Just when everything seems great in a relationship, something happens to turn things around. While we can’t entirely blame men for a relationship that’s going to pot, we can have fun pointing a finger or two!

The scenario: You’re seeing each other more and more; your heart races when he calls, and he calls often; it’s not just the words he says, you know he can’t wait to see you when you’re apart; he gives you flowers, surprises you with little things that mean a lot, and he’s completely with you in bed–mind, body, and spirit.

But then the day comes when slowly but surely these very things that kept you feeling alive, wanted, and desired begin to drop off one by one. He forgot to call, he missed a date, his mind is often somewhere else, and he doesn’t bother to surprise you anymore. He assures you everything’s the same, but you just don’t feel it is. What happened?

1. He’s become too comfortable.

In his mind, the chase is over.

It’s common knowledge that men love a good chase–the challenge gets them high. What guys should remember is that the reverse is also true–women love to be chased. Why? When a guy is wooing her, he is in top form. He listens to whatever the woman is saying and remembers the tiniest of details. Women love to be heard! He appears to appreciate the woman in every way.

When the chase is over, women get frustrated. Sure, their guy is still around, but he’s getting mighty boring. Getting him interested in a conversation is like pulling teeth. He begins forgetting important days and details, like what you take in your coffee, and, in some cases, more important details, like your cell number!

What men don’t always realize is that it’s NOT a major challenge to get a woman interested. Keeping a woman interested is the true challenge. If only “keeping a woman” was as revered as “getting a woman” in a man’s mind, relationships would be so much more exciting.

Advice to men: Don’t stop the chase. While you can never completely re-enact the excitement of getting to know each other, keeping a woman’s interest truly does reap rewards. She’ll be more sexually responsive, she’ll have that special glow and walk with a bounce in her step because she feels desired, and she won’t be as inclined to feel the need to get attention from other guys.

Advice to women: If being direct simply doesn’t work, then it’s time to subtly give your guy the hint that you are in need of attention. There’s nothing wrong with letting him know that there are other guys out there who are more than willing to give you the attention you’re craving, as long as you don’t go overboard in the “making him jealous” department. If you need to resort to manipulative tactics too often, then it might be time to look for someone who takes the hint; or, better yet, doesn’t need the hint in the first place!

2. His interest in other women is too obvious.

While women know that guys usually continue to look at other women, they don’t need constant reminders. It’s just plain rude to be with a woman and to do the “roving eye” thing at the same time. It’s degrading and a real showstopper.

Going so far as cheating is probably the biggest showstopper around. Maybe it “meant nothing” to the man, but it means a whole lot to the woman. Studies show that women who choose to stay with a man who has cheated get over the actual physical act of sex well before they get over the deception involved, if they ever really do. Cheating probably has its biggest repercussions in the bedroom. It can be hard to enjoy sex with a man when you know, or suspect, that he’s probably said the same intimate things to, and done the same intimate things with, another woman. A woman who has been cheated upon usually feels less than special, and a man needs to rebuild her confidence in him and in herself.

Advice to men: Keep your eye from wandering when you’re with your partner. If you’ve gone so far as cheating and she knows a little about it, come clean. Remember that the issue at hand is more about the deception involved than it is about the actual act of sex with another woman. Avoid the common mistake of adding more lies to the lies, such as telling her the tried-and-untrue “we never had sex”. While we’re not saying that you should give her gory details or tell her that the other woman was a great bang, owning up to your mistake, showing true remorse, and stopping the lies is your only bet if you want a future with her. Telling her that “it meant nothing” isn’t enough. It’s time to prove yourself and to help her to trust you again. Feeding her BS at this point will only work against you.

Advice to women: Let him know that it is completely offensive for him to be checking out other women when he’s with you. Giving him a taste of his own medicine sometimes works, but if you have to do it more than once, he’s really not getting it. If you’ve found out he’s been physically cheating, don’t pretend you are over it when you’re not. It takes a heck of a lot of time to get over something like this, and you have every right to take your time. If you find yourself holding it over his head for too long, then it’s probably time to move on.

3. He clams up so as not to “rock the boat”.

Most men become extremely uncomfortable when their girlfriends or wives are upset with them. In an attempt to avoid future such incidents, guys will often take mental notes of what upset their women, instead of trying to understand why. And, the censoring process begins! Keeping the peace, to a man, often means avoiding certain topics he thinks are volatile, even if he doesn’t know why, instead of learning what exactly made his girlfriend upset. His mental list grows over time, to the point that he is keeping his mouth shut when he probably shouldn’t, and there is a huge loss of intimacy and communication in the relationship.

An example of this is: He is talking about his friends and casually mentions that so-and-so (a female) is “just like you” because she has a similar job. This bothers you–you don’t like to be compared to so-and-so. You react, and he doesn’t quite understand what it is exactly that got you upset. He generalizes, and assumes that he can’t talk about his friends with you, or you’ll get upset. Or, he generalizes and assumes you don’t want to hear about female friends. So, he censors the topic in question instead of figuring out that you don’t like the statement “she’s just like you”.

Advice to women: If you find your guy is communicating with you less, and avoiding topics, you may have completely confused him. It’s best to explain why something he said or did bothered you, in detail, instead of just getting mad and hoping that he will figure it out. Chances are, he won’t figure it out and instead generalize the whole incident or topic as something he should avoid!

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A year-long US study that compared the results of four popular diets with overweight pre-menopausal women revealed a clear “winner”, but didn’t really inspire confidence in terms of actual number of pounds lost.

The women involved in the study had a BMI (body mass index) of 27-40, which ranges from overweight to obese. The diets followed and compared were Atkins, the Zone, Ornish, and LEARN. Statistically speaking, the Zone, Ornish, and LEARN diets yielded virtually the same results, ranging from approximately 3.5 pounds to 5.7 pounds over the course of the year. The Atkins diet, however, yielded the largest weight loss in numbers–10.36 pounds.

Just over 10 pounds over the course of a year, however, falls short of what most overweight and particularly obese women are striving towards. Nevertheless, considering that of the four diet plans, Atkins has the lowest carbohydrate intake, we might conclude that lowering carbohydrates is the most ideal method for losing weight.

Other studies reveal that a person’s particular insulin response, whether they are high secretors or low secretors, can at least partially determine the type of diet that is most effective. The most impressive findings were for high insulin secretors, who were found to lose a significant amount of weight on a low glycemic diet plan. They didn’t fare as well on a low-fat diet.

A blood test will determine whether you are a high or low secretor, but there is a generalized rule of thumb that involves eyeballing body shape type. Generally, pear-shaped people (people who tend to gain weight first on the bottom and hips before they gain weight on the arms and waist) are low secretors; while high secretors generally sport an “apple” shape–they tend to gain weight first on their waist and upper body.

The Atkins diet, like many popular diet plans, has received a mixed bag of kudos and criticisms. While most studies and experts agree that lowering our intake of simple carbohydrates is beneficial, it’s the high fat and high protein elements of the Atkins diet that invites controversy. Some have recommended that this diet plan shouldn’t be followed for more than six months, for example, and in fact doesn’t have as successful results beyond the six-month point.

While it may be comforting to follow a specific diet plan, such as Atkins or the Zone, it may be worthwhile to read up on a number of different diet plans and pull out some of the better ideas from each. Of course, experimenting with different plans makes sense as well, simply because it is growing increasingly clear that there is no miracle diet that works for everyone, in spite of what many marketers will have you believe!

At least 90% of women have cellulite in their lives, and it can be a stubborn and persistent problem. Is there a cure?

Is there a cure for cellulite?

Cellulite is generally the result of poor circulation, excess weight in the affected area, and water retention that weakens the connective tissues beneath the outer layer of the skin, producing a dimpling or “orange peel” effect.

There is no set cure for the condition, and although cellulite is certainly connected with excess weight, thin people also deal with the problem. Why do more women appear to have cellulite than men? Only because a woman’s skin is thinner, so the problem is more visible.

From our research, and intuition as well, cellulite should be treated in two ways–directly on the affected skin, and internally. While topical creams and various methods of massaging affected areas can help, the best results, albeit long-term ones, come from combining topical treatments with making simple dietary changes and taking certain vitamins.

The simplest and first step that should be taken is increasing your consumption of water. Recent studies have even shown that drinking a liter of water a day burns calories.

Cut down on caffeine and try to quit smoking if necessary.

Before using a cellulite cream or other treatment, get your hands on a body brush and use it. Massage your skin with the body brush gently and in motions towards your heart.

Common ingredients in anti-cellulite creams are green tea extract, emu oil, seaweed extract, grapefruit oils, and caffeine. With the exception of caffeine, many of these ingredients also work internally as well. Drinking green tea, eating seaweed, and getting plenty of vitamin C from citrus fruits all contribute to reducing cellulite over time.

Coffee is one of the most effective ingredients for temporary firming, as it acts as a diuretic. Visible results can be seen by using a coffee ground wrap a couple times a week. Yes, it needs to be done two or more times a week simply because the effects of all cellulite treatments are temporary. In other words, there is no known permanent cure.

Coffee grounds anti-cellulite wrap instructions:

Combine about 1/4 to 1/2 cup freshly brewed, still warm coffee grounds with a small amount of olive oil, emu oil, or an egg white (this will keep the grounds together) in a bowl. In the bathroom (the process is messy), or even standing in the shower), apply the coffee grounds mixture on the affected areas, and then wrap the area with plastic wrap (like Saran Wrap or similar). Keep this wrap on for at least 5-10 minutes, but preferably longer. Then, wash off. Coffee grounds not only help firm skin, they are also an excellent skin exfoliator, so as you are showering the coffee off your body, gently rub the skin.

For an informative selection of skin care recipes, Naturally Skinsational ~ Rejuvenating Skin Care Recipes

The Mediterranean Diet

One of the secrets to the heart-healthy and popular Mediterranean Diet is the use of olive oil in cooking and over salads.

Americans consider the Mediterranean Diet somewhat of a paradox–even though the traditional diet of many people living in the Mediterranean Basin is rather high in fat consumption, the incidence of heart disease and obesity is lower. This is thought to be due to the Mediterranean diet’s emphasis on monounsaturated fats as opposed to saturated animal fat, as well as high fiber consumption.

The main components of the Mediterranean Diet are:

• the use of olive oil in cooking and salads
• the consumption of large amounts of plant foods and fruits
• fruits as the main dessert
• yogurt and cheese
• red wine
• low consumption of red meat
• fish and poultry
• high consumption of legumes and unrefined cereals

This is not a fad diet. Instead, it is what we like to think of as a “food lifestyle”.

In summary, if you would like to follow a food plan that mimics the Mediterranean diet, you’ll be cutting out or cutting down on foods like margarine and hydrogenated oils, coconut oils, palm oils, red meat, overly processed foods, and simple carbohydrates; and you’ll be focusing on the use of olive oil in cooking, fish and poultry, fruits (especially oranges), vegetables, legumes, yogurts, olives, and feta cheese. Get the large majority of your daily protein from fish and legumes. Drinking wine in moderation is good, but only with meals.

Italian Salad

People who follow the Mediterranean Diet often love it because they don’t have to heavily restrict their consumption of food in general–instead, they change their focus to certain foods that actually do taste great! As with any diet plan, it’s most effective with regular exercise.