Get outside this weekend and play some pick-up basketball

However, there are small tricks you can use, which, while not a miracle cure, can help you change your attitude to eating, without making you go into debt to pay off the ridiculously over-priced ab workout machines. We all know the trick of using a smaller serving plate, which gives you the illusion of eating a lot of food when in reality you’re really not, but did you know there are other just as effective small mind tricks which you can use? Shine published 4 great tips you can use to help you with portion control, to ensure you don’t over eat….

1. Light a vanilla scented candle.

Supposedly, the vanilla scent reduces dessert cravings. In fact, Shine report that one group of 160 volunteers actually lost an average of 4.5 pounds each by wearing vanilla-scented patches. Smells amazing, and you don’t intake useless calories on dessert. How can you beat that?

2. Paint your dining room blue.

Blue rooms help people to eat less, as the blue tinge makes the food look less appealing. In fact research has shown that people eat 33% less in a blue hued room. While no one is actually crazy enough to go all out and paint their walls blue, you can try to achieve the same mood by hanging blue lamp-shades and paintings, or using blue plates and napkins. Conversely, red, yellow and orange colors have been shown to promote appetite, so steer clear of these in your dining rooms if possible. I guess it’s no coincidence so many fast food chains use red and yellow in their color schemes is it?

3. Put on relaxing music.

Soft, slow background music helps you to slow down and relax normally doesn’t it? So logic holds that the same would apply when eating. It has been found that soft tunes playing in the background while eating actually encourage more leisurely chewing. It combats hurry-up, stress-related eating by naturally relaxing you, which means that you eat less, because instead of wolfing down an entire plate before you know it, your body has time to digest and work out that it’s actually full. Genius really!

4. Turn on the lights.

Nobody looks their best under full florescent lighting, and the same applies when eating. It has been found that low lighting seen in restaurants works to lower eating inhibitions, making people feel more comfortable with what they’re eating, which in turn makes them eat more. Turning up the lights works as a sort of “food shaming” by making people feel more self-conscious, which helps them to eat less.I don’t know about you, but sitting in a restaurant, (or even my kitchen) which resembles a hospital, would definitely stop me from lingering over the dessert plate and make me want to just get the hell out of there!

Foods You Should Eat For Younger Looking Skin

3 Cocktails That Won’t Sabotage Your Diet

7 “Bad” Foods That Are Secretly Good for You

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//

Tip#1: Eat Fruits And Veggies

Fruits and vegetables are packed with beneficial fibers, vitamins and antioxidants. Consume 5 servings per day and keep your calorie count nice and low.

Tip#2: Don’t Skip Meals

Eating frequent meals help to balance your calorie intake throughout the day and also keeps your blood sugar level balanced

Like HelloBeautiful On Facebook For Great Style Tips!

Tip#3: Eat Small Portions

Be sure to watch your meal portion size! Instead of eating 3 hearty meals, eat 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day.

Tip#4: Keep a Food Journal

Keeping a food journal helps you identify and manage your eating habits. Write it all down and then modify it to fancy your diet plan

Tip#5: Don’t Be Overly Restrictive

Having a ‘cheat treat’ every once in a while can be rewarding to your weight loss experience. Just keep it reasonable and don’t go overboard!

Tip#6: Exercise… period!

You should get at least 30-60 minutes of physical activity a day to stay healthy. If you can’t get to the gym, take a walk or do leg lifts while watching TV!

Gym Etiquette: Do You Make These Mistakes?

How To Get The Most Out Of Working With A Trainer

1. Avocados. These babies contain lots of fiber and oleic acid, an unsaturated fat that can help lower cholesterol and raise your HFL. Not to mention, they taste great with any salad.

2. Raisins. These chewy little pieces of heaven are a great source of iron, which our bodies need to help blood transport oxygen. A lot of women lack the proper amount of iron, which makes this snack a healthy choice.

3. Yogurt. Besides coming in lots of delicious flavors, this popular food contains live active cultures that help to prevent yeast infections and lots of calcium which strengthens bones.

4. Tomatoes. Because these contain Lycopene, tomatoes act as an antioxidant to your body. With no fat and about a gram of fiber, this can be an easy power food to work into your daily diet.

5. Peanuts. Studies show that peanuts can lower your heart disease risk by around 20%. An ounce of these bite sized nuts has 166 calories and about 14 grams of fat – perfect for a handy, purse ready, healthy snack on-the-go.

Get health tips, recipes and more at yoplait.com/yoplaittoday.

20 Best Foods For Weight Loss

“Healthified” Fluffy Orange Fruit Dip [Recipe]

Fashionable Fitness Tips For 2011

5 Power Foods For Women

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Get outside this weekend and play some pick-up basketball

However, there are small tricks you can use, which, while not a miracle cure, can help you change your attitude to eating, without making you go into debt to pay off the ridiculously over-priced ab workout machines. We all know the trick of using a smaller serving plate, which gives you the illusion of eating a lot of food when in reality you’re really not, but did you know there are other just as effective small mind tricks which you can use? Shine published 4 great tips you can use to help you with portion control, to ensure you don’t over eat….

1. Light a vanilla scented candle.

Supposedly, the vanilla scent reduces dessert cravings. In fact, Shine report that one group of 160 volunteers actually lost an average of 4.5 pounds each by wearing vanilla-scented patches. Smells amazing, and you don’t intake useless calories on dessert. How can you beat that?

2. Paint your dining room blue.

Blue rooms help people to eat less, as the blue tinge makes the food look less appealing. In fact research has shown that people eat 33% less in a blue hued room. While no one is actually crazy enough to go all out and paint their walls blue, you can try to achieve the same mood by hanging blue lamp-shades and paintings, or using blue plates and napkins. Conversely, red, yellow and orange colors have been shown to promote appetite, so steer clear of these in your dining rooms if possible. I guess it’s no coincidence so many fast food chains use red and yellow in their color schemes is it?

3. Put on relaxing music.

Soft, slow background music helps you to slow down and relax normally doesn’t it? So logic holds that the same would apply when eating. It has been found that soft tunes playing in the background while eating actually encourage more leisurely chewing. It combats hurry-up, stress-related eating by naturally relaxing you, which means that you eat less, because instead of wolfing down an entire plate before you know it, your body has time to digest and work out that it’s actually full. Genius really!

4. Turn on the lights.

Nobody looks their best under full florescent lighting, and the same applies when eating. It has been found that low lighting seen in restaurants works to lower eating inhibitions, making people feel more comfortable with what they’re eating, which in turn makes them eat more. Turning up the lights works as a sort of “food shaming” by making people feel more self-conscious, which helps them to eat less.I don’t know about you, but sitting in a restaurant, (or even my kitchen) which resembles a hospital, would definitely stop me from lingering over the dessert plate and make me want to just get the hell out of there!

Foods You Should Eat For Younger Looking Skin

3 Cocktails That Won’t Sabotage Your Diet

7 “Bad” Foods That Are Secretly Good for You

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Bread
Slim-Down Effect: Contains carbohydrates, which boost brain chemicals that curb overeating

Bread is an excellent source of carbs, which your brain needs to produce serotonin, a neurotransmitter that promotes feelings of comfort and satisfaction, says Nina T. Frusztajer, MD, a Boston-based physician who specializes in nutrition and is coauthor of The Serotonin Power Diet. When serotonin levels are optimal, you feel calm and happy and have fewer cravings; when they’re low, you feel depressed and irritable, making you more likely to overeat.

Breads containing whole grains are healthiest, and one serving equals one slice of bread, half an English muffin, or a small roll.

Cheese
Slim-Down Effect: Great source of calcium, which burns calories and fat

At about 100 calories and 5 g of fat per ounce, cheese usually tops the no-no list, but its calcium improves your ability to burn calories and fat, according to a recent research review. Not getting enough of this mineral may trigger the release of calcitriol, a hormone that causes the body to store fat. Scientists aren’t exactly sure why, but eating calcium-rich foods is more effective than taking calcium supplements—and cheese has about 200 mg per ounce.

Just stick to 2-ounce portions, and choose light varieties to get health benefits for half the calories.

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Dark chocolate
Slim-Down Effect: Satisfies a common craving to prevent bingeing

Up to 97% of women experience cravings, and chocolate is the most common and “intensely” craved food, according to a recent study. Having an occasional small serving of a favorite treat is better than depriving yourself, which may lead to a binge. In fact, people who tried to not think about chocolate ate two-thirds more of it than people who were told to talk about it freely, British research found.

Dark varieties are more satisfying than milk chocolate, say scientists. Slowly savoring one or two squares of a high-quality dark chocolate bar will satisfy a craving more than wolfing down M&M’s in front of the TV.

READ THE REST HERE!

Yesterday, on her talk show, Tyra Banks introduced to her viewers a new method of dieting: the Tapeworm Diet.

A tapeworm isn’t something you eat, but instead it is ingested. It attaches to your intestines, will grow inside the digestive tract, and feeds on a great amount of the same calories you consume.

According to Diet Review, “[The Tapeworm] secretes proteins in our intestinal tract that make our digestion of food much less efficient. A less efficient digestive systems means that you can consume more calories through your food since your “body guest” is also noshing on them for his own growth purposes. Some scientists estimate that those infected with a single tapeworm can lose up to one or two pounds each week.”

Once the target weight loss is reached, an antibiotic is given and the tapeworm is killed and expelled.

Importing or selling tapeworms in the U.S. is illegal. Tapeworms though, do occur in undercooked beef or raw meat dishes which are prone to contamination.

Granted, this is a virtual dieter’s dream: eat whatever you want and lose weight, but is it worth it?

Here are some things you may or may not want to know about your period:

1. The first week of your hormone cycle is a good week to start dieting. According to a Tufts University study, you’re already eating 12% less this week and have fewer hormone-related food cravings.

2. Try quitting your smoking habit during the second half of your cycle. A 2008 University of Minnesota study shows that estrogen may be responsible for giving you a greater “buzz” from addictive substances like nicotine. When this hormone level decreases in weeks three and four, you enjoy cigarettes less, making it easier to quit.

What is the best day of the week to lose weight?

3. Roommates might get their periods at the same time because of the moon’s lunar cycle, Wider says. Experts also say that chemical signals in one woman’s body may be picked up by another’s, and the fact that women who live together share many same stressors also has an effect on the timing of their menstruation.

4. Yuck! Your period can give you diarrhea. According to Hope, the same chemicals that trigger uterine contractions to help expel blood inadvertently cause your lower intestine to contract as well. Take an anti-inflammatory painkiller at the first twinge of cramping to stop the contractions.

Want more, click here.

5 ways to get over your workout burnout

Take a look at the hottest celeb pics on the net

You’re not only getting a great tan from the sun! Yes, many believe the sunrays are harmful and cause aging with the fear of skin cancer, but really the UV rays have some benefits:

Lose weight and not diet?

1. Vitamin D: The Vitamin D your skin is exposed to from the sun is essential for your immune system to work and respond, mood stability, and bone health.

2. Hormones: Not only will your skin look better with a nice golden tan, your mental outlook and sense of well-being enhances simply by catching some rays.

3. Circulation and Heart Health: The sunrays increase the circulation in your body by dilating the blood vessels in the skin. Not only does the sun improve circulation but also it decreases blood pressure that promotes a healthy heart.

4. Detox: Do you need to cleanse your body? Lay out in the sun. The rays improve liver function, which is responsible for removing waste from your body.

5. Skin: Yes less is more when dealing with the sun. As we all know spending too much time in the sun can result in sunspots, aging, and a risk for skin cancer. But with the right protection and timing when being exposed to the rays it can actually increase the healing of skin diseases such as eczema and acne.

6. Metabolism: Yep! The sunshine can boost your metabolism ladies while maintaining blood sugar levels.

Want to burn more calories?

7. Sleeping: there is something called Melatonin that is enhanced with sun exposure. It is a hormone that encourages sleep.

Steak

Beef has a rep as a diet buster, but eating it may help you peel off pounds. In a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, women on a diet that included red meat lost more weight than those eating equal calories but little beef. “The protein in steak helps you retain muscle mass during weight loss,” says study author Manny Noakes, Ph.D. Try to consume local organic beef; it’s healthier for you and the environment.

Eat more Grill or broil a 4-ounce serving of top round or sirloin; slice thinly to top a salad, or mix with veggies for fajitas.

Eggs

Dig in to eggs, yolks and all: They won’t harm your heart, but they canhelp you trim inches. Women on a low-calorie diet who ate an egg with toast and jelly each morning lost twice as many pounds as those who had a bagel breakfast with the same number of calories but no eggs, a study from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge reports. “Egg protein is filling, so you eat less later in the day,” says David Grotto, R.D., author of 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life (Bantam).

Eat more Omelets and scrambles are obvious choices, but if you can’t cook before work, bake a frittata on Sunday; chill it and nuke slices for up to a week.

Kale

Long sidelined as a lowly garnish, this green belongs center stage on your plate. One raw chopped cup contains 34 calories and about 1.3 grams of fiber, as well as a hearty helping of iron and calcium. But kale’s earthy flavor might take some getting used to. Spinach, another nutrient powerhouse, is a milder-tasting option.

Eat more Mix chopped raw kale into cooked black beans, says Jennifer Iserloh, founder of Skinny Chef Culinary Ventures, in New York City. Or slice kale into thin strips, sauté it with vegetable broth and top with orange slices. Make it a meal by tossing the mix with quinoa.

Oats

“Oatmeal has the highest satiety ranking of any food,” Grotto says. “Unlike many other carbohydrates, oats—even the instant kind—digest slowly, so they have little impact on your blood sugar.” All oats are healthful, but the steel-cut and rolled varieties (which are minimally processed) have up to 5 grams of fiber per serving, making them the most filling choice. Instant oats contain 3 to 4 grams per serving.

Eat more “Instead of using breadcrumbs, add oats to meat loaf—about 1 cup for a recipe that serves eight,” Iserloh recommends.

Lentils

Lentils are a bona fide belly flattener. “They’re high in protein and soluble fiber, two nutrients that stabilize blood sugar levels,” says Tanya Zuckerbrot, R.D., author of The F-Factor Diet (Putnam Adult). “Eating them helps prevent insulin spikes that cause your body to create excess fat, especially in the abdominal area.”

Go Here To Get The Rest Of The Foods To Eat!

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Some Easy Ways To Burn Calories!

Waistline Friendly Drinks!

Can You Lose Weight Without Dieting?

I looked at over 150 different ways to “lose weight without dieting.” Of these only 13 didn’t actually involve dieting.

1. Take vitamins.

2. Begin exercising.

3. Eat slower.

4. Use smaller plates, cups, and utensils.

5. Don’t eat in front of the computer or television.

6. Eat with other people.

7. Focus on why you are overeating.

8. Eat at regular times.

9. Don’t be in a rush to lose weight.

10. Pack any leftovers first.

11. Don’t go to bed too late.

12. Find a stress reliever.

13. Only bring to the table what you plan to eat.

I think it is pretty safe to say that I will not be dropping as many pounds as I hoped with these techniques. the only one I feel comfortable saying will make a significant impact is exercising, but I already do that.

Then I started thinking, when did changing the food you eat, the amount of food you eat, and the quality of food you eat stop becoming a diet?

So if you are looking for a way to keep eating the food you love without dieting, don’t believe everything you read. Go with what is safe and what everyone says, “Everything is fine in moderation.” Now, if only sweets didn’t taste so good that would make it much easier!

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6 Common Dieting Myths

Calorie Conscious Cocktails

3 Ab Moves to Tone Up!

Ever wonder why your diet just isn’t working for you? Maybe you’re violating one of the 10 major diet DON’Ts and you don’t even know it! Here’s what BlackDoctor.org has to say.

[From BlackDoctor.org]

Ask one of your friends if they eat healthy and they will most likely reply, “Yeah, I eat pretty health. I mean at least when I can.” Many African Americans feel like they eat healthy and those that feel they aren’t eating so healthy don’t feel that their diets are that bad.

Most of us are unintentionally eating more calories than we think we are and neglecting nutrients that we tend to forget about. But fret not; if you can kick a few bad habits – 10 to be exact – you’re bound to drop the pounds.

1. Mindless Eating: You grab a handful of M&M’s from your colleague’s desk, test the spaghetti sauce while you’re cooking and dig into a few bites of your spouses dessert. Never mind the kids’ leftover PB&J crusts or the hidden oil in your cafe lunch. Unfortunately, these little indulgences add up to weighty matters on the scale.
2. Putting Others’ Needs Before Your Own: You love veggies. Your spouse digs meat and potatoes. What gives? Your significant other wins, hands down. Throw kids into the mix and hot dogs, hamburgers and French fries win out every time – unless you put on the brakes.
3. Not Being Honest: Most people drastically underestimate the number of calories they eat. We downplay our Krispy Kreme intake and play up our cardio workout. And with restaurant portion sizes on the rise, many of us have no concept of a “standard” USDA serving size.
4. Skip the Broccoli, Eat the Fries: If you do nothing more than double your current intake of fruits and vegetables, you’d be on your way to eating a good diet.
5. Setting Off Without a Plan: It’s easy to overeat if you don’t have a road map specifying your diet and exercise goals. Keep a food diary, set measurable, attainable goals and stick to them.

What are 5 more Diet Don’ts? Click here to find out.

Did you know that cooking with juice can cut a lot of fat out of your diet? Click here for details.

It’s one thing to go on a diet and stick to it for good, but when you’re constantly having ups and downs, it can really take a toll on your body – especially on your face! According to a new study, seen below, dieting may shrink your waistline, but it sure will take a toll on your looks!

[From Teleraph]

A study has found that losing as little as 10lbs, the equivalent of about one dress size, can age a woman by four years.

Meanwhile, having plump cheeks and soft features helps maintain an air of youth, scientists discovered.

US researchers made the link between weight and perceived age after studying the body mass index of 200 pairs of identical female twins for two years.

Researcher Dr Bahaman Guyuron said: “A BMI higher by four points was found to result in a younger appearance of between two and four years in women over 40 years old.”

In some cases, this meant that a difference in weight of as little as 10lbs added four years to a woman’s appearance, the Plastic and Reconstructive Journal reported.

Divorce was also found to take its toll on appearance, as married or single people were found to look younger than those who have suffered a break-up.

“The twin who is divorced appears about 1.7 years older than the twin who is not divorced,” said Dr Guyuron, of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

Suffering from depression, smoking, drinking and sunbathing, also tainted people’s youthful looks, the study concluded.

Dr Guyuron is now conducting a study of male twins to see if male ageing is similarly affected.

Rajiv Grover, secretary of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, told the Daily Mail: “It’s not wrinkles and lines that make people look older, it’s changes in the shape of the face.”

So what does this mean for those extra pounds you’re trying to shed? Click here to read the rest of the article.

Sometimes dieting seems like a good idea, but you’re just going about it the wrong way! Here are 6 major dieting mistakes, and 10 yummy foods you can eat when you’re trying to lose.

[From BlackDoctor.org]

The road to losing weight can be a very bumpy and frustrating one. As people reach obstacles and hit potholes, they tend to become discouraged. Many dieters make similar mistakes when dieting. Recognizing theses mistakes early on, may prevent you from making them later.

Here are some of the most common mistakes that dieters make:

1. The first mistake dieters make is developing unrealistic weight loss goals. Slower is better. Studies show that individuals who rapidly lose weight are more likely to gain it back. So if you’ve lost a few pounds this month, excellent! Don’t discount that, because you see someone on TV losing 15 pounds in two weeks.

2. Everyone is different. While some people lose a lot of weight in the first few weeks, others might not lose any weight for a few weeks. Although this can be frustrating when you’re doing everything right, it’s not a reason to give up. Sometimes it just takes a little while longer to see the results of your hard work reflected on the scale. Remember, eating right and exercising regularly have positive impacts on your health in many other ways, such as more energy, less stress, better sleep, and reduced risk of many diseases. You’ll receive those benefits, regardless of the number on the scale.

3. Many people lose a lot in the first few weeks, and then their weight loss slows down considerably. It’s totally normal to have weeks when you lose more than expected, and weeks when your weight remains the same despite your consistent efforts. Weight loss is rarely constant from week to week.

What are 3 more mistakes dieters make? Click here to find out.

Eat well AND lose weight with these foods!

Are herbal supplements really…supplementary?

[From EatingWell Magazine]

My biggest diet downfall is tortilla chips. The problem isn’t so much that chips are unhealthy, it’s that I don’t stop at one serving. Or two.

For a time, I tried to keep the chips out of the house but that wasn’t really fair to my husband, Jon. Plus, I missed them.

So I figured out that I could enjoy my chips without going overboard by pairing them with yummy, low-cal Chile Con Queso. It may seem counter-intuitive that eating more would help me to eat less.

But it works for me-and here’s why: Grabbing a couple of chips on the fly always results in eating a few more chips… until I’ve eaten three or four times what I should. But my chip-and-dip combo is a legitimate “snack.” I measure out a portion of the dip-a quarter cup, which has only 84 calories-and count out one serving of chips. Putting it all on a plate (where I can see it) makes me accountable in the same way that writing down what you eat does.

Not everyone has an issue with chips. For you, maybe it’s chocolate or ice cream. Everyone has her or his unique eating “triggers” (some food, some situations) but there are easy ways to stop cheating on your diet. Here are other triggers that I commonly encounter when I’m counseling people to lose weight. If your weakness is……

To find out four main dieting vices and how to help nip them in the bud, click here!

[From CNN Health]

When presented with a juicy cheeseburger, cinnamon bun, or other tempting treat, women may have a tougher time reining in their desire to eat when they are on a diet than their equally hungry male counterparts.

In a new brain-scan study, researchers flashed tasty food in front of men and women who hadn’t eaten anything in at least 17 hours. Both were told to fight their hunger, but only men showed a drop in activity in brain regions involved in emotion and motivation.

Men may have better tools for appetite control, which may help explain why women are more likely to be obese than men and have a tougher time dieting, according to the study published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“Something happens in the brains of men which does not happen in the brains of women. It’s quite amazing,” said Paul A. M. Smeets, of the Image Sciences Institute at the University Medical Center Utrecht, in the Netherlands.

“[The findings] suggest that in real life there might be a difference in how good men and women are at suppressing this kind of desire,” said Smeets, who studies hunger and satiety using brain imaging, but was not involved with the current research.

Dr. Gene-Jack Wang, of Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York, and his colleagues used positron emission tomography, or PET scans, to observe brain activity in 23 normal-weight (or, at most, slightly overweight) people — 13 women and 10 men. They asked the volunteers to choose their favorite food from a list that included fried chicken, lasagna, barbecued ribs, ice cream, or pizza.

Then, 17 to 19 hours after their last meal, the volunteers had a brain scan while they looked at one of their favorites. Study participants could smell the food as well as see it (the researchers warmed it up to waft fumes throughout the room), and also were given a taste with a cotton swab placed on their tongue.
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Volunteers had three brain scans: once with no instruction on how to react to the food, once after being told to suppress their desire for the food, and once with no food in front of them. Health.com: Superfoods you need now

For women, brain activity was about the same whether or not they had been asked to suppress their desire. Men, on the other hand, showed a distinctively different brain activity when they tried to suppress their urge. They showed less activation in regions involved in “emotional regulation, conditioning, and motivation,” the researchers note, specifically the amygdala, hippocampus, insula, orbitofrontal cortex and striatum.

The researchers didn’t test to see if men truly were able to resist eating the food longer than women.

“We know that some people are very good — they can watch the food, they don’t eat — but some people can’t [be],” Wang said. He and his colleagues have shown a similarity between how people’s brains respond to food and how they react to addictive substances such as cocaine and alcohol.

Men and women were the same in one respect, however. They were both likely to say they felt less hungry when they were trying to suppress their desire to eat.

To read more about this study, click here.

Studies show a glass of wine or beer each day is good for you, but could those added calories be making you fat?

(From shine.com)

We all know that drinking and dieting don’t mix. Alcohol is empty calories, quickly converts to sugar and lowers our inhibitions so we are inclined to eat more. However, for most of us, drinking is a part of birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, weekends, holidays, travel, fine dining, cheap dining, home dining, vacations, boat trips, sailing trips, camping trips, barbecues, happy hours, and in Europe…breakfast. OK, I think you get my drift. That being said, here’s the buzz on how to not let drinking become dangerous to your diet:

Vodka Cranberry/Tonic/Straight: One of the best alcoholic beverages for losing weight is 1.5 shot of vodka (98 calories) with a low or no calorie mixer, such as Schweppes diet tonic or diet cranberry juice (Try Ocean Spray’s Diet Cranberry Juice at 5 calories). Another option if you can stomach it is to drink vodka straight. Now with all of the flavored vodkas, such as Absolut Pears vodka, this is an option.

Captain Morgan & Diet Coke: A 1.5 shot of Captain Morgan (86 calories) with Diet Coke (0 calories) is a great option for bars that don’t have calorie free mixers. Almost every place carries Captain Morgan and Diet Coke. And Captain Morgan (86 calories) is fewer calories than regular rum (98 calories).

Sugar Free Red Bull & Vodka: If you are someone who wants um, “wings” when you are out, the Sugar Free Red Bull (10 calories) mixed with 1.5 shot of Vodka (98 calories) is a good option.

Beer: If you are a beer drinker, try and stick to Miller or Amstel Lite (96 calories, 4.2% alcohol) versus your average 150 calorie beer. Another second place option is Bud Light (110 calories, 4.2% alcohol).

Mimosa: Now you can also enjoy a very low calorie mimosa. Take 2 oz. of Minute Maid Light orange juice (12 calories) and 3 oz. of champagne (78 calories). And voila… a 90 calorie mimosa!

Wine: For all of you out there who have ever made fun of boxed wine (not me, no, NEVER) – I have some ironic news. The butt of all the jokes is having the last laugh. Franzia “Refreshing White” white wine (90 calories, 12.5% alcohol) is the lowest calorie you can get! Maybe they should market themselves as the diet wine and rebrand. SHHHH, don’t tell anyone, but it actually kinda tastes good, not to mention the obvious “low-cost” benefit. One thing to note is that this wine has about 12.5% alcohol, where the high alcohol content wines come in at about 14.0%.

Here is the run down of the averages of the different types of alcoholic drinks:

* 5 oz. – Red or White Wine: 120 calories
* 12 oz. – Beer: 150 calories
* 12 oz. – Coolers: 220 calories
* 12 oz. – Whiskey: 96 calories for 1.5 shots
* 12 oz. – Tequilla: 96 calories for 1.5 shots
Here are some specific alcohol “Beat It’s”:

* 12 oz. – Smirnoff Ice: 241 calories
* 12 oz. – Mike’s Hard Lemonade: 220 calories
* 12 oz. – Bartles & Jaymes: 190 calories

[From BlackDoctor.org]

Losing weight doesn’t have to be as difficult as most folks like to make it seem. Making a few adjustments can be the difference between losing one pound and losing ten. Use these 20 everyday tactics that will get you started on your weight loss plan and then help you stick to it. Soon enough, your diet will simply become the way you eat.

1. Always eat dessert

Yes, always. “A small amount can signal that the meal is over,” says Barbara Rolls, PhD, author of The Volumetrics Eating Plan. She ends her meals with a piece of quality chocolate – and she’s a doctor. Other options include mini-cupcakes or fruit.

2. Blot out the fat

You can use a napkin to blot a teaspoon of fat off of a pizza slice. That may not sound like a lot, but multiply it by a slice a week, and that’s more than a whole cup of fat you won’t eat – or wear – this year.

3. Take the beltway

When junk food beckons, tighten your belt a notch. Not so you can’t breathe, but so you have a gentle reminder of the size you’d like to be. “The scale isn’t the only measure of weight,” says Roberta Anding, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

4. Go public

Enlist the help of coworkers, friends, and family – and know they’re watching. “The power of embarrassment is greater than will-power,” says Stephen Gullo, PhD, author of The Thin Commandments.

5. Get spicy with it

Capsaicin, the substance that puts the hot in hot pepper, temporarily boosts your metabolism. Just make sure you’re drinking a yogurt lassi with that searing-hot chicken vindaloo. Dairy blocks capsaicin’s sweat-inducing signals better than water.

6. Milk it

Consuming 1,800 mg of calcium a day could block the absorption of about 80 calories, according to a recent University of Tennessee study. Jump-start your calcium intake by filling your coffee mug with fat-free or 1% milk, drinking it down to the level you want in your coffee, then pouring in your caffeine fix. That’s 300 mg down, 1,500 to go.

7. Go organic

That’s where you’re likely to find bread and cereal with fiber counts that put the conventional choices to shame. Thought you were doing well with your 3-g-per-serving Cheerios? Nature’s Path Slim blows it away with 10 g. (And it really doesn’t taste like a shredded shoebox.)

8. Splurge on precut veggies at the supermarket

Sure, they cost more, but you’re more likely to eat them. “Make low-energy snacks as easy as possible,” Rolls says. “Keep vegetables as near to hand as you can. Make it so you have no excuse.”

9. Practice fine dining

Pick a restaurant where you’ll actually want to linger. “When the meals are not hurried, the presentation is beautiful and the portions are reasonable so you can regulate your attitude,” Anding says. That means your body – not the empty plate – will tell you when to stop.

10. Don’t skip your 3 pm feeding

“Have a 150 calorie snack [now], and it can save you 400 calories later,” Anding says. An ounce of nuts or two sticks of string cheese weigh in at about 170 calories.

To read ten more helpful hints, click here!

[From Oprah.com]

Oprah’s struggle with her weight has become almost mythic-it’s not just that she’s been so open and honest about it but that millions of people share her story. The truth is, the majority of the American population either wants to be thinner or is actively trying to become so. Why do we have such a hard time controlling our eating and sticking to an exercise program? In the 25-plus years that I’ve been helping people slim down, I’ve noticed a few common traps that cause people to fall off the wagon. (Incidentally, they’re similar to the reasons we fail to lose weight in the first place-and I’ll tell you about them in my “Back to Business” Plan.) Science, too, is starting to help us understand why certain people may be wired to relapse.

That research has to do with the way we respond to pleasure. Food, sex, a glass of wine, certain drugs-they all raise levels of the reward chemical dopamine in our brain. Nora Volkow, MD, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, believes that for some people, eating cookies or french fries raises dopamine levels in a way that keeps them going back for more. In other words, these people can become as hooked on food as alcoholics are on booze and smokers are on nicotine, although even in the worst cases, a french fry never delivers the same kind of high.

One reason the craving to overeat may occur is that the brain is deficient in dopamine receptors. In someone like this, it would take more food than normal to get the same hit of satisfaction. According to Volkow, dopamine is also a major player in the frontal cortex, the area of the brain that puts the brakes on destructive behavior. So being low in dopamine hits your weight control efforts with a double whammy-you’re driven to eat more and it’s harder to stop once you start. That’s why when you relapse, it’s not with just a slice of pizza; it’s with the entire pie…

To read more healthy tips from Bob, read the rest of the article here.