Order Dressing on the Side

Dressing is a virtual salad killer. If you’re ordering a salad in an attempt to eat a healthy meal, the dressing that you choose can ruin your meal in no time flat. Instead of having your dressing added to your salad, ask for it on the side. When you sit down to eat, don’t pour your dressing over your salad. Instead, dip your fork in the dressing and then pierce your lettuce. You’ll have just the right amount of dressing to add flavor without adding dozens of calories!

Get Down With the Brown

Whether you are ordering a main dish that comes with sides or ordering sides in lieu of a meal, skip anything that’s white. Choose brown rice, whole grain breads, wheat pastas and sweet potatoes instead of their lighter colored siblings. Not only will you be choosing healthier options, you’ll be selecting foods that are more satisfying. Eating these foods will fill you up more quickly and keep you fuller for longer.

Skip the Fried Food

Fried food is yummy, there’s no doubt about it! Fried food is also ridiculously high in calories. Instead of choosing fried chicken or fish, ask for grilled or broiled meats or fish. Grilling and broiling are much healthier ways of preparing meats and are just as flavorful.

If there is a particular dish that you’re craving, don’t skip it just because its featured meat is fried! Ask if the cook can prepare the same dish using grilled or broiled meat instead. Most restaurants will be happy to adjust a meal to please their customers.

Load Up on Veggies

Whenever you’re given the choice, load up on veggies! Whether you’re ordering a side or main, packing your plate full of vegetables is one of the easiest ways to make sure your meal is healthy. Most restaurants offer vegetarian dishes or dishes that can easily be transformed into vegetarian dishes. If you decide to fill your plate with vegetables, make sure that they aren’t slathered in butter!

Order it Naked

Many meals on any restaurants would be healthy if it weren’t for the sauces, butters, gravies and cheeses that they are swimming in. If you simply can’t resist having that double cheeseburger, go for it! Just ask for it plain. When you bring it home, add healthy toppings from your own refrigerator to make it uniquely yours. If the sauce s your favorite part of the sandwich, ask for it on the side. Dip your sandwich before you take a bite to get flavor with fewer calories.
If you’re trying to eat healthy, there’s no reason why you can’t order takeout from your favorite restaurant! If you know how to choose healthier options and aren’t afraid to ask that some menu items be tailored to your tastes, you can eat in a healthy way, even if you aren’t cooking it yourself!

Author’s Bio

Renee Varney is a freelance blogger and occasionally writes for delivery.com a site she loves using to find local Food Delivery using their Chinese Delivered directory.

Say No:

• All successful diet plans involves portion control.  It’s no different for Thanksgiving.  The main reason why people gain weight during the holidays is because there always seems to be an abundance of food at all times and everywhere.  If you are anything like me, you will eat whatever is in front of you…and then some.  This holiday season, practice portion control.  Portion control does not mean skipping meals.  Skipping meals will only backfire on you, causing you to eat more than you would have before.  Portion control means eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner with two light snacks throughout the day.  Try to eat hearty goods filled with whole grains, fiber, and water to fill up your stomach.

Load on the Veggies:

• Before you dig into any holiday meal, cover your plate with greens.  Veggies and fruits have natural fiber and can be very filling.  Be weary of vegetables that have lost all nutritional value such as broccoli and cheddar or creamed corn and spinach.  Try sticking to eating a field green salad with balsamic or oil and vinegar.  Not only will veggies help you feel full longer, but it will also help regulate your body.

Shop till you Drop:

• Yes ladies and gents, take advantage of this years Black Friday shopping.  In addition to eating more during the holidays, people tend to be glued to their couches and TV.  This holiday try to find creative and fun ways to keep your body moving.  Even normal day to day activities such as shopping can help you stay trim.  Invite friends over to play a friendly game of basketball, football, etc.  Have the family involved in decorating the house or doing some yard work.  Get creative, get active, stay fit!

Stay classy:

• If you’re over the age of 21, Thanksgiving and Christmas isn’t Thanksgiving or Christmas without a glass of wine, eggnog, or hard cider.  Everyone loves a good beer or wine to pair with their food.  Unfortunately, alcohol is pretty high in caloric value.  This holiday season, stay classy and stick with just one or two drinks.

Eat More Turkey:

• If you plan on snacking on any leftovers, go for the white meat of the turkey!  Lean meat is very filling, has an abundance of protein, low in fat, and low in calories.  Pair your leftover turkey meat with some whole grains such as couscous or brown rice and some steamed veggies for a satiating healthy leftover meal.

Author’s Bio

Emily L. is a recent graduate with a BA in Psychology.  Currently she is working in the marketing sector.  She is both knowledgeable and interested in blogging about health and beauty related topics such as skin care, HCG diet, workout routines, and organic living.

The key, according to many health and fitness experts, is to maintain the feeling of being full and to do it by eating and loading up with the right kinds of food. By right kinds of food we mean those that contain few calories, less sugar, and less “bad” fat.

So what are these “right” kinds of food? Here are examples of the kinds of food that will keep you feeling full hours after you’ve eaten, thus helping you curve the need to munch and eat in between meals.

Load Up On Foods with Good Carbohydrates

For the want to lose weight, some health and diet experts have come up with specialized diets that suggested the reduction of carbohydrates in the diet. Some went to the extreme and suggested total elimination of carbohydrates from the daily diet. Recent studies, however, suggest that the practice of eliminating carbohydrates from the diet is not really healthy since carbohydrates are the main source of energy for the body. Carbohydrates fuel the body, giving it energy to function efficiently and effectively.

The advice is now for those who want to lose weight to choose complex carbohydrates which can be richly found in fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Complex carbohydrates from these sources take longer to digest and this in turn helps keep the feeling of being full.

A good example of good carbohydrate is potatoes; sweet potatoes are even better because they are not only rich in fiber but also a good source of Vitamins C and A.

Include Grapefruit in Your Daily Diet

Grapefruits are great in keeping you feel full. However, more than keeping you feeling full for a long time, recent studies also suggest that grapefruits lower insulin levels and regulates fat metabolism, and this is great news for those who are serious about maintaining a healthy diet. Grapefruit is also known to suppress appetite and burn more calories. Thus, to lose weight and maintain ideal weight, health experts suggest eating half a grapefruit after every meal.

Blueberries Works Wonders Too!

Of all the fruits, blueberry does the most amazing thing: they not only help you feel full after eating them, they also help get rid of extra belly fat. Now if you’re overweight, the belly fat is most likely the most unwanted fat in your body you want removed. This is according to Dr. Mitchell Seymour who is a research scientist who works on the genes responsible for fat storage and fat burning. So, if you seriously want to lose the belly fat, eat blueberries regularly.

These are just some of the ideal foods that can help you feel full longer, aiding you in your quest to lose the excess weight that’s been troubling you for the longest time.

Author’s Bio

The following article is written by Siena Lombardi on behalf of eDrugstore.MD. You can visit eDrugstore.MD for more information online for Viagra

Think twice about promotions of different fad diets and weight loss plans. You may have noticed a lot of commercials on pills and other extreme weight loss plans, such as shakes and other methods that are endorsed or linked to some celebrities. These are usually promotions by manufacturers, and all it means is “business”. Most of these products give you false claims and could even be scams. Though they are heavily promoted by certain celebrities, only a few of them actually use these products. Celebrities have their own unique weight loss strategy, but they all have the same basic concepts towards maintaining their figure.

What is their secret? It’s none other than the natural way of losing weight.

Diet

When it comes to dieting, the natural way is to promote healthy food items that will give you the essential nutrients, but don’t necessarily contain high calories. Some celebrities suggest low carbs etc., but the most common diet they have is eating healthy foods such as green vegetables and fruit. They definitely loathe fat and greasy food. Fast food is a total no-no; you only see them eat fast food products in commercials. In general what comprises their diet is healthy foods with fewer calories. So don’t worry about special diets anymore.

Exercise

Celebrities definitely workout, in fact they have their own personal coach and trainer. Exercise is how they maintain and shape their figure. There’s nothing to fear in going to a gym, it is the workhouse that allows you to shape your body.

Feedback

Why do they always maintain weight and never fail? It is because of constant feedback. Ordinary people like us, only get feedback from close friends or family, and sometimes we get no feedback at all. However, for actors, actresses, and models, feedback is at a totally new level. They get all kinds of feedback all of the time, even in minute detail. Of course with constant and immediate comments or feedback, it is natural to act upon them. When one commentator says “She’s gone fat”, then that celebrity would definitely do all in her power to lose weight. So, don’t ever be afraid of feedback. Instead of hating it, respond to it positively and constructively.

Yoga or other relaxation

Celebrities are fond of relaxing. Not because they have the luxury of doing so, but because they need to in order to maintain their beautiful figures, escaping from stress is essential. Yoga is a favourite way for many celebrities to achieve calmness and relieve stress. They can do it alone or in groups. Other relaxation methods have great benefits, including massages, spas and other related activities.

Lastly, to feel like a celebrity and lose weight at the same time is related. The secret in maintaining a beautiful body actually depends on how you perceive yourself. The diet and lifestyle mentioned above offers you a good overall feeling of beauty and a perfect figure. You should try the natural secret celebrity diet.

Author’s Bio

Chris writes about how to lose weight fast but in a healthy and secure way. Losing weight is a process that should be based on natural methods and techniques and not on fad diets or weight loss pills.

Living in the northeast, the winters are harsh and I just can’t seem to motivate myself to exercise when it’s in the single digits. The couch calls my name and I simply cannot seem to resist, and I find myself giving into the temptation to ditch my exercise regime and just lounge.

Unfortunately, when winter is over, the hot chocolate is gone, the snow has melted and I’m left with 15 extra pounds of weight on my hips. However, this year, my kids were home for Spring Break from their college preparatory boarding school so I figured this was the best time to get myself outside with them and start shedding my winter weight.

Here’s how I shaped up for summer:

Nutrition

I hired a registered dietitian to help me come up with a healthy eating plan that didn’t involve plates of cookies or sugar-laden beverages. We developed a nutritious diet that consisted mainly of lean meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats. Instead of eating three large meals a day, I eat about 5-6 mini meals so that my hunger never gets out of control and my blood sugar levels stay steady.

Me, my husband and our kids would gather in the kitchen every night and make a nutritious meal together. It was difficult at first to give up sweets and processed foods, but as I became more accustomed to buying and preparing fresh, nutritious foods, it became easier. My kids even started to ask for grilled fish instead of the usual request for take-out hamburgers and greasy fries!

Exercise

It was so great to have my children home that I decided to make an exercise plan that centered on them. Every day we would go out and do something new. Our favourite activities were playing in the park, going on hikes and biking! We went on a lot of hikes on our local trails and I couldn’t believe how much fun we were having while simultaneously doing something so good for our bodies. My son is a fabulous photographer and we would take pictures of various flowers and wildlife on our hikes.

Looking back at the pictures, you can see how much weight I’ve actually lost! We also played a wide variety of sports. We played soccer (my daughter’s favourite), basketball, volleyball, and even golf. I think the key to success in any exercise program is to mix it up so that you never get bored.

Through my exercise and nutritious eating plan, I managed to lose not only the 15 pounds I gained, but an additional five pounds. I am strong believer that healthy eating habits paired with consistent vigorous exercise will result in a healthy body, mind and figure!

Here are some of the reasons why you should lose weight:

• It’s good for the heart. Our heart is made of muscles; thus it is very important that there should be no layer for flab because it would not function well.
• Exercise and workout will not only help lose weight but will also develop healthy lungs; it will aid in getting the oxygen supply that your body needs.
• Daily exercise will keep you fit and happy. The happy hormones or endorphins are released during exercise.
• It would boost your self-esteem and you start to feel good about yourself. It will erase the feeling of paranoia that people are always talking about your weight.
• Another weight loss motivation would be the ability to move freely. If you have weight problems, your movements are limited like you tend to have a hard time to tie your own shoe lace or even paint your own toes.
• Losing weight would mean that you would not feel embarrassed when buying clothes and the largest size they have still won’t fit you.
• You would not need to request for seatbelt extensions whenever you are onboard an airplane.

These are just some of the numerous reasons why it’s time to lose weight. Now if these reasons are still not enough to motivate you to start exercising and dieting, then you could also consider doing some of these motivation tips like;

• “Begin with the end in mind”, according to Stephen Covey. Visualize yourself in your target weight. Imagine how easier life would be if you decide to lose weight.
• Set realistic goals and breakdown these goals into smaller pieces in order to easily achieve it. You would not feel discourage if you see progress on the weight loss program.
• Reward yourself. If you are able to meet your goal, it is best to give something to yourself like a small bite of your favorite cake; it can be a great reward for someone who has been trying to avoid eating it.
• Keep track on your progress. If you can take picture of the before and after, that would truly motivate you to continue achieving your goal.
• The best motivation in losing weight is that you are doing this because you love yourself. No one else would greatly benefit the weight loss program but you.

Now what are your reasons? How do you motivate yourself?

About the author:

Annie Wallace is a new blogging-from-home mom with a wide variety of interests. She blogs on fashion, weight loss and diabetic diet tips.

cc licensed flickr photo shared by adria.richards

Consider breastfeeding your baby.  First and foremost, breastfeeding has many healthy benefits for your baby.  Secondly, doing so can actually help you to lose weight faster.  Women who breastfeed often lose more weight in a shorter amount of time after pregnancy than women who do not breastfeed.  You will be able to burn off more calories when breastfeeding since you will continue to share nutrients with your baby.  And it takes energy from your body (and thus burn more calories) to provide your baby with milk.

You must also eat a healthy and well-balanced diet if you are breastfeeding.  Having a good diet will make it easier and more likely that you will start to lose weight.  You should also avoid foods that are high in fat or sugar while you are breastfeeding.  This is just another thing that can help you to drop pounds.

Plan healthy meals ahead of time.  You should plan out your meals for the week.  This will help you to ensure that you are planing meals that are healthy and that will make it easier for you to shed extra pounds.  If you take the time to plan out meals, it will make it easier for you to find the time to actually prepare these meals.  You might even want to prepare some of your meals or parts of your meals in advance so that you have the time for healthy meals.

Make time to be active even when you are tired with the new baby.  It is important to always look for ways to stay active whether it be working out to an aerobics video or taking the baby for a walk.  You cannot stop exercising after you have a baby.  Get together with some other moms to find some fun ways to stay fit even when you have kids.

Take some time for you even though it is difficult to do so.  It is harder than ever to take a few minutes for yourself each day.  However, it is important that you take a few minutes to de-stress each day.  If you are under less stress, you are less likely to overeat.  Your body will be better able to metabolize your meals each day if you are under less stress.

The important thing to do after having a baby is to still take some time for yourself.  You need to take good care of yourself so you can remain healthy while also dropping those extra pounds.  With some effort and dedication you can become thin again in a relatively short amount of time.  Just take your time to be healthy so that you do not lose too much weight too soon after pregnancy.

Author’s Bio

This article was contributed by Sandra Stevens. When she’s not reading or flying kites, Sandra writes about careers in nursing on her CNA Training help blog.

Acai berries are the world’s latest and greatest weight loss supplement. Unlike chemical pills and manufactured milkshakes, those on a diet can be reassured by the fact that the Acai berry is, simply, a berry. And as well as possessing properties able to greatly assist in weight loss, the berry is full of other goodness too.

Many health experts have in fact hailed the Acai berry as a super food; it contains a vast array of nutrients that can improve heart health, antioxidants (which are believed to help prevent cancer), as well as fibre, and of course, the properties that help with weight loss.

The primary way in which the Acai berry is known to aid weight loss is through its incredibly high levels of fibre. The freeze-dried Acai powder (a commonly found way in which you will find the Acai berry for sale on Acai berry weight loss sites) contains about 14 grams of fibre in every 100 grams of powder. In comparison, a 200-gram orange contains approximately 3.1 grams of fibre.

It has also been demonstrated that the Acai berry helps to raise metabolism, as well as increasing energy levels. When your metabolism is raised, your body will be more effective at burning calories. In turn, increased energy levels will ensure you are more inclined to exercise, and when you exercise, you will be further increasing the rate at which you burn calories.

Fibre helps the body to cleanse itself and suppress appetite. While of course, eating less is a major factor in weight loss (and the Acai berry will help you to do this), the lighter, healthier feeling you will notice when consuming a fibre rich diet will motivate you to do more exercise and be more active generally. Not only will this help you to lose weight, but it should also lead to a happier and more social lifestyle.

There is a dark side to the Acai berry however. When purchasing Acai berries, you need to keep your wits about you and be on alert for scams. Unfortunately, the weight loss industry is rife with scams. It’s easy to prey on people’s desperation for something, whether that’s weight loss, money or even happiness, and scammers are utilising people’s desires to their advantage in every way possible.

The most common scam used by Acai berry weight loss sites is the ‘free trial’, which is promptly followed by the consumer finding a very large sum of money being removed from their bank each month. Most of these companies will have a customer service number, to reassure you that you can cancel before the ‘free trial’ is up, but rarely will someone ever answer. Ideally, you should avoid any websites offering ‘free trials’, and read user reviews to ensure you are buying from a trusted and reputable company.

Another common scam on Acai berry weight loss sites is related to the product itself. Due to the speed at which fresh Acai berries perish, many websites sell the berry in liquid and powdered form. This means it is very difficult for the consumer to tell how much of the product they are actually getting. While in many cases, these are perfectly viable ways to consume the Acai berry, do ensure you do your research so you know you are buying a quality product.

Author’s Bio:

This post was written by James Harper on behalf of Which Acai Berry. For more info on Acai berry weight loss and independent consumer reviews please visit WhichAcaiBerry.com

1.       Vitamin Water

Vitamin Water may be one of the most misleading beverages ever sold. The product initially advertised that it helps bring about a “healthy state of physical and mental well-being”, and it predicated its claim on the idea that vitamin-infused water will give you all the nutrients you need. In reality, Vitamin Water is nothing more than sugar water containing synthetic vitamins that aren’t properly absorbed into the blood-stream, and the company got into trouble for its false claims.

2.       Granola/meal bars

Many granola and meal bars are implicitly advertised as a quick meal or snack that can be consumed on the go. While it is true that oats accrue lots of health benefits, most of these bars are loaded with corn syrup and chemical ingredients that spike your blood sugar levels, leaving you tired and hungry a short while later.

3.       Frozen diet meals

Frozen meals that are marketed as being low in calories, fat, or carbohydrate content seem like a great idea in theory. They are especially helpful for those who are always on the run, and feel that they don’t have time to cook. However, these frozen items are more than likely loaded with sodium, and often don’t contain enough calories or nutrients to keep your hunger satiated for long, tempting you to binge on other foods later.

4.       Fruit smoothies

Pre-prepared fruit smoothies, such as those offered at establishments like Smoothie King, or even the all-natural Odwalla or Naked Juice varieties, are good for you in moderation, but there are much healthier alternatives. Pre-packaged smoothies tend to have lots of added sugar, and because they contain fruit that isn’t fresh, it’s likely that they’ve begun to ferment, effectively removing many of the nutrients. Making your own smoothie with fresh fruits and plain yogurt is your best option.

Many companies will try to convince you that eating healthy and losing weight is a complicated process that requires their products. The truth of the matter is that eating healthy basically means sticking to whole, natural foods like fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins, and losing weight often boils down to eating regular meals, controlling your portions, and exercising both your body and a little bit of patience. It’s really that simple.

Author’s Bio

Hajera Blagg is a freelance writer based in Houston, TX. She often contributes content to OnlineUniversities.

When pressed for time it can be very tempting to take your pick of any one of the countless crash diets out there, but are they safe? Sure, you could eat only grapefruit for a week, or sip lemon water spiked with cayenne pepper for days on end, but if the diet alone doesn’t kill you, someone else just might because you’ll make for miserable company. And even worse, all that water weight you lost from the GET THIN QUICK diet will come right back when you return to eating normal human food.

So what is one to do?

The truth is that being fit and healthy is not a trick, but a lifestyle.

Crash dieting, yo-yo dieting, and all the other lose-weight-quick schemes put you on a cycle of fast and famine, which is extremely unhealthy and can even damage your body by ruining your metabolism. We live in a society fixed on instant-gratification, but dieting isn’t so simple.

Losing weight is a gradual process that can have serious negative consequences if done improperly (read: too quickly). But it’s not all bad! The good news is that all of us who’ve completed dietitian courses can tell you that it’s safe to lose 1-2 pounds a week, but no more than that! And better yet, if you do it the slow way, that extra weight is more likely to stay away.

Follow These Tips for Creating a Healthy Lifestyle Change

1. Find a balance. Eating healthy is the essential building block in sculpting a lean, fit body. Be sure to fill up on fresh vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, low-fat or non-fat dairy, nuts, legumes and beans, and whole grains! Avoid processed, packaged, sugary, salty treats that will pack a high caloric punch with little or no nutrition. If you are craving something sweet, have a small portion of a delicious treat you enjoy and end it at that.  If you only eat celery for a week, it’s bound to end up in an all-out binge of an entire pan of brownies, so moderation is the name of the game. Changing your eating habits can be a difficult process, but once you start to incorporate more fruits and vegetables, you’ll want to eat healthier because of how good it makes you feel in comparison to chips and soda!

2. Exercise. Exercise is important not only for keeping your weight in check, but also to keep your heart and body healthy. If you’re scared of the gym, or clueless as to where to start, enlist the help of someone with experience, like a personal fitness trainer. If you don’t have the budget, since personal trainers can be expensive, ask around with friends and family to find out if they know anyone who is currently enrolled in personal training courses who might be willing to work with you on the cheap.  The great thing about a personal trainer is that they take out all of the guess work by showing you the exact exercises you need to do to achieve your fitness goals. If you can’t get professional assistance, simply aim to get around 30 minutes of exercise 3-5 times a week to maximize your results. Moving your body will release feel-good endorphins and is one of the healthiest ways to release stress.

3. Relax. Adopting a new diet and workout plan can be a little stressful in the beginning, so be sure to carve away some time to relax and rejuvenate your body and mind. Enjoy a nice bubble bath, a good book or treat yourself to a fabulous pedicure! Even taking a yoga class is a great way to eliminate stress and regain focus. Taking time out for yourself will hopefully be a gentle reminder that you choose to live a healthy lifestyle because you’re worth it!