For me, the path toward healthy living has had its ups and downs. The restrictions and modifications to my eating have been a daily battle that I equate to an addiction to a toxic substance. I weigh less than I did when the journey began, but more than I had hoped to lose. Continued weight loss and maintenance has been a big challenge for me. If I never gained back any of the weight that I took off this year, I would have almost reached my goal. The truth is, whenever I eat poorly, or stop my exercise routine, the weight I lost comes back instantaneously and then some! I believe much of this …

Since beginning our journey with the Community of Losers, we have explored ways to lose weight through changing our diet and lifestyle and increasing our fitness regimen. We have looked at portion control, ways of food preparation and a host of psychological factors to overcome potential challenges that could sabotage our target diet success. We have planned, plotted and programmed ourselves for diligence in making better choices. A host of diet-wise professionals suggest diet detoxing as a way to cleanse our systems to jumpstart our diet efforts or even give our diets a midstream boost if we…

How many times have you said, “It sure is a lot easier to pack on the pounds than it is to take them off.” Those of us trying to lose weight say this relentlessly, as if the answer will be different next time. The one common factor in every aspect of losing weight comes back to calories. To lose weight, we must take in less calories or burn more calories than we consume in order to be successful. How can we burn more calories? Let me count the weighs… Clean your house! If you pick up around your house four times a day for 10 minutes you can burn around 100 calories.  Do that several times per…

For most of us, it goes without saying that our bodies crave more water when the weather is hot and the sun is beating down on us. It is important to stay hydrated whether you are watching your waistline or not. However, research shows drinking more water when dieting could have a significant impact on our dieting success. It’s no secret our bodies are comprised of about 70% water and need to be replenished often. When dieting, it is important to increase our water consumption to help our kidneys and liver flush out the waste products it needs to lose for the elimination of fat. I love the …

When the seam in my pants began to look like The Great Divide, I figured it was time to take a closer look at how I was dividing up my plate. My favorite plate is the big round one covered with pizza. Unfortunately, short of being a member of the Donner party, I cannot think of a single circumstance where that would be the most healthy choice. Enter plate division, not to be confused with long division or infantry division, although weight loss is a battle. We are at war! The battle of the bulge! Let’s take a look at several options for plating up our food. The American Diabetes Association …

Summer is synonymous with ice cream, and it is especially hard to ignore for those of us diet-conscious ice cream lovers who are trying desperately to lose weight. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says that ½ cup of plain vanilla ice cream has about 135 calories, 2.5 g protein, 7 g fat, 30 mg cholesterol, 15.5 g carbohydrates, 14 g sugar and only 0.5 g fiber. Of the 7 g fat per serving, 4.5 g come from saturated fat. Personally, this is one nutritional fact I would rather ignore. Thank goodness I can commiserate with you instead of being content in my own little world oblivious to the …

With everything sweet in our lives, tempting us every day, does it come as a surprise that the average American consumes their body weight in sugar each year? According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Americans consume 156 pounds of sugar annually on a per capita basis. This number sounds too sweet to me. And these days, I would even question if that is the average-sized person.     The Sugar Association, a trade group of sugar manufacturers, says about 29 pounds of our sugar consumption comes from traditional sugar or sucrose. That means even if you stopped consciously using …

First of all, let’s look at the definition of a variety of eating lifestyles that have been growing in popularity for decades among health-conscious eaters: According to Dictionary.com, a vegetarian is a person who does not eat or does not believe in eating meat, fish, fowl or–in some cases–any food derived from animals as eggs or cheese. A pescetarian is a person who eats a diet that includes seafood, and excludes other animals. A vegan is a person who refrains from using any animal product whatsoever for food, clothing or any other purpose. For my adult life, I have considered myself a ‘…

In a study published in the journal Obesity earlier this year, scientists announced new evidence that our brain’s reward and motivation circuits are linked to compulsive overeating. The study by Dr. Gene-Jack Wang, a physician at Brookhaven National Laboratory and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, claims that the smell or sight of our favorite foods can trigger an increase in dopamine levels. Dopamine is the brain chemical associated with motivation and reward. The study also says that the spike in dopamine may be the culprit responsible for triggering compulsive overeating in binge eaters…

Do you ever feel so out of control with your eating that you feel addicted to food? I would contend, if you are reading this article, you probably have concerns about your own diet or that of someone you love. Let’s take a look at some more statistics. Do you ever hide a stash of food? Research shows that this is common among those of us who live to eat instead of eating to live. I, for one, feel more stressed without my emergency ration of chocolate. If I don’t hide an emergency ration of chocolate in my house, I can say with absolute certainty, it will not be available when the attack of …

Our yearlong weight loss and fitness challenge for our Kennesaw Community of Losers has reached the halfway mark. And the flab is flying by. Every week, I have been inspired to write about weight loss strategy, nutrition and fitness advice. This week, like some of you, I am not feeling the love. The Fourth of July weekend brought an abundance of cookouts and tempting sweet treats. I ate my way through them like Godzilla on steroids. In addition to all the summer fun days, I must admit I haven’t felt much like cooking. When I don’t have things readily prepared in my fridge to munch on, or a …

Have you seen the vast selection of light and reduced calorie products on the market? When dieting, you obviously tend to be more aware of product availability for specialty light foods. But not all light products are created equal. When trying to be health conscious in choosing foods, it’s important to read the labels. Make comparisons to see how nutritional content stacks up. Sometimes the products that are advertised and priced as light or calorically reduced are not always your best options. Don’t necessarily take the manufacturer’s packaging at face value. Do your homework. Sometimes, …

Got your eye on that summer sundress or pair of skinny shorts that have been hanging in the back of your closet for the past three years? Don't sweat it. When it comes to backyard barbecuing, you can cook out without packing on the pounds. The first thing to remember is to make careful choices about what you eat. Traditional side dishes that accompany barbecued foods can be filled with fat and calories that add up quickly. Potato salad, macaroni salad and pasta salads are usually filled with mayonnaise. These salads are big offenders. While the word salad might imply healthy eating, these are…

As we approach the midway point since embarking on our diet and fitness journey, how do you rate your scorecard? Have you reached or surpassed your goal? Are you where you hoped you’d be when you started? Have you re-gained any weight you lost? What have you done right? What have you done wrong? It’s time to examine our goals and see if they need some tweaking. Perhaps it’s time to set some new ones or establish a new routine. Lately, I’ve been in a rut. I keep losing the same five pounds and finding them over and over again. I want to hear some of your success stories. What’s working for you…

Summer is in full swing. I’m not sure why I thought the change in seasons would bring about the lazy hazy crazy days of summer, but life is still busy and hectic. And lately, when weighing in, my scale has been stuck! With warmer weather upon us, it’s easy to make excuses to avoid cooking and get into the grab-n-go mode. When we are tempted to place fast food convenience over our own health, it’s no wonder the scale gets stuck. Even though your schedule may have changed for the summer due to a school break or vacation, don’t sacrifice eating breakfast. You may not be getting up as early as …

Yes, we are talking about that same little seed you smear on the top of your moistened clay figure to grow a fun-loving fuzzy head. This wonder seed is not just for the likes of poofy sheep heads and little clay kitties anymore. If you haven’t heard about it already, please allow me to introduce you to this new, as not seen on T.V. super food. The tiny chia seed has some amazing nutritional benefits and medicinal properties. Chia was once a staple food for diet and trade by indigenous populations throughout the southwest and Mexico. According to some studies, ancient Aztecs used chia as a …

So, what’s all the buzz about soy? In examining soy and all of its touted benefits to our diet, we must first define what it is. Soy is cultivated from the soybean plant. According to Soynutrition.com, soy protein is the only plant protein we commonly consume that is nutritionally complete. In a nutshell, soy provides essential amino acids needed to meet our body’s dietary requirements. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recognizes that unlike many sources of animal protein, soy is low in saturated fat. Soy provides protein equivalent to that of animal protein without the …

This week, our Community of Losers explores the benefits of fitness and weight loss through walking. With nicer weather these days, you have run out of excuses if you’re not walking. In establishing a regular walking routine, a well-known ancient Chinese Proverb is somewhat apropos: The longest journey begins with the first step. Often times, the hardest thing is just getting started. Once you accomplish this, physics will kick in. A body in motion tends to stay in motion. Thanks Newton! (Okay dieters, I’m not talking Fig Newtons here! )    For me, the hardest thing is getting my sneakers on…

Warmer weather and sunny days are here. Time to peel off the layers of clothing you are hiding behind and ditch the soothing winter comfort food for some fresh lighter fare. With a little creativity, salad greens can be transformed into culinary works of art that won’t weigh you down. When building your salad, it’s good to keep in mind not all lettuce is created equal and two heads are not necessarily better than one! A head of iceberg lettuce has almost no nutritional value. One cup of romaine boasts the same 8 calories as iceberg lettuce, but packs in more calcium, vitamin C, vitamin K, and…

What’s your excuse? My time is at a premium. I have to get ready for work. I had better eat a good breakfast to rev up my fat burning engine. Oh, I have to take this call. Well, no time for breakfast now, I’m running late. I’ll have to grab something on the way. Oops, I forgot to pack a healthy lunch, guess I’ll get something while I’m out. I better take a walk during my break since I ate that second helping of lasagna last night. It’s starting to rain. Oh well, I really didn’t feel like walking anyway. I’m hungry, think I’ll see what’s in the vending machine. I might as well have that …