1. Why are you in this same place again?

In other words, what HASN’T worked in the past? Where have the plans fallen apart? Why did you lose your motivation? What part of past programs just wasn’t possible for you to complete? Be as honest and as thorough about answering this question as possible.  Note: this is NOT an opportunity to beat yourself up. If your first response is something like, “I was lazy and didn’t have enough willpower,” I’m not buying it. What would a plan need to have to keep you energized? What was it about the last approach that led you to run out of steam and stick-to-it-ness?

2. Do you have the time and energy for this project?

Really. If adopting new healthy lifestyle habits is important to you, you’re going to need to carve out some space to do this. Are you willing to say no to some things so that you can say yes to what you want? What will you need to let go of to stay on track?

3. When you stumble, what will help you get back on track?

We all stumble and we all have bad days. You know yourself—what do you need to keep going when the going gets tough? Are you motivated by accountability, rewards, feedback, or something else? Do you need a partner, an emotional eating program, a coach? What benefits or features would help you really create the success you are after?

4. Do you need some new tools to craft the success that you crave?

Are you trying to build a house with only a hammer? The best hammer in the world is pretty useless if what you really need is a screwdriver and a food plan doesn’t address issues like emotional eating or boredom eating. What skills or habits or information would help you feel more confident and prepared to win at weight loss—once and for all?

Remember—you are the expert on you. Don’t let your wisdom go to waste. Use what you know to craft a plan that won’t disappoint or leave you tied up in knots trying to be someone you aren’t. That’s how to create a pathway towards peace with food and weight that stays “lost.”

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Are you a smart, busy woman struggling with emotional eating, overeating,and balancing work and life? Claim your free psychologist-designed audio series: “5 simple steps to move beyond overwhelm with food and life” at http://TooMuchOnHerPlate.com.

Melissa McCreery, PhD, ACC, is a Psychologist, ICF Certified Life Coach,and emotional eating coach who specializes in providing smart resources to busy women struggling with food, weight and overwhelm.

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Order what looks appealing, but try to stick to an appetizer and a salad and just one drink, preferably wine, which usually packs less than half the calories of a margarita or a martini. Eat slowly, and savor your food, stopping as soon as you start to feel full. Take the rest home with you for another meal.

Your BFF also could be your BDD (biggest diet downfall). Fitness magazine shows you how to break the pal-pig-out cycle.

“Eating is a social experience,” said Dr. Evelyn Attia, director of the Columbia Center for Eating Disorders at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. “For some of us, it’s an activity we do with our friends.”

Is your BFF Helping or Hurting your Attempt at Losing Weight and Achieving a Healthy Lifestlye?

Unfortunately, group munching can cause the pounds to add up. When you dine with another person, you consume 35 percent more than you would alone, research shows.

Got a pal (or two) who pushes your all-you-can-eat button? Here’s how to ID a chowhound and give your friendship — and your diet — a food fix.

The Comfort Queen

You just lost your job. You broke up with your boyfriend. No matter what the crisis, your best pal can see you through — usually over a pint of mocha fudge ice cream or a package of chocolate chip cookies.

“Guys have drinking buddies when they’re depressed; women have eating buddies,” said Dr. Daniel Stettner, director of psychology at UniSource Health Center in Troy, Mich. “Unfortunately, what should be a supportive relationship turns into a situation where both women enable each other to eat — and eat and eat.”

Step away from the table. Instead of self-medicating with food, do some cardio.

“Exercise is a potent weapon against depression,” said Dr. Edward Abramson, a professor emeritus of psychology at California State University at Chico and the author of “Body Intelligence.”

Thirty-minute aerobic workouts three to five times weekly for three months reduce mild to moderate symptoms by nearly half, according to a study from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Sign up for a spinning class, or start training for a 5K, and invite your friend to join you.

In addition, stop the graze-and-gripe fests. If you need to spill, do it over the phone, or while the two of you are on a power walk.

The Party Girl

Your phone rings at 5 p.m. after a crazy day at the office. It’s one of your buds, suggesting you both blow off steam by meeting at your favorite watering hole. Three margaritas, a heaping plate of nachos and an order of chicken wings later, you head home feeling ill.

“Overdrinking and overeating are common ways to cope when you’re under stress,” said Dr. Stacey Rosenfeld, a psychologist in New York City.

Alcohol also loosens inhibitions, which means that you and your friend are much more likely to start diving into the chip bowl.

Step away from the table. Limit time with your partying pal to Friday nights only. If you go to a bar, pick one with few or no appetizers so you’re not tempted to overeat, Abramson said.

When you arrive, order a glass of wine and a glass of water and hold the alcohol in your non-dominant hand, said Jackie Keller, a registered dietitian and nutritionist in Los Angeles. “Most people drink less with this technique.”

The Restaurant Junkie

Melissa Gibbs loves to go out to eat with her friends, but the cost has been steep: She’s struggled with her weight for years.

“When we sit down to dinner, someone orders a round of fancy martinis at 300 calories a pop, then a round of appetizers, and suddenly there’s a day’s worth of calories sitting on the table, and the entree hasn’t even arrived yet,” said Gibbs, a 39-year-old business development manager for a construction company in New Orleans.

Considering that most restaurants serve gigantic portions and you’re likely to be distracted by conversation, you probably won’t even realize how much you’re consuming until it’s too late.

“In theory, if you’re in tune with your body and know when you’ve had enough, it shouldn’t be a problem,” said Judith Matz, director of the Chicago Center for Overcoming Overeating and author of “The Diet Survivor’s Handbook.” “But many of us don’t listen to those internal cues, and that’s where we get stuck.”

Step away from the table. Arrive at the restaurant hungry but not famished; snack on a mix of carbs and protein, like a piece of string cheese and an apple, an hour before to take the edge off, Matz suggests.

Order what looks appealing, but try to stick to an appetizer and a salad and just one drink, preferably wine, which usually packs less than half the calories of a margarita or a martini. Eat slowly, and savor your food, stopping as soon as you start to feel full. Take the rest home with you for another meal.

If you’d rather have an entree, choose grilled meat or fish, and ask for an extra serving of vegetables instead of a potato or rice. For dessert, order one or two sweets for the table to share.

Printed in the July/August 2009 issue of Fitness Magazine

Understanding the link between diet pills, weight loss and metabolism

Diet pills therapy is a choice for individuals who don’t want to spend most of their time and effort doing exercise and it is also a current-day approach to get rid of gaining weight by making you lose your appetite. For some pill users, they are not allowed to eat oily food and junk food as well as fast food.

In dieting, setting your goals is very important. Like if you want to get a slimmer figure, you could find a product or method of your choice. Just feel free and not worry about what others testify because not at all times that what works best for them would also work best for you. It is case-to-case basis. The market offers different diet pills and they are really making it big since many wanted to have the fast and convenient way of toning your body down.

There is however a risk for diet pills, never overdose it because it could give out fatal results. Make sure that you are safety while taking it. It is good to be healthy and sexy by pills but the feeling of satisfaction and real health differs. We could see the good points provided by diet pills but some are really negative points to know- for one’s safety.

There are pills which are habit forming and this is alarming. One could become dependent in the long run. Just like any other medical concerns, talking to your doctor would be a great help. It is for your safety.

Taking diet pills may also slow down metabolism. Instead of getting well your body would stop your appetite causing you not to eat that well, Losing weight is good but risking health is not.

To have a safer use of diet pills, seek a physician’s advice. We just want to inform you that boosting your metabolism and trying on the best method to lose weight comes naturally from one best time: YOU.

That five a day guideline is actually the minimum recommendation, and eating up to nine servings a day of fruits and vegetables is a great way to increase health, lower dietary fat, increase vitamin consumption and just generally feel better.

Following the five a day rule may just be the most important, and one of the easiest, changes you can make in your daily diet.  There are many reasons to increase your consumption of fruits and vegetables, including:

• They are delicious
• They are nutritious
• They are colorful
• They are plentiful
• They are inexpensive

It is hard to find such a great combination in any other food group.  Delicious, nutritious and affordable foods can be hard to find, but they abound in the produce section of virtually any grocery store.

In order to make fruits and vegetables even more affordable, it is best to buy them when they are in season.  Every type of fruit and vegetable grown in this country has its own growing season, and fruits and vegetables that are out of season usually must be purchased in frozen, dried or canned varieties.

Fresh, in season, fruits and vegetables, on the other hand, are usually plentiful and inexpensive.  And in addition to the grocery store, such produce is often available at farmers markets and even at roadside stands.  This locally grown produce is often of superior quality and lower price than that at the supermarket, so if you have such a venue in your area by all means check it out.

It has long been known that fruits and vegetables play an important role in a healthy diet, and science continues to confirm this fact with study after study.  Diets high in fruits and vegetables and low in fats have been shown to play a role in preventing infections, protecting the heart and even in protecting against some kinds of cancer.

One reason for this is that many fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants.  Antioxidants are able to protect the body from damage by free radicals.  Free radicals are naturally occurring compounds thought to play a role in many diseases.

One quick and easy way to take care of one fifth of the five a day rule is to start every day with a fresh glass of fruit juice.  Apple juice, orange juice and grapefruit juice are all excellent choices.  When choosing juice, however, be sure that it is 100% real fruit juice and not a blend.  Fruit juice blends can contain high levels of sugar and low levels of fruit.

A quick fruit salad is another excellent way to satisfy part of the five a day rule.  It is easy to make a quick fruit salad using either canned or fresh fruits.  In addition, canned fruit salads are widely available and often a great value.  As with juice, however, it is important to read the label and be sure that there is no added sugar.  Fruit is sweet enough on its own – extra sugar is something you simply do not need.

Another interesting way to increase fruit and vegetable consumption is to use them as garnishes for other foods.  For instance, adding strawberries, blueberries or bananas to your morning cereal is a great way to increase the flavor of the cereal while at the same time increasing the amount of fruit in your diet.

And adding vegetables like green peppers, red peppers and chunks of pineapples to shish kebobs is a great way to grill your way to good health.  Your kebobs will be more colorful, more attractive, and of course more healthy.

No matter how you choose to meet the five a day rule, there is no doubt that increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables in the diet can have a profound effect on health.  Many who have eaten more fruits and vegetables report greater levels of energy, a greater sense of well being, fewer colds and more stamina.  So why not follow the simple five a day plan to good health?

The local grocery store is a great place to find healthy, nutritious foods – especially if you are trying to lose weight and become healthier.  Unfortunately, it is also a place to find less healthy foods and many junk foods.  Learning how to follow a healthy lifestyle means learning how to shop for the healthiest foods, and learning how to avoid temptation.

Learning to read labels is an important skill for any healthy shopper.  The information on nutritional labels is very valuable, providing complete information on the percentage of many vitamins and minerals a particular food contains.  In addition, nutritional information labels provide valuable information on things like the amount of calories, number of at grams, percentage of total fat and amount of fiber each food contains.  It is important to choose those foods that have the best nutritional qualities as you roam the local grocery store.

There are some important guidelines to follow to make sure that every trip to the grocery store will be a healthy experience.  After all, you cannot have a healthy refrigerator or a healthy dinner table without first stocking your kitchen pantry with the healthiest foods available.

One of the best pieces of advice is probably something you have heard a million times, and that is to never go grocery shopping when you are hungry.  Even if it means stopping for a quick snack on your way, it is important to not enter the supermarket while you are hungry.  Hungry shoppers make bad choices, and those unhealthy choices will be around long after your hunger has abated.

Another good trick is to hit the produce section of your grocery store first.  Fill up your food basket with healthy, nutritious fruits and vegetables.  Not only will this allow you to stock the fridge and the pantry with healthy choices, but it will leave less room for all those less healthy foods.

It is also important to always make a detailed shopping list before hitting the grocery store.  A well thought out grocery list keeps you from overspending, and also helps keep you from succumbing to the temptation of less healthy junk foods.  To keep a detailed list of what you need on your next shopping list, try keeping a notepad by the fridge or on the dining room table.  Write down each item as you think of it, and come shopping day, you will have a complete list of everything you need to buy.

As you shop around the grocery store, it is a good idea to take advantage of the many low fat foods that fill grocery store shelves.  There are low at varieties of many foods, including milk and dairy products, meats and cheeses, even cakes and pies.  Most of these products contain all the taste of the full fat products, without all the fat.

When shopping for low fat foods, however, be on the lookout for extra sugar content.  This is not so much a concern with milk and dairy products, but it is sometimes a concern with low fat baked goods.  Some manufacturers pack their low fat baked goods with extra sugar, so it pays to be a smart label reader.

As long as you watch sugar content, however, low fat desserts and sweets are excellent choices.  When grocery shopping, try to choose naturally lower fat alternatives, such as angel food cake, fig bars and vanilla wafers.  Buying smaller portion sizes is another smart strategy for enjoying sweets while limiting fat and calories.

Another smart strategy is to choose whole grain breads and cereals whenever possible.  Whole grains contain more fiber and other nutrients than do more processed foods, so buying whole grains makes a lot of sense.

When shopping for the healthiest cereals in the grocery store, it is helpful to understand how the cereal aisle of the typical grocery store is arranged.  Shelf space at a grocery store is in high demand and short supply, and cereal manufacturers take advantages of this fact in their store shelf marketing.  In general, the less healthy, sugar laden cereals are arranged at kid height, while the more adult, healthier products are on the top shelves.

That is one reason why your kids are always trying to put those sugar cubes disguised as cereal in your cart as you shop.  Choosing the healthier cereals from the top shelves is a good strategy, but it is still important to read the labels to make sure you are getting what you think you are.

Moderation and Common Sense are the Keys to Holiday Eating

When the holidays arrive, many people forget all about their diets and healthy eating.  Weight gains of 7 – 10 pounds are common between Halloween and Christmas.  To make the holidays easier, these tips will help you with healthy
eating through the season and not gaining weight.

Most traditional foods can be made low fat.  Turkey is very lean without the skin, and gravy can be made without any fat.  Potatoes that are served without butter can be very healthy.  The beloved pumpkin pie is nutritious, although it
can be made into a fatty dessert with the adding of whipped cream.

Even though the holidays are in, don’t forget about the exercise.  Keeping weight off during the holiday season is burning off the extra calories.  You should plan a walk after meals, park farther from stores when you shop, and
take a few walks around the mall before you begin shopping.

During holiday parties and at family dinners, feel free to sample foods although you shouldn’t splurge.  Decide on what you plan to eat in advance, then stick to your plan.  Eat plenty of vegetables, fruit, low fat dressings, and slices of lean meats.  Before you go to a party, eat a small snack to help curb your appetite.

If at all possible, avoid alcohol.  Having too many drinks can cripple your will power, and also add excess calories to your diet.  In the place of alcohol, drink water with lemon. Water can help to limit your appetite and keep you from binging.  Also make sure to avoid eggnog, as each glass can have up to 300 calories.

Be flexible with your healthy eating, as one bad meal won’t ruin your diet.  Try to balance your calories over a few days and don’t just look at one meal or day.

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Emotional eating is one of the primary causes of weight gain and weight re-gain after weight loss.

Stress eating, boredom eating, comfort eating—even eating as a way of celebrating—these patterns often sneak up on women who are busy caring for their families, their businesses, and their complicated lives. My clients sometimes tell me that it feels like the pounds slipped back on when they got busy and were “looking the other way.”

Here are three tips to keep emotional eating at bay:

1.  Be proactive with your life. Emotional eating often happens when we feel like we are chasing our life instead of in charge of it.  When we feel behind, overwhelmed, tired, or overburdened, our problem-solving abilities are diminished, our will power is reduced, and a quick food fix can be awfully tempting.  It doesn’t sound very sexy, but spending twenty minutes at the beginning of your week identifying your schedule and your priorities and making sure that you schedule your own needs and self care can make all the difference. Did you see that sentence about scheduling your own needs and self care?  Women who feel in control with food and life don’t skip that part.

2.  Be aware. Often, it’s the things that we are trying NOT to think about or avoid that trigger emotional eating.  I’m a huge fan of regular journaling.  Writing is a great way to stay connected with what’s going on in your head.

3.  Acknowledge tiredness. One of the biggest causes of out-of-control eating is exhaustion.  We’re trying to do a lot, but ignoring tiredness and doing without sleep doesn’t help.  If you want to lose weight, maintain weight loss, or feel in control with food, getting eight hours of sleep a night is one of the most powerful things you can do.

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Are you a smart, busy woman struggling with emotional eating, overeating,and balancing work and life? Claim your free psychologist-designed audio series: “5 simple steps to move beyond overwhelm with food and life” at http://TooMuchOnHerPlate.com. Just look for the yellow post-it note at the top of the page.

Melissa McCreery, PhD, ACC, is a Psychologist, ICF Certified Life Coach,emotional eating coach, and the founder of TooMuchOnHerPlate.com, a company dedicated to providing smart resources to busy women struggling with food, weight and overwhelm.

Emotional eating can be overcome

Overwhelm is something that we can’t always avoid, and it can be a major trigger for emotional eating, overeating, or bingeing. While it’s great to have strategies for staying out of overwhelm, sometimes–no matter how skilled or proactive or positive we are–overwhelm just plain happens.

A colleague sent me a gift recently. She sent me a timer. She didn’t have to explain what it was for, because I know her strategy. She’s about getting big things done by making them do-able.

That is such an important key. When we are facing something that feels overwhelming, when we are staring up at a mountain, it may feel intimidating to even think about getting started. We can feel so overwhelmed simply thinking about how big the mountain is that we never even begin to climb.

Last year I ran a marathon for the first time. Here’s what I know. If I had stood at the starting line thinking about how I was going to be running for the next 26.2 miles I might not have started. I certainly would have panicked. I started the race by moving forward. I took some steps and then I took some more. I looked for the mile marker that told me I had run the first mile. I ran from mile marker to mile marker and I didn’t let myself think much farther ahead then that.

Today I had to work through some difficult and rather uninspiring tasks. I’ll be honest. They were overwhelming and I’ve been avoiding them. I’ve been sitting here all day setting my timer for fifteen minutes at a time, taking a break with a more pleasant activity each time it goes off. It’s only noon and my desk is almost clear. I’m amazed at how much I’ve accomplished and I never would have really gotten started if I hadn’t broken it down into small chunks.

I know that when you are facing an overwhelming project or decision or whatever your mountain is, those small fifteen minute chunks can seem like nothing. They can seem insubstantial and “not serious.” Don’t give into that thinking. It will sink you before you start.

My suggestion for you is to pick something you feel overwhelmed by or that you’ve been avoiding because you don’t know where to begin. And then dig in–anywhere. Just start moving in a small, time-limited way. Work through the first fifteen minutes. Just start. Give yourself permission not to do the whole thing or have the whole course charted out. Taking action feels better than feeling stuck.

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By Melissa McCreery, PhD, ACC
Are you a smart, busy woman struggling with emotional eating, overeating,and balancing work and life? Claim your free psychologist-designed audio series: “5 simple steps to move beyond overwhelm with food and life” at http://TooMuchOnHerPlate.com. Just look for the yellow post-it note at the top of the page.

Melissa McCreery, PhD, ACC, is a Psychologist, ICF Certified Life Coach,emotional eating coach, and the founder of TooMuchOnHerPlate.com, a company dedicated to providing smart resources to busy women struggling with food, weight and overwhelm.

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Like oranges, potatoes are very high in vitamin C. The fact is, one medium potato contains 45% of the vitamin C that’s recommended for good health.

Potatoes are also high in fiber and carbohydrates and contain more potassium than a banana.

A potato is naturally low in calories and contains no fat, sodium, or cholesterol.  The skins of the potatoes provide a helpful dose of fiber, iron,  potassium, calcium, zinc, phosphorus, and several B vitamins.

You can prepare potatoes by boiling them, steaming, baking or even roasting them.  If at all possible, you should avoid putting potatoes in the refrigerator or freezing them, as cold will turn the potato starch to sugar and cause them to turn dark when they are cooked.

When you store potatoes, keep them in a cool, dark place. Too much light will cause them to turn green. You can store them in the basement if you have one, as the basement is the best place to keep potatoes.

From mashed potatoes to baked potatoes, a potato is something we all know and love.  They serve  many different tasty foods, and they provide our bodies with plenty of healthful benefits.  We all eat potatoes, some of us even grow our own.  Whether you grow your on or buy them, the potato is the one vegetable that makes everything just a
little bit better.

Avoid the fatty versions such as french fries, scalloped potatoes and potato au gratin- as well as twice baked, stuffed and greasy potator skins. When eaten in a healthy way, the potato is a miracle vegetable that is good for any weight loss or pound maintenance program.

A Single Potato is Filled with Nutritional Goodness