It’s no secret that nutrition plays a significant role in successful weight loss, the problem most of us have is how to get started. Learning how to eat healthy can help you shed excess weight and keep it off, not mention improve your overall health.

{Healthy eating doesn’t just mean munching on salad all day.}

Does this mean you should completely wipe you pantry clean of soda, potato chips and snack cakes? Well it would help to reduce the amount of those foods in your pantry, but learning how to get started with healthy eating is all about pacing yourself. Keep reading to find out more.

Add Fruit

If you don’t normally eat fruit then don’t buy pounds a fruit so you can ‘pretend’ to eat healthy. Start with a few pieces of fruit, that you know you’ll eat, and find a way to add them to your day. Grab a bunch of bananas and eat one with your breakfast each day, or bring an apple to work with you for a mid-afternoon snack.

Adding a few pieces of fruit to your diet each day is a great way to get started on healthy eating, and because fruit is so sweet it’s an easy and tasty place to start.

If you need a reason other than weight loss to start eating healthy, how about the many health benefits associated with healthy eating? According to a 2010 study, there is an intrinsic link between fruit consumption and weight loss. That is that if people believe eating fruit provides more for them than it takes from them, they will eat more fruit.

So next time you think about skipping the produce aisle at the supermarket think of the fact that improved bone and heart health, reduced stroke and a decrease in cancer risk are all associated with increased fruit consumption.

If you need more reasons check out the nutrition facts for mango and apples.

Bring Your Own Lunch

Healthy eating starts with limiting your opportunities to make unhealthy food choices. The best place for you to start is by bringing your own lunch. This way you don’t have to choose between high calorie fast food options or vending machine food. When you bring your own lunch you can make the decision—ahead of time—to eat healthy.

With a little planning healthy eating is something you can do without much thought. Whether you choose to pack a sandwich and salad or last night’s low calorie leftovers, when you bring your own lunch you’re deciding how healthy you eat not some teenager in a polyester uniform!

Another good thing about bringing your own lunch is that you can control portion sizes, which is essential to healthy eating and successful weight loss. When you choose fast food or even a sit down restaurant, your portion size is at the mercy of the cook. According to the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, the increase in portion sizes over the years means you could be eating an extra 50 to 150 calories with every meal!

Eat More Fish

Eating more fish is a key part of healthy eating and the best way to start is find a few lightly flavored fish that you enjoy. Fish like tilapia and salmon are lean proteins that provide you with plenty of essential vitamins and nutrients, while also cutting back on calories. Fish contains plenty of omega-3 fatty acids, an essential fatty acid that your body needs but cannot produce on its own.

The key to adding fish to a healthy diet though is to avoid deep frying fish, instead enjoy fish baked, grilled or broiled. Fish will satisfy your appetite in fewer calories than a steak.

Soup & Salad

Traditionally thought of as appetizers, soup and salad are a key part of healthy eating. Both make sure you get plenty of vegetables and nutrients in your diet, without a ton of calories. If you’re looking for a satisfying but low calorie lunch option, consider either or both of these dishes. And the best thing of all is that these dishes take very little effort if you’re in the market for low maintenance dinner recipes.

{This is a healthy and satisfying meal…just give it a try!}

To start healthy eating you should re-imagine soup and salad; they don’t have to be the boring dishes you remember. Eliminate the lettuce and mix a bowl of your favorite vegetables with a light vinaigrette for a healthy salad or enjoy a cucumber and melon gazpacho instead of a traditional hot soup.

The point is that your options are unlimited when you decide to eat healthy. Hit up farmer’s markets to get seasonal fruits and vegetables to help.

Nutrition Labels

An important step in getting started eating healthy is paying attention to what you put in your body, and how much goes in. To do this, you have to start reading nutrition labels. Nutrition labels provide you with key information that can help you lose weight and make sure you get enough essential nutrients.

In addition to finding out how much of your daily value of nutrients you’re receiving, nutrition labels give you 2 important pieces of information for healthy eating; serving size and calories per serving. Go to our calories homepage to get acquainted with the basic layout of nutrition labels, you’ll need it before you start your healthy eating shopping trip.

Water

As much as you love your soda and artificially flavored fruit drinks, healthy eating requires that you get more water in your diet. Most of us don’t drink nearly enough water. This, combined with everyday drinks which contain caffeine (e.g. coffee, tea, sodas), results in our bodies being regularly dehydrated and functioning inefficiently.

You should try to get at least 8 glasses of water each day, but whatever the amount of water you currently drink you should increase it until you no longer feel dehydrated throughout the day. In fact, water is so essential to healthy eating because often we confuse thirst with hunger and eat food when we should be drinking a glass of water.

Water is something your body needs so consider this part of healthy eating and drinking.

Getting started with healthy eating doesn’t have to be torturous social experiment. Read our Eat Stop Eat review to find out how you can stop worrying about food all day long and start healthy eating the right way.

We all know how important a well balanced diet is to successful weight loss yet when it comes to actually putting into practice the things we’ve learned, eating healthy become an impossible task. At least that’s how it seems.

{A successful healthy eating plan means knowing when to choose healthy and when to choose junk.}

Creating a healthy eating plan will help you implement healthy eating practices that will make it easier to reach your weight loss goals. Not only that, but a healthy eating plan will allow you to take charge of what you eat, when you cheat and when you eat out. Keep reading to find out more!

Reduce Calories

You and I both know that reducing calories is essential for weight loss, but it is also an important part of any healthy eating plan. According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute most of us need to reduce the amount of calories we get from food and drinks while increasing our physical activity.

If you’re not sure how to reduce calories, start with downgrading the sizes of your meals. If you normally eat 1 whole chicken breast for example, try cutting that breast in half and using the other half for another meal. The easiest way to immediately reduce calories is to simply reduce portion sizes.

Make Better Choices

A healthy eating plan isn’t just about deciding to eat 2 slices of greasy pizza instead of 4; it’s also about making the choice to eat (and cook) healthier foods.

First, add more fruits and vegetables to your eating plan. Fruits and vegetables have tons of nutrients, very little calories and they reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Whole grains and low fat dairy products should also be part of a healthy eating plan.

When it comes to protein, stick with lean proteins like fish, chicken, eggs, nuts and beans. Use beans as a stand-alone protein and combine with vegetables or whole grains for a well-balanced meal.

Your healthy eating plan should be low in fat—saturated and trans—as well as cholesterol, sodium and excess sugars.

Make A Menu

The first step in creating a healthy eating plan for weight loss is to create a weekly meal menu. This doesn’t mean that you have to have fish and mac & cheese every Friday like in elementary school; but it does mean planning out a week’s worth of meals so you eliminate excuses to order take out or fast food that don’t help with weight loss.

The keyword in healthy eating plan is plan. Plan out what you want to eat so that you have time to find healthy alternatives to reduce your calorie count. Planning your menu ahead of time lets you get creative with healthy, low-calorie and low fat meals.

When you’re not bored with your meals, you’re enjoying them and sticking with your healthy eating plan.

Plan To Cook

If you’re serious about weight loss then you have to plan to spend at least a few nights in the kitchen cooking your own meals. One of the best ways to implement a healthy eating plan is seriously reducing the number of meals you eat from a cardboard box or Styrofoam carton.

Even if you aren’t the next Bobby Flay, your healthy eating plan should have you in the kitchen a few nights slicing and dicing for healthy and delicious meals.

The other added benefit of cooking your own meals? You get to see how much food you’re actually making so you have a better idea about portion sizes. Cooking your own meals helps you see things like how many potatoes you should boil for2 servings of mashed potatoes.

Controlling portion sizes is a key step in implementing a healthy eating plan, and it starts in your kitchen!

A Day of Indulgence

Those of us who have been tweaking healthy eating plans for some time now know that a day of indulgence is a good way to make sure you stick with your eating plan. This doesn’t mean that you should plan to eat brownies for breakfast and chips & soda for lunch. What it does mean is that since you’re making a healthy eating plan, you should plan for a day to indulge in something you love.

Can’t live without lasagna? Plan to eat it for dinner one night, just adhere to proper portion sizes and you can even take a square with you for lunch the next day!

{A healthy indulgence means choosing one of these things, not both.}

Successful dieting does not mean totally depriving yourself of the things you love.

Plan Your Snacks

Snacks are where so many people have trouble with healthy eating plans. The reason for most of us however, is that we pretend that we’re not going to snack so when a snack attack hits we’re forced to the vending machine without a single healthy food option.

Plan to snack and embrace the fact that you will snack. By admitting this fact you can plan for healthier snacks throughout the week, instead of potato chips, microwave popcorn and snack cakes.

Get some baby carrots and dip, fruit salad and other healthy snacks that will satisfy a hunger craving without giving you too many calories to burn in one workout session.

Know Yourself

This is a very important part of creating a healthy eating plan for weight loss. Don’t plan elaborate meals that require loads of prep and long cook times if you hate cooking. Instead create a healthy eating plan for you. Maybe in time you’ll learn to love being in the kitchen creating healthy meals, but until that time comes keep your eating plan simple so that you stick to it.

Start the first few weeks of your eating plan with a simple lean protein and vegetables or whole grains.

Creating a healthy eating plan for weight loss that you can stick to is just as important as regular exercise. The key however is to make sure you are being realistic about your ability to create a healthy eating plan that you can stick to.

Don’t just pile fruits and vegetables into your shopping cart if you know you’re not going to eat them. Being realistic about where you are in your weight loss journey is more important pretending you’re farther along than you are. Follow these steps and you’ll have a healthy eating plan that’s helping you lose weight!

Having trouble skipping the junk food aisle? Consider intermittent fasting to help you stop craving so much junk; read TFLA’s review of Eat Stop Eat.

When your goal is weight loss healthy eating is always on your mind. Despite knowing what foods you should and should not eat, eating healthy can be a difficult task. Even when armed with healthy eating tips, talking yourself into eating something you don’t like is hard.

{Reinventing the salad is an easy healthy eating tip to adopt!}

Either you don’t like healthy food or it’s too expensive or you don’t know how to cook. Whatever your reasons is for not eating healthy, keep reading to find real healthy eating tips that you can actually use!

Reinvent the Salad

I don’t know how many times I’ve told friends and TFLA readers alike; salad does not have to be lettuce, tomato and cucumbers. While that is the traditional version of the salad, there are many (many!) other vegetable combinations that can be considered a salad.

In fact you can enjoy a salad without any lettuce if you choose. What’s great about salad is that it is, by its very nature, packed with vegetables which are packed with nutrients, which your body needs to be happy, healthy and with less fat!

If the idea of arugula, romaine or spinach makes you roll your eyes and back away from the kitchen, scrap the greens in favor an all-veggie salad. Add tomatoes, radishes, carrots, cucumbers, squash, olives and broccoli and mix with a light vinaigrette for a re-invented salad you might actually eat.

Beans Mean Protein

One of my favorite healthy eating tips is this little rhyme; beans mean protein. What does that mean, exactly?

Well it means that your plate doesn’t have to have meat it on it have protein. Beans are a good source of protein; they’re filling, delicious and filled with fiber! Adding beans is a healthy eating tip we can all use, but especially those of us still shooting for our goal weight.

Black beans for example give you 7.2 grams of protein and provide you with 33% of your recommended daily value of fiber in every ½ cup. With nutrition facts like that, you can make beans your entrée and fill out the meal with vegetables.

Implement this healthy eating tip by skipping the beef or lamb in your favorite chili recipe and instead add black beans, kidney beans or navy beans…or all 3!

The Diet Shuffle

The diet shuffle is a term I came up with when trying to create healthy eating tips for myself. The diet shuffle is the tweaking you need to do to a day of meals in order to enjoy something you really want, like red velvet cake, but know you shouldn’t have.

It works like this: you take a look at the nutrition facts of the food you want to have, let’s stick with red velvet cake since its fresh in my mind. To make this red velvet work in your well-balanced diet you’ll have to find a way to eat the rest of your meals and make them lower in fat, cholesterol and carbs just to make it (mostly) within your recommended daily allowance.

This dance can be complicated, but the good news is that this kind of diet scrutiny will make you think twice about how often you want to do the diet shuffle.

Eat Full Meals

This should be a no-brainer but I still have people writing to me telling me that they’ve lost a ton of weight by eating a 150-calorie snack eight times a day. Although these fad dieters have lost weight, it is unlikely that the weight stayed off for very long.

Make time in your day for at least 3 well-balanced meals. Starving yourself can lead to serious bouts of overeating, which means a lot of calories that you won’t burn in the gym. In addition to not getting enough food, skipping meals means you’ll make unhealthy food choices when your hunger becomes unbearable.

If your body isn’t healthy, losing weight will be that much harder. Without vitamins and nutrients that come from eating you won’t have the energy, strength or focus to work out and pay attention to eating properly.

DIY Desserts

The second best healthy eating tip I’ve ever received was “do it yourself,” when it comes to dessert. Rather than hitting the snack foods aisle at the supermarket and piling my cart high with cheese popcorn, chocolate covered nougats, ice cream and fruit-flavored candy, I now hit up the produce aisle to make my own desserts.

I’m no Betty Crocker for sure, but making your own desserts is one healthy eating tip that everyone could use.

{Individual DIY desserts satisfy a craving while adhering to portion sizes!}

Making your own desserts give you the control over what type of sweetener you use (brown sugar, honey, pureed fruit) and how much of it you use. Choose a few of your favorite fruits (apples and blueberries are my favorites) and make your own cobbler or pie at home. This lets you still have dessert on occasion while controlling how much sugar you use.

Dine Out Smart

This is one of the most difficult healthy eating tips for most people to follow. Dining out, whether because you forgot to do the shopping or simply because you have a reason to celebrate does not mean that you should eat until your belly is about to explode.

Before you laugh consider that a 1999 study found a positive association between consuming restaurant food and an increase in body fat. So even if you don’t gorge when you dine out, there is something inherent in eating out that causes weight gain.

The portion sizes in many restaurants are much larger than any dietician or nutritionist would recommend and many of this food you think is ‘freshly prepared’ has been pre-cooked and frozen. This just means that you’re paying someone else a lot more than the cost of groceries to help you gain weight.

Dining out smart is a healthy eating tip that can make social events less stressful for you and your weight loss efforts. Here are a few healthy eating tips to keep in mind the next time you’re out to eat:

• Skip the appetizer.
• Order an appetizer as an entrée.
• Split an entrée with your dining companion.
• Get a glass of water with whatever else you order to drink.
• Have a salad before your meal.
• Skip dessert in favor of coffee or tea.

These healthy eating tips will make it easier for you to enjoy your life, rather than putting it on hold until you’ve reached your weight loss goal.

Read our review of Eat Stop Eat to find out intermittent fasting can help you put these healthy eating tips into practice!

Contrary to popular belief, cholesterol is something that w need to worry about at any age; this isn’t just a problem for the overweight and middle-aged. In fact the National Institutes of Health advises anyone 20 years or older to get their cholesterol measured every 5 years.

{You don’t have to be this guy to get your cholesterol tested.}

There are commercials promising that this cereal or that diet will help you lower cholesterol, but does that also mean that lowering your cholesterol will stop weight gain? Keep reading to find out if cholesterol makes you fat.

What Is Cholesterol?

Above all else cholesterol is a wax-like substance that your body needs to perform basic functions. Cholesterol is found in each and every cell within our bodies, and it is produced by the liver.

Eighty percent of the cholesterol found in the human body is made by the liver, and we get the remaining cholesterol from our diets. The major source of cholesterol in the human diet comes from saturated fat, found in products like margarine, meats, shortening and dairy. Plant foods like vegetables, do not contain cholesterol.

Why You Need Cholesterol

You cannot eliminate cholesterol from your diet, even if you think cholesterol makes you fat, because cholesterol helps our bodies perform important functions that include making hormones and vitamin D. Cholesterol is also responsible for maintaining healthy cell membranes and creating the acids that make it easier for us to digest fat.

Types of Cholesterol

Answering the question does cholesterol make you fat begins with a better understanding of the types of cholesterol that exist and which ones to look out for!

• HDL – High density lipoproteins are what you probably know as the good cholesterol. HDLs are made up mostly of protein and help rid your blood of fat to keep you nice and healthy. A higher HDL level can help reduce your risk of a heart attack.
• LDL – Low density lipoproteins are the bad cholesterol, mostly because they are made up of mostly cholesterol. A high LDL can clog your arteries and lead to heart disease. If you have (or are at risk of) high cholesterol, this is the cholesterol you want get under control.
• VLDL – Very low density lipoproteins are made up of triglycerides, which are just another type of fat. If your VLDL number is high you may be at greater risk of a heart attack.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, you should consume no more than 20 grams of saturated fat and no more than 300 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol in your diet each day. Paying close attention to nutrition labels is the best way to find out about the foods you eat.

{This little photo should help you remember which cholesterol you need and which to limit!}

Does Cholesterol Make You Fat?

No, cholesterol in and of itself does not make you fat. However a diet filled with lots of saturated fat can make your body produce too much cholesterol. You see, our bodies can have too much cholesterol because the body makes too much or because our diets contain too many foods high in saturated fat. When there is an excess of cholesterol in the body, it circulates in the bloodstream, which can increase your risk of heart disease.

What can make you fat is consuming too much fat in your diet. Eating more calories than you burn is a surefire way to gain weight, but keeping your saturated fat intake as low as possible can help you maintain healthy weight loss.

How To Lower Your Cholesterol

The most important thing you can do to avoid high cholesterol and all the negative health effects of high cholesterol like heart attack and heart disease, is to consume less cholesterol and saturated fat in your diet.

Diet: The first way in which you can lower your cholesterol is to watch what you eat. Eat less animal fats, margarine and other fats. Instead, focus more on eating high fiber foods that include vegetables, fruits and whole grains. A well-balanced diet like this will keep the level of cholesterol in your blood at a healthy level.

{A diet rich in these foods can help lower your cholesterol.}

Exercise: Including more physical activity in your life can help lower your cholesterol. More physical activity can help lower your cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. Inactive people are at a higher risk for high cholesterol, mostly because they are generally overweight.

Weight Loss: Losing weight is another great way to lower your cholesterol level. A healthy diet and exercise can help you lose weight and maintain a healthy cholesterol level. Taking steps to lose weight, like greatly reducing your saturated fat intake, can help you keep your cholesterol at a stable level.

Meds: Although not ideal, there are medications that can help you control your cholesterol levels. If other members of your family have high cholesterol and you’re having a difficult time lowering it through diet and exercise, your doctor my prescribe medication to regulate your cholesterol.

No Smoking: Smoking increases your levels of harmful cholesterol, so quitting smoking is a great way to help control your cholesterol!

Getting There

Any major lifestyle change can’t possibly happen overnight, so its best to make incremental changes to make sure it sticks. For example, instead of starting your new exercise regimen with an impossible workout, start by going for a long walk or jog. Take up a sport or say yes to an activity you’d normally say ‘no’ to!

Start cooking your own low calorie meals a few days each week, and get most of your calories from fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Toss out most of your processed foods with no nutritional value like cookies, cake, brownies and ice cream; these are high saturated fat foods that can spell trouble for your cholesterol. Limit your alcohol intake and reduce your smoking until you are a non-smoker!

These small changes will help you lower your cholesterol and your weight. By slowly integrating these steps into your life, you can continue to live a healthier life with a well-balanced diet that will keep your cholesterol at healthy levels.

If you find that breaking free of foods high in saturated fat is more difficult than you thought, read our review of Brad Pilon’s Eat Stop Eat. Its help many dieters, it could help you too!

In your quest for accurate weight loss information you’ve probably heard lots of advice like eat more fruits and vegetables or eat more whole grains. But does any of that ever register in your diet? Probably not because you have no idea what produce and whole grains have in common.

In one word: fiber. Before you research does fiber make you fat, you should be asking yourself what properties does fiber possess that could make you fat.

Keep reading for more true facts about fiber!

Fiber Fills You Up

The most likely reason that so many dieters mistakenly believe that fiber makes you fat is because fiber leaves you feeling full. With your hunger satisfied your desire to overindulge will decrease. The sense of satiety (fullness or satisfaction) that results from a diet with fiber allows you to lose weight because you eat less.

{One slice of wheat bread satisfies your hunger better than 2 slices of white!}

Many dieters have trouble controlling food urges or stopping themselves when they feel satiated. This could be due to compulsion or an inability to recognize satiety, but a diet that has an adequate amount of fiber can make you feel full so overeating becomes a non-issue, so to speak.

Fiber As Fat Burner

One thing that is true about fiber is that it is a fat burner. This doesn’t mean that fiber on its own is your magical path to weight loss; but a diet with sufficient fiber can give your fat loss the push it needs to help you reach your weight loss goals.

Because fiber is slowly digested by the body, it makes your body work harder to process it and break it down, which causes you to burn more calories during the process. Although there are plenty of good reasons for you to eat more fiber, think of the fat burning properties of fiber as an added bonus in addition to the health benefits of a diet rich in fiber.

Fiber Flushes You Out

One part of dieting that very few of us like to talk about is regular bowel movements. Whether you like to joke about them or pretend none of us experiences them, the truth is that regular bowel movements are essential for successful weight loss.

Bowel movements help you get rid of the unnecessary parts of the food and drinks you consume without sacrificing water and nutrients that your body absorbs.

In addition to regular digestion, fiber helps move cholesterol out of the body, which reduces the risk of heart disease. Certain cancer-causing agents in our intestines get bound to fiber and move quickly through the colon, keeping your risk of colon cancer at bay.

Eat Less, Longer

Foods that contain fiber can help you lose weight by reducing your rate of digestion, which means that your stomach not only feels fuller; it feels fuller for a longer period of time. This has the awesome effect of making you eat less food in between scheduled meals and snacks.

The satisfying nature of fiber can help you create a calorie deficit because many high fiber foods are low in calories. When combined with the reduced rate of digestion, you feel fuller longer and on fewer calories, which is the perfect recipe for fat loss!

Whole Grains Are Packed With Fiber

While many dieters take the view that whole grain products are simply tasteless methods of forcing you to eat healthy, the truth is that whole grains are an essential part of any well balanced diet designed for weight loss…thanks to their fiber content!

One slice of 100% whole wheat bread has 3 grams of fiber, compared to 2 slices of white bread that have just 0.6 grams. This is why many respected dieticians and nutritionists are advocating a diet that includes whole grains over refined grains.

{Use whole wheat pasta to create your favorite Asian-style dish!}

Not only will you feel more satisfied with 1 slice of whole wheat bread, but you’ll be getting more nutrients than from refined grains that have been stripped of much of their nutritional value.

Recommended Fiber Intake

According to the Institutes of Medicine the recommended daily value of fiber for adult men and women range between 21 grams for elderly women and 38 grams for adult men. It is important for all of us, regardless of weight loss goals, to get an adequate amount of fiber in our diets thanks to the many health benefits associated with fiber.

One especially important health benefit of fiber that benefits health and weight loss is its ability to regulate blood sugar levels. Spikes in blood sugar can cue your body to start storing fat, which it will do anyway if not burned by physical activity, but it can also make you fatigued and hungry, so you eat even more food whether you need it or not.

Diets similar to American diets with plenty of processed foods that have little to no fiber will require a small adjustment to a diet with fiber. This is yet another reason that so many belief that fiber makes you fat; starting a diet with the proper amount of fiber can lead to gas as well as other digestive problems.

These problems will only occur for up to a week, until your body gets used to the healthy diet of fiber. Just be sure to drink plenty of water when you add the appropriate amount of fiber to your diet or bloating and constipation will occur.

High Fiber Foods

Now that you know that fiber does not make you fat, it’s time to find healthy ways to get an adequate amount of fiber in your diet.

High fiber foods;

Fruits: Raspberries, pear, apple & strawberries.

Beans: Lentils, black beans & lima beans

Nuts: Sunflower seeds, almonds & pistachios

Vegetables: Artichokes, peas, broccoli, corn & turnip greens

Grains: Whole wheat spaghetti, barley, bran flakes & oatmeal

Give your fat loss efforts a boost by adding these high fiber foods to your shopping list; your health depends on it!

Read our review of Eat Stop Eat to learn how intermittent fasting can help you stop overindulging in processed foods with little nutritional value.

Many people aren’t quite familiar with fennel, but this crunchy & sweet vegetable is a healthy addition to any meal. Looking like a cross between onion and celery, fennel is a staple food in Mediterranean cooking.

When you’re in need of a low calorie way to add flavor to your favorite dishes, consider the fresh flavor of fennel. But first, let’s get you acquainted with fennel nutrition facts!

Major Nutrients in Fennel

Reviewing fennel nutrition facts reveals that this is a healthy way to enhance the taste of many dishes without sacrificing nutritional value. One cup of fennel has just 27 calories, a small addition by any standards.

In addition fennel nutrition facts illustrate a very small amount of fat and sodium, no cholesterol and no sugar. Despite the sweet flavor of fennel, 1 cup has 0 grams of sugar.

What’s good about fennel nutrition facts, in addition to a low calorie count, is the extraordinary amount of fat burning fiber found in fennel. 11 grams of fiber per 1 cup of fennel means your body will be in overdrive burning it off. When you factor in just enough carbs and protein to make this a healthy food for weight loss, you’ll wonder why you didn’t discover fennel sooner.

Storing/Selecting

When selecting fennel, look for white or pale green bulbs that solid and firm. Stay away from split or bruised fennel bulbs and black & mushy fronds as these are signs your bulb may be beyond maturity. Fresh fennel will smell of black liquorice or anise.

Store fennel in the vegetable section of your fridge for up to four days. Be sure to pat fennel dry before storage so it stays fresh as long as possible. Fennel tastes best when fresh, although it can be frozen and used at a later date.

Eat It With:

Fennel goes great with a wide variety of dishes, particularly soup. Add a chopped fennel bulb to your favorite meat or vegetable soup for a Mediterranean flair.

{Spice up your salads with the beautiful taste of fennel!}

Fennel also makes a great side dish; sauté with onions, carrots or parsnips for a hearty veggie dish or combine with avocado and oranges for a fresh salad. Fennel and salmon make incredibly delicious plate partners for a healthy fat burning meal!

Burn Off Fennel:

To burn off the calories in fennel, you would need to do:

• 7 minutes of walking
• 2.5 minutes of jumping rope (fast)
• 3 minutes of roller skating

When we talk about weight loss, we often talk in terms of calories consumed, calories burned and ways to burn said calories. Yet we often forget about the first step in the process of eating healthy; grocery shopping for weight loss!

{If you’re not careful at the market you’ll have tons of high calorie items you don’t need or want!}

Buying the right foods and planning healthy recipes is how you consume fewer calories, so keep reading for 6 tips that will help you avoid tried & true grocery store gimmicks.

Plan Meals

Planning meals ahead of time may seem like a headache, but by choosing what you want before you’re “dying of starvation” will force you to eat healthier meals. Planning meals while you’re thinking about weight loss is much easier than planning meals while staring into an aisle packed with chips, cookies and soda.

Grab a sheet of paper and plan what you’d like to eat for the next 7-10 days. Be as specific or as generic (fish & veg) as you choose…for now.

{Let the pros help you create healthy meals for weight loss!}

If you aren’t much of a cook, consult cookbooks, cooking shows or online recipes for healthy meals.

Always Be Prepared

Once you have your preliminary menu for the week, shopping for weight loss becomes much easier. Take your menu and make a shopping list that includes all the items you’ll need to make each meal for the week. A comprehensive list will help avoid unnecessary trips back to the store, which can lead to unintended purchases.

By having a list and vowing to stick to that list you will only purchase items that you need, rather than sugary, high calorie foods you can do without.

If you take the mindset that you knew exactly what you wanted and needed when you made the list, there’s no reason to deviate from it once bombarded with special sales and colorful displays.

See What’s On Sale

You know that huge stack of papers you get each week that you use to line your dog’s kennel? Well those are sales papers intended to let interested shoppers know what items are on sale, which makes shopping for weight loss easier and less costly.

Use these papers to help you find inexpensive but in season fruits, vegetables and seafood. These are weight loss essentials; fruits, vegetables and lean proteins, and checking out those sales papers will help you make your menu as well as your shopping list.

With this much preparation how could you possibly end up with a shopping cart full of sugar, salt and fat?

Update Pantry

A crucial part of shopping for weight loss is a comprehensive shopping list, which can only be accomplished by taking stock of what items you need, that you don’t have. Keeping your pantry updated can also help avoid those after-work trips to the grocery store.

After a stressful day at the office you’re more likely to reach for comfort foods like cookies, ice cream and other foods that didn’t make it on your shopping list for a reason. That stress can make it difficult to ignore the urge to indulge.

Take a peek inside your pantry, spice rack and refrigerator to make sure you have cooking staples like olive oil, pepper, salt or pasta.

Fresh Herbs

When you start shopping for weight loss don’t be afraid to spend some time in the fresh herbs section. Fresh herbs are flavorful and aromatic, and they add a lot of flavor to dishes without adding a lot of calories.

Consider items like fresh parsley, basil and oregano; these are commonly used herbs that you will very likely use before they go bad. Dry herbs work well too, but fresh herbs are cheap so you can test them out from one week to the next.

Fresh or Frozen Produce?

When people write asking me how to shop for weight loss, the number one question is fresh or frozen fruits & vegetables.

The honest and true answer is either. If you’re confident that you will eat fresh produce without letting most of it get tossed in the trash because it went bad, then go for fresh fruits and vegetables. They taste delicious and fresh fruits and vegetables make it easier to grab something healthy on the run.

Frozen fruits and vegetables however have been picked at the height of ripeness (so they say) so you get maximum nutrients. But you can’t eat frozen peaches in the car when you oversleep!

Keep in mind that in the age of the Farmer’s Market you may be able to get fresh and ripe produce weekly. Choose fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, and let the salty canned goods stay where they belong…on the shelf!

Shopping for weight loss lets you take control of your weight loss progress and it lets you decide when you want to cheat. If you know that next Friday is your best bud’s birthday, then you can plan lighter low calorie meals that will let you indulge Friday night without guilt.

And that my friends, is true weight loss freedom.

Still having trouble keeping those large sleeves of cookies out of your shopping cart? See how a few days without that junk can transform how you look at food by reading our Eat Stop Eat diet review.

Very few so-called weight loss ‘truths’ are as pervasive as the one that protein shakes make you fat. Although they’re most often associated with the extreme size of bodybuilders, for some reason dieters the world over seem to believe that protein shakes lead to fat gain.

{Do you see fat? I see lean muscles aided by protein shakes.}

It is understandable why the uninformed believe this given the sheer size of bodybuilders, but the one thing these larger than life humans aren’t…is fat.

So keep reading to find out if protein shakes make you fat.

About Protein

Despite the fact that lean protein is an essential part of a successful weight loss regimen, many people still associate protein shakes with weight gain.

The truth is that our bodies require protein for the amino acids, which helps repair and renew your body each day. The biggest mistake most dieters make when it comes to protein is that they eat too little under the mistaken belief that protein makes you fat.

But, according to biochemist Dr. David Bender, author of Introduction to Nutrition and Metabolism, the bigger your body mass the more protein your body requires for daily functions. In order to get all 22 essential amino acids, the body requires that we get the ones which we cannot produce from food. This means protein in the form of fish, eggs and dairy.

If this isn’t possible for whatever reason, protein shakes are a healthy alternative.

How Protein Shakes Make You Fat

One reason that so many people believe protein shakes make you fat is that many dieters who rely on protein shakes to build muscle forget to do one important thing; count calories added from protein shakes.

As healthy as protein is for our bodies, too much of it like too much of anything else, can lead to weight gain. You see protein can be converted into carbohydrates when your blood sugar levels decrease, which happens when your diet is too carb-heavy. And those carbohydrates can be converted into fat when your blood sugar and insulin levels rise.

{Do protein shakes make you fat? Not when part of a healthy diet!}

So yes, too many protein shakes can make you fat. But a protein shake added to your diet to improve muscle-building will not.

Recommended Protein Intake

According to the Institute of Medicine, the recommended daily protein intake for adult females is 46 grams and 56 grams for males. These numbers increase to more than 70 grams per day for pregnant and lactating women.

So if you do consume protein shakes, make sure you’re not getting more protein than you need. Although if your level of physical activity is high, you may need more protein to see the results you want.

Protein &Weight Loss

One thing that people are surprised to learn when they ask do protein shakes make you fat, is that protein and protein shakes can actually help you lose weight.

We already know that lean proteins are great for weight loss because they have very little fat and sugar. But this is also the reason protein shakes can help you lose weight too; protein shakes usually contain whey which has 130 calories per scoop yet gives you just 4% fat and 1 gram of sugar while supplying you with 23 grams of protein!

Numbers like these means that your body is working hard to break down the protein without getting excess fat, sugar and carbs.

Some protein shakes make you fat because they contain lots of sugar or because you add whole milk, which has almost 13 grams of sugar per 8 ounce glass and just 7.9 grams of protein. If you’re looking for more protein in your diet but concerned that protein shakes make you fat, pay close attention to the protein and sugar amounts in your milk.

Or make your own protein shake, recipe here.

If you’re concerned that protein shakes make you fat read our Eat Stop Eat review to see if intermittent fasting can help you transition to a diet filled with lean proteins.

There are so many detox diets on the market that it can be difficult to tell which ones might actually work and which ones are just looking to part you & your money. Today we’ll discussed another infamous detox diet; Wild Rose Detox.

{This package is your key to quick weight loss, at least that’s the claim.}

Claiming to purify your body of toxins while helping you lose weight, the Wild Rose Detox sounds enticing. But, is it too good to be true? Keep reading for the answer and much more!

About Wild Rose Detox

The Wild Rose Detox is an herb based detoxification program that lasts for 12 days. The goal of the Wild Rose Detox is to rid your body of toxic substances your body collects from the environment and your diet.

The goal of the Wild Rose Detox is to promote better health while also helping you lose weight. In 12 days, the makers claim, your immune system will be cleansed along with your kidneys, liver and lymphs while also improving blood circulation.

All of this found in a wild rose? I gotta say, I was intrigued!

Wild Rose Detox Diet

Unlike many detox diets the Wild Rose Detox diet does allow you actually eat food, which is a welcome to liquid starvation diets. You will eliminate all junk food—always a good idea for weight loss.

For the 12 days you’re on the Wild Rose Detox you can eat fish, but not shellfish. All other meats should be avoided, as should sugars, dairy, wine and alcohol, grain flour, peanuts, grapes and mushrooms. Fermented food items like soy sauce must also be avoided throughout the Wild Rose Detox.

So what does that leave you with aside from fish?

Well actually you’re left mostly with what is considered by most to be a healthy, well-balanced diet; fruits, vegetables, oatmeal and nuts with a low fat content like almonds.

{These are all part of your diet on the Wild Rose Detox, yummmm…!}

Wild Rose Detox Workout

The Wild Rose Detox does not endorse any workout or exercise regimen.

Wild Rose Detox Regimen

During your 12 days on the Wild Rose Detox you will take 12 pills each day along with 30 drops of herbal extract with breakfast and dinner. The herbs contained within the pills and drops are laxatives, which is how you lose (water) weight and cleanse your body.

The pills and drops contain lots of different herbs, barks and roots that are said to flush your system out while improve health and stimulating weight loss.

The pills last just 12 days but the makers of Wild Rose Detox recommend that you consume the drops until they are gone.

Wild Rose Detox Cost

At about $40.00 per kit, this diet seems relatively inexpensive until you realize that it’s just a 12-day detox. The makers of Wild Rose Detox recommend detoxing twice each year during the autumn and spring time to keep your body functioning efficiently, so this diet will run you about $80 per year, plus the cost of the foods you’re allowed to eat.

Wild Rose Detox Side Effects

There have been some side effects associated with the Wild Rose Detox that include; nausea, head & muscle aches, more frequent urination and bowel movements, irritability and skin breakouts.

The maker of Wild Rose Detox, Dr. Terry Wildard, Ph.D, assures that these are normal symptoms as your body has gotten used to all the toxins in your body.

Wild Rose Detox PROS

• Short, just 12 days.
• Eliminates junk foods from your diet
• Relatively inexpensive.

Wild Rose Detox CONS

• Side effects are worrisome
• No exercise recommended
• Restrictive diet
• Lots of daily pills, mostly laxatives

VERDICT

Wild Rose Detox will likely produce some weight loss in 12 days. Although since the Wild Rose regimen is mostly laxatives, the great majority of the weight you lose will be water weight. You should figure out your weight loss goals before deciding if the Wild Rose Detox is for you.

Give your body a break with intermittent fasting. Read TFLA’s Eat Stop Eat review to find out more!

If you love burgers and can’t imagine giving them—for lent for a diet or anything else—then it’s time to look for some low calorie burger choices like the turkey burger!

{Turkey burgers are leaner, meaner and lower in calories than traditional burgers!}

In addition to a low calorie alternative, turkey burgers are nutritious and satisfying without leaving you with that over-stuffed feeling. Keep reading to find out more about turkey burger nutrition facts.

Major Nutrients in a Turkey Burger

As you can you can save tons of calories by choosing a turkey burger rather than a beef burger. But, the good news doesn’t end there.

Turkey burgers are lean with just 11% of your recommended daily value of fat and just 3% of sodium. You will get nearly ¼ of your daily value of cholesterol, but on a well-balanced diet this shouldn’t be problematic.

Turkey burgers have no carbs, sugar or fiber but what they do have is 22 grams of protein, which is an essential part of fat burning. Overall you can see that turkey burger nutrition facts spell good news for weight loss!

Storing/Selecting

When choosing turkey burgers you have quite a few options. You can choose pre-made turkey burger patties but for maximum weight loss benefit, have a turkey breast ground at the meat counter and make your own super healthy turkey burgers.

Make sure turkey burgers have no brown spots or strange smells to ensure freshness.

Store uncooked turkey burgers in the freezer for up 6 months, and cooked burgers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Always be mindful of the expiration date on package labels.

Eat It With

Take advantage of turkey burger nutrition facts by eating it with a whole wheat burger bun and low calorie condiments. Pair with vegetables like corn or Brussels sprouts to take advantage of the low calorie count found in turkey burgers.

Burn Off A Turkey Burger

To burn of the calories in a turkey burger, you would have to do;

• 42 minutes of walking
• 37 minutes of horse racing
• 15 minutes of aerobics

Choosing a weight loss plan can be a lot like choosing the right pair of jeans; sometimes they’re too tight in the leg area and too loose in the waist and other times the fit is right but the legs are too long or too short. You feel like Goldilocks, only without the success.

{Choosing the wrong pair of jeans can be as disastrous as choosing the wrong weight loss plan!}

But just like with jeans, choosing the right weight loss plan requires defining your goals and prioritizing them. If your eyes cross just reading weight loss reviews, keep reading for 5 ways to choose a weight loss plan for success!

Fast vs. Effective

The first thing you need to decide before you even research weight loss plans is to decide exactly how you want to lose weight: quickly or effectively.

This isn’t to imply that fast weight lost can’t be effective, just that quick weight loss programs put the emphasis on fast rather than long-lasting.

So, if you’re looking to get in shape for your college roommate’s wedding or beach season then a fast weight loss plan is likely what you’re looking for. If however you have plenty of weight to lose (20 pounds or more) and you’re looking for a way to not only lose weight, but to keep it from returning then you want an effective weight loss plan that helps overhaul your current lifestyle.

Now you can begin to choose a weight loss plan that’s right for your goals.

Safety First

The weight loss program you choose should, above all else, be safe. Any weight loss plan that requires you go below 1,200 calories each day without a physician’s supervision will compromise your health and safety.

Remember if you’re severely overweight, take it easy when you undertake weight loss plans with rigorous workout plans like P90X. This doesn’t mean you will never be able to do these exercise; it just means you need to understand the danger of overexerting yourself after a lengthy period of not exercising.

Know Your Weakness

When choosing a weight loss plan, select one that will help you overcome your weight loss weaknesses.

If you love to exercise but hate watching what you eat, then choose a weight loss program that teaches you (by force if necessary) how to adopt a better diet without sacrificing the things you love. Look into home delivery diets or focus more on healthy eating in the early stages of your new diet plan.

If you have no problem eating healthy but you loathe breaking out into a sweat, then you want an exercise intensive weight loss plan like the Insanity Workout or P90X to get you started. These weight loss plans will show you—in results—the impact exercise can have on your weight loss efforts.

{If this is how you eat (no judgement) then how will you succeed on a highly restrictive diet?}

Food Restrictions

Beware of any diet that requires you to restrict your food intake in ways that are unhealthy. Any weight loss plan you choose should require you to undertake a well-balanced diets that consists of foods like; broccoli, chicken breast, whole wheat pasta, spinach, watermelon, garlic, skim milk and salmon.

Stay away from weight loss plans that require you to eliminate carbs or dairy from your diet. Unless your physician recommends otherwise, successful weight loss requires you to eat a diet filled with a wide variety of foods.

Post-Goal Maintenance

When choosing a weight loss plan, the trickiest part of all is choosing a plan that has a method of helping you keep up your weight loss once your goal has been reached.

How do you do this?

Well, choosing a weight loss plan for success means choosing a plan that will teach you how to eat properly and exercise regularly…even when you don’t have a diet plan looming over your head. This means the weight loss program you choose should teach you the components of a well-balanced meal and the keys to exercising for weight loss.

Simply following a diet plan and exercise regimen will help you lose weight, but what happens when you’re no longer doing that?

If junk food is your weakness see if intermittent fasting can help you overcome it by reading our Eat Stop Eat review.

Burning belly fat and getting killer abs requires more than hundreds of crunches. In fact many with the abs they’ve dreamed of say that killer abs are created in the kitchen. That’s where abs diet recipes come in handy.

[Your first instinct is to say these 2 spend all day in the gym,
but they spend a good deal of the day in the kitchen too!]

The key to flat abs that you can be proud to show off is a diet that energizes you for more physical activity, curbs hunger and helps burn calories. Keep reading to find out abs diet recipes that will do that and much more!

Abs Diet Foods

Knowing how to whip up a few abs diet recipes means knowing which foods and food groups will help you accomplish your abdominal goals. Whole grain foods like whole wheat pasta and brown rice will satisfy you to prevent overeating. Low fat dairy products will increase the amount of calories you burn, and lean proteins will help keep your belly trimmed and toned so you can go shirtless or wear that little black dress you’ve been eyeing!

Abs Diet Breakfast Recipe – Siesta Omelet

Ingredients:

2 egg whites, whisked
1/3 cup black beans
1/3 cup corn
2 scallions, chopped
1 tomato, diced
Fat-free cooking spray

Directions: In a coated small skillet, add scallions, corn and black beans. Cook until warm, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. In another coated skillet, add egg whites, swirling around to cover bottom of skillet. Cook until omelet is set, about 2 minutes. Add corn mixture inside omelette and top with diced tomatoes.

Makes one breakfast omelette.

Smoothies should be included in all abs diet recipes because they give you a healthy dose of fruit, which you need for killer abs. Smoothies are also a great opportunity to get acquainted with low fat dairy foods like Greek yogurt and fat free milk. Getting good abs means abs diets recipes that you can make after a long day at work.

[Choose your favorite fruit (or veggie) and blend away for amazing abs!]

Abs Diet Recipe – Smoothie Snack

Ingredients:

½ cup  mixed berries (fresh or frozen)
1 banana
¼ cup nonfat Green yogurt
½ orange, juiced
1/3 cup crushed ice

Directions: Combine ingredients in a blender and run until smooth.

Recipe makes 1 smoothie.

Eating for awesome abs doesn’t mean that you have to forget about your favorite dishes; it just means you need to give them a healthy makeover. When it comes to a dish like tacos choose a lean protein like chicken breast to keep fat content low without sacrificing much-needed protein.

Another trick when it comes to a dish like tacos that can prevent overeating is to add bell peppers to fill them out so you don’t need to pile up on cheese and sour cream. Finally, tortillas matter. Choose small whole wheat or corn tortillas to lower calorie count without sacrificing your midsection.

Abs Diet Recipe – Peppery Tacos

Ingredients:

3 ounces chicken breast
Juice of 1 lime, plus 2 lime wedges for serving
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 garlic cloves, crushed
3 teaspoons olive oil
½ onion, sliced
1 cup bell peppers, red, yellow, and orange, thinly sliced
¼ cup corn
2 small corn tortillas, steamed
1/4 cup salsa
1 tbsp. sliced pickled jalapenos (optional)

Directions: Season chicken with salt, pepper, garlic and lime. Broil chicken until done, about 6 minutes. Slice thinly, against the grain. In a skillet, heat oil. Add onion and peppers and cook about 5 minutes before adding corn. Cook another 5 minutes until peppers are slightly charred. Assemble tacos topping with salsa and jalapenos.

If your goal is killer abs then you must become acquainted with foods that should be in any abs diet recipe. If healthy food has always been your Achilles heel, then read our Diet Solution Program review so you can avoid common supermarket mistakes that keep your abs hidden!

When your goal is weight loss, sometimes it’s difficult being a food purists. When you need a calorie deficit or foods that burn fat, you sometimes have to get creative to enjoy your favorite meal with a few alterations. One dish that fits this bill? Spaghetti.

{Tomato sauce is just one way to enjoy the calories in spaghetti.}

Whether it’s grandma’s recipe or the only way you know how to make it, knowing how your favorite foods affect weight loss efforts is crucial. Read ahead for spaghetti nutrition facts!

Major Nutrients Found in Spaghetti

Who says spaghetti isn’t good for you in moderation? When you follow portion guidelines as the chart above illustrates, spaghetti nutrition facts are not all bad. There’s just a small amount of fat and more sodium than you need—but if you don’t add salt to the boiling water as professions chefs suggest it shouldn’t be too problematic for your fat loss.

The good thing about spaghetti nutrition facts is that it has a little bit of the things that aid in weight loss. Carbs, fiber and protein are all found in spaghetti just not in large numbers, so watch your serving size and enjoy your spaghetti guilt-free!

Storing/Selecting

When choosing spaghetti try to buy a box that has very few broken pieces! In general you should choose spaghetti that has as few calories as possible, while also having carbs, fiber and protein to promote weight loss.

Store uncooked spaghetti in an air tight container in a cool, dark place. Store cooked spaghetti (with or without sauce) in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Be sure to spray lightly with water prior to reheating cooked spaghetti. .

Eat It With:

Spaghetti is a very versatile pasta that tastes good with a variety of toppings. Toss with vegetables and lemon juice for a light and healthy meal. Mix with pesto or marinara sauce for an extra dose of vegetables in your diet. Toss with herbs and lemon juice for a completely low calorie dinner your waist will love!

Burn Off Spaghetti

To burn off the calories in spaghetti, you would need to do:

• 10 minutes of SCUBA diving
• 9 minutes of skateboarding
• 5 minutes of swimming laps

Very few breakfast pastries are more delicious—not to mention high in calories—than muffins. Whether topped with sugar, oats or nuts, starting your day with a muffin isn’t an ideal way to lose weight.

{You can have (most of) these with a few strategic changes!}

But if you love muffins, and who doesn’t, then you’re in need of healthy muffin recipes that help rather than harm your weight loss efforts. Keep reading for tips for making healthy muffin recipes you and your body can enjoy!

Size Matters

You’ve heard this time and again, but very few things are as important as portion size when you’re eating for weight loss. Muffins aren’t inherently bad for you; eating a muffin the size of your head is when the real weight loss problems begin.

Making healthy muffin recipes means making difficult choices like 6 jumbo muffins, 12 large muffins or 18 mini-muffins. Your first instinct may be the large muffins, but even a large muffin is 200 calories per serving, which would be fine if 1 four ounce muffin wasn’t 2 servings!

Make the most of your healthy muffin recipes by keeping them mini-size!

Choose Your Flour Wisely

When you make the decision to make healthy muffin recipes at home, the type of flour you use will also help determine how healthy the recipe truly is. For a healthy muffin recipe that will satisfy your hunger without overindulgence, choose whole wheat flour; it’s whole grain and packed with fiber so you’re less likely to eat to 3 or 4 muffins at a time!

Other types of flour you can use for healthy muffin recipes include rye, almond and buckwheat flour. While some of these flours may increase the calorie count of your healthy muffin recipes slightly, they also increase your fiber and protein intake, which spells weight loss success.

Sweeten Your Muffins

One of the most problematic aspects of creating healthy muffin recipes is finding a way to make them taste like muffins without adding hundreds of calories in sugar. Healthy muffin recipes get creative with sweeteners by using something other than granulated white sugar.

Brown sugar and honey are both lower in calories than traditional white sugar, while keeping your healthy muffin recipes sweet and delicious! A great way of adding sugar and moisture to your healthy muffin recipes without boosting calorie count is to use pureed or crushed fruit. Crushed pineapples work well to sweeten muffins without changing the flavor profile. Sweetened applesauce is also another creative way to sweeten your recipe in a healthy way.

{Yes, there are things other than sugar and Splenda to sweeten your muffins!}

Sweeten Your Muffins – Part II

Counting calories for fat loss means you need to be creative when executing healthy muffin recipes. Whether you’re trying to lighten up an existing recipe or creating a new one, look to herbs and spices to enhance flavor without enhancing calories.

Cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice are just 3 spices that come to mind when you want a sweet but healthy muffin recipe without all the sugar.

If sweet muffins aren’t your thing, consider using low-calorie flavor enhancers like olive oil, rosemary or thyme. Black pepper and garlic also pack lots of flavor without a lot of additional calories added to each bite. Citrus zest (orange, lemon or lime) adds tons of flavor and healthy oils without lots of calories.

Top With Care

The point of making fat-busting healthy muffin recipes is to keep the calories low and satisfy your hunger while providing you with some nutrients. To do this, we need to keep the muffin toppings to a minimum.

While it is nice to have muffins topped with sugar, honey glaze, dehydrated fruit and a myriad nuts, these toppings serve but one purpose; increasing the number of calories in your muffin. Choose one topping or mix-in for your healthy muffin recipes, like raisins or almonds, to make sure your recipe is as healthy as it can be.

Getting creative with your healthy muffin recipes will keep you excited and motivated about losing weight, without having full-blown cheat days. Get more information on how to break your bad eating habits and ways to avoid nutrition mistakes by reading our review of Isobel De Los Rios’ The Diet Solution Program.

When you’re looking for a way to satisfy a carb craving, look to this little Italian short grain rice known as Arborio. When cooked, this delicious grain turns into a delicious creamy dish called risotto.

{Add herbs and your favorite veggie for a low-calorie 1 pot meal!}

Often ignored by no-carb dieters, Arborio rice is healthy and low in calories. When cooked properly Arborio rice is a low calorie dish ready-made for fat loss. Keep reading to find out Arborio rice nutrition facts you need to know!

Major Nutrients Found in Arborio Rice

When looking at the nutrition facts for Arborio rice, it is clear that this is a dish made for weight loss. With no fat, cholesterol or sodium you can rest easily that one serving won’t ruin the rest of your day.

Although Arborio rice is without dietary fiber, it is not without other fat loss promoting nutrients like carbs and protein. Paired with a light protein and vegetables, you can enjoy a well-balanced meal that will give your weight loss efforts a boost.

Storing/Selecting

Your best bet when selecting Arborio rice is to make it yourself. Risotto dishes in restaurants often include lots of other ingredients that cause the calorie count to soar. At home you can add a few tasty touches so it stays delicious and nutritious!

Store uncooked Arborio rice in a cool dark place such as a pantry until you’re ready to make it again. Store cooked Arborio rice (risotto) in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, but keep in mind it will lose its creamy goodness. Make as much as you need at the moment…it only takes 20 minutes to make!

Eat It With:

Arborio rice can be made as a side dish or a main entrée, the choice is yours. Add a lean protein or vegetables or both to make a satisfying but low calorie meal. Check out our mushroom risotto recipe for a low calorie way to enjoy Arborio rice.

The versatility of Arborio rice allows you to eat it with a variety of other foods and in many different types of cuisine.

Burn Off Arborio Rice

To burn off the calories in one serving of Arborio rice, you would need to do:

• 23 minutes of cycling
• 12 minutes of Ultimate Frisbee
• 20 minutes of water aerobics

Losing weight takes time, it takes patience and most of all it requires a willingness to try things new to your world. Whether its eating sushi or simply trying a new vegetable you’ve previously considered ‘yucky’, getting out of your comfort zone is a great way to facilitate fat loss.

{Just because you don’t like broccoli doesn’t mean there aren’t other greens you can enjoy.}

When your goal is weight loss you should be looking for foods with lots of protein and fiber and enough carbohydrates to keep you energized throughout a long work day. Keep reading for some of the best diet foods for fat loss!

Tilapia

When you’re looking for one of the best diet foods that’s low in calories and high in protein, tilapia has just 145 calories per serving and nearly 30 grams of protein! Since we know our bodies require more energy to process proteins, we also know that protein helps burn more calories! Another reason tilapia made the list of best diet foods for fat loss is that it has no carbs so you’re free to choose a healthy carb of your choice for a healthy and well-balanced meal.

In addition to being loaded with protein, you can find other nutrients in tilapia including calcium and 429mg of potassium per four ounce serving! That’s tons of nutrients—many of which that aid in fat loss—and very few calories which also aids in fat loss.

Add tilapia to your diet: add 1 to 2 cups of your favorite vegetable for a low calorie meal that’ll leave you feeling good about your diet.

Cereal

Cereal is a great diet food for fat loss, and not just because many cereals are high in fiber. The fiber content is obviously one of the things that makes it an awesome diet food for fat loss, because fiber makes you feel more satisfied without consuming as much food.

But what really makes cereal one of the best diet foods for fat loss is that its low calorie count makes it a great late night snack! Eat a bowl of cereal with a bit of milk instead of potato chips or brownies with ice cream, and your hunger will be satisfied in just a few calories. Cereal like Cheerios provides you with a satisfying snack that won’t pack on the pounds at bedtime.

Add cereal to your diet: add 1/3 cup of milk for breakfast, or snack on 1 cup of cereal in lieu of a late night snack. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake for a semi-sweet treat.

Collard Greens

Long associated with Southern cuisine and its indulgent dishes, collard greens are actually quite a good diet food to help you lose weight! On their own, collard greens have tons of nutrients that aren’t just good for weight loss, they are good for your health!

{Get maximum benefit by combining tilapia and collard greens in one meal! Hot sauce optional.}

Loaded with Vitamin A (522% of daily value), D (189%) and calcium (57%) eating a cup of collard greens can yield positive results when you next step on the scale. The beta-carotene in collard greens helps fight weight-related illnesses that include cancer and heart disease, which is another reason it’s considered one of the best diet foods to help you lose weight.

With just 94 calories per 10-ounce serving, you get loads of nutrients and satisfaction without a lot of calories. Add collard greens when you need to create a calorie deficit for weight loss.

Add collard greens to your diet: add 1 cup of frozen collard greens to an omelette or lasagna so you can get used to the flavor.

Garlic

Although garlic isn’t something you just sit down and snack on, it does provide those of in in need of weight loss with a great way to season dishes without a lot of calories. Whether you chop up a few cloves for soup or grate some on top of your salad so you don’t go crazy with salad dressing, garlic is one of the best foods to help you lose weight because it saves you from yourself!

Garlic has a little bit of all the important weight loss nutrients—fiber, protein and carbohydrates—in just a few calories so you get lots of flavor without a lot of salt, cholesterol and fat. In addition to all of this, garlic improves your immune system!

Add garlic to your diet: Grate or mince garlic into eggs before scrambling, add to salads to season instead of salt, or smash a few and add it to your favorite 1 pot wonder!

Learning how to lose weight requires you to get acquainted with the best diet foods. These foods will make the difficult task of losing weight much easier, which increases your chances of success. Get your food issues resolved for weight loss success by reading our Eat Stop Eat review.

Looking for a quick and healthy dinner recipe that won’t cost you an entire evening in the kitchen? Consider meals like grandma and Aunt Shirley used to make: those lovely one pot wonders that shouldn’t taste delicious but ultimately taste so good you come back for seconds!

Those one-pot wonders have received the TFLA upgrade so you can enjoy these healthy dinner recipes while you lose weight. Keep reading to find a relaxing way to make your calorie deficit during the week!

Preparation

The key to creating healthy dinner recipes that your waist will love is to be prepared. Successful weight loss requires you to give a little more thought to what you eat, especially before its time to eat. Scrambling for dinner ingredients is the surest way to create a high-calorie diet buster.

Instead, take an hour at the beginning of each week and plan a few healthy dinner recipes that you can create in one pot. It’ll take the pressure off healthy eating during the week, and give you greater insight on cooking healthy dinner recipes.

When creating healthy dinner recipes in one pot, keep these helpful tips in mind;

• Cut all meat into chunks, leaving it whole risks improper cooking.
• Thaw all meat thoroughly prior to slow cooking.
• A watched pot does not boil…slow cooking does not require supervision or stirring!
• Follow instructions carefully, they help you create healthy dinner recipes that taste good.

Baked Chicken Pastina

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat pastina (elbow macaroni or smaller)

2 tbsp. olive oil

½ cup chicken breast, chopped

½ onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 can diced tomatoes

Salt & pepper

¼ cup grated parmesan

¼ cup Panko bread crumbs

¼ cup parsley, chopped

{Dishes like this are healthy and delicious, and make a great lunch for the next day!}

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees farenheit.
2. Cook pasta in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain.
3. Heat olive oil in sauté pan over medium heat.
4. Season chicken with salt and pepper then add chicken to skillet and cook 3 minutes.
5. Stir in onions and garlic, cook 5 minutes.
6. Combine chicken mixture with pastina in a large bowl.
7. Add tomatoes (with juice), parsley, salt and pepper and stir.
8. Mix Parmesan and panko crumbs in small bowl.
9. Pour chicken & pastina mixture into 8×8 casserole dish. Cover with panko & parmesan mixture.
10. Bake 30 minutes or until top is brown.

Recipe makes 4 servings, 282 calories per serving

This dish is not only figure-friendly, but it is also the perfect way to get lean protein in your diet while satisfying a carb craving! Creating healthy dinner recipes in one pot gives you the opportunity to get enough vegetables and nutrients in your diet without sucking all of your precious free time. Use boneless skinless chicken breast and whole wheat pasta to create extra lean healthy dinner recipes any night of the week!

Asian Winter Stew (Slow cooker recipe)

Ingredients

1 Butternut squash, peeled and chopped

4 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

10 oz. shitake mushrooms

1 bunch scallions, chopped

1 ½ cups water

2 cans coconut milk

2 tbsp. soy sauce (less sodium)

2 tsp. sambal (Asian garlic & chili paste)

½ cup cilantro leaves, chopped

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Add squash, potatoes, mushrooms and scallion whites to slow cooker and stir.
2. Whisk together coconut milk, water, sambal and soy sauce together.
3. Pour over vegetables, cover.
4. Cook on high until tender, about 4 hours.
5. Garnish each bowl with cilantro and scallion greens.

Recipe makes 6 servings, 327 calories per serving.

Now that you’re armed with a few healthy dinner recipes, find out how to burn more by reading our Fat Burning Furnace review!

If you’ve been on a weight loss quest without much success, chances are you’ve tried just about every new diet to hit the market in recent years. From Atkins to the Primal Diet and everything in between, these diets make bold promises with very little follow through.

{Buying healthy food can be expensive, let eDiets give you a few pointers!}

Very little follow through that is, until eDiets. eDiets is a meal delivery diet plan designed to help those who lead busy lives shed weight successfully. Keep reading for access to eDiets promo codes!

What is eDiets Meal Delivery Plan?

eDiets is a weight loss program that delivers healthy meals—chosen by you—to your door just about every day of the week. The meals are healthy, delicious and best of all created to help with weight loss. Get more information on eDiets by reading TFLA’s eDiets Review.

eDiets Meal Delivery Coupon Code – SAVE25

In addition to eliminating your need to spend hours in the supermarket, eDiets teaches you healthy eating by example. Enter promo code SAVE25 when you decide to take advantage of one of the eDiets meal delivery plans, and you can save 25%!

With the SAVE25 coupon code for eDiets, you can save on your first week of healthy meals created just for you. There are more than 100 eDiets meals from which you can choose to have delivered to your house each week. The SAVE 25 eDiets coupon code works for the 5 or 7-day meal delivery plan.

eDiets Free Week Promo Code – WEEK8FREE

One of the most difficult aspects of starting any new diet is the cost associated with a new diet. Some diets require you to toss out all sweet treats while others force you to trash bread and pasta in favor of fresh fruits and vegetables. eDiets meal delivery plan however allows you to eat a wide variety of healthy meals, inspired by cultures from around the world.

{Before you scoff at another weight loss program, take a look at the healthy meals on offer!}

Enter promotional code WEEK8FREE and you’ll receive a free week of eDiets meals. Use this eDiets promo code to get one week of free eDiets meals delivered to your home. The WEEK8FREE code allows you to try eDiets for 2 months at a discount, to decide if this meal delivery plan is right for you.

eDiets Meal Delivery Coupon Code – SAVE10

Start with eDiets this week and enter SAVE10 to save 10% off your total cost of joining. The SAVE10 eDiets promo code gets you 10% off any all inclusive eDiets plan you choose. Whether you have your meals delivered for 5 days or 7, this code allows you some savings off the cost of starting a new, healthier way of life.

eDiets Free Shipping Promo Code – FREESHIP

Although the cost of shipping is included in the cost of eDiets 5 and 7 day meal delivery plans, the cost of shipping can be what determines whether or not you decide to choose a healthy path to weight loss. Enter FREESHIP to receive free shipping on your 5 or 7 day meal delivery plan from eDiets. With the FREESHIP eDiets promo code you can save more than $20 in delivery costs, which is the equivalent of a free day of meals!

eDiets Promo Code – 10BUCKS

New customers to the eDiets meal delivery plan can receive $10 off their first order with eDiets. Join eDiets and enter promo code 10BUCKS and save on your first order. This eDiets promo code is only for new customers, but it’s a great way to try a new way to lose weight without breaking the bank!

It is up to you to decide of eDiets meal delivery plan is right for you and your weight loss efforts, but these promo codes should make the thought more enticing. We’ve put together this list of promo codes so that money is never an excuse for you NOT to lose weight.

Looking for more weight loss pointers? Check out our The Diet Solution Program review!

Although technology has helped us all avoid close personal relationships, weight loss is one area where human contact is a good thing. Having someone to lean on is a great way to monitor and maintain your weight loss efforts.

{Everyone needs a little support once in awhile…weight loss is no exception.}

Most of us focus on eating healthier and leading more active lives for weight loss success, but a support system can be just as important to your success or failure. Keep reading to find out which method of weight loss support is best for you!

Weight Loss Buddy

A weight loss buddy can help your weight loss efforts in a wide variety of ways that include; reminding you not to overdo it on the  low calorie alcoholic drinks, motivating you to workout when you don’t feel like it and even emailing you low fat recipes! Between you and your weight loss buddy, it’ll be hard not to lose weight.

Weight loss buddies also come in handy when you’re having doubts about your ability to stick to a healthier lifestyle. We all go through those doubts, but your buddy will remind you that getting used to living healthier takes time. Before you know it, you’ll be putting fresh watermelon in your shopping cart without even thinking about it.

Many people find weight loss buddies helpful because you can be open and honest about your successes and failures with someone you already know. But for some more weight loss support is required.

Online Forums

Many weight loss programs—including Weight Watchers (review HERE)—offer online weight loss support to you help dieters through the ups and downs of long-term weight loss. Online weight loss support is perfect for those of you who don’t have a lot of time to attend meetings, or simply don’t like interacting with people!

In addition to well known weight loss programs, weight loss support is available through sites like TFLA and many user-generated weight loss support forums. You can choose between professional weight loss support, or talk to others just like you for tips and tricks to make it through a workout the day after Thanksgiving!

Weight Loss Journal

For you loners out there in search of a way to hold yourself accountable without incredibly chipper weight loss sponsors, consider a weight loss journal. Write down what you eat each day and what exercises you completed, if you completed them. Write down anything that happens related to your weight loss efforts, especially if it’s a cooking tip or workout advice.

{You use the internet for everything else, now let it help you lose weight!}

Weight loss journals are a great methods of individual weight loss support because eventually we’re all gonna have to make this weight loss thing work on our own…right?

Right!

Keeping a diet journal doesn’t mean you have to obsessively write in it all day long after every glass of white wine. The point is to help you keep track of what you eat, so if you’re eating things like fruits, vegetables, fiber and lean protein there shouldn’t be much to remember.

YOU

The best weight loss support you have is yourself. Of course the above-mentioned methods of weight loss support are great, but losing weight is about more than looking smokin’ hot. You are your best supporter because its your body and your life most affected by your decision to lose weight.

There will be setbacks and you have to deal with them, but as long as you deal with them there’s no reason to get down on yourself. The longer you live an overall healthy life…the easier it becomes.

It’s important to have supportive people around you as you attempt to change a lifetime of poor eating habits, but it is also important that you keep a positive attitude. Once you get your weight loss support system in order you should read our Fat Burning Furnace review to help you get your diet & exercise plans in order.

The secret is out: food can be your best weight loss ally. Whether you need to burn fat, relax or simply energize your body, food can help. The more you know about food, the more you can use it to fight the battle of the bulge!

{When you need an energy boost fast, consider these weight loss foods for energy!}

There are plenty of good weight loss foods out there and some of them also help boost your energy levels. Keep reading for good weight loss foods that boost your energy.

Why Energy Foods?

Energy is essential to every day life. It’s how we cook a meal, send an e-mail or smile at a cutie at the bar. To keep energized throughout these busy days, we need weight loss foods that also act as energy boosters. Good weight loss foods that give you energy help keep you productive all day long, while also giving you enough extra energy for some physical activity after a long day.

Energy is necessary and food is our energy; this is the #1 reason severe calorie restrictions make for very difficult—and interesting—diets.

Nuts

There are 3 awesome things that you must commit to memory about nuts.

• The protein and fat helps satisfy hunger
• Nuts help boost the libido (yes, that libido!)
• Nuts give you energy!

Nuts are packed with tons of good stuff like calcium, fiber, magnesium, potassium, iron and zinc just to name a few. Practically a multi-vitamin unto themselves, nuts are good weight loss foods that will boost your energy levels without boosting calorie and fat count.

The good fats in nuts help make you feel good and the protein makes you feel satisfied and gives you energy that won’t cause sluggishness later in the day like too much caffeine or sugar. Eat a few handfuls of raw nuts each day for more energy and tons of nutrients.

Almonds rank highest, but pick your favorite and nosh away.

Salmon

Seriously, is there anything salmon isn’t good for? As a great source of protein, salmon is already a food weight loss food, but add in its energy boosting components and there’s absolutely no reason whatsoever to keep salmon off your dinner table.

{Combining weight loss foods for energy like salmon & grapefruit is an easy energy boost.}

The best thing about salmon is that you can eat it in a variety of ways. Grab a filet and grill it, have an  Alaskan Roll or simply enjoy smoked salmon and eggs for breakfast. With so many ways to boost your energy levels, salmon is a super weight loss food for more energy.

Grapefruit

It’s no secret that grapefruit is a good weight loss food for energy, mostly because women all over the world break them out to signify to the world, I’m on a diet! But there’s a reason to their grapefruit madness as it turns out. Grapefruits are good weight loss foods because of the fiber pectin and its status as fat burning food.

Grapefruits are good weight loss foods because they give you energy and digesting them requires you to use more calories than a grapefruit has…and that is why calorie deficits work for weight loss!

Whole Grain Bagels

When you need a boost to get you going in the morning, reach for a whole grain bagel instead of a white bread bagel. Whole grain bagels are good weight loss foods because they are high in fiber and complex carbohydrates, which help weight loss because they take more energy to break down.

Spread your whole wheat bagel with fruit preserves to make sure you observe a conservative calorie count each day.

Apricots

When you need a sweet snack without the energy crash, reach for a cute little apricot. Apricots give you energy, and unlike candy they also give you nutrients. Apricots are good weight loss foods because they have fiber in them, making them a great weight loss food for energy. Apricots contain lycopene and vitamin B, long thought as an aphrodisiac in addition to an energy booster…actually now it makes sense why it’s an aphrodisiac!

Carrots

Carrots are good weight loss foods because their bright orange color helps ward off several types of cancer. But carrots are also great energy boosters because they are digested quickly into your bloodstream giving you an instant burst of energy!

Carrots, in my opinion, are one of the best weight loss foods that give you energy because you can throw a dozen or so in a bag and snack on them as you need energy throughout the day. Get a bag of baby carrots and you’ve got cute little energy boosters to last all day.

Successful weight loss requires you to think carefully about the food you put in your shopping cart and your plate. Healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables are great for weight loss, but they also help boost your energy, fight cancers and fight germs.

Get more information on how good weight loss foods can work for you by reading our Diet Solution Program review.