Article: Your daily caloric needs depend on your age, gender, height, activity level, and current weight. To lose weight you need to burn more than you consume.   A woman aged 19-30 who is sedentary (with only minimal physical activity each day) should consume anywhere from 1,550 to 1,800 calories per day to maintain her weight, and should restrict herself to between 1,000 and 1,250 calories per day to lose weight.  A man aged 19-30 who is sedentary should consume anywhere from 2,050 to 2,200 calories per day to maintain his weight, and should restrict himself to between 1,250 and 1,650 calories per day to lose weight. When you severely restrict calories, your body can begin to think that it’s starving, and it will then hold on to everything you eat — meaning you can actually gain weight. What you eat is really more important than how much you eat. Eating whole foods will help you feel more satisfied with less calories; in addition, pay attention to how you feel while you eat, and stop when you’re satisfied — not full. Eating two to three large meals per day, with hours in between, will cause your metabolism to slow between meals. By eating a small meal or snack every 3 to 4 hours, you keep your metabolism more steady and will burn more calories over the course of the day. Aim to eat at least 2/3rds of your day’s calories before dinner. Try eating your lightest meal at dinner — for example, a soup and salad with no heavy meat proteins or grains. Eating lighter at night might even help you sleep better — another important aspect of losing weight (being well rested). There is little evidence to show that eating at night can actually cause weight gain, but what it can do is cause indigestion as you lie down so soon after eating, or insomnia if you eat something like chocolate, for example. Science still shows that the calories in/calories out rule applies, and as long as your nighttime snack is part of your caloric intake planned for the day, you should be fine; the problems arise when you don’t snack healthfully before bed, and when it leads to problems sleeping. Often when we feel hungry, we’re actually thirsty. If you’re feeling hungry, try drinking a large glass of water to see if that satisfies you. If after 20 minutes you’re still not feeling satisfied, chances are, you’re hungry! It takes roughly 20 minutes for your brain to tell your stomach “I’m full.” If you speed through a large meal in 10 minutes, it’s likely you’ve eaten much more than you actually needed to in order to feel satisfied. Slow down and take time enjoy what you eat. You may find it helpful to set a timer for 20 to 30 minutes to ensure that you don’t eat too quickly. Some people find it useful to give themselves 2 to 3 minutes between bites.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Cut your caloric intake. Don’t starve yourself. Eat small portions, more often. Eat a small evening meal. Don’t eat right before bed. Know the difference between hunger and thirst. Eat slowly.
Article: Using a tape measure or tailor’s tape, measure the approximate length and width of your guitar. Use these dimensions to buy your fabric. Choose exterior fabric in a color or pattern you like. Interior fabric is optional for lining the case and could be in a complementary or contrasting shade to your exterior fabric. Duck cloth is a plain, heavy cotton fabric used for padding; its color won’t show. Lay the guitar on a piece of paper and trace around it’s edge with a pencil. Then make a second, darker line that is ¾ inch larger on all sides to make sure the case is not too tight on your guitar. Cut the shape out along the darker line. Measure all the way around the outside edge of the pattern once you cut it out. About half this number is a good length for a zipper and about double this number is a good length for piping, if you choose to use it. Using the pattern you created on paper, cut out 2 pieces of your exterior fabric, 2 pieces of the duck cloth, and 2 pieces of fleece/batting. Then cut the 2 pieces of fleece/batting to be ½ inch smaller all around to reduce bulk when sewing. Place 1 piece of your fleece/batting on top of 1 piece of duck cloth, and then place 1 piece of your exterior fabric on top of that. Do the same with the second set of pieces. One set will be the front panel of your case and the other set will be the back panel. Then, use a sewing machine to quilt the pieces together, using straight lines across the length of the fabric. Do this on both panels. If you want to add piping to the edging of your case for a finished look, you can do so by pinning it around the edge of your front and back panels and then sewing it on with a basting stitch on your machine (straight stitch at the longest length).
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Measure your guitar. Trace your guitar on paper. Cut fabric to size for front and back panels. Sew the pieces together. Attach piping (optional).
Article: It’s best to focus on training one canary at a time, with one canary in a single cage in a room. Canaries are prone to getting nervous about possible predators around them, so be patient and let your canary get familiar with the area around her cage. Avoid making sudden movements and loud noises when you enter the room so you don’t startle your bird. Spend time sitting in the room with your canary for the first several days. When you enter the room, make a low sound or whistle and then repeat the same sound or whistle every time you enter the room. This will become your “special noise” for your canary, which will signal her of your presence. Hang your bird’s cage so it sits eye level with you, as she can become stressed from having to make too many movements with her head. Place her cage in a room with some household activity so she can watch you and become comfortable with your presence. At night, cover her cage with a dark cloth so she knows when it’s night and time for bed. Take the covering off in the morning so she can recognize that it is day and time for activity. Avoid direct eye contact when you first enter and sit in the room, as many birds associate direct eye contact with danger. Instead, watch your canary in her cage from a safe distance. As you watch your canary during the first few days, you may note she is flitting around the cage as well as feeding, bathing and preening in your presence. Once she stops flitting around and grooming herself, you can begin to make closer contact with her. This will help your canary get familiar with you over a period of time, and build your relationship. Sit near her cage, whistle to her, and talk in a quiet tone. Over time, she will recognize your voice and come to see you as a friend. Stress can kill canaries so focus on acting calm and soothing around her. Some canary owners create a certain low noise, like a humming or shushing, that they then repeat when they move close to the canary’s cage. The canary will get used to the “special noise” and come to associate it with their owner and with comfort.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Let your canary get used to her surroundings. Keep her cage at eye level. Observe your canary. Talk quietly to your canary for 10 to 15 minutes, twice a day.