Why Do I Crave Chocolate?

The answer may surprise you... but the reason you crave chocolate is because it tastes good!  Besides something sweet on your tongue, something creamy in your mouth, and some calories and fat to ward off any hunger that may occur over the next few hours, it temporarily boosts your blood sugar, and even alters some chemicals in your brain that make you feel better.  The caffeine may help you become more alert, and at the same time the serotonin (a neurotransmitter) more calm.  Why wouldn't we crave chocolate constantly?  It does so much for us!

A better question may be "why do you give into the craving?"  or "Why are you constantly focusing on it?"

Let's look at the second scenario first:

If you are trying to lose weight or eat healthier, you may continue to remind yourself that chocolate is "not allowed" on your diet or it's "forbidden" or it's "bad".  When you tell yourself that something isn't good for you, even though you like it, you are making yourself want it more.  Think about things you were told you could not have as a child.  As soon as something was "forbidden" you wanted it more.  When you were allowed to have it, it lost some of its appeal.

Let chocolate lose some of it's forbidden appeal and let yourself have some.  Not a pound bar.  You might not even want to keep it around the house or your office.  What if you let yourself buy a tootsie roll every day or a peppermint patty?  Is there a reasonable amount of chocolate that you could savor, enjoy, not feel guilty about, and have your craving satisfied? 

Perhaps your answer is "no" because some people simply cannot have one piece.  "I'll eat the entire bag" they say, or "If I can't have a whole candy bar I don't want just one bite".

If you find a happy medium that works for you, like a few chocolate kisses in the afternoon, you may find your cravings aren't monopolozing your thoughts throughout the day.

Okay, then let's address the other question:  "Why are you allowing yourself to give in to the craving?"

Think of some of the impulses we deal with each and every day.  What are you craving that you just do not act upon because it's not socially acceptable?  What if you would just love to plant a big smooch on that new handsome guy at work?  Certainly, you aren't going to do it!

What if you would just love to smack that gum out of the mouth of your coworker who annoyingly insists on chewing as loud as a cow all day long?  Nope, you aren't going to give into that either.

If your friend got a brand new designer purse and you were just aching to take it home and make it your own, would you do it?  No.  Why not... You want it.

Think about other desires you have in your life that you don't act on even though it would feel good in the moment.  What stops you?  Consequences? 

The next time you crave chocolate think about what you really want, how you would feel if you had some, and what the consequences would be.  Not sure?  Let me give you a little tip:  If you eat a 300 calorie candy bar every day for a month, you'll gain three pounds.  Ouch.  Keep it up and you're looking at 36 pounds a year.  Not gaining weight?  This means you are eating the same number of calories your body burns, and on the flip side that would mean that giving up the daily chocolate bar would result in a weight loss of 36 pounds a year.  Some consequences, eh?

Why DO you crave chocolate.  More importantly, what are you going to do about it?

What is Your Payoff For Staying Overweight?

Are you someone who is overweight, wishing you could lose the extra pounds, but never being able to stick faithfully to a weight-loss plan that works?  Have you been overweight for a long time, or did the pounds come on at a certain point in your life, maybe after a major life change?  Consider the fact that perhaps having the extra weight is serving a purpose in your life.

People who carry extra pounds may benefit from sitting down and doing some serious thinking.  What is the reason the weight is not coming off?  What is the reason it came on in the first place?  It could just be as simple as "I lost control of my eating" or "food just tastes too good to resist".  Maybe you just hate to exercise or you have physical restrictions which keep you from being very active.

But maybe being overweight is serving a purpose in your life.  Consider the story of Ernie, a successful loser who tells his story in the book "Thin For Life" by Anne M. Fletcher, MS, RD.  One of his payoffs was that he could avoid certain tasks he didn't want to complete: "I didn't have to mow the lawn on a hot day," he recalls, "because I might have a heart attack".  Do you use your weight to get out of doing something you can't just say you don't want to do?

Some overweight people use their weight as an excuse not to be sociable at times.  They don't want to go out in the evening because they enjoy relaxing at home.  They use their weight as an excuse, "I just don't want to go out as long as I'm overweight--I'm not comfortable dressing up".  Is it possible you could be a healthy weight and tell your friends, "I prefer to relax at home in the evening"?

Women in positions of authority have been reported to carry extra weight in order to appear more imposing and directorial.  They presume that if they were small and feminine, they wouldn't be regarded with as much power.  Perhaps it is the person, not the way the person looks, that commands respect.

Attractive, flirtatious women have been known to put on weight after they marry: In their mind this reduces the chance they will attract another man and have to deal with putting off unwanted advances, or deal with the possibility of entertaining an affair.

And sometimes being overweight just allows us to continue to be inattentive to our diet, exercise, and health in general.  "I can eat whatever I want if I'm fat anyway".  Being too heavy to exercise certainly carries the benefit of having an excuse not to exercise!

How is your extra weight serving you?  Does it allow you to easily avoid social situations; prevent  intimate relationships with the opposite sex; keep your sister from being jealous of your gorgeous figure; or give you another reason to eat whatever you like?

Ernie suggests finding a "less neurotic way to get what you want.  If you don't want to mow the lawn. . . hire a kid to do it".

My Diet Isn't Working: What Can I Try Now??

I am a 55 year old woman who has struggled with my weight most of my life.   Most recently I spent 2 1/2 years on Nutrisystem and I successfully lost a total of 40 pounds.  Now I have gained back 8 since I went off of it in January. I went back to Weight Watchers but have lost nothing -- not even the 8 pounds I gained back. It's been an "up 2, down 1; down 2 up one" kind of thing for months now. I also got a Wii Fit and exercise 30-40 minutes a day - have been doing that now for over 3 months, but no effect on weight. My MD tested my thyroid and she also ran some other blood tests and says that my metabolism is normal.  Any suggestions would be appreciated!  Barbara B.

Dear Barbara,
I can certainly appreciate your frustration with sticking to an exercise and diet regimen and not seeing the weight coming off.  It sounds like Weight Watchers has worked for you in the past, but it's just not working now.  Since Nutrisystem was what worked best for you more recently, what do you think about going back to that program again?  Sometimes the simplest answer is the one that works!

Just one other suggestion I have....I usually find that people are not sticking very strictly to their program when they are not seeing the scale move.  I always recommend keeping a diet and exercise diary.  Since we notice how restricted we feel most of the day and most days per week, we tend to let the diet slide a bit to reward ourselves.  Same with exercise: "since I do it almost every day, I'm going to take a few days off because I'm a little under the weather, I'm busy, the weather is bad" you name it!
If you are totally honest with yourself, have you been exercising literally every single day for three months?  Have you never gone over your points with weight watchers?

Every once in  a while we follow the plan to the letter without good results.  But much of the time it's when we follow it "most of the time" that the weight just isn't coming off.

Good luck!

Great ways to get exercise at home!

Do you think you need to join a gym to get enough exercise?  Wonder how you'll go for your long walks once the cold sets in?  Feel like you don't want to go out in public and get all sweaty?
My friend Gail has some great tips for working out inside the comfort of your own home.  Some of these are fun!  I especially love the idea of checking out a variety of work-out tapes from your library to keep mixing things up.  If you haven't tried Zumba, check it out--fun Latin dance moves with energetic music keep you from getting bored! 

Read Gail's full article here:  http://www.easy-weightloss-tips.com/exercise-indoors-without-special-equipment.html

Do You Save Room . . . Or Make Room?

When it comes to dessert, do you save room or make room?  Last night my husband and I were out to dinner with another couple.  We shared a couple of appetizers, a basket of bread, and then each dug into our own delicious meal.  I purposefully searched the menu for a lighter entree after all the "pre meal" calories I had eaten.  I ordered fish with a side of pasta.  The serving was large.  I was able to eat half of the food on the plate and have the waiter put the rest in a take-home container. 

By this time I noticed I was the only one at the table who hadn't cleaned my plate.  Well, sometimes it's difficult not to!  I mean there are dishes that just taste too good to stop eating.  Plus, the conversation was flowing, we were enjoying each other's company and the background live piano music in the restaurant.  There are times your plate is just cleaned before you know it, despite your best intentions.

But I was consciously saving room for dessert, because I knew the platter of sumptuous selections was going to be paraded by our table and I knew my husband and I were going to share one of them.  So when the other couple said, "none for us, thank you" and I explained that I had saved room for dessert by finishing only half my meal, my husband gave me a curious look.  "Saved room?" he asked. "I didn't 'save' room, but I can make room".

What about you?  If you are going to have dessert do you eat less at your meal?  Perhaps pass on an extra roll or go without a calorie-containing beverage? 
If you know you're going out to dinner, for that matter, do you eat lighter earlier in the day, knowing you are likely to be taking in a few hundred excess calories at a restaurant meal?

Splurging on a great meal--or a great dessert--can be a real treat.  And you don't have to tip the calorie balance that keeps you from your weight loss goal.  Eat lighter earlier in the day, or during the meal before dessert.  Save room and save calories.  If you're 'making' room for dessert your body may not need the extra calories!

Hear Coach Laurie Interviewed for Weight Loss Tips!

Here is a link to hear Raw Andrew interview me for some helpful weight loss tips: http://www.shedyourweight.com/interview_with_laurie_beebe_dietitian_and_weight_loss_coach.html
You can listen now and hear us talk about the major obstacles to weight loss and how to get past them; the truth about fad diets and if you should follow them; the importance of having a good mindset to stop sabotaging your own weight loss plans.

The best way to lose weight is by eating healthy nutritious food and exercising. And it seems that the best way to keep the weight off is by maintaining the healthy eating habits and continuing to exercise.

Laurie also explains why you should seek professional weight loss help, especially if you are having a hard time losing weight. A good weight loss coach will hold you accountable and will guide you, making sure that you will take the less resistance path for weight loss.

Feel free to comment on Andrew's page or leave your thoughts here!

Can I Eat In Any Restaurants On My Diet?

Now there's a website that can answer that question for you!
HealthyDiningFinder.com is a great find.  When you go to the website, you enter your zip code and any other criteria (like price ranges for meals) you want to specify.  They'll come back with restaurants in the area that participate in their program, and entrees or appetizers that you can choose that are healthy.

The calorie criteria is not very strict--a meal can have up to 700 calories to be considered 'healthy'--but that's not too bad for a dinner, depending on your daily calorie allowance.  (To give most of you a better idea, that equals nearly 14 weight watcher points).

Each restaurant will advise you how to order special requests to keep your meal within the healthy allowance.  For instance, they may specify you need to ask for the sauce on the side, ask for "no mayonnaise", ask for the meat to be broiled, or some other side to be left off, such as guacamole.
And many of the items are far less than 700 calories.  The calorie content is specified for each dish.

This can come in handy the next time you want to go out to dinner at your favorite restaurant, join your co-workers for a lunch out, or even if you're out of town and aren't familiar with the local fare.

Give it a shot and let me know what you find!

"Easy Diet Labels" Help You Follow Your Diet Regimen

Check out this new product I came across reading Gail Davis' "Quick and Easy Weight Loss Tips" blog.

They're called "Easy Diet Food Labels" and they come in four variety packs:
One set is used to label your foods based on calorie content (low, moderate, or high); another for heart healthy foods (lower in cholesterol, fat, or sodium); a third for carb content, and my favorite, "family eating habits" to help guide your family members in their food choices.  You choose the set you would most often use for your particular preferences.

Sure, someone has to read the label!  But once you know what category the food fits into you just slap the sticker on in a conspicuous place and then when your husband or kids go to grab the item, they are forewarned by a warning label (often designed like a caution or stop sign) or the go-ahead green sticker for the green light to enjoy!

The cost is quite reasonable, at $3.99 for a package of 125 stickers... however, the  cost of shipping was over $5 a package through Amazon and that changed my mind about ordering.  It was easy to place an order through the Amazon site, and there are other venues where you can purchase these stickers.
Check out the website at http://www.easydietlabels.com/ for more details.

Happy dieting :)

Six Creative Ways to a Thinner You

Doesn’t dieting get boring? Counting calories and feeling deprived, and dragging through day after day until you can go off your diet is no way to lose weight. Try these six creative ways to weight loss and eradicate the boredom from weight loss plans forever.

1. Switch the focus from taking things out of your diet to adding things in:
On most diets we make lists of foods to eliminate: “no chocolate”, “no desserts”, “no eating out” in order to reduce calorie intake and this leads to cravings and feelings of deprivation. Instead, plan on adding things into your diet that are good for you: more glasses of water, more fresh fruits, more vegetables, and more whole grains. If you actually succeed at eating and drinking more of these healthy and filling things, you
won’t be hungry for some of the empty calories you’re used to eating, and the result will be weight loss!

2. Keep a journal, and make it fun: If you know that writing down everything you eat helps you lose weight, but you hate the idea, switch things up a bit; keep a record of how many minutes you exercise each day, or how many fruits and vegetables you eat—go for a record!

I know one woman who likes to track her “calories saved” every time she craves something high-calorie but instead walks away…”saved 550 calories driving by DQ instead of going in and ordering a blizzard” might be one of her entries. Then you can see the cumulative results of your positive actions add up during the week with lots of calories that you passed up.

3. Establish a reward system just like one that worked for you when you were a kid! I like to use pretty little stickers of flowers or smiley faces and give myself one in the margin of my appointment book for every day that I walk more than 10,000 steps or eat fewer than 1600 calories, for instance. When I accumulate a certain number of stickers, say 20 in a month, I treat myself to something worth that many ‘points’ like a
massage or a pedicure or a new book. Be sure you know what you’re working towards to give yourself that extra motivation, and start burning more calories and eating fewer to help you get to your weight loss goal.

4. Pedometer challenges. There are several websites that host pedometer logs and goals, and most pedometers come with an insert of ideas for you to get walking! The suggested daily number of steps—10,000—is about 5 miles. This includes any walking you do during the day, so you can get more in by parking a little farther away, taking steps instead of the elevator (even going down stairs adds to your accumulated steps), or walking up and down the aisles at the grocery store. Start by logging your usual daily steps for a week so you get an idea of your starting point. Then strive to add another 1000 every week until you get to your own personal daily goal.

Here’s an FYI: You burn about 100 calories for every mile you walk, which equals about 2000 steps. This makes it fun to go out and aim to burn 100 calories during a run to the grocery store and feel good about all the walking you’re doing when you have to take those steps anyway!

5. Switch up the diets. You may have found that there is a diet plan that works for you, but you just can’t stay on it for more than a few weeks. If you can stay on Atkins or Weight Watchers or Medifast for nearly a month, but then can’t manage another day, set a goal of just a few weeks for each diet. Instead of going off the diet and back to your usual way of eating (which lead to your weight gain), you’ll continue to see weight loss results every week as you continue to eat fewer calories . . . it doesn’t really matter which plan you are on! You might set some other goals that work for you for short terms, like “pack your lunch every day for 2 weeks” or “eat vegetarian at dinner for 2 weeks” or “have 5 small meals a day for the next 2 weeks”. These are all steps that reduce calories for most people and will lead to weight loss even though it’s an unusual way to go about dieting.

6. Games and blogs: Some people write blogs to journal their journey of weight loss and this may give you motivation to keep going—especially if you dare to make it public! One journalist wrote daily dieting blurbs on twitter throughout the day. She said it worked well for her because it kept her accountable—she knew people were watching and, what’s more, they were rooting for her.

Another blogger asked for a sponsor each week during the 52 weeks of her diet—each seven days she lost weight for the follower who was cheering on her efforts and that kept her motivated.

Look for games to motivate you towards your weight loss goal. One game works on a bingo-like board, with a board of 16 squares for you to cover every time you perform a certain activity: it might be eating a fresh fruit or having a healthy breakfast; having 6 glasses of water in one day; or going for a 5,000 step walk (about 2-1/2 miles). Play with others in your family, make up new activities, or challenge yourself to going for a ‘blackout’ and cover every square on the board!  (see product listing here if you'd like to try the game).

Diets are dreary and exercise can be something we don’t look forward to. In order to lose weight through eating fewer calories and burning more calories, strive to make eating healthy and exercising fun any way you can. Then developing healthy eating and exercise habits will be something you can look forward to as you shed those unwanted pounds.

Please leave us your comments to let us know what creative ways you have for weight loss and if one of the ones mentioned above worked for you!

Stop Dieting and Start Losing Weight!

Chances are you've been on and off weight loss diets numerous times, but you probably weigh just as much now as you ever did. Do you get it? This means diets don't work. So stop going on diets and looking for the magic one that works for you. Here's why diets fail to help you lose weight and what you can do to get those pounds off for good.

1. Going on a diet implies you will go off it some day, right? You get this strict meal plan that outlines what you can eat, what you can't eat, and what times and how much. You resolve to stick to it strictly to get off a number of pounds for some special event coming up. And then, you can't wait to go off the diet! How is this going to help you keep the weight off? You're going to be looking for another diet a few months later when the weight comes back on. Meanwhile, eating something "not allowed" leads you to see yourself as being "off the diet". So you go and eat whatever you want until it's Monday, or some other appointed time to go back on the diet. See a pattern here?

2. Associating your self-worth with your diet adherance: I hear people talk about missteps on their diet, beating themselves up! "I really blew it this weekend" they say, or "I was so bad last night" or "I totally cheated when we went out". They are not pointing out that one choice was not good, or if they could do it over they would make a different decision. No, they are saying "I was a bad person" or "I failed at what I was trying to do". This just makes you feel worse and often people who are overweight turn to food to comfort themselves when they feel bad about themself. Not exactly helpful when trying to lose weight!

3. Feelings of Deprivation: How much do you want ice cream when you're on a diet that does not allow any? Pretty much, right?! As you plod along on your strict weight loss regimen, most of your focus is on foods you can't have: no cookies, no chocolate, no potato chips. On some diets it's even worse--maybe no pasta or other carbs or maybe it's no more than a few hundred calories per meal, leaving you hungry most of your waking hours. How long can a person be expected to stay on an eating plan that keeps them craving foods they are used to eating and that they love to eat? Not very long. So it's off the diet again and back to your old habits--habits that put the weight on in the first place.

4. Rewards of food: People who are overweight sometimes have the habit of using food for comfort, or a reward system, or a celebration. Heck, food is good for any emotion, isn't it?! Let's say you are going along, following a diet really well for a week and losing weight. Time to reward yourself and break out the cookies! Ooops, that doesn't help the weight loss plan. What if you "cheated" and "blew" your diet and ate what you weren't supposed to so you feel bad about it? I suppose eating some ice cream will make you feel better. Using food to soothe or celebrate may be what put some of the weight on in the first place, and until this changes, a long term weight loss will not be successful.

5. You can't live on a diet forever: The fact is, you can lose weight on a diet. For as long as you take in fewer calories than you burn, the weight will come off. But you can't stay on most diets for long. Eliminating food groups, counting daily calories, or eating pre-packaged meals isn't realistic to do on a daily basis in the long term. What works is establishing new habits, learning to eat lower calorie choices every time you eat, and working a healthy lifestyle into your every day life.

Dieting may get the weight off while you can adhere to a strict plan, but once you go off the diet the weight will return. Stop dieting and start living! Get into a healthy routine as a way of life, lose weight, and keep it off for good.

Pay Close Attention To the Food Label

I just returned from the grocery store where I was looking for some tasty munchies that weren't too high in calories. Most chips and snacks have 120-180 calories per serving. Some serving sizes are quite small!

So I found this new variety of chex mix (their sweet-n-salty variety) which contains 9 servings at 120 calories each. That sounded good, so I bought them.

Well, I started thinking when I got home--this looks almost like a 'big grab' bag of a snack that would realistically only be two or three servings. I started thinking that if anyone in the household opened the bag, they would easily eat half of it and not realize they had downed what I calculated to be 540 calories--an awful lot for a snack!

So I decided to portion the bag out into the 9 servings in little snack baggies.

Only I ran out of chex mix way before I got to the 9 baggies!

Here is what I managed, pictured on the right: Five--count 'em--FIVE little baggies. Now, I think the little ziploc bagful is okay for a snack, but I also think most people would probably easily eat two of the portions I ended up with if they weren't paying careful attention, or dishing out their snack serving before they sat down to eat it. Eating out of the bag would surely be a lost cause!

Meanwhile, if I eat one of these portions I just made, it comes out to about 215 calories. Not what I had in mind for a lower-calorie snack!

If you've been reading labels for portion sizes and calories, good for you! But my little experiment showcases how off we can be when thinking about an amount of a food we might realistically eat. Think about portioning out your snacks in a measured dish next time you count on having one with a reasonable number of calories!

Six Steps to Get to the Weight of Your Dreams

What habits have been keeping you the weight you are right now?
You really can lose a significant amount of weight by making only a few small lifestyle changes. Try one of these or shoot for them all, and see the weight melt off after a few short weeks.

1. Keep a diet diary: This is a simple step that requires no more than a pen or pencil and a small notebook. Yet it's been proven over and over again during the past few decades that recording a person's intake invariably results in their weight loss. It increases awareness of what is being eaten, and gives one a second thought before unconsciously eating something for a purpose other than hunger. You'll find yourself putting back all sorts of sweets and treats and walking away shaking your head, thinking, "I sure don't want to record that I ate that"!

2. Regular walks: Although vigorous cardiac exercise will certainly burn more calories, a regular walking routine helps millions of people lose weight and keep it off. Simply put, every mile walked burns an average of 100 calories, regardless of your speed, and this will add up to a pound of weight loss after approximately one month. Keep in mind, this adds up to 12 pounds of weight loss by the end of the year!

3. Feel good now, and envision yourself feeling better: Getting down on yourself about your weight, appearance, or eating habits doesn't do anything positive for you. Start learning to like yourself for who you are and remind yourself of all the positive attributes you possess. Feeling good about yourself may reduce the number of times you turn to food to feel better. Then envision who you want to be, and spend a great deal of the day feeling what's it's like to be in those shoes. Whenever you have time (while you're showering, driving, walking, or doing other tasks which you currently spend berating your last binge) practice being the person you want to become. Thinking positively is immensely powerful in getting you to where you want to be.

4. Know what you're eating: Read labels, comparison shop, look up restaurant menus on the internet, and collect fast food nutritional information. You can't know what is in a food (how many calories, grams of fat, grams of sugar, etc) without the nutritional label. Lots of websites have information on the foods that do not yet have labels, so seek these out and be an informed consumer. You may easily find ways to save hundreds of calories a day by choosing a different fast food entree or another brand of soup!

5. Eat healthy foods: You do not have to give up chocolate forever or go on a crazy fad diet in order to lose weight. Get in the habit of eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and while you're at it you can have a snack in between meals, and--yes--even before bed. Find snacks that contain fewer than 200 calories, like Skinny Cow Ice Cream Novelties, Weight Watcher bars, or granola-type bars which are abundantly available.
As for meals, try using smaller plates and take only one serving. Don't starve yourself--you can start eating like this and keep losing weight for a long time to come, and you won't feel like you're on a diet!

6. Hang out with healthy eaters: It's difficult to be around people who want to go out for pizza, ice cream, or buffets. Concentrate on socializing with others who like to eat healthy foods and take a cue from them.
Maybe you'll even take a walk together :)
Try starting some new healthy habits and see yourself shrink to your old healthy weight once again.

If you would like the assistance of a personal diet coach to get you on the road to weight loss, come on over to http://www.mycoachlaurie.com or email me at laurie@mycoachlaurie.com. We'll get you started right away!

The Five Worst Ways To Attempt Weight Loss (aside from cutting off a limb)

There are some pretty bad ideas out there to supposedly help people lose weight. Unfortunately there are more people who are desperate to lose weight. So they will try anything... things that are unbelievable, pills and potions that are unhealthy, and procedures that are downright dangerous. Have you been using one of these methods to lose weight? Let us know how they worked for you!

1. Diet pills, including over-the-counter and 'herbal' supplements

Do you really believe any claim that tells you, “eat whatever you like and no need to exercise!” or “lose weight while you sleep”? You must be kidding … do you think if such a magic pill or potion existed that Oprah would still be anything over a size 6?

Whatever is included in these pills may include stimulants similar to caffeine to simulate the speedy feeling you can get that blunts your hunger response. It can also increase your blood pressure and cause other serious side effects.

If the supplement is made from ‘herbs’ or other ‘natural’ ingredients, it’s likely not regulated by the FDA so you really don’t know what’s in it, or if it’s unsafe.

2. Crash Diets

Going on a diet plan that provides you with less than 1200 calories can help you lose weight very quickly—but that’s not all. You can’t possibly get the nutrition you need if you’re eating less than 1200 calories, so you’ll end up suffering in the long run. That is, if you can stay on the diet for more than a couple of days!

Chances are you’ll find yourself starving and miserable and give up in a short time. If you don’t, you may lose several pounds, but—I’m sure you know—you’ll gain it right back when you return to your usual eating habits.

3. Liposuction

Don’t get me wrong: liposuction does have its place. It’s designed to suck fat off of small body parts where fat can accumulate and cannot be lost by dieting: places like your chin.

It is not a procedure for sucking 15 extra pounds of fat off your midsection! Any plastic surgeon who agrees to this is likely not board-certified (check out his credentials) and is putting your health at risk to use this technique when a healthy diet and exercise plan would work just as well.

4. Colon Cleanses

Colon cleanses do not help you lose weight. Oh, sure, you may see a lower number on the scale when you step on, just as you would if you had an episode of food-poisoning induced diarrhea, or heavy sweating from spending too long in a sauna.

You can lose water-weight, along with water, electrolytes, and other essential nutrients that can leave you feeling downright weak and sick.

Colon cleanses are not regulated by any state licensing bureaus, so you never know what you’re in for … it’s just not a good idea. It’s not necessary either, since your body naturally cleanses your intestines regularly—it’s called having a bowel movement.

5. Fad Diets

These diets, like any other, work for as long as you can stay on them. Not to be confused with some of the popular diet-chain centers that provide you with group support, nutrition classes, and counseling (which can be very nutritious and simple to follow, and end up working for many people) fad diets aren’t typically ones you can stay on for long. Something like the Cookie Diet, the Cabbage Soup Diet, or the Beverly Hills Diet have set plans for each day, and warn you to ‘drink plenty of water’ and stay on the diet only for a limited period of time. That’s because these diets are incomplete sources of many nutrients and the promoters know you could get truly sick from eating like this for any length of time.

These are the bad ideas--how can you tell if a diet plan is good? The hallmark of a good diet is one that provides nutrition, but also gives you fewer calories than you burn. You can stay on it for any length of time. And there aren't any crazy promises like "lose up to 80 pounds this month (results not typical)". It is possible to lose weight while staying healthy, and not feel like you are starving and deprived. An optimal weight loss diet is one you can stay on indefinitely, as you see the pounds come off and feel satisfied at the same time. It actually becomes a way of life as you replace healthy new habits for older bad ones.

If you are ready to lose weight the healthy way, consider having your own diet coach. I can provide you with one-on-one counseling—short term or long term—or you can do-it-yourself with some aid from my e-course or e-books. Check them out on http://www.mycoachlaurie.com/productmenu.

You Can Lose Over 50 Pounds: Just Take Your Time

Losing a lot of weight can be extremely intimidating. Start with a few simple steps, see quick results, and stay motivated to continue on with your success.

1. The first step is acknowledging that you did not gain 50 pounds overnight, so you aren’t going to lose it that quickly either. Experts recommend aiming to lose 10% of your body weight over the next six months. This means losing 20 pounds in six months if you weigh 200 pounds.

Chances are, this is not the amount of time you had in mind to lose 20 pounds—many people want it off in a month or less. But once you recognize that slow and sure is the way to get it off and keep it off, you’ll be more comfortable making simple changes in your diet for lasting weight loss. You probably know from numerous crash diets in the past that losing eight pounds in a week doesn’t mean a thing when you gain it right back; nor is it pleasant to be starving for any length of time.

Eating a healthy diet means the weight will come off in time, and you won’t be suffering during the next several months while you lose weight.

2. Second, you can’t know what to change in your diet without knowing how you eat on a typical day. We don’t usually realize all that we eat during any given day: the Danish we hastily gulp down at the breakfast meeting; the quick drive-thru lunch to give us some energy before we get back to work; the leftovers we clean off our child’s plate; the munching we do while watching TV: these all add up to hundreds of calories a day without us even realizing we’ve eaten any of it! So it’s imperative you start keeping a food diary.

Just write down what you eat within 10 minutes of eating it (or selective memory will forget you ever ate it). This helps people lose weight by making us aware that we are going to eat something. You’ll find that very often you stop and think, “I don’t really want to eat this—I’ll have to write it down and add it to my intake list and it’s a lot of empty calories”.

Trust me on this: try it for two weeks. Numerous research studies have proven this as an effective weight loss technique that works without going on any crazy diet.

3. Finally, learn to eat reasonably. This doesn’t mean you can never eat chocolate again or you can never go out to eat again: Start with just trying to eat a basic, healthy diet. You know what good foods are and what crappy, high-calorie/empty nutrition foods are. Just eat more of the better ones (like fruits and whole grain and veggies and low-fat dairy) and less of the junky ones.

Schedule meals if you have to, like you would an appointment. Skipping breakfast invariably leads to making up for it later; same with lunch. Have a sensible breakfast (cereal or toast or yogurt and fruit) that doesn’t take up too much of your time if that’s an issue in the morning; find a lunch you like and try to stick with a consistent menu every day…. Maybe a frozen diet meal with less than 300 calories with a salad or fruit you can add to round it off, or a sandwich and some veggie sticks and a yogurt or string cheese.

Dinner should be a lean, broiled or baked meat portion of 6 ounces or less, a vegetable, and a cup of starch (such as pasta, rice, or potatoes). Plan a snack in the evening if you like to have one; just find one that has less than 200 calories and save yourself another few hundred over that bag of chips or pint of high-fat ice cream.

Including 30 minutes of walking a day will be a big help also. The more you move, the more calories you’ll burn.

The idea is to change your lifestyle for good. Try small and easy changes one step at a time so that you replace all the bad habits that led to gaining weight, with great habits that will keep you lean and healthy for the rest of your life.

Want more ideas on how to develop healthy habits that are simple? Choose from a selection of e-books to assure you will make the best choices for snacks, breakfast, fast food meals, and all-around lifestyle changes for weight loss at http://www.mycoachlaurie.com/products

Eat The Part You Like!

I happened upon a great method of weight loss a few years back, when I made friends with a woman at work and we started having our lunch together. We quickly discovered we liked different parts of the same dishes in many cases: she liked the chowder and I liked the clams; she liked the chocolate chips and I liked the cookie; she liked the apple pie filling and I liked the crust. We started to share certain foods, realizing we were only eating half as much as we would have been had we ordered the food by ourself! We would share a slice of layer cake at office birthday parties, she taking the chocolate layer and handing me the white which I preferred.

This is a great principle I have developed and used by myself in the years since: only eat the part you like! Even though I don't work with this woman any longer, I remember that I didn't miss the apple pie filling when we split a slice and I ended up with a plate of just apple-moistened crust. I now order hamburgers in restaurants without the bun (I don't care for the bread, but enjoy the meat patty) and salads without the cheese or croutons; I remove the crumbs from breaded fish and pick the meat and green beans out of beef stew, leaving the carrots and gravy behind.

I leave things on my plate that aren't my favorite instead of feeling compelled to eat the entire dish. And then I count the calories left behind, adding them all up in my head to calculate how much weight I won't gain this month because I didn't eat the part I didn't like!

What can you leave behind to save a hundred calories?

Make Friends With Snacks

Are you struggling to lose weight? Can't stick to your diet? Is one of your rules "No eating between meals?" Well toss that one right out the window! Snacks can be a nourishing contribution to your diet, as well as a great pick-me-up in the afternoon. The key, as you may have guessed, is choosing the right snacks.

Here are a few rules to follow to keep your snacks smart and healthy and prevent them from sabotaging your diet:

1. Plan snacks ahead of time. Know that you have one coming up can really help get you past a dessert craving or walk past a candy dish. Keep smart snacks in your desk at work or even in your handbag so their available whenever the hungries start to overwhelm you. I'm a big fan of granola-type bars like those pictured above. Look for those providing less than 150 calories, and containing some vitamins and fiber. Also try to compare labels and choose the lowest fat grams per serving. If you have the storage facilities, other healthy snacks are fresh fruits (canned fruits work, too), yogurt (again, look for those under 150 calories per serving), or a bowl of cereal.

2. Have that conversation with your inner child. When you hear that two-year-old having a tantrum in your head, screaming "I want a candy bar now", take a minute to address her instead of just trying to push her away with a loud 'NO'... after all, think about how that's worked for you in the past. Go ahead, even though it sounds silly, and ask her, "what is it you're looking for right now?". Chances are that part of you is stressed, or bored, or anxious, or--yes--maybe even hungry. If you're hungry, it's time for a healthy snack! If you're looking for something else, food won't really help. Consider taking a break from your desk, a quick walk, a drink of water, or emailing a friend to vent. Give yourself ten minutes to wait and see if the child settles down. Even if this works one or two times, you're getting some positive results!

3. Start living with healthy habits. Get a mantra to help you dedicate your behaviors to what really is important in your life. Whatever is meaningful to you (like, "I am nourishing my body and treating it right so it will treat me right when I'm older", or "garbage in, garbage out", or even "my body is my temple") write it down and post it everywhere until it becomes imbedded in your brain so it is a belief you don't even question! Challenge your inner child when she starts whining and convince yourself to avoid the vending machine: How much satisfaction will you get from that candy bar? Most people answer "about two minutes"--as long as it takes to eat it! How long will you be feeling good about skipping the candy bar? As soon as the craving passes you'll be patting yourself on the back for at least the rest of the day! And the results will be showing on you for the rest of your life, every time you choose the better option.

Decide what's really important to you, and if it's living healthy, that includes eating healthy! Make up your mind to develop new habits and eat right every day, every hour. (And if you mess up one hour, don't beat yourself up about it! Just get back on track the very next minute and don't wait until Monday!)
Now go out and buy some healthy snacks so you can start living right tomorrow, and throwing away your fat clothes in a few weeks!

If snacks are sabotaging YOUR diet, download my e-book "Smart Snacks", and learn how to start snacking healthier and see weight loss results right away! Find this book and others for under $10 at http://www.mycoachlaurie.com/products.html

Going Out For Ice Cream

Here's a great tip to save calories when you're taking the family out for an ice cream treat: Order the kiddie cone! That's right, most establishments offer a very small sized cone that's usually served to little kids. But adults may order them as well.

After all, when you go out for ice cream it's usually the taste of the ice cream and the experience you're after, and that can be achieved with a few bites and a little cake cone. How often do you go out and get ice cream because you're really starving? How many times have you finished a cone and gone back for another because it wasn't enough?

Here's what you can save by ordering the tot-sized serving:

McDonald's kiddie cone has 45 calories and a small cone has 150 calories

Dairy Queen tot sized cone has 150 calories and their small is 230 (their medium is 330 calories)

If you order a blizzard, go for the small size as well: it has a whopping 550 calories, but the medium (which most people order because, well, "small" just doesn't have the appeal) has an average of 775 calories.

Choose a small size when going for a treat, or share your calories with a friend! You can still treat yourself, but treat yourself well by saving a few hundred calories every time you do.

Let us know about the next time you order a small size instead of large or medium ... do you notice any difference in your satisfaction?

Do The Math and Lose It Now

A very common question I am asked is "How much weight can I lose in two weeks?" or "How long would it take me to lose 25 pounds?" The idea of losing a specific number of pounds in a set amount of time is how most people set out to lose weight.

My question for them is, "and then what?" What will you do after you lose 25 pounds and attend your high school reunion? What will you do after you go on a crazy diet for three weeks to fit into that little black dress?

Chances are you will go back to your usual eating habits (which, face it, probably aren't very healthy) and gain the weight right back. Then you'll be writing me six months later because it's time for holiday parties or beach season and you have 25 pounds to lose again.

What if your goal was not to lose a number of pounds by a certain date, but to adapt healthier eating habits? What if you could reduce your portions, substitute a candy bar for a piece of fruit or a granola bar, and go for a 20 minute walk each day? Well then you could lose two or three pounds a month. Most people would say that's not worth it, but lets take a look:

Ona scale from 1-10, how hard would it be to fit in a 20 minute walk on most days? This will lead to a pound loss each month.

On a scale from 1-10 how difficult would it be to check your portions at dinner and resist taking seconds and eating until your stuffed. You would probably feel much better well into the evening. This would lead to a pound loss at the end of the month.

On a scale from 1-10 how miserable would you really be to give up your afternoon candy bar? How much do you enjoy eating it, versus just looking forward to it? For how long after you eat the candy bar do you feel good? Substituting a healthier snack with more nutrients, including fiber, and less sugar and fat can lead you to yet another pound of weight loss at the end of the month.

Slowly, but surely, the weight will gradually come off as you adapt a few healthier habits. No crash diet, no giving up foods you like, no hours of exercise at the gym. Just a little walk, a little less food, a little smarter snacking. And one year from now--do the math--you'll have lost 36 pounds. Now how good does that sound?

Fat Acceptance

For several decades there has been a movement, and even an association--The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance--to influence our society to stop being prejudiced against fat people. Yes, they call themselves fat, and there's a carefully thought out reason for this: labeling a person as "overweight" or "obese" lends more credence to the condition because of the clinical and scientific sound of the title.

Now with over a full third of the American population obese (previously clinically defined as 20% above their ideal weight, and now as have a body mass index [BMI] of 30 or above) more and more are joining the movement. Many women claim that being fat--even weighing as much as 300 pounds--is not what makes them unhappy; dieting is what makes them unhappy. They want to stop obsessing about their weight and their eating and stop experiencing the prejudice and public gawking they suffer because of their size. The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) works to have laws passed to prohibit discrimination in the work place and act to intervene when children who are overweight are bullied at school.

Indeed, these fat women assert that the number on the scale or the size of their clothing or the way that they look should not be what determines their acceptance in society, their happiness, or their self-worth. They point out that mental well-being is important just as physical health is, and that they suffer greatly from being singled out, stared at, and experiencing self-loathing because they don't meet society's ideal standard of weight.

For those who believe this is just an excuse for these fat people to eat what they please, most of them say they are concerned about their health and do keep up regular exercise and sensible eating. They go to their doctors for physicals and evaluations and many can honestly say that their blood pressure, cholesterol, and sugar levels are normal. They also point out the dangers of yo yo dieting, which are well documented.

While the people who are part of the fat acceptance movement say they are happier accepting their weight as it is, feeling great in every aspect of their life--including dressing well and finding worth in their family, relationships, and career insteadof their size--health professionals still acknowledge there is no denying that extra weight will more than likely contribute to chronic illnesses as these people age. No one can say being one hundred pounds overweight is good for you.

Another stand I take issue with is the NAAFA's statement that "society believes fat people are at fault for their size". I believe people are at fault for their size. As long as an overweight person attributes their weight to an outside factor--whether it's their metabolism or genetics, the fast food industry, or their destiny--taking the responsibility away from themselves is being in denial. This greatly reduces the chance they they will ever assume responsibility and do something to take control of their situation.

Check The Portion Size!

Today's tip: When you read the food label to see how many calories are in the food you are contemplating eating, be sure to look at the portion size!

You'll be very surprised to find that after you see "180 calories" on the king sized candy bar, if you read a bit further you will find there are "3 servings" contained within the wrapper! That means you'll have eaten 540 calories by the time you finish off the candy bar (which, let's face it, is going to happen before we eat half--or 1/3--and wrap the rest up for later!)

Even a can of tuna or a can of soup, a small bag of chips or a bottle of iced tea--foods that very obviously appear to be contained as one serving--will tell you on the label there are 2 or more servings in that package. Don't stop at the "Calories" on the label . . . read on to see how many portions you will be consuming if you finish the contents.