Well we've all been there, the holidays are over and you have put on a few pounds. At this point your weight could continue to go up because you've decided it is too hard to diet or you needed to lose weight already and now you have extra, or you could decide to make this year the year you finally get the weight off. It is your choice and yours alone.

The thought of starting a diet makes everyones stomach turn. You think I don't want to eat salad for the next eight or so weeks. I just want it gone. Well losing weight is not just something you need to do for the next eight weeks it is something that you need to do for the benefit of having a better life. You need a diet that you can stick with and not feel like your missing out. This needs to be about a lifestyle change not just "oh I'll do the diet till I lose 20 lbs" because what is going to happen is your going to gain it back. Why do all that hard work just to be back at square one!



Some of the things you may need to address as I did are: emotional eating, over-eating, or gorging. I have done all of the above. When I get upset or mad, I want something to make me feel better. Usually it is some type of food that I know is not good for me, but I don't care. The weird thing is, is that it makes me feel way worse when I am done. Over eating is another big one for me. I was taught to eat everything on my plate or there are starving kids in China. Some of you younger folk may not have gotten this tirade at dinner, but I'm sure some of you can relate. That mentality is ingrained in me. I feel so guilty leaving food on my plate or sometimes it is just so good I can't stop. Cravings are another diet saboteur. I have found that taking Candida yeast cleanse totally killed my cravings. You can usually find the Candida pills at a health food store or a vitamin shop or body building store.



A couple of tricks I have learned are:



When I feel like just eating to eat, I ask myself if I am that hungry a cucumber or apple would be good enough. If I don't want either then I'm not really that hungry.

When I crave something I shouldn't eat, I eat something good for me a cup of broth, a glass of water, a protein bar etc. and tell myself if I still want it when I am done with the healthy choice I can have whatever it was I was craving. I usually don't feel like eating the craved food

Water is very powerful. When we are dehydrated our bodies interpret thirst as hunger. If you drink water consistently throughout the day it keep fake hunger at bay. Water also helps rid your body of that bloated feel and not the other way around.

Always keep something to snack on with you. That way if you stuck somewhere longer that anticipated then you can eat your snack and not go to that fast food restaurant that is calling your name because your starving.



Another component to staying healthy is exercise. If you don't like going to the gym you can get DVDs to workout to at home (I love pilates), or you can DVR (digital video recorder) a workout from the television. I have a cable station called FitTV and they always have something good to record. The former workout is actually shorter than the 30 minutes long because you can fast forward through the commercials. They are great to do before work. A super quick workout to do anytime (in between commercials, when you get up etc) is do three sets of the following:



10 squats

10 sit-ups

10 push ups



These three exercises cover the whole body. If you have a bad back you can do the squats with a ball behind your back and lean against the wall. If you not good at push ups (like me) you can do them against the wall using your body weight.



Finally, don't judge your weight loss by the scale alone. Judge your weight loss by the feel of your clothes and how you feel. One time I was feeling really heavy and was afraid to get on the scale, to my surprise I lost weight. I was feeling bad about myself that day and it reflected in the way I felt about how I looked and my weight loss progress. Try to weigh yourself at the same time everyday and naked if you can. Stay positive! My weight loss journey has been a life long one with ups and downs. I am determined to stay on the down side, meaning the numbers on the scale!

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Are there really five best weight loss foods for men? You betcha there is!

But before I tell you what five foods to eat, we need to talk about some of the strange advice I'm seeing out there about how many meals per day you should be eating.



There are so many schools of thought, eat 8 small meals a day, eat six meals a day, eat four meals a day, eat three meals a day, it's enough to drive one crazy, we see all this conflicting advice about how many times a day you should be eating.



I eat the standard three meals per day, and a snack in the evening. That's it!



In the morning I like to get loaded with some protein and some fruit. I will have an egg micro waved with no added butter or fats and some tea or coffee with just a table-spoon of milk in it and NO SUGAR, use Stevia or Splenda instead.



Lunchtime I like a little bit more balanced meal, a protein, vegetables and a fruit.



For supper, I like to have protein, vegetables, fruit and. Then for a snack latter in the evening I may have a fruit smoothie.



So what foods would fill the bill so that we can eat three meals a day and have a snack in the evening?



Number One: Protein is the fuel that stokes your metabolism to lose more weight and add muscle instead of flab. Some examples of protein are, lean meats such as turkey, chicken, pork, beef, lamb, Tuna, white fish, walnuts and, eggs.



It's important to note that it's just as important how you cook your meat as it is to what kind of meat that you eat. No fried meats in butter or oil and no deep fried foods such as chicken patties, chicken wings, fish fries. What you need to do is grill your meat using no additional oils but its okay to add some seasoning. Just be careful that the seasoning you use isn't full of sugar that will defeat your diet. Try not to use any marinates as they often contain corn syrup, brown sugar or some other type of sugar.



Number Two: Fresh vegetables such as green beans, yellow squash, zucchini, broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, tomatoes, bell peppers. There too many more to list so just check out your Grocers produce department. Vegetables contain many of the nutrients that the body needs to operate properly. They also contain fiber which is important for digestion.



Again its best to grill your veggies. Avoid steaming or boiling as it washes away many of the nutrients.



Eat at least 4 cups of Vegetables per day, ideally 2 cups with lunch and dinner.



Number Three: Some fruits to consider are apples, pears, peaches, bananas, pineapple, blueberries, strawberries, and again check out your grocers produce department. Always eat fresh fruit if possible, most canned fruits are packed in tons of sugar water and that's not good for a diet.



Number Four: Eliminate Carbohydrates! Potatoes, breads, pasta and rice, cereals, they are usually loaded with sugar and other undesirable chemicals. Carbohydrates are mainly starches and they and the undesirable chemicals are quickly stored by the body as fat especially if are sedentary and you're not eating enough Lean protein and veggies. Absolutely no fried carbs such as hash browns or French fries.



Number Five: Dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurts can be beneficial in general. But dairy products are often full of fat and tons of added sugars. You have to really cut down on the dairy unless you are in an intense workout program to compensate for consuming them.

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