing you again. If a guy is interested in a second date, he will likely try to make plans for it before you end the first one. Or an interested man will contact you within a few days to try and schedule another date to see you. If he calls you several weeks after your date, he’s really not that interested in you.

If you call him once, and he doesn’t return your call, try him again in about a week. If you haven’t heard from him after calling once or twice, just stop calling. He’s moved on. Other reasons that a man doesn’t call or make plans right away include having some drama/crisis going on in his life or emotional hang-ups. This means no follow-through can be a sign of low interest or a red flag. If you went on a first date, then you should already know he’s interested and attracted to you.

Now the question becomes: What helps you increase your chances of securing a second date? It is your COMMUNICATION. It is important to understand that your communication plays an important role during the first date. The goals of communication between a man and a woman are fundamentally different. Women use communication to bond socially or romantically with the person they are conversing with. Men tend to communicate to exchange information or solve a problem. A woman will communicate to bond or simply because she enjoys talking, whereas the man is usually more interested in trading information.

When it comes to communicating, it is important to create some mystery and intrigue about you. A woman is sometimes too eager to tell a man everything about herself. Don’t overcommunicate with a man on a first date by telling him too much information about yourself. Leave some mystery and allure; allow him to get to know more and more about you over time. He should want to know more about you each time he sees you, not run because you’ve told him way too much already.

Another key factor about communicating with a man is to display intelligence. If a man is successful, he expects his woman to be intelligent because our partners in life are a reflection of who we are and what we want out of life. It makes a man look better to family, friends and co-workers if you are intelligent. That way, you’ll be able to easily converse at company events and family gatherings. People will be impressed because his woman is beautiful and intelligent. Remember beauty is what gets his attention, but intelligence is one of the ways to keep him.

Additionally, men like women who communicate clearly and succinctly. Listen to the way that men communicate to one another. Avoid mushy, emotional conversation as much as possible. He is not interested in talking about your feelings on a first date, keep it light and fun. Suggestions for topics to talk about on your first date include:

1. His/your interests or hobbies
2. Sports
3. Interesting books or magazines (People magazine does not count:-)
4. Movies, plays or theater
5. His work/job
6. Your work/job
7. Current news or pop culture topics.

Let a guy get to know you before you begin to share too many details about your views and your past. For most of us, the rough times in our lives have allowed us to grow and become the people we are today. However, until someone gets to know you, they may not understand or may pass judgments on some your past mistakes. So remember to keep your conversation light and upbeat to complete the overall first date experience.

Dating Diva: Is he really into you?

wayne — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 00:51:15 +0000

TOP 12 WAYS TO KNOW IF HE IS REALLY INTO YOU, by J.J. Smith

WASHINGTON, D.C. – While dating a man, there are many different roles that we can play. However, most of us end up playing the role that he chooses for us. It is time that we take control of our dating life and decide if we want to be in his life. Instead of trying to make the relationship something it is never gonna be, you decide if the role he wants you to play is acceptable to you. In my book, Why I Love Men: The Joys of Dating, I discuss the 5 roles that a man may want you to play. This will allow you to determine if that role is right for you and meets your needs at that particular time in your life.

Only you should decide if you want to play that role and continue in the relationship with him. If not, quickly move on to the next guy. Trying to make a relationship something it’s not is a waste of time! There is one role that I discuss in the book that most women strive for and that is the role of Wifey/Girlfriend. If a man is really into you, he will want you to play this role in his life. The Wifey/Girlfriend is that role reserved for the one person he feels is irreplaceable in his life. Wifey/Girlfriend is the sexiest, most successful, and most respected of all the women.

He respects her, either her talents, knowledge, faith or something else beyond how she looks. He generally respects and admires many aspects of her persona. These women are often sweet and kind. They soften a man and allow him to be masculine. They are warm, kind and bring peace to his life. They generally are understanding and supportive in his life’s endeavors and she is the first to hear of important news in his life.

She is loved, needed and wanted by her man. She is the woman that a guy will love and will always love, and he never wants to see her with another man. In short, if he is really into you, he will want you to play this most important role in his life. So, how can you tell if he wants you to play the role of Wifey/Girlfriend?

Here are some signs to know if he sees you as Wifey/Girlfriend material:

1. He wants to spend significant time with you and even shows public displays of affection with you.
2. He seeks your opinion and approval on things that matter to him and you become his best friend.
3. He introduces you to his mom, family, friends and co-workers. You fit into his social lifestyle.
4. His sexual interest is generally always there.
5. He leaves you alone at his place or leaves his phone unattended.
6. He falls asleep cuddling you.
7. He enjoys looking at photos of you.
8. He’ll call you several times throughout the day, just to chat or check in.
9. It’s difficult for him to say no to you.
10. He’ll ask you on a date and spend time with you outside of the house.
11. He introduces you as his woman, girl, lady, etc.
12. He attends a wedding or funeral (emotionally charged events) with you.

If your man is doing most of the items above, you can rest assured that he is really into you, and you are playing that ever important role of Wifey/Girlfriend in his life. Knowing the role we play in the dating relationship is empowering because it is about taking control of our dating life and making decisions that are best for us. Remember, trying to make a relationship something that it is not is a waste of time.

Dating Diva: Time for Makeover?

wayne — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 05:34:50 +0000

ARE YOU STILL SINGLE? IT MAY BE TIME FOR A MAKEOVER. By J.J. Smith

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A beauty transformation is an integral part of your dating action plan. A beauty transformation is about maximizing your physical beauty to the fullest. Your transformation is about making the most of whatever God has given you to work with and improving the aspects of your appearance that are within your control (weight, fitness, overall health, hair, skin, etc.). It is about dressing in a manner that allows you to show off your best assets, whether that be your legs, cleavage, butt, face or hair.

I don’t mean getting oversized boobs or other types of drastic cosmetic surgery, but maximizing your physical attributes/features to always look your best. If you want to enjoy a vibrant dating life, you may need to undergo a beauty transformation as described in Why I Love Men: The Joys of Dating. In the book, I share techniques that any woman can use to look and feel her best–and maximize her physical beauty without cosmetic surgery.

Her 10 steps to a beauty transformation are:

1. Seek professional advice from a personal image consultant or your closest girlfriends. Objective feedback from someone in the know is the place to start.

2. Learn to dress for your body type. There’s no single standard of beauty and there are dozens of body types and shapes. Select clothes to accentuate your assets, but realize what works for someone else may not be right for you.

3. Purchase attractive attire. Shop with a clear focus and direction–be deliberate in getting clothes that match your body assets. To achieve a look of sexy, casual and chic one may try fitted jeans, sexy tops and push-up bras.

4. Upgrade your hairstyle. Go to www.hairstyler.com and upload your photo and try on various hairstyles to see how they look on you.

5. Go for a face makeover. Learn how to effectively apply make-up and which colors look best on you. Ensure a fresh and modern look by consulting a department store for a free cosmetic makeover.

6. Leverage hair, skin and nail vitamins. Taking daily multivitamins is a good start, but explore others like niacin and biotin to help the skin and hair.

7. Develop a skin care routine. Getting facials, using a moisturizer and a daily face peel are vital. A good objective site with cosmetic product reviews is: www.makeupalley.com.

8. Reshape your eyebrows. The shape of your eyebrows will help define your entire face. Pick an eyebrow shape that matches our facial features. A good brow shaping can enhance your face shape and contours.

9. Maintain an exercise routine to look and feel better; Complement a solid exercise routine with a healthy diet and SLEEP!

10. In addition to focusing on outward beauty, apply the same rigor to maintaining optimal inner health using various techniques to reduce aging, ensure a strong immune system, and maintain energy, health and vitality.

It is important to remember that men ask women out because they are physically or sexually attracted to them. Therefore, a beauty transformation is one the most effective methods for attracting men. I don’t understand it when women say they want a man to love them for who they are. Well of course, but they will never get to know who you are if they are not initially attracted or drawn to us.

A man is not going to ask you out if he’s not pleased with your physical appearance. If you don’t attract him or get his attention, you’ll never get a chance to share all the wonderful aspects of your personality. The bottom line is that it’s your exterior that gets his attention, and it is who you are on the inside that keeps him coming back for more. So, take time to focus on your physical appearance by completing a beauty transformation!

Dating Diva: Cherish the First Date

wayne — Thu, 27 May 2010 20:00:06 +0000

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE VALUE OF A FIRST DATE, featuring JJ & the Fellas

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The First Date is one of the most important events in a new relationship. From location to conversation, JJ and The Fellas (well 2 of The Fellas) provide some advice on First Date Do’s and Don’ts on Fox5 Morning News! If you want funny yet informative information on how to secure the second or third date, view the video clip below!