If you’ve had the inkling to order your favorite fast food sandwich without the bread, you’ve probably heard quite a bit about KFC’s Double Down sandwich.

This unique “food” uses 2 deep-fried (or grilled) chicken breasts in place of the bread and in between the ‘bread’ is bacon, several melted cheeses and some secret sauce. You can probably guess that Double Down nutrition facts won’t lead to weight loss. Keep reading to find out!

Major Nutrients In A Double Down

The first thing I noticed about Double Down nutrition facts is the incredibly high amount of fat—particularly saturated fat—found in just one sandwich. If you are at risk for high cholesterol, the Double Down has more than 50% of your recommended daily value of both cholesterol and saturated fat. This could lead to heart problems for many people.

But there is also the issue of calories. This one sandwich has 610 calories and that does not include a side dish or drink. However with very careful meal planning, your Double Down craving can be satisfied.

This sandwich of course has an insane amount of sodium as well, in fact it provides much more than the 1,500mg recommended by the American Heart Association. Double Down nutrition facts are very little of the good stuff like carbs and fiber. There is lots of protein, but deep-frying a lean protein isn’t quite enjoying a lean protein, is it?

Storing/Selecting

The most important choice you will make when selecting KFC’s Double Down sandwich is; deep-fried or grilled. Of course you know what the right answer should be, but with all the hype you’ll probably opt for the deep-fried version.

The Double Down is not a sandwich that will hold well in the fridge, despite being made of meat and more meat. Reheating the sandwich will cause the chicken to become dry. The best way to warm it up, is in the oven.

Eat It With:

Thanks to the number of calories that are in a Double Down it is suggested that this sandwich be ‘enjoyed’ on its own with a cool glass of water. Adding fries to this high calorie sandwich will increase your sodium intake into dangerously high levels for your heart.

Add a salad and a no-calorie drink like water or tea to accompany your Double Down.

Burn Off A Double Down

To burn off the calories in KFC’s Double Down sandwich, you would have to do:

• 169 minutes of walking.
• 93 minutes of cycling.
• 55 minutes of high impact aerobics.

Say what you will about the French but when it comes to cheese (and fries), they know their stuff! Brie is creamy yet delicious and is made from cows’ cheese. Brie gets its name from the region in France which it originates.

{Baked brie adds layers of flavor and when served with fruit, limits your portion sizes.}

Le Brie as it is known throughout France is aged for at least a month before it is ready to pass through your lips.

Keep reading for Brie nutrition facts.

Major Nutrients Found in Brie

Looking at the Brie nutrition chart above shows that there’s a reason it’s so good…its sooo bad! The saturated fat found in a wedge of Brie cheese is more than any human needs to consume in a day. The amount of sodium and cholesterol found in Brie should also give you pause before eating an entire wedge on your own!

The good news is that when eaten in moderation, Brie can actually be pretty healthy. An entire wedge of Brie cheese has nearly 200mg of potassium, 230mg of calcium and nearly 30 grams of protein, which means you’re getting tons of good stuff…in addition to the bad.

Storing/Selecting

When choosing Brie, make sure the cheese is a soft yellow color (like butter) and the rind is not pure white. A fully white rind means that the cheese isn’t fully matured to have the delicious Brie flavor. Never choose Brie that isn’t stored in a refrigerated area, as this cheese tastes best served slightly chilled. Brie comes in wheels or wedges, so choose based on what you need. Always check the expiration date on Brie before grabbing a wedge and hitting the checkout counter.

Store Brie cheese in the refrigerator when not using. Keep Brie wrapped tightly in plastic or seal it in an airtight container to maintain its freshness.

Eat It With

Brie cheese is delicious on its own or paired with a variety of foods. Serve Brie with plain or flavored crackers, or on a platter with fresh fruit, nuts or preserves. Red wine goes great with brie cheese, especially for parties. Brie can also be used in other cheese dishes like Brie smashed potatoes or Brie en croute, which is just a fancy way of saying Brie wrapped in puff pastry and baked until gooey!

Burn Off Brie

To burn off the calories in a wedge of Brie cheese, you would need to do:

• 119 minutes of walking
• 50 minutes of SCUBA Diving
• 30 minutes of roller blading

Soda, pop, coke, cola or soda pop; whatever you call it, you probably call it tasty. People all over the world reach for enormous cups of coca cola to go with salad, burgers & fries, deli sandwiches and everything in between, which is why we at TFLA thought we should look at coca cola nutrition facts.

As the world’s most beloved soft drink Coke is available just about everywhere. No soft drink causes dieters greater temptation than the liquid calories found in coca cola.  

Let’s peel the tab on coca cola nutrition facts.

Major Nutrients Found in Coca Cola

As you can see there isn’t much of anything in coca cola to complain about…other than sugar. With just about 40 grams of sugar in 1 can, that’s just sugar. Coca cola is made up of mostly sugar, high fructose corn syrup and a variety of flavoring extracts.

If you love to drink coca cola, just keep in mind the calories found in a can of coca cola when you pair it with a meal. If you’re on a 2,000 calorie diet, be sure to add 143 calories to keep your calorie count in tact.  

Storing/Selecting

When choosing a can or bottle of coca cola, avoid dented or bloated cans. Cans with any kind of blemishes will change the fizzy carbonation and you just may sipping on flat coke.

Keep coca cola in the fridge or in a cool, dark place to keep maximum flavor and full fizz. Coke tastes best—in my humble opinion—when it’s cold, so a few hours in the fridge and it’s a nice and sugary way to wash down your lunch salad! 

Drink It With:

Coca cola goes with just about anything, but for weight loss or weight maintenance purposes you should try and pair Coke with something light in calories. We have some great dinner recipes under 400 calories here, that would make a good companion to one serving (note serving size above) of coca cola.  

Burn Off Coca Cola

To burn off the calories in a can of Coke, you would need to do:

• 40 minutes of walking
• 28 minutes of belly dancing
• 22 minutes of cycling

It’s Friday—casual Friday at the office—and you’re eagerly watching the clock make its way to 5 p.m. so you can make it to Happy Hour. But with Happy Hour comes loads of high-calorie, super sweet mixers that turn one drink into 5 and more than a meal’s worth of calories.

[Colorful drinks like these are full of sugar, which means full of calories!]

There are, however, ways to enjoy alcohol without ruining your weight loss efforts and hating yourself in the morning. Keep reading to find out which low calorie alcoholic drinks are right for your Happy Hour!

Low Calorie Alcoholic Drinks #1—Vodka or Gin & Tonic

These two alcoholic drinks have the same amount of calories (64 per 1 ounce), but what you do to them will determine if they remain low calorie alcoholic drinks. Very few people simply take shots all night, which means your low calorie drink will be at least 64 calories. One shot glass is 2 ounces so even if you do shots all night, that’s 128 calories every time you throw your head back.

The best way to turn vodka or gin into low calorie alcoholic drinks is to simply add diet tonic water and a wedge of lemon or lime.

1.5 oz. vodka or gin (103) + 4 oz. diet tonic (0) + 1 lime wedge & juice (3) = 103 calories!

Low Calorie Alcoholic Drink #2—Wine Spritzers

Diluting your drink may slow down your ability to get drunk, but it will also slow down your ability to pile on the calories. Wine spritzers are easy low calorie alcoholic drinks that only require 2 ingredients. Guys you may feel too manly for them, but ladies know that it’s a great way to have low calorie alcohol and drink it too!

[It'll take longer to finish a bottle of wine by making it a Spritzer!]

Red Wine Spritzer: 5 fl. oz. of Merlot (122) + 2 fl. oz. sparkling water (0) = 122 calories!

Low Calorie Alcoholic Drink #3—Rum & Coke

For those of you who sweat dark alcohol, consider replacing that full calorie cola with a diet alternative to make it a low calorie alcoholic drink. By making the switch to a lower calorie mixer like diet cola you can shrink this alcoholic drink by 48 calories!

Low Calorie Alcoholic Drink #4—Highball

This whiskey drink is a great low calorie alternative to adding soda or juice to your alcoholic drink. Traditionally this drink is made with ginger ale, but you can save 45 calories by requesting diet ginger ale. This is one of the easiest low calorie alcoholic drinks to make; all you have to do is fill a highball glass with ice, 2 ounces whiskey and 4 fluid ounces of diet ginger ale. Mix & drink and you’re ready to go in just 128 calories.

[Ginger Ale is one of the few drinks that doesn't drastically change the taste of low calorie alcoholic drinks when you make the switch to Diet.]

If you enjoy whiskey, a whiskey sour is another low calorie alcoholic drink you can choose—especially when you’re out. It isn’t as easy to make as a Highball, but at 125 calories you can’t afford NOT to give it a whirl.

Creating low calorie alcoholic drinks means being aware of the calorie count of the many different ingredients. The best way to keep your calorie count low on alcoholic drinks is to minimize the ingredients. Drinks with several types of alcohol or sugar mixers will keep your calorie count climbing all evening.

Stick with low calorie mixers like diet tonic or diet soda so the only calories you consume come from the alcohol. When a drink recipe calls for juice, squeeze a half lemon or lime instead of sweetened fruit juices. This will reduce the sugar in your newly created low calorie alcoholic drink.

Finally, keep your calorie count low when you’re out on the time by drinking a glass of water between low calorie alcoholic drinks. The water will fill you up so you don’t feel compelled to drink a dozen cocktails and it’ll keep you hydrated as alcohol has a tendency to dehydrate.

Drinking can be fun and delicious, but one drink shouldn’t be the caloric equivalent of dinner. Low calorie alcoholic drinks are an optional part of a healthy weight loss plan, food isn’t. Read our review of The Diet Solution Program to find low calorie meals to go with those low calorie alcoholic drinks.

I‘m really excited about the opportunity to write a guest-post here on TFLA, seeing that they‘re an authority in their field with thousands of visitors each day.

{Sometimes “I’m tired is just an excuse,” and sometimes it’s because you’re fatigued from insomnia.}

And small wonder. The posts on The Fat Loss Authority are top-notch; both informative and entertaining. So I thought, “Better get cracking and write something really good and useful, and of course up to the standards TFLA readers have come to expect.“

But I‘ll let you decide.

Late Nights Makin‘ You Overweight?

Sleeplessness, or lack of sleep –insomnia—is a major problem nowadays. It‘s associated with a host of health problems, including obesity … BIG time.

The New York Daily News reports direct correlations between lack of sleep and weight gain—in women even more than men. A recent study by the New York Obesity Research Center reveals that sleep deprived individuals overeat far more easily than those who get a good night‘s sleep.

Scientists have documented the link between  sleep and obesity in other studies as well and speculate that hormones associated with appetite and food intake increase when we are tired. Well, that‘s old news; if you‘re fatigued, you get cranky and then hungry, for sure.

The Washington Post reports that not enough or erratic sleep heightens the risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Sleep is awesome…why risk any of these illnesses?

But…what about depression?

Kids get ornery, adults get aggressive at first then frustrated and finally depressed. Enter tasty but fattening cookies, cakes, soda, booze and a whole host of so-called ‘comfort‘ foods. On the other hand, well rested people tend to be in a pretty good mood! But don‘t take my word for it, look at what some of the experts have to say about insomnia and obesity:

“Lack of sleep disrupts every physiologic function in the body. We have nothing in our biology that allows us to adapt to this behavior.”

                                        -Eve Van Cauter of the University of Chicago

“Losing sleep, “might speed up death’s arrival.”

-U.S.News & World Report, 2009

“What is certain, is that we can’t do without sleep.”

-Peter Meerlo, neuroscientist at University of Groningen, Netherlands.

Other penalties for staying up late can be even more serious, deadly in some instances. Studies have linked chronic sleep loss to obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and even shorter lives.

{Getting enough sleep is high on this guy’s priority list!]

What about fat burning exercises? Not much fun when you‘re exhausted, that is IF you exercise at all. If you do, the intensity and overall quality of the training will likely be rather low. Healthy sleep is just plain necessary for recovery and general regeneration. It‘s a cycle too; the worse your nights are the worse they tend to get.

Sleepless Solution

So Houston, we got a problem. How do we fix it?

First, by identifying the causes for sleeplessness, and then removing them. By resetting our inner clock and circadian rhythm.

Most adults today have their sleeping patterns thoroughly out of whack from having too much to do and not enough time to do it. So that‘s where we start, at the beginning, which means this: get to bed at the exact same time every night. No exceptions. Even if you don‘t doze of right away, lie there and eventually you will fall asleep.

Next? Get up at the exact same time every morning. Even if it was a horrible night, and you could just sleep so nice and comfortably right now! You know what I mean. Be hard on yourself, and get up anyway. You can always take a short nap after lunch like everyone else. If not that‘s even better because, trust me, come bedtime tonight sleep won‘t be so hard to come by!;-)

It helps to increase your morning energy with coffee, green tea or herbs and vitamins like liquorice root or vitamin b5. But no coffee or other stimulants after noon! Late afternoon stimulants would mess up the odds of having some sweet dreams at the end of a long day.

Good fat burning exercises will improve weight loss results and help to get rid of that restless energy. My grandma used to say, “Can‘t sleep? Go work hard!“ I hate to say it, but maybe granny was right.

Frankie Says Relaaaax

Try to really calm down at night by taking a (long) hot bath, reading a book (even a good one makes your eyes heavy!), and of course our little bag of sleep-ninja tricks.

Take a quality magnesium supplement–up to 1000 mg—late in the day; its great for the heart and helps you relax.

My  super-sleep herbals will knock you right out (in a very friendly and kind way!

• Reishi Mushroom
• Hops
• Feverfew
• Lactuca Virosa and
• Lavender Oil

Total darkness and silence in the sleeping quarters are crucial–use some ear plugs if you must! Finally, plan for the next day‘s schedule or the healthy meals you‘re going to prepare and take to work. What will you cook and when will you eat it?

Works like a charm for me, I usually don‘t get too far beyond breakfast before deep in slumberland !;-)

So there you go, now you understand the causes for sleeplessness, the effects this has on weight loss results, and most importantly how to grab the good night‘s rest you deserve and need!

Sweet Dreams!

Mark

P.S. If you think this post was up to scratch, why not head on over to my Blog sometime, I would feel honored by your visit and comments! Hope to see ya over there!

Fad diets do one thing really well. They come up with insane justifications for why doing this crazy thing to your body will help you lose weight. Sometimes these arguments are quite compelling and other times they are just plain laughable. We all want to lose weight and become a fitter version of ourselves, but how we accomplish that has a great deal to do with whether or not the weight comes back.

[Beyonce famously used Master Cleanse Diet to shed weight for her role in DreamGirls...]

Read what we found out about the Master Cleanse Diet before you choose yet another diet offering false hope.

What IS Master Cleanse Diet?

The Master Cleanse Diet has claimed to be many things, but at its core it is a detox and weight loss program. Put simply this “liquid diet” is supposed to cleanse the body by removing toxins from food, drugs, alcohol, coffee, tea and other hot beverages. By cleansing these toxins from your body, the Master Cleanse diet claims this will also fight food cravings.

What’s IN The Master Cleanse Diet?

Probably one of the easiest fad diet concoctions to create is the Master Cleanse Diet cocktail, which consists of 10 ounces of water combined with fresh lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne peppers. Sounds easy enough right? But exactly how can this seemingly insignificant amount of “subsistence” help you cleanse toxins and shed weight?

[Look very closely...these are your weight loss tools if you choose the Master Cleanse Diet. Pampers? Yep, those are necessary too!]

The answer to that is even simpler. By eating nothing but the so-called Master Cleanse Diet elixir, you will create a huge calorie deficit which will inevitably lead to weight loss. However, what happens when you start eating again and those “cravings” are no longer being cleansed?

How Master Cleanse Works

On the Master Cleanse Diet, dieters may drink 6 to 8 glasses of the cocktail each day. If you get a craving of some sort the diet allows a Salt Water Flush that consists of 2 teaspoons of salt and a quart of water or herbal tea with laxatives. Although the Master Cleanse Diet lasts for up to 2 weeks at a time, you are not allowed any solid foods while cleansing.

After the 14 day Master Cleanse Diet is over, food intake can resume again. Master Cleanse proponents suggest easing back into eating with foods like soup and fresh fruits & vegetables. Serious stomach issues can occur for dieters who go back to solid foods that are already difficult to digest like beef.

What’s Good About Master Cleanse Diet?

If anything can said to be “good” about this diet it is that it is super simple to follow. You can’t eat anything and you can only drink a specific set of beverages so following the Master Cleanse Diet would be fairly easy for any adult of average intelligence.

The Master Cleanse Diet is cheap too, which in the age of over-priced diet products is a sigh of relief. Finally, what’s good about the Master Cleanse Diet is that it will create the necessary calorie deficit for weight loss.

What’s Bad About Master Cleanse Diet?

The list of Master Cleanse Diet negatives is slightly longer however. What’s bad about this diet is that by virtually starving yourself, chances are your weight loss will mostly be water weight and muscle…not the fat that you’ve been targeting for months. Losing fat requires a balanced diet and regular exercise, and simply drinking the weight loss Kool-Aid will shed pounds…just not how you wanted.

[Beyonce is still hot but the Master Cleanse Diet didn't help her keep it off, either!]

The most glaring problem with the Master Cleanse Diet is that our bodies already have this cool detoxifying machine, it’s called the liver. Between the hard work your liver does and regular bowel movements your body already rids itself of most harmful waste. Add in a few days of regular exercise and sweating will help remove toxins if your body truly needs it. The point is there are options like saunas and steam rooms for a quick detox.

Another weight loss problem associated with the Master Cleanse Diet is the hunger and fatigue you will certainly experience. Your body won’t get enough calories and nutrients on this diet to make it through the work day, much less a rigorous workout.

Master Cleanse Diet—Yay or Nay?

TFLA says ‘Nay’ to the Master Cleanse Diet because it requires a severe reduction in calories for a long period of time and requires no physical activity. These two factors are not necessary for successful weight loss.

The best thing you can do for your weight loss is to reduce calories where you can and get more exercise. If you really need help fighting food cravings eating lemon juice, syrup and cayenne pepper won’t help.

Getting a head start on weight loss can feel like an impossible task, but Brad Pilon’s Eat Stop Eat has information that makes it seem a little less impossible. Read our Eat Stop Eat review and find out how to really break your addiction to food…in less than 2 weeks!

We all would like to shed a few pounds, and if we could only eat a better diet with smaller portions and healthier food it could totally happen…right?

[Hoodia Gordonii is a good idea if THIS is your idea of a healthy diet.]

Well that’s the claim made by Hoodia Gordonii Diet Pills. This “all-natural” appetite suppressant will make you lose weight without feeling hungry. Sounds about as good as getting six-pack abs without working out.

So, keep reading and see if the Hoodia Gordonii Diet Pill will be the cure for your weight loss blues.

Hoodia Gordonii–The Basics

Any research you do about diet pills with Hoodia Gordonii will inevitably tell the long story of the cactus-like plant from which Hoodia Gordonii is derived. It is said that many South African men eat the stems of Hoodia plants to reduce hunger during arduous hunting tasks. This is a great story, but tells nothing of the effectiveness of the Hoodia Godonii Diet Pill.

The basics of how this pill works are simple. The plant extract in Hoodia Gordonii Diet pills suppresses the appetite so you don’t feel hungry, and therefore reduces the amount of calories you consume. What Hoodia Gordonii doesn’t do, is help you create the all-important calorie deficit, without which weight loss cannot occur.

The Science Behind Hoodia Gordonii Diet Pills

When in doubt about the effectiveness of a diet pill, the answer is usually found in the studies–or lack of scientific studies. The makers of Hoodia Gordonii, Phytopharm, have anecdotal evidece taken from 18 medically obese subjects, but none of the tests have been randomized or controlled–two factors that determine the veracity of a study.

The study conducted by Phytopharm did not under go a peer review process, so the quality and truthfulness of the results cannot be evaluated. However this anecdotal evidence did indicate that the obese subjects did reduce caloric intake by 1,000 calories each day.

I’d like to know, however, if that 1,000 calories created the deficit they required for weight loss. Hmmmm….

[This little cactus-looking plant is the main ingredient in Hoodia Gordonii, but the verdict is out on effects from long-term use.]

Does Hoodia Gordonii Diet Pills Work?

Anecdotal evidence suggests that Hoodia Gordonii is effective for suppressing the appetite, but no hard science studies back up this claim.

Hoodia Gordonii Diet pill manufacturers indicate that 1,000mg of Hoodia Gordonii are required daily for effective weight loss. The pills made by Phytopharm are 500mg per capsule, but many Hoodia Gordonii Diet pills on the market contain just 100mg per capsule. That’s 10 capsules a day just to experience minimal, healthy weight loss.

Suppressing the appetite will most certainly help you consume fewer calories, but unless you’re aware of HOW MANY calories you eat each day you won’t know the “magic number” you need for weight loss.

The problem with diet pills like Hoodia Gordonii is that they never teach you how to lose weight, they simply offer you pills that allegedly do the hard work for you. Unless you’re willing to take Hoodia Gordonii until you reach your ideal body weight, the safe conclusion is that it is ineffective for long-term weight loss.

If you’re not satisfied within the first 90 days, Phytopharm offers a money back guarantee.

Hoodia Gordonii Side Effects

The creators of Hoodia Gordonii Diet pills claim the pills are organic and without any short or long-term side effects. They furter state that their appetite suppressants will not cause dependency.

All of these claims MAY be true, but since no peer-reviews have been done, we only have their word for it.

How Much Will Losing Weight Cost?

Because there are dozens of companies out there selling diet pills with hoodia gordonii, it can be difficult to determine who’s for real and who’s got their sights set on your pocketbook.

Hoodia Gordonii Diet pills made by Phytopharm claim to be organic and made from pure hoodia gordonii extract.A bottle of Hoodia Gordonii Absolute, which contains 60 capsules costs about $60 plus shipping & handling.

[If pills could solve your weight problems, the world would be perfect...]

TFLA Says About Hoodia Gordonii…

It may be tempting to give diet pills like Hoodia Gordonii a try, especially when there are no established side effects. Unfortunately these pills promise to do things that you’ve been unable to. It promises to suppress your appetite, but many obese & overweight people eat when they aren’t hungry anyway.

Don’t believe me? A 2004 study found that overeaters who are obese share similar “lack of control” traits found in drug addicts. How will an appetite suppressant supress an urge that strong?

As tempting as it is to try, you already know that nothing works for weight loss as well as a balanced diet and regular physical activity. So unless Hoodia Gordonii has a pill that cooks meals for you and encourages you to work out, it is not a diet pill you should take.

If you really want to know how to break your addiction to food, read our review of Eat Stop Eat. All problems cannot be solved in a pill bottle, as evidenced by our stellar review!

You already know that a regular exercise regimen that includes both cardio exercises and resistance training is the best way to lose weight. The problem is that you just can’t motivate yourself to do it, right?

[Eating tons of hot dogs may be fun and it may be tasty, but one thing it isn't is burning fat!]

Well if I told you that regular exercise, combined with eating foods that burn fat would help you achieve healthy weight loss results, would that motivate you? Then keep reading to find out which foods burn fat for weight loss.

Foods BURN Fat, Really?

Really it’s true. As someone often described as a skeptic, I too lifted my eyebrows in suspicion when I heard this.

Foods that burn fat do so by increasing your metabolism. Adding these foods to your diet will help fat loss because of the energy required to digest them. For example digesting fat requires less energy than protein, which is why we here at TFLA are constantly encouraging you to eat a diet with lean proteins and lots of fiber.

Make your own protein shakes HERE!

What Are These “Magical” Foods?

If you’ve tried tons of fad diets in the past with little (or zero) success, foods that burn fat probably do seem a little magical. There’s no magic involved I promise!

The reason we see these foods as “magical” or fraudulent is because we’ve become too addicted to processed, pre-packaged, deep-fried, sugar-coated, partially hydrogenated…crap, to put it honestly. But you know those foods that come straight up from the ground, occasionally covered in dirt? Well those are the healthy parts of the food pyramid that HELP with fat loss.

EGGS

Eggs have a lot of cholesterol, which is my biggest beef with them. But 1 egg contains more than 6 grams of protein that your body will burn easier than other fattier breakfast options.

If you’re concerned about cholesterol–and you should be–2 egg whites contain the same amount of protein as 1 whole egg while giving you half the calories!

BEANS

Beans, beans are good for the heart, the more you eat…the more fat you burn! Bet you didn’t think that’s where I was going?

That’s because we only remember one thing about beans, but another important thing about some members of the bean family is that they are a great source of protein and fiber. I personally love beans as an alternative to meat a few days each week.

[These tasty edamame beans are the perfect fat burning snack. Warm or cold you can pop'em like chips without the salty fingers!]

Beans like Kidney, Navy, Lima, and Edamame are high in protein and fiber, as long as you stay away from baked beans or worse, refried beans. These options have lots of fat and sugar on top of the goodness, which really just spells extra work for you at the gym.

Just to give you an idea, 1 cup of boiled kidney beans has 11 grams of fiber and 15 grams of protein with just 1 gram of sugar. If you’re still worried about smelly side effects, just make sure to cook your beans thoroughly to avoid embarassment.

OATMEAL

When it comes to a quick breakfast food that burns fat, very few items compete with oatmeal. Oatmeal not only helps burn fat, but the soluble fiber in oatmeal helps reduce cholesterol too.

Get the most fat burning power out of your oatmeal by:

• Using honey or fruit rather than sugar to sweeten.
• Get old-fashioned oats instead of instant, the difference in cook time is a few minutes.
• AVOID flavored oatmeal.

Another reason oatmeal is awesome for weight loss? It stays in your belly much longer than fatty breakfast foods, which means you won’t be making a beeline for the doughnut shop before 10am!

ALMONDS

When you want a snack that isn’t junk food, reach for almonds. Almonds make you feel full so you’re less likely to eat when you aren’t hungry. On top of that, just 1 ounce of almonds contains 4 grams of protein and 4% of your daily value of fiber.

That’s a snack that fills you up and helps you shed unwanted fat.

WHOLE GRAINS

Carbs are good, despite what you’ve heard recently. Aside from being good, carbs are also an excellent source of energy, which you’ll need to get regular exercise. The reason carbs have such a bad reputation is because of their evil step-sister processed carbs.

White breads, pastas, bagels, and rice are stripped of most of their nutritional value and most of the wheat, so you have to eat more to feel full. Whole grains however have not been processed to within an inch of their life, and thus retain much of what’s good for you.

[Grains that lack this earthy brown color are not whole and thus, not foods that burn fat. Period.]

Don’t let “wheat” labels fool you either, because they’re just as bad. If it doesn’t indicate that the food is made from “whole grains” then it isn’t and it’s not one of the awesome foods that burn fat.

BERRIES

Berries are probably one of my favorite fruits. They make great smoothies and smaller berries like blueberries and raspberries can be popped one at a time…just like candy! And raspberries are packed with fiber–just 1 cup has 8 grams!

Berries also have lots of pectin, which basically bullies the fat into releasing fat cells. That spells great news for the fat-ridden parts of our bodies.

SALMON

There are plenty of reasons to eat salmon aside from it being a food that burns fat. It has tons of protein (39g per 1/2 filet), and most important the Omega-3 helps boost your metabolism so you burn more fat.

GREEN TEA

It shouldn’t surprise anyone who has ever tried a weight loss pill that green tea helps burn fat. Studies have shown that a green tea regimen will help reduce fat by preventing the fat from growing and getting absorbed into the belly.

This doesn’t mean to go crazy with green tea products to burn fat, it just means add a few cups of green tea to your day to HELP your weight loss efforts.

None of these foods of drink alone will help you reach your fat loss goals. Of course regular diet and exercise are required as well, but adding these foods to your diet will give your weight loss a nudge in the right direction.

Read our Fat Burning Furnace review to find out what you’re doing that could be hurting your fat loss efforts.

Size 0…is this really a size because I was under the impression that zero isn’t even technically a number. It’s so far from a number in fact that a Size 0 means your waist is about 23 inches–the same size as your 7-year old daughter’s waist. So, how is it that millions of silver screen starlets call zero a size yet the normal woman has to go into starvation mode to reach this coveted dress size?

[She looks soooo healthy at a Size 0 they had to edit out her protruding bones!]

That answer is simple: no one outside of Hollywood believes that 0 is the size of a woman. Size 0 Labs however has created a “rapid weight loss” pill, aptly called, Size 0 Diet Pill.

Let’s find out if the Size 0 Diet can help you acheive a size 0 or if its another cheap promise to make a few bucks.

What Is Size 0?

Size 0 is a “scientific breakthrough” in weight loss. This ‘beauty & fat burning’ pill will allegedly help you lose weight while maintaining “shapely curves”. The Size Zero Diet consists of taking a daily regimen of pills–combined with regular diet & exercise–to help you lose weight and improve your “natural beauty”.

What Does The Size Zero Diet Pill DO?

Put simply, the Size Zero Diet Pill is a fat burning pill. Designed especially for women, the Size 0 Diet Pills feature a thermogenic formula that includes an estrogen support blend, beauty enhancement nutrients, and an appetite support blend to help you stop overeating. These pills are intended to speed up your metabolism while at the same time putting a stop to those pesky food cravings.

That’s what the Size Zero Diet Pill does, keep reading to find out HOW it does it. The clinical name for the Size Zero Diet Pill is Clenbuterol, which allegedly works by burning that unnecessary fat stored in the most unlikely of places. The fat is burned by increasing the body’s temperature (hot flashes to lose weight?), which increases the rate at which blood is pumping throughout the body…also known as your blood pressure (RED FLAG). This process is supposed to help suppress your appetite, which is how you’ll lose weight.

[This sleek Size Zero Diet Pill is all you have to do--plus a balanced diet & exercise--to get skinny! True or False?]

How Much Does The Size Zero Diet Cost?

The cost of the Size Zero Diet pill varies by seller, but on average a bottle of 100 pills costs anywhere from $35.00 up to $49.95.

What Is The Size Zero Diet Pill Regimen?

If you decide that the Size Zero Diet is for you, you will have to take 1-2 pills at least 2 times a day but no more than 3 times daily. Each dose should be taken with 16 ounces of water, a half-hour before meal time. It is recommended that when the Size Zero Diet begins, you start with 1 pill twice a day until you determine how the pills affect you.

Size Zero Diet Pill Side Effects

Like most fat burning pills on the market, the Size Zero Diet does include a few side effects. Because of the increased heart rate associated with Clenbuterol, anxiety, strokes, heart attacks and panic attacks are associated with this product. Other side effects you could experience on the Size Zero Diet pills include; insomnia, dizziness, shortness of breath, nausea, chest pain, tumors, loss of consciousness, behavioral shfits or tingling sensations. Stop taking and talk with your doctor if (or when) you experience these symptoms.

[When this is what passed for a list of ingredients, your spidey senses should tell you to STAY AWAY!!!]

You should not take this pill if you are pregnant or planning to get pregnant. If you have a family history of high blood pressure, heart disease, liver or kidney disease, renal disease, anxiety or depression it is also recommended that you stay away from the Size Zero Diet pill.

You may experience severe symptoms if you take the Size Zero Diet pill with any other supplements that contain caffeine, or any other sources of caffeine. Drug and alcohol use is forbidden with this product. If you engage in intense physicial activities in very warm weather, the makers of the Size Zero Diet pill warn against beginning a diet regimen with this product.

Ingredients

The ingredients in the Size Zero Diet pill are those commonly found in many fat burning pills. Green tea extract, Hoodi Gordonii, and taurine are all in this pill, but not in dosages that would aid weight loss. Collagen in this pill allegedly reduces body fat, along with choline, but no scientific studies have proven this. The weight loss complex has 785mg per 2 pills, which at 26 ingredients, is about 30mg of each ingredient–not enough to cause significant weight loss.

Should You Try The Size Zero Diet?

The easy answer is NO, you should not try the Size Zero Diet pill. Many of the ingredients included in these pills have very limited weight loss benefits. If you’re already enjoying regular cardio and strength training exercises, you can burn more fat and tone this way. By adding a balanced diet that is high in fiber and lean proteins, you’ll experience more weight loss than by popping a few pills.

The size Zero Diet pill plays on the worst insecurites of women by offering a completely unrealistic solution. Since the Size Zero Diet pill recommends that you use the pills in conjunction with a balanced diet and exercise, you may as well SCRAP THE PILLS and focus on doing the (proven) things effectively, ya know, diet & exercise.

Get more information on how to drop a few pounds and break your food addiction by reading our review of Eat Stop Eat. It’ll change everything you thought you knew about dieting and fasting for weight loss.

None of the ingredients found in the Size Zero Diet pill are dangerous even though there are tons of them.

Remember all those quick weight loss programs that never taught you how to keep the weight off? Did you learn your lesson or did you find another ‘pill of the moment’ preying on your desire to shed those extra pounds?

[Why wouldn't you want to try something like this? Other than it's no different than the last diet you tried.]

SlimQuick Cleanse promises to give your weight loss a “head start” in just one week! Keep reading for our in depth SlimQuick Cleanse review.

SlimQuick Cleanse

SlimQuick Labs, makers of SlimQuick Extreme, have added a weeklong detoxifying diet to their roster of products. The SlimQuick Cleanse product is a pill–4 pills at a time, actually–that allegedly will give a woman’s weight loss efforts a boost (sorry fellas) by eliminating toxins and improving digestive functions. SlimQuick Cleanse is also supposed to increase a woman’s metabolism (find out why that’s important for weight loss here), and energy, in addition to cleansing the colon.

All of that sounds pretty good to me, but I’ve been hurt and misled by weight loss products in the past and I intend to dig a little further.

SlimQuick Cleanse Ingredients

Like many weight loss products SlimQuick Cleanse contains green tea extract and hoodia gordonii, which improve metabolic function and acts as an appetite suppressant, respectively. For good measure this product also has calcium, and a whole host of other roots, leaves, and berries that ‘aid’ weight loss.

[This little bottle looks harmless, but it might not be if you suffer from diabetes, hypertension and many other obesity-related illnesses.]

Although many of the ingredients purportedly in SlimQuick Cleanse are natural extracts, there are a ton of contra-indicators for this product. That means that you may not be able to take SlimQuick Cleanse if you have one (or more) of several health problems or diseases.

SlimQuick Cleanse Side Effects/Warnings

If you’re under the age of 18 or have any health problems that could be exacerbated by caffeine or caffeine-like products, SlimQuick Cleanse may not be for you. The makers of SlimQuick Cleanse warn that there are more than 200 mg of caffeine and other stimulants per 2 capsules. This could affect any potential customer that suffers from heart problems and hypertension.

Because of the caffeine and additional stimulants, pregnant or nursing women should avoid taking SlimQuick Cleanse. Remember earlier when I wrote of contra-indicators? Well this is that portion of the program. Speak with a doctor before taking SlimQuick Cleanse if you are being treated for any of the following OR if you are at risk (if you’re overweight, you’re at risk) of getting the following: liver or thyroid disease, diabetes, nervousness or anxiety, depression, cardiac arrhythmia, stroke or a seizure disorder.

Some side effects of taking SlimQuick Cleanse include dizziness, tremors, headaches, nervousness, insomnia, nausea, chest pain, and irregular heartbeats. If you still decide to take SlimQuick cleanse, contact your doctor immediately if you experience any of these symptoms.

SlimQuick Cleanse Positives

The ingredients in SlimQuick Cleanse make it likely that you’ll experience some weight loss. Some dieters may find this product useful because you just pop 4 capsules, twice a day to help with weight loss. One positive aspect of SlimQuick Cleanse is that drinking lots of water is highly recommended, both to prevent choking and to enhance the detox.

SlimQuick Cleanse is $17.99 for a one-week supply, so interested dieters on a budget won’t break the bank trying another fad diet.

SlimQuick Cleanse Drawbacks

The major problem with SlimQuick Cleanse is that most overweight people can’t take it! Many of the health problems associated with being overweight or obese–diabetes, hypertension, anxiety, depression, liver or thyroid disease–are also the reason you shouldn’t/can’t take SlimQuick Cleanse.

Taking 8 pills a day, even if it is for 7 days, seems a bit excessive. But that’s my own personal opinion.

[SlimQuick Cleanse is as effective as drinking tea to aid weight loss...only tea is cheaper and works even for the really overweight--unlike SlimQuick Cleanse!]

SlimQuick Cleanse is not recommended because you can experience the same 6 benefits by adding daily glasses of green or white tea to your diet. The possible side effects and contra-indicators of SlimQuick Cleanse could not possibly outweigh the teeny tiny amount of weight you’d lose on it.

On a side note: even an ounce lost is a great accomplishment, but weight loss must be a risk-reward game. And the bottom line is that the worst risks of SlimQuick Cleanse far outweigh simply giving your weight loss a “boost”. Other things that could give your weight loss a swift kick in the pants include: regular exercise, a well-balanced diet high in fiber and lean proteins, smaller portions, drinking more tea and less booze & soda, and of course allow yourself to relax once in awhile!

Read our review of Eat Stop Eat and give your body a real boost for weight loss!

A healthy, well-balanced diet is a necessary component in the weight loss equation, yet millions of us reach for the closest edible object. Forget that it’s been freeze-dried, dehydrated and rehydrated, deep fried and slathered in fat, as long as it’s simple, right?

[Plenty of things are simple. Few of them are good for you.]

That attitude is partially to blame for most weight problems. Just because something is 99 cents or is easy to get, doesn’t make it simple. Simple dinner recipes should be healthy, properly portioned, and tasty.

Intrigued? Keep reading to find out more!

Simple Dinner Recipe You Don’t Have To Watch:
Chicken Meatloaf & Roasted Sweet Potatoes
(4 servings, 302 calories per serving)

Ingredients
1 pound ground chicken
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 cup green pepper, diced
1/4 cup red pepper diced
1 egg
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 sweet potatoes, peeled & chopped
1 tbsp. rosemary, chopped finely
salt & pepper to taste

Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine chicken, onion, peppers, egg, panko and salt & pepper in a large bowl. In large baking dish, shape mixture into a loaf and spread with barbecue sauce. Bake meat loaf for about an hour, or until internal temperature reads 165. In a separate baking dish place sweet potatoes evenly on the bottom. Toss potatoes with salt, pepper and rosemary and place in oven. Bake 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender!

Simple Dinner Recipe With Simple Ingredients:
Herbed Halibut & Steamed Vegetables
(4 servings, 235 calories per serving)

Ingredients
4-4oz. halibut steaks
Zest & juice of 1 lemon
3 tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
salt & pepper to taste
1-16 oz. bag frozen vegetables

[Learn to love herbs & spices to cut down on salt and you'll have tons of simple yet tasty dinner recipes!]

Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place halibut on a large baking dish and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Rub lemon zest and dill evenly on both sides of halibut and cook 15-30 minutes in the oven until desired doneness is reached. Prepare a large pot with 2-4 inches of water in it, along with a colander. Place vegetables in colander and cover pot. Steam 15 minutes or until all vegetables are tender. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

This is the perfect meal for those of you desperately looking for ways to create the calorie deficit needed for weight loss.

Those of us practicing a healthy lifestyle for weight loss can’t deny those inconvenient cravings for food that doesn’t help with weight loss. When that happens we have 2 choices: succumb to the craving or find a creative solution to it. Succumbing to cravings once in a while won’t kill your weight loss program, but it’s never just ‘once in awhile,’ is it?

[Successful weight loss means making difficult decisions--eat this and work like hell to burn it off or make it yourself...]

My fast food kryptonite is Chipotle and I absolutely love it. What I don’t love is the 660 calories that come along with my beloved burrito bol, so I’ve come up with a creative solution to my Chipotle problem. Make it a simple dinner recipe that you are guaranteed not to hate! By eliminating the rice, cheese, and sour cream you turn it into a super delicious meal that won’t require you to starve for the rest of the day!

Simple Dinner Recipe For When You Really Want Fast Food:
Vegetable Burrito Plate
(4 servings, 337 calories per serving)

Ingredients
2 cups romaine lettuce
1 cup black beans
1 cup corn
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 chicken breasts, chopped
2 cups salsa
1 avocado, sliced
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 package burrito seasoning
salt & pepper

Directions: Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Add onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add chicken to the skillet and cook 8 minutes or until done. Add burrito seasoning and water and follow instructions. Heat corn and beans until heated through. Assemble burrito plate as follows: lettuce, beans, corn, chicken & onions, salsa, avocado. Enjoy!

Next time you’re at a loss for simple dinner recipes, ask yourself what’s your goal. Do you want a simple dinner that you walk away from until its done or do you want a meal with very few ingredients? Do you need a fast food fix or do you just want a simple meal that’s tasty and stays within your calorie deficit? These questions will help you create and cook simple dinner recipes for any night of the week.

One of the hardest parts about eating for weight loss is sorting out the truth from the myths. Read our review of The Diet Solution Program for a deeper look into what’s preventing your weight loss.

Cavewoman: Dinner ready.
Caveman: What havin’?
Cavewoman: Caught water animals, gathered berries and fungus.
Caveman: Water animal again? (grumbles and storms out of cave.)
Cavewoman: (shrugs) More for me.

[There have always been consequences to criticizing the chef...just ask our ancestors!]

After reading about the Paleo diet I wondered if our pre-agricultural ancestors ever bored of their food options, and this is what I imagined common dinner conversation was like during the paleolithic era after reading about another, the Primal diet.

Keep reading to find out of the Primal Diet actually helps weight loss.

Primal Diet Basics

The primal diet is an eating program based on the book “The Primal Blueprint,” written by Mark Sisson. The primal diet promotes eating only foods that were available to our ancestors prior to the neolithic era. The basic premise behind the primal diet is that a ‘hunter and gatherer’ diet has nourished humans for much of their evolution, during most of which humans were not overweight and suffering from a myriad of health problems.

Right off the bat, there’s a serious problem with this logic, considering the body composition in the neolithic area was much more likely a result of HOW MUCH food they had available and living a very active (see: hunting, surviving) lifestyle and not food selection.

But I digress…

Primal Diet Foods

One of the most important aspects to any diet program are the foods promoted for consumption, and the primal diet promotes mostly whole foods that have not be processed. Foods that primal dieters may consume include proteins like pork, poultry, bison, beef, wild game, fish and shellfish. Vegetables are pretty much allowed in unlimited portions, particularly if they have been grown organically. Fruits are allowed in the primal diet, but only a moderate consumption is recommended and only for those fruits with the best nutritional value like berries.

[The primal diet promise: very few carbs and plenty of protein will work for weight loss...this time!]

Other proteins allowed by the primal diet includes eggs (obviously they weren’t concerned about cholesterol!) and most nuts like almonds, cashews and pecans, but peanuts are prohibited because they aren’t “tree nuts” as prescribed by the primal diet. Seeds like sunflower and pumpkin may be consumed as well, but not if they have been roasted in any oil other than those found within the seed.

Prohibited Foods

The primal diet does not allow consumption of any vegetable oils, grains, beans, sugars or processed foods of any kind. These foods have all come after the paleolithic age, when humans began experimenting with agriculture and animal husbandry.

Primal dieters argue that while grains and legumes may have nutritional value, they also contribute to other health problems like autoimmune diseases. Carbs are not completely forbidden, but on a primal diet should be reduced greatly and only derived from fruits and vegetables.

What’s Good About the Primal Diet

The primal diet is good because it encourages a greater consumption of fruits and vegetables, which are packed with vitamins and nutrients and water. Decreasing how many carbohydrates you consume is a good idea for anyone trying to lose weight, as is getting carbs from healthier food sources. A diet consisting of lean proteins and vegetables is a good start to any weight loss plan.

Concerned about carbs? No-carb recipes found here!

Another aspect of the primal diet that’s good is the focus on free range and organic products. It is a good idea to eat organic whenever it’s possible, but especially with meat products. Industrial agriculture has lead to an increased amount of hormones, antibiotics and chemicals in meat, which could also be responsible for the health problems that primal diet proponents warn about.

What’s Bad About the Primal Diet

Although the Primal Diet does not overtly advocate eating raw meat to aid weight loss, it is mentioned as an optional part of the diet. Because there is only anecdotal evidence that eating a raw meat diet is beneficial, or that it aids with weight loss, we advise against it. Many illnesses can be contracted by eating undercooked or raw meat, so if you’re considering this as part of your primal diet follow the instructions suggested by Mark Sisson here.

[The primal diet promises "boundless energy" with minimal carb intake...do you buy it?]

The other problem I have with the primal diet is that there is not a heavy focus on using regular exercise for weight loss. This is most odd when you consider that a great portion of our paleolithic ancestors’ healthfulness comes from the fact that most days were spent hunting and gathering supplies for survival. Mark Sisson does recommend increased physical activity and even a few paleo-inspired exercises, but maintains that most weight loss occurs due to diet.

Primal Diet for Weight Loss?

The primal diet will work for weight loss, if you are under your calorie consumption for the day, just like with any diet. But restricting your diet to more boring, more expensive foods could wreak havoc on the rest of the life, setting you up for the yo-yo effect.

By decreasing your intake of carbohydrates and focusing more on lean proteins and vegetables, you will very likely create the calorie deficit needed for weight loss. However without regular exercise your weight loss will be a very long process with mediocre results.

It’s not a bad idea to eat more organic foods or to reduce the amount of carbs you consume. However if you cannot afford organic foods then a diet filled with pork and beef probably isn’t a good idea as these meats often have the most chemicals in them.

If you’re struggling with weight loss you can take a few pointers from the primal diet, however adopting the primal diet for everyday use is not recommended as we already have plenty of low-carb diets out there.

If the idea of another low carb diet makes you want to stop eating altogether, read our review of Eat Stop Eat and turn that fast into a healthy way to shed a few pounds!

Remember the good old days, when we humans used to live in caves and travel thousands of miles in the name of finding dinner? Would you be willing to get prehistoric, so to speak, in the name of weight loss?

[You know what they say about weight loss: it's so easy a caveman can do it!]

The Paleo Diet, also called the Caveman Diet advises just that. The Paleo Diet promises that by eating the way our prehistoric ancestors did you can lose as much as 75 pounds in just 6 months! If that sounds way too good to be true, keep reading to find out the real skinny on the Paleo Diet.

What Is The Paleo Diet?

The Paleo Diet is a way of eating that is very similar to the way our ancestors allegedly ate during the Paleolithic period, which was about 10,000 years ago. According to the Paleo Diet creator Dr. Loren Cordain the foods suggested in the Paleo Diet are high in the nutrients our bodies need to stay fit, and low in those that contribute to weight gain and illnesses related to too much weight gain.

The creators of the Paleo diet and recipes contend that the human body is genetically made to eat the way our ancestors did prior to the industrialization of agriculture.

What’s In The Paleo Diet?

The Paleo Diet makes mention of our hunter & gatherer ancestors a lot because this is how our ancestors survived, by hunting and/or gathering what they ate. This should give you a pretty good idea of what foods are allowed with the Paleo Diet. From entrees to dessert, the Paleo diet plan remains true to is pre-agricultural roots.

[Foods allowed in the Paleo diet are included on this handy Paleo food pyramid. Much smaller than our pyramid bought by the food lobby!]

Hunted food that you’re allowed to consume on the Paleo Diet include meat, offal (internal organs), fish, and shellfish. Gathered food you can eat includes fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, animal eggs, and tree nuts. There are several cookbooks available from the Paleo Diet creators that feature Paleo diet menus and recipes. When it comes to quenching your thirst, you have a few options with the Paleo Diet, but not many. Drinks Paleo dieters may consume other than water include coconut water and green tea, preferably organic green tea.

What Can’t I Eat On The Paleo Diet?

The creators of the Paleo Diet recommend that you stay away from foods that have low amounts of the most vital nutrients like soluble fiber, antixoidants and low-glycemic carbs. They caution Paleo dieters to avoid refined sugars, saturated & trans fats, grains, and salt just to name a few. You should stay away from a diet filled with dairy and grains, but replace then with fruits and vegetables because they are more nutritious, at least that what Dr. Cordain says.

What Exercises Does The Paleo Diet Require?

The Paleo Diet does not focus heavily on exercise, which is quite odd given how physical the lives were of our prehistoric ancestors. There is literally almost no mention of exercise whatsoever in the Paleo Diet, and the diet says nothing of regular exercise.

[Lean protein like salmon and loads of fresh vegetables are an ideal Paleo Diet meal.]

Paleo Diet For Weight Loss?

With a meal plan that lasts for 2 weeks and a cookbook for purchase that features more than 100 recipes, the Paleo Diet may be able to help shed a few pounds. Many components of this Paleo Diet are things we here at TFLA also recommend, including lean proteins, fresh produce, and limited salt and refined sugars. However the diet does not focus on exercise as a contributing factor to obesity and obesity related sicknesses.

There are many positive aspects to the Paleo Diet, especially cutting out refined foods, but without regular cardio and strength training exercises, how much will weight loss really mean?

Want to get real information on eating & exercising to aid weight loss? Read our review of the Fat Burning Furnace and begin a new way of living that’s healthier, and helps you get the results you want!

When your goal is to tone muscles, specifically arm muscles, strength training exercises are your best bet! Strength, or resistance training is effective for improving strength and endurance while toning your muscles for a streamlined look.

[Which tool does Mrs. Obama use to keep her "guns" looking irresistible?!?]

When it comes to strength training though, you don’t have to rely solely on bodyweight exercises like pull ups or push  ups. We have a few must-have tools you can use to maximize your arm toning exercises any day of the week!

Arm Toning Tool #1 – STRETCH

If you don’t think stretching is a vital tool to your arm toning exercises, just try and finish your arm workout without stretching! Stretching will prepare your arm, chest, and back muscles for the movements required to complete each arm exercise on your list. Stretching before your workout is necessary if you’d like to stay injury-free and gain more flexibility in your arm and chest area.

Trying to perform arm toning exercises without stretching will lead muscle cramps and a limited range of motion. The only way to make sure your arms are getting the right workout for the results you desire is to dedicate 5 minutes to stretching before and after your arm toning exercises.

Arm Toning Tool #2 – DUMBBELLS

No arm toning workout is complete without at least a set or two of arm exercises using dumbbells. Dumbbell are free weights used to tone triceps, biceps, and other important arm muscles. Dumbbells are perfect for arm toning exercises because they are so tiny you take them just about anywhere. With dumbbells you no longer have to skip arm exercises because the gym is packed or closed.

Arm toning exercises with dumbbells allow each person to decide how much weight to use, and when its time to add more weights. Using dumbbells to tone arm muscles is easy; all you have to do is choose a few (no more than 3) arm exercises and do a few sets of 10-12 repetitions. When you feel as though the weight on your dumbbells is too low, simply get larger dumbbells or add more weight.

At a loss for dumbbells arm toning exercises? Consider these exercises for triceps!

Arm Toning Tool #3 – RESISTANCE BANDS

Resistance bands are the perfect tool for you ladies out there terrified of using weights to tone your arms. Resistance bands are cheap and you can toss it in your briefcase (do people still use briefcases?) and get your arms toned when you have a few minutes free. What’s even better about using resistance bands for arm toning exercises is that they come with more or less tension, so you can have a more challenging arm workout when you want it and a less challenging one when you don’t.

[Resistance bands come in different colors for more or less tension and longer and shorter to fit your exercise goals.]

Resistance bands, in addition to helping you tone your arms, will also help improve your balance and coordination–something that will make performing all exercises easier. You can maximize your arm toning exercises with resistance bands by targeting smaller muscles that don’t often get a complete workout with weights. You can also target specific muscle groups by creating resistance in every possible direction.

Resistance bands are handy because you can never have to skip arm toning exercises with them.

Arm Toning Tool #4 – BARBELLS

If you’re looking for a more balanced arm toning exercise, consider using a barbell. With its long solid rods, barbells help tone your body by targeting specific muscles that assist with arm movements and flexibility. Barbells are the go-to arm toning exercise equipment for weightlifters, powerlifters, or people like you just looking for more defined guns!

If you’re having a difficult time deciding which piece of equipment will best help you complete your arm toning exercises, consider that the barbells are more effective for working your major muscles–like the all-important bicep and tricep muscles. Barbells allow the weight you’re lifting to be spread more evenly so your strongest muscles are doing the work, but your smaller muscles are working harder to keep your body in balance while you perform arm toning exercises.

Arm Toning Tool #5 – CABLES

For those of you who thought that cable exercises are only for those looking to get super huge, think again. Using the different cable machines available at your local gym is an ideal way to maximize those arm toning exercises. Cables add variety to humdrum workout routines that don’t hold your attention. There are many different varieties of cable exercise machines available, attached to weights or free standing, so ask for a demonstration if you’re unsure.

[Cables can be used to complete (almost) any arm toning exercises you can complete with weights.]

Cables provide resistance for the muscle group being worked and they allow you to determine the resistance level and/or weight. Arm toning exercises using cables will give you an effective workout without worry about dropping weights and getting injured. Whether you enjoy hammer curls or pull downs, cable exercise machines are great for arm toning exercises.

Now that you have the tools to get gorgeous guns, read our review of The Truth About Six Pack Abs and see what you can do about that midsection!

When it comes to weight loss pills concerns over effectiveness often takes a back seat to safety concerns. Many diet pills or supplements promise amazing weight loss results, but what they fail to tell you is that the side effects are inconvenient, harmful, and sometimes dangerous.

[Plenty of ideas start with the best of intentions...]

Weight loss supplements like Orlistat may help you keep your weight under control, but at what cost? Orlistat is a prescription diet pill given to overweight people who also suffer from diseases that include heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and even diabetes. Purportedly, Orlistat works because it prevents fat from being absorbed into your intestines. Sounds complicated, right?

Well Orlistat is more than just complicated: it has been linked to mild and serious side effects. Keep reading to find out what Orlistat side effects to expect if you choose this as a viable weight loss option.

Common Orlistat Side Effects

The most common side effect linked to Orlistat according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information is irregular bowel movements or changes in bowels. This problem occurs most often during the first few weeks of taking Orlistat, but according to the NCBI the problem could persist as long as you take Orlistat.

Other bowel-related side effects have been attributed to Orlistat due to the pill’s focus on removing unabsorbed fat through the bowels. If you have any of the following Orlistat side effects and they don’t go away after a few days, call your doctor:

• Oily spotting on underwear
• Urgent bowel movements
• Loose, oily, or fatty stools
• More frequent bowel movements
• Inability to control bowels movements
• Anal discomfort or pain
• Gas accompanied by oily spotting

[Can you believe this little pill 3 times a day causes all these side effects?!?]

Other Orlistat Side Effects

Other users of Orlistat have reported more serious side effects from taking the drug. Although some of these side effects occur infrequently, you should contact your physician immediately as these Orlistat side effects could be dangerous.

• Hives, rashes, and itching have been reported by Orlistat users. While hives and rashes could simply be an allergic reaction to an ingredient in Orlistat, combined with unusual itching it could be a sign of liver damage.
• Difficulty breathing or swallowing may occur while on an Orlistat regimen, which may be signs of an allergic reaction.
• Fatigue
• Nausea and vomiting can occur for a wide variety of reasons, although Orlistat does recommend eating a low fat content diet because Orlistat decreases fat absorption, forcing more fat to stay in your digestive tract.
• Loss of appetite
• Severe abdominal pain.
• Headaches and migraines
• Irregular menstrual cycles, including early or late cycles, and intermittent spotting.
• Jaundiced skin and/or eyes (another sign of liver damage).
• Urine darker than normal or unusually light-colored stools
• Increased risk of kidney stones, especially in patients with a history of kidney stones.

Anyone currently taking Orlistat should contact a doctor immediately if any of these Orlistat side effects persist or become worse. Many Orlistat side effects can be avoided by adhering to a low fat diet, since high fat intake (30% or more fat) causes the most embarrassing ‘oily’ side effects.

[If you don't want to choose between weight loss and dignity, stay away from Orlistat!]

While there is not enough information to state unequivocally that one possible side effect of Orlistat is liver damage, some individuals who took the drug did develop severe liver damage. Furthermore, some of the side effects of Orlistat are also symptoms of liver damage and if you notice them, stop taking Orlistat and contact a doctor immediately. (Find out why your liver is so important, here!)

If you currently take Orlistat, you should also add a multivitamin to your regimen because another side effect of Orlistat is that it prohibits your body from absorbing certain fat-soluble vitamins as well as beta carotene. Without a multivitamin you could be missing out on important vitamins and nutrients needed for successful weight loss.

Want to lose weight without the oily mess? Read our review of Eat Stop Eat and find a neater way to lose weight that actually works!

When it comes to losing weight, intelligent dieters know that success means a healthy low-calorie diet and regular exercises. However when a diet plan comes along that makes a smart argument, it’s difficult to ignore. I found that to be (mostly) true with the Paleo Diet.

[Are these svelte frames from a Paleo diet or the paleo exercise regimen of hunting & gathering?]

The Paleo Diet is a diet plan that follows the same nutritional diet that our ancestors ate during the paleolithic period. Keep reading to find out if the Paleo Diet is just another fad or if it really works for weight loss.

The Paleo Diet

The Paleo Diet focuses on foods that contribute to good health, and cautions dieters to stay away from foods that contain nutrients which cause or contribute to weight gain. The main purpose of the Paleo Diet meal plan is to reduce fat and decrease the risk of contracting weight-related illnesses that include diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and many others.

The Paleo diet is very simple, consisting only of foods that were available prior to widespread agriculture. Below is a list of foods you are allowed to eat on the Paleo Diet:
Lean meats
Offal
Fresh Fruits
Fresh Vegetables
Shellfish
Fish
Roots
Tree Nuts

Like any diet, the Paleo Diet comes with a list of prohibited foods as well. The foods you may not eat on the Paleo Diet includes foods that were unavailable to paleolithic humans. Those foods include:
Salt
Refined Sugars
Grains
Processed foods
Dairy
Saturated & Trans fats
High glycemic carbs (refined grains mostly)

[If you run out of ideas, you can purchase a Paleo Diet cookbook for $20. It has 150 recipes.]

What’s Good About The Paleo Diet?

What’s good about the Paleo Diet is that it focuses on weight loss from a health standpoint. Although the main goal of the Paleo diet is to help lose weight, there is an undeniable focus on reducing risks of obesity related diseases, which is always a positive thing. The best thing about the Paleo diet eating plan is that avoiding processed foods is encouraged. Processed foods are often made from saturated and trans fats, as well as high-glycemic carbohydrates like glucose and fructose.

The meal plans provided in the Paleo Diet allow the dieter to take more control of their meals, and that’s always good for weight loss. When you have to look for ingredients and cook your own meals, you feel more invested in your weight loss and tend to take it more seriously. This, in my opinion, is probably one of the most positive aspects of the Paleo Diet meal plan.

What’s Bad About The Paleo Diet?

There are 2 main issues I have with the Paleo Diet. First I have to question the wisdom of completely eliminating grain products and legumes from a diet. Grains, especially whole grains are packed with nutrients like fiber and iron that the body needs. Furthermore, new evidence suggests that our paleolithic ancestors did eat grains.

The other fault I see with the Paleo Diet is that it does not give exercise a proper focus. Thinking back on the lives of hunters and gatherers, it seems odd that exercise isn’t credited more with the svelte frame and overall health of our ancestors. Exercise is mentioned only as an afterthought, and that is not something TFLA endorses.

[Rock climbing is a great paleo-esque exercise that'll give you a full body workout!]

Successful weight loss requires a calorie deficit, which most of us create through eating less AND exercising. Trying to simply eat less to lose weight, is possible, but not advised.

A sedentary lifestyle (being a couch potato) is responsible for many of the diseases associated with obesity, including heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and death. With this information available, how can the Paleo Diet produce effective weight loss without exercise?

Does The Paleo Diet Help Weight Loss?

Yes and no. A meal plan based on the Paleo Diet will very likely lead to weight loss, as long as you stick with the allowed foods. However you can eat lean proteins and fresh produce as much as you want, but if the body isn’t getting enough exercise weight loss won’t be significant. Creating a calorie deficit is key to weight loss, which the Paleo Diet does endorse. Unfortunately it is virtually impossible to create a calorie deficit through eating alone AND have successful weight loss.

No diet or lifestyle change is complete unless it includes an exercise regimen that will help you tone and get healthy. A healthier diet is necessary for many things, but successful weight loss requires proper diet and exercise.

The Paleo Diet aids weight loss because the major focus of the meals plans is lean proteins along with fresh fruits and vegetables. These foods don’t have a high fat or calorie content so they are a great way to start creating a calorie deficit, especially if your current diet is filled with processed foods. This first step get the weight loss ball rolling, but it will stop shortly if you don’t add regular exercise.

Paleo Diet Verdict

Since there is still some scientific debate about whether or not human genetics have “adapted” to a paleolithic diet, the jury is still out on the long-term effectiveness of the Paleo Diet. However since TFLA does endorse a diet filled with lean proteins and fresh fruits & vegetables, a meal plan similar to the Paleo diet plan is recommended.

If you’re just starting your weight loss regimen, the Paleo Diet is a good reference of the types of food you should be eating. We think you should also be eating whole grains and legumes in moderation as well as getting regular physical activity. Other good bits from the Paleo Diet includes avoiding processed foods, salt, saturated & trans fats, and refined sugars.

Find a less restrictive way to break your food addiction by reading our review of Eat Stop Eat.

Losing weight can be a real pain in the butt if you don’t know what you’re doing. This is especially true if you keep doing the same things to lose weight and find the number on the scale steadily increasing. You know that you need to eat less and exercise more, but it just seems more complicated than that, right? Well we’ve compiled six things women can do to aid weight loss.

[Smaller portions, patience, lots of dancing and Kelly Osbourne went from pre-hypertension to healthy & fit!]

Keep reading to find out what you need to do to keep burning fat in the new year!

Weight Loss Tip # 6 – Take A Walk

When the weather is nice, skip that long trip to your car in favor a walk to your favorite lunch spot. Choose to walk when it’s an option and burn a few additional calories when you can. Walking is great cardio, especially if you’re just getting back to a regular exercise routine. Walking is a low-impact exercise that doesn’t put too much pressure on the knees, and it can be done anytime, anyplace!

If your biggest problem is that you don’t make time for exercise, use every opportunity you can to walk a bit. Take the stairs instead of waiting in line for the elevator, or park far away from the door so you’re guaranteed to get a long walk each day. Find time for three 10-minute walks each day and you’ve completed 30 minutes of cardio!

Weight Loss Tip #5 – Eat More

I know this sounds weird, but the female notion of dieting is to simply eliminate a bunch of food and hope like hell the pounds fall off. A more effective weight loss tool is to add more food to your diet. For every cookie and cake that you eliminate from your diet, you should be adding low-calorie and low-fat food options. Now that you’ve decided to stop eating potato chips, you can add other healthy snacks to your diet. Cucumbers, carrots, and peppers work beautifully to scoop up a delicious dip and they have fewer calories!

When you decide to eliminate “bad” sugars from your diet, add in several “good” sugars. Life may seem dreary without ice cream and cheesecake, but it gets just a little brighter with cherries, strawberries, and watermelon from which to choose! This notion of depriving ourselves is actually helping keep the weight on. Stop depriving yourself and learn to love healthier options that are equally delicious.

Weight Loss Tip #4 – Drink More Water

When it comes to weight loss, water is the closest thing to magic you’ll find. Drinking a glass of water before your meal will allow you to eat moderate portions because you won’t feel quite so starved when you sit down to eat. Water allows you a zero-calorie way to fill your belly so you don’t jam it full with food!

Water also helps keep you hydrated through a workout, so you can workout longer and get more desirable results. Adding more water to your diet also keeps your muscles working properly and reduces your chances of getting muscle cramps. The best reason of all to drink more water? Unlike soda, alcohol, and juice water has no calories so you get hydrated without wasting calories–a precious commodity to anyone attempting to lose weight!

Weight Loss Tip #3 – Look at Portion Sizes

Most women I know are calorie hawks–they look at the nutritional panel of every item before it gets a coveted spot in the shopping cart. As diligent as these females are about calories, they aren’t quite as diligent about portion sizes. Looking at the side panel is a great idea, they store lots of important information there, which doesn’t matter if you don’t read the information properly.

[Looks good so far, only 140 calories right? A closer inspection reveals that eating this tiny little bag will cost you 980 calories!]

Portion sizes have gotten enormous, but rather than question it we just gobble it up and ask questions only after the pounds have been packed on. So many snacks and treats appear low in calories and fat, until you realize that your tiny single-serving snack is actually 3 or more servings! Help your weight loss by keeping your portions small. Don’t make plates overloaded with food or serve meat larger than a deck of playing cards. Keep your portions small until you can stop eating when you feel satisfied…not FULL!

Next time you’re having lunch with the girls, split a meal with someone to make sure you both eat the right amount for weight loss.

Weight Loss Tip #2 – Use Your Table

In our modern society, everyone is always on the go. Most meals are eaten in the car or in front of the television or computer, which undoubtedly lead to eating more since the food isn’t your main priority. Make your meals a priority if you’re committed to weight loss. When the lunch bell sounds, grab your brown bag and head to a table.

Sitting upright allows better digestion so you’re more aware of when you feel satiated. And focusing on your plate will make sure you eat what you need, rather than eating until you can see the bottom of the plate. When we eat at the dinner table without distractions like the television or phone, we talk between bites and become conscious of the act of eating.

Eating at the table will help you control portion sizes as well, as you learn how much food your body actually requires. When you learn to make smaller portions, it’ll be safer to eat dinner while you watch Law & Order!

Weight Loss Tip #1 – BE Patient

This is probably one of the most important aspects of weight loss. Women are under more pressure than men to look a certain way, and they tend to have less patience to wait for the results. Being impatient with your weight loss will only discourage you, and force you back into your old ways in no time.

[Weight loss requires lifestyle changes like viewing this plate as a normal dinner serving.]

Losing weight successfully requires a complete lifestyle change for most people, which is a long-term goal. Proper weight loss should be no more than 2 pounds per week, so if you have more than 10 pounds to shed it’s going to take some time. Avoid the temptation to overexert yourself during workouts or starvation because they will only lead to weight gain and possible injury.

Stay away from fad diets and pills, because they prey on your desire to lose weight NOW. Unfortunately NOW isn’t an option, since you didn’t gain that weight overnight.

Women are under more pressure than ever to be thin and sexy, but that can only be achieved with a healthy diet, proper exercise and tons of patience. But if you’re really looking for a weight loss edge, read our review of Eat Stop Eat and find out how you can control your food cravings.

Every season a new celebrity starlet sings the praises of the newest fad diet to hit the market, and just about every year it seems Christian Bale is bingeing or purging for his latest role. Celebrities often espouse the benefits of this or that diet plan, perpetuating some of the most bogus weight loss myths.

[Sure, 50 Cent reached his weight loss goals, but do you wanna try his methods?]

Since neither of us probably has the money for full-time weight loss experts, keep reading to find out what the celebrities aren’t telling you!

Weight Loss Myth #1: Diet Programs Work

This is probably the biggest diet myth out there. Grab your favorite diet plan–Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers or Nutrisystem–and watch the weight magically fall off! If only it were that simple.

[Celebrity Diet Plan #1: Eat whatever you want, someone will fix it tomorrow!]

The truth is that while those diet programs do help you regulate your caloric intake, they do very little to teach you how to regulate the calories you consume. I mean, these diet programs are a great place to start for successful weight loss, but can you afford to pay for that food every month for the rest of your life? Furthermore, how many of us actually believe that Jenny McCarthy or Queen Latifah actually lost all that weight on diet programs?

The other problem with these celebrity-endorsed diet programs is that they do very little, if anything, to encourage regular physical activity. Without regular physical activity and controlling your diet, successful weight loss is unlikely.

These diet programs don’t teach you what to do when you’re positively starved after a long cardio workout. These programs simply focus on making sure you eat less, which is good weight loss advice, but only partial weight loss advice.

Weight Loss Myth #2: Shortcuts Are Okay

Celebrity-centric diets like the 5 Factor Diet feed into the myths we tell ourselves about why we just can’t lose weight. These myths help to keep us overweight and constantly seeking the next big diet trend.

The truth is that shortcuts are not the way to losing weight and keeping it off. You have to make losing weight and living a healthy lifestyle a priority. Just look at it this way; you have to eat everyday anyway because your body needs it, so make the time.

Even if I concede the point that celebrities are busy, they aren’t cooking their own meals anyway so who is a diet like this trying to fool? YOU, and all those regular dieters just like you looking for a quick and easy fix to your weight loss problems. A diet like 5 Factor only works if you have someone bringing you meals fives times each day and a personal trainer shows up at your trailer during your break time. Got it?

[Call me a cynic, but I think there's another ingredient in her weight loss plan!]

Weight Loss Myth #3: Successful Weight Loss Costs A Pretty Penny

Okay, so celebrities aren’t going around telling us little people that we have to spend a million bucks to look like a million bucks, but they may as well be. One thing all celebrity quick-fix diets have in common is that most cost money to join. With diet programs you have to purchase the food, which could be a substantial cost depending on how frequently the diet encourages you to eat. Some have you eat every 3 hours, while others require you to eat 5 times a day.

Celeb personal trainers cost about what most of us earn in a month, and no amount of weight loss can work out the downside to spending your entire salary on a weight loss program.

With that unused gym membership, the still packaged ThighMaster, and converted yoga mat, haven’t you learned your lesson with expensive diet fads? It doesn’t cost a lot of money to lose weight successfully, it just requires access to the right information and the right kinds of foods.

[If this is what you consider 'good' eating, your weight loss journey has just begun.]

We at The Fat Loss Authority have provided you with information on calories in alcohol so that when you go out for a night of fun you can enjoy yourself by having the information you need to make smart decisions. We’ve shown you a wide range of healthy food recipes that are in no way restrictive to a normal person. Whether you need a quick lunch idea or a healthy meal for entertaining, there are healthy and delicious options always available to you.

These celebrity weight loss myths want you to believe that you can’t live without that greasy fast food cheeseburger that you could actually make for yourself with less money and fewer calories! And the greasy fries you love can be tossed in the oven for a low-cal snack that won’t suck up the rest of your daily calories.

We all have to be mindful that celebrities spend even more time focusing on their appearance than we mortals do. In an industry so obsessed with how you look, it is in their financial interest to try any fad promising to shed an ounce of fat. For you however, it is in your best interest to simply make gradual changes in your lifestyle. For example, no one can deny how skinny Lindsey Lohan is, but do you really want to know her weight loss secret?

Celebrity weight loss myths feed on that insecurity we all have. I mean if Cameron Diaz is worried about her body, why shouldn’t the rest of us be, right? Wrong. Unless you have a staff of individuals invested in your physical appearance, celebrity diet plans probably won’t work for you. These plans require constant supervision, and an almost laser-focus on one thing only: weight loss.

If we could all do that without worrying about sacrificing jobs and relationships, that would work. But in the real world, normal people have to answer to bosses, pick up children, talk to spouses, touch base with family members, shower, make meals and pick up dry cleaning. Celebrity diet plans work for one reason: they are catered to celebrities and the super-rich.

[Even with Oprah money, celebrity diet plans don't seem very effective. What hope is there for the rest of us?]

If you want a diet plan that actually works, read our review of The Diet Solution Program. Isabel De Los Rios has created a well-rounded diet plan suitable for the wallet of regular weight loss joe’s like us!

It’s Friday evening and you’ve been very good all week. You engaged in regular physical activity this week, ate a good mix of fruits and vegetables and now you’re ready to party! But…how?

[Just because it says "low calorie" doesn't mean you can drink your bodyweight in booze!]

Worry not friends, for there are ways to enjoy alcohol that won’t lead to you to regret your decisions. At least not your diet decisions!

It is actually incredibly easy to pack on the calories during a night of drinking because most of those calories come from trying to hide the taste of the alcohol. This doesn’t mean that you wine and beer drinkers are safe either, it just means that you have more low-calorie choices than your tequila shooting counterparts.

THE MATH

If you want to enjoy a night of drinking without undoing weeks of hard work, you have to do the math. If your drink of choice is vodka, tequila or any other such spirit the good news is that 1 serving doesn’t have very many calories. You should also know that a serving size of a bottle of 80-proof vodka is just 96 calories per serving. The bad news is that the serving size is 1.5 ounces and that’s without a mixer!

When it comes to beer the math is quite simple. Each bottle is a serving, but those bottles can range anywhere from 64 calories to nearly 300 in just one bottle!

However there is good news. When your alcohol or bartender doesn’t provide calorie content of drinks its difficult to tell if you’re overdoing it. But it is safe to assume that the higher the alcohol content, the more calories a drink will have.

[With so many beer options, finding a low calorie alternative brings to mind the needle and the haystack...]

Low Calorie Beer

The average bottle beer has approximately 150 calories per bottle, and that number increases as alcohol content increases. Beer is usually the first drink ditched by dieters because of the all to common beer belly associated with too much beer consumption, but if you look beyond your favorite watering hole you’ll find plenty of low calorie beer to wet your lips.

Guinness: This dark & lovely often gets a bad rap because of her thick foam and dark body, but Guinness Draught has only 125 calories per 12 ounces. That’s low calorie drink you can enjoy without all the regret.

Under 100-calories Beer: Light beer isn’t often viewed as manly, but I say that means it’s time to redefine what “manly” means because light beer is pretty much the only way you can indulge in more than 1 beer this weekend. Michelob Ultra has just 95 calories per bottle, while Miller Lite has just 96 calories per 12-ounce bottle.

The 2 lowest calorie beers available have less than 70 calories per bottle! We can’t give them the full thumbs up on taste and quality, but Miller Genuine Draft Lite has just 64 calories per bottle, while Pabst Extra Light Low Alcohol has only 67 calories. Beer guzzling dieters should consider these options as Friday night rewards.

Low Calorie Wine

Wine is the trickiest of the alcoholic drinks because its very difficult to convince people that while wine has many positive health benefits, it is not “good” for your diet. So a glass a day may help prevent cancer, but that doesn’t mean it won’t help prevent fitness either!

The darker red wines tend to have a higher calorie count because they tend to have a higher alcohol content. The worst wines in terms of calories are Madiera and Muscatel at 160 calories per 4 ounces, and Port wine comes in at 185 calories per 4 ounce glass. That’s decent if you’re a liquor lightweight, but you multiple glass guzzlers should know that these delicious drinks will require an entire weekend of fasting just to break even for the week!

There are plenty of options however, for wine that has 100 calories or less per glass. Wine drinkers will be pleased to know that the calories in white wine are far friendlier. Chardonnay has just 90 calories per 4 ounces, while Zinfandel and Riesling both have 90 calories. The calories in red wine are similar with 95 calories per glass of Merlot, Rose, or Rhone.

The best option for low calorie wine is actually…champagne. I know what you’re thinking, but one 4 ounce glass of champagne is just 78 calories! That’s a number I can live with, can you?

Low Calorie Alcohol

As I stated before, the calories in alcohol increase with the alcohol content of the drink. All you need to really figure out is what mixers will be most kind to your diet. I find that the more of the alcohol you can taste, the fewer calories are likely in your glass. An added bonus is that when your drink tastes mostly like alcohol, it’ll take longer for you to finish your drink and you’ll feel the effects sooner.

[The martini is just 127 calories and strong enough to get the job done. The olives however...add extra calories!]

Calories In Alcohol: 

Rum (80-proof): 1 ounce is 64 calories
Brandy (80-proof): 1 ounce is 64 calories
Gin (80-proof): 1 ounce is 64 calories
Scotch Whiskey: 1 ounce is 73 calories
Vodka (80-proof): 1 ounce is 73 calories
Whisky (80-proof): 1 ounce is 73 calories
Tequila: 1 ounce is 64 calories

This is just the starting point for your evening. If you add mixers you should know how much damage they will do in calories.

[Rum & diet cola is a popular low calorie drink for about 115 reasons...]

Low Calorie Cocktails

Tom Collins (7.5 oz.) has 120 calories
Sloe Gin Fizz ( 8 oz.) has 120 calories
Rum and diet Coke (10 oz.) has 115 calories
Manhattan (2.5 oz.) has 130 calories
Gin Rickey (7 oz.) has 115 calories
Fuzzy Navel (4 oz.) has 120 calories

A bloody mary is perhaps one of the most calorie conscious drinks available, at just 120 calories for a 5 ounce drink. Another stiff drink with few calories is my favorite, the vodka martini. A 2.5 ounce martini is just 127 calories! Take your favorite spirit, like gin or vodka, and add diet Tonic water for 7.5 ounces of refreshment with only 115 calories! Adding regular Tonic water would give you 170 calories.

See the difference?

[Don't be a baby and order what's easy. Do your homework and have a night on the town that won't wreck your hardwork!]

High Calorie Mistakes

Popular drinks like Margaritas are high calorie hell. An 8 ounce glass of Margarita has 453 calories! That’s an entire meal, while the ever-popular Long Island Ice Tea has a whopping 789 calories per 12 ounces!

You should keep in mind that just because your beer has only 64 calories, doesn’t mean you should drink 7 of them. The best way to avoid regretting a night of alcoholic indulgence is to keep it light and fun. Set a drink limit for yourself so you don’t slam cocktails all night.

Try my favorite trick: drink a glass of water in between drinks to keep you hydrated and to help you slow yourself down. The best way to enjoy alcohol is to let yourself enjoy it responsibly. Binge drinking can wreak havoc on your ability to burn fat.

Now that you’ve sufficiently filled your belly with beer, wine, and spirits, check out our review of The Truth About Six-Pack Abs and see what Mike Geary can do for your abs!

When you’re looking for a quick and healthy side dish that’s easy to prepare, consider the healthy and incredibly delicious baked potato! Forget those bad things you’ve heard about the potato because most of it is…let’s just say less than true.

[This isn't your regular tasteless health food, the baked potato is tasty and packed with nutrients and energy!]

Don’t think of a baked potato as a boring old dinner idea that you choose simply because it’s healthy. With a little creativity, you can turn the baked potato into go-to side dish when you’re too busy to fuss over a meal.

The Goods on the Potato

In addition to being the most grown crop in the world, potatoes are packed with nutrients. Their worldwide popularity means that potatoes are now grown all year long somewhere in the world (but you should buy local!).

When it comes to nutrients potatoes give you a lot. A baked potato has no saturated or trans fats, giving you the option of adding fat to the dish in the form of butter or cheese. One baked potato provides you with a significant source of Vitamin C, dietary fiber, and iron. Small volumes of calcium and protein are also found in baked potatoes.

[Who knew something so good, could be SO GOOD?]

Baked potatoes are a great alternative to bananas as a source of potassium with more than 900 mg per serving to keep those pesky muscle cramps at bay!

So Many Options

If you’re not a fan of the baked Russet potato, take a few extra minutes to really look around the produce section of your supermarket. There are a wide variety of potatoes with different flavors to enjoy.

[So many options for baked potatoes yet so few calories!]

Sweet potatoes are so packed with nutrition that you may just want to bake one up with salt and pepper for a midday snack! Yellow and Yukon gold potatoes have a sweeter taste that’s less starchy than a Russet, but just as delicious. If you’re feeling adventurous consider the blue potato from South America. It’s great for baking, and the nutty flavor is so different from other potatoes. Besides, there just aren’t enough blue foods in this world!

[The calories in a baked sweet potato requires little effort to burn and its so packed with nutrients you'll be glad it tastes so good.]

How To Choose?

You’ve spotted the potatoes that’ll grace your plate this week and now the question becomes, how do I choose the right potatoes?

That’s actually the easy part. Because you can enjoy the skin of potatoes, you want to choose potatoes that are firm, without soft or mushy parts. Most of the “good stuff” in potatoes are found just below the surface of the skin so it’s important that you choose potatoes that are not discolored. Potatoes that are green or wrinkly should be left in the grocery store because they are likely past their prime.

When you bring your potatoes home, store them in a cool dry place to keep the skin in tact. A fruit or vegetable bowl away from windows is ideal until you’re ready to bake.

Preparation

Rinse and scrub your potatoes before you prepare them for baking. This is especially important for baking or any preparation where the skin will be eaten, because generally we humans find the taste of dirt…unappealing.

Plain Baked Potato Recipe

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Poke holes all around the potato and bake it in the oven for about 30-50 minutes, or until tender. Bake times will vary depending on the type of potato you choose.

Tasty Additions:

If you’re like most of us, you can’t just eat a naked baked potato. Unfortunately the fixins are where the problems begin with foods like a baked potato. Now that you know the starting calories in a baked potato, it’s time to school yourself on how those additions stack up.

-1 square (5 grams)of butter is 36 calories
-1 ounce (28 g) of cheddar cheese is 113 calories
-1/2 cup (78 g) of salted broccoli is 27 calories
-2 slices (16 g) of crumbled bacon have 82 calories
-2 tablespoons (30 g) of reduced fat sour cream have 40 calories

Just keep in mind that while the calories in a baked potato leave quite a bit of room to add your favorite toppings, some of these tasty toppings are add a lot of not-so-good stuff to your diet. But you now have the knowledge and power to decide what’s right for you.

[Undoubtedly delicious, is this baked potato worth its 580 calories? Remember portion size is EVERYTHING in weight loss]

Consider baked potatoes as the unsung heroes of diets. They allow you to indulge in carbs without going overboard, they taste incredible and one serving is less than 200 calories! You can’t say that about many other comfort foods! Baked potatoes are definitely a food you can eat for weight loss.

Since that baked potato is going to give you some much needed energy, check out our Turbulence Training review to learn a few ways to burn those calories away.