Experiment in the kitchen. Variety is the spice life — it’s also a great strategy for sticking to your meal plan. Trying different recipes will keep your weight-loss efforts from getting boring. And you don’t necessarily have to forsake your old favorites simply because you’re dieting. A little research and…
The drive thru doesn’t always have to derail your diet. It is possible to stick to your weight-loss program while still hitting your favorite fast-food joints. The secret is to maintain the plan by making smart choices. Before you order a burger, fries and soda, explore the healthier options available….
Emotional eating can wreak havoc on even the most determined dieter. It’s a way to suppress or soothe negative feelings like boredom, grief, fear and anger. Triggers may include unemployment, financial stressors, relationship strain, health problems or simply fatigue. Our first reaction when anxiety rears its ugly head is to…
If you plan to celebrate summer’s last days with a cookout, then there are a few safety tips you should know before firing up the grill. Grilled food is usually a better choice than fried or creamy foods because there’s no coating and no grease. The smoke, rubs and marinades…
By now, it’s common knowledge that consuming five a day – vegetables and fruit, that is – can have some major bennies on your overall health and wellness. Fresh produce is a rich source of vitamins, minerals and fiber that prevents deadly conditions such as heart disease, stroke and cancer….
For many dieters, that post-dinner period is the witching hour. They follow the program all day long, and watch what they eat. In fact, they’ve almost made it through the day when those P.M. cravings rear their ugly heads. An hour after you’ve finished supper and cleaned up the kitchen,…
A great way to burn extra calories is to use the stairs instead of the elevator. If it’s been awhile since you exercised, start off slow. Set some goals for yourself. For example, if you only have three flights to ascend, then set a goal to go up and down…
Nothing in life is free, even those fat-free foods. For many dieters, the fat-free trap is a real danger. People falsely assume that the “free” implies it’s a free for all, a license to eat all you want. But that’s hardly the case. Although a product may be low in…
Develop coping mechanisms for cravings. When your stomach starts churning for a Snickers bar, do you have a plan? Or do you simply cave in and suffer from a heavy dose of remorse for the remainder of the day? Devise a list of activities that will provide a distraction from…
Eliminate trans fats from your diet. Trans fats have earned a bad reputation over the last year, and rightly so. Used to increase shelf life and flavor, trans fat is made when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil. In essence, the trans fats found in margarine, cookies, crackers, bread and…