Does Your Diet Need Anger Management?

Slow traffic on overcrowded roads. Co-workers who refuse to carry their weight. Family members who won't pick up after themselves.

There are countless reasons for the rage that swells up within us, calling upon our anger management skills to squelch our impatience. Is dieting another issue that makes you frustrated?

Your anxiety about dieting may be holding you back from achieving the healthy, attractive body you really want.

Consider these easy ways to get rid of dieting rage:

• Enjoy the healthy journey without constantly worrying how many pounds you lost. After all, it's a lifestyle change you are trying to achieve first, and the pounds will then melt off naturally.
• Crash diets put you on the fast track to dieting frustration and failure. Slow and steady wins the race and helps you reach your dieting goals without grief.
• Have someone join you for the dieting experience. Jog with a neighbor, tally calories with your best friend, walk your dog everyday or join an online forum to find a fitness friend.
• Be patient with yourself and the world around you. Life constantly presents changing circumstances that may cause you to stop and restart your diet. Go with the flow and you will always return to the right path.

If dietary distress is holding you back from losing the weight you want, de-stress so you can enjoy your fitness routine instead of dreading it.

How To Keep The Weight Off Now That You're Fit

After a lot of hard work, you finally reached your goal weight. Is it time to celebrate with a rich dessert? You may want to reconsider.

While self deprivation is never suggested, you have to change your habits to successfully lose weight.

Getting rid of old habits should be a lifestyle change, not a temporary state of mind.

Unfortunately, almost ninety percent of people who lose weight struggle with keeping it off.

You can beat those odds by maintaining your new lifestyle - remember:

• there are healthy snacks that are equally tasty without all the fat;
• you worked hard to achieve your goals and don't want to step back; and
• if you do indulge, will that pull an emotional trigger that sends you back to unhealthy eating habits?

More ways to maintain your new weight and lifestyle include having a fitness buddy and setting new challenges for yourself.

Sometimes people feel lost after they lose weight. Having a fitness buddy keeps you active and thinking about weight loss.

Setting new challenges, such as running a marathon or learning how to play golf, makes fitness fun and rewarding.

By keeping a healthy perspective, you can stay fit and happy for the rest of your life.

5 Tips For Healthier Eating in the New Year

If you are suffering from a high-calorie holiday hangover, you are not alone.

All those tempting treats can put on pounds quickly and the New Year gives you a fresh start for better eating and healthy living habits.

Consider these 5 tips for the healthiest New Year ever:

• Don't forget the fiber. A combination of protein and fiber helps to curb your appetite, regulates blood sugar, promotes regularity and reduces blood cholesterol. Ideally you should have 21 to 38 grams of fiber daily.
• Don't forget the fish. Not just brain food, fish has vitamins, minerals, protein and omega-3 fatty acids to help reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer and even minimize the potential for diabetes.
• Eat plenty of dark green, leafy vegetables. You mom told you to eat your veggies and she was right because dark green, leafy vegetable contain beta carotene and lutein to combat cancer, stroke and heart disease.
• Control your portions. By using a smaller plate and eating slower, you can eat less without feeling hungry.
• Don't forget the beans. Bean are rich in carbs, protein and fiber to control cholesterol, promote regularity and minimize the risk of cancers.

By facing the New Year with a healthier perspective, you will look and feel better sooner than you think.

A Halloween Sugar High and Holiday Sweets

Halloween seems to be the time of year that gets us started with sweet treats and it goes on right into the New Year, when we all get on the scale and make resolutions to lose ten pounds.

No matter how many people may succumb to this temptation, it is still an unhealthy choice to avoid.

The refined sugar found in Halloween candy and pre-packaged holiday treats offers no nutritional value and contributes to serious conditions such as obesity, diabetes and severe dental decay.

Consider these tips to steer clear of those tempting treats so you feel and look fantastic through the holidays:

• Keep in mind the U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines for people on a 2,000 calorie diet diet are 10 teaspoons of added sugar (80 grams), which is the approximate amount of sugar in one glass of soda;
• With the amount of sugar in soda in mind, drink water rather than sweetened beverages;
• Buy Halloween candy you don't like so you won't be tempted to pick;
• Keep candy and sweets out of sight rather than displayed in irresistible bowls or on the counter;
• Make sure you fill up on healthy snacks so you won't be hungry for all the sweet snacks; and
• Avoid total self-deprivation during the holidays by allowing yourself just one of your favorite treats - but if you can't have just one - you need to stay away from the temptation altogether.

By keeping these few simple tips in mind from October through December, you can face the New Year without worrying about unwanted weight gain.

Thanksgiving Diet Tips

While we always want to know how big the Thanksgiving turkey is, do we bother to weigh ourselves before the big feast?

Often we avoid the scale from Thanksgiving until the New Year so we remain unaware of the pounds we are packing on.

With turkey day right around the corner, consider these simple Thanksgiving diet tips to avoid gaining an excessive amount of weight that will require you to make a New Year's resolution to knock it off:

• weigh yourself before Thanksgiving and after to judge just how much you indulged and use this as a guideline to avoid equal indulgences during the other upcoming holidays;
• eat a light, healthy snack, such as fruit, vegetables or low-fat dairy, an hour before Thanksgiving dinner so you are not hungry;
• avoid second helpings, even if those sweet potatoes are the best you ever tasted;
• stick to one dessert instead of piling your plate with tiny versions of everything available which wind up adding on lots of extra calories;
• take it easy on the butter and gravy - use only a small amount or none at all;
• don't add salt to your meal;
• and take a walk after Thanksgiving dinner to get a bit of exercise after eating.

By following the above Thanksgiving diet tips, you will look great for rest of the holidays and the New Year.

The GM Diet Versus a Healthy Lifestyle

Have you heard about the GM Diet?

The GM diet is a health and diet program that was developed for dependents and employees of General Motors, Inc. to encourage fitness and wellness. It was created in conjunction with a grant from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Department of Agriculture, and field tested at the Johns Hopkins Research Center.

The GM diet was designed to target a weight loss of 10 to 17 pounds per week by cleaning the system and burning more calories than what is taken in. The plan was also intended to flush the system, boost overall well-being and improve disposition and emotional clarity.

During the first seven days, diet followers must abstain from alcohol and drink 10 glasses of water every day.

• The first day you eat fruit;
• The second day vegetables;
• The third day fruits and vegetables;
• The fourth day bananas and milk;
• The fifth day beef and tomatoes;
• The sixth day beef and vegetables;
• And the seventh day brown rice vegetables and fruit juice.

By this time, you are supposed to safely achieve a weight loss of 10 to 17 pounds. And after the first week, you can have two alcoholic beverages daily, such as white wine or cordials, to aid digestion.

Although it seems to be a somewhat safe way to shed excess pounds quickly, there is definitely no substitute for a healthy, well-balanced lifestyle. Developing a daily routine that includes the four food groups, exercise, relaxation and plenty of sleep is the key to outstanding lifetime health and fitness.

Five Dieting Tips for the Fall

The crisp air, colorful trees and sending the kids back to school reminds us that fall has returned. Now that fall is back, you can resume your regular daily routine and make sure it includes exercise.

Consider the following tips to encourage you to fit fitness into your day:

1. Make time to exercise. Whether you go to the gym, take a long walk or work out at home, set a time for fitness and stick to it.
2. Make fitness a habit. Just like sleeping, eating meals and showering, you need to fit fitness into your daily routine because it is essential for good health.
3. Make up new fitness routines. If you spent the summer playing volleyball and swimming, add exciting new fitness routines to your day for the fall such as hiking, joining a yoga class or playing football.
4. Make a list. Just like your list of school supplies and daily to-do's, making a list of healthy fall foods can help you to maintain positive eating habits.
5. Make a fitness plan. Plan to walk with other people at work during lunch or in your neighborhood when you get home. Join a fitness club or schedule sessions with a personal trainer. Make a fitness plan that involves outsiders to encourage you to stick to the program.

You WILL feel great this fall when you make fitness a priority in your daily schedule.