Three years ago, I started working out on a regular basis. I joined an all women gym. This is not Curves, where they have a limited number of machines and put you through a circuit for 30 minutes. This is a small gym, but it had cardio machines, weight machines and classes. Sure it did not have the variety of 24 Hr Fitness, but you only need a few basic items to get into shape.

Previously, when I had access…

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Growing up skinny made it very difficult for me to change my eating habits. I grew up with people telling me to eat and with the belief that I can eat whatever and whenever I want. I was not an athletic kid, but I did not need activity to keep my weight under control. I never had any food issues because I ate to fuel the body. So what changed?

My diet changed from my mom’s traditional Chinese cooking…

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The cold bug is circulating around the office. I felt its nip last week, but the symptoms did not start appearing until this week. Like most beginners, I am afraid that I might loose the momentum of working out if I rest for a few days. It is so easy to just sit in front of the TV or play some mindless computer game. A year ago, this would not even be an issue for me. I would take any…

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My friend, Nina, loved food. She is always the one organizing our group’s lunches, birthday parties, or dinners. My groups of friends get together over food at least once a week. It is easy for us to make plans for these food related events since we work for the same company. The week before Christmas, we attended 3 different office Christmas parties by inviting each other to the different department parties.

Since deciding that I want to loose weight, I…

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My strategy for limiting my calories for my lunch with some friends worked great! I ate and joked with my friends without overstuffing myself. However, I still got fuller than I wanted (I am trying to cruise on 3/4 of a tank after each meal), but not as stuffed as I could have been. So I was feeling really happy that my pre-planning paid off.

I was so happy that I decided to call my husband…

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I found a picture of myself at a company picnic four years ago at my desk when I was cleaning it out last year. I was in shorts and a baggy company t-shirt. I was next to my co-worker, Ian. Ian was in his 30s and I was in my mid-20s at the time. Who do you think actually looks healthy and vibrant in that photo? It sure was not me. But I got the…

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According to a study done by Rutgers University, premenopausal women need 1000 milligrams or more of calcium daily when dieting to prevent osteoporosis.* That is 2-3 servings of dairy products such a milk or yogurt.

I am guilty of not getting enough calcium even with I am not dieting. I am mildly lactose intolerant (mildly because I can still have ice cream!), so I rarely have milk in my diet and milk related foods such as…

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Alli is promoted on TV and magazine ads as a powerful companion if you are trying to loose weight. I am a little curious if it will help the average Jane like me. The ads feature women who are not really obese, just a little overweight like me.

It is the lower dosed version of the prescription drug, Xenical. You take the capsule 3 times per day with your meal. However, you have to modify your…

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Adult who lost 30 pounds or more and are able to keep the weight off for more than one year do so by regularly monitoring their weight on a scale.* I can see how the idea of constantly monitoring your weight might prevent weight gain. By becoming aware of when you have a problem, you can quickly nip it at the bud. For example, I would not keep using my debit card and checkbook without…

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In order to keep your motivation at times when you are not seeing any results require more than wanting to look good. Wanting to look good will only last as long as when realize you do not want to look good anymore. The effort is not worth it. Sometimes it takes years to finally work through the issues that are stopping you from permanently loosing the weight. There are tips and tricks to help loose and manage…

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We know that men are from Mars and women are from Venus. Since we are from different planets, it is no surprise for me to find that the two genders approach loosing weight differently.

Mentality
When women think about loosing weight, they think about going on a diet. When men think about loosing weight, they think about getting fit.

Eating
Though both genders tend to eat in response to positive emotions (ie. celebrations or promotions), men usually can stop at…

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We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavors, and furniture polish is made from real lemons — Alfred E. Newman

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A year ago, my husband and I decided to loose some weight together. We ate the same meals and exercised. And you probably guess this — three months later he is down 10 pounds and I loss a measly 3 pounds. So the moral of this story? Do not try to loose weight with your husband! It’s depressing and causes you to eat to ease that depression. Just kidding.

From this little experiment, I notice that men do have an advantage over…

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Do you have an excuse for why you cannot exercise? Do you find yourself using any of the excuses below?

1. I will only exercise if I have to.
For people that make this kind of statement, what are you waiting for? After a breakup? After a heart attack? After you gained 50 pounds? Why does it take something extreme to motivate you to improve your health? Doesn’t it make more sense to prepare your body before these painful events so you will…

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Restaurant portion sizes are huge these days. I can usually go to a Ruby Tuesdays and have half of my meal for lunch the next day. Sure, I complain about not being able to control my weight, but I have physically remove half of my food from my plate prior to eating enough times last year that it is not a real problem for me any longer. However, I find that I come to expect large portions from…

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Most people spend 30-40% of their waking hours sitting in front of a computer at work. I actually spend more time than that since I usually like to end my evenings reading other blogs and news before going to bed (Please tell me that I am not the only one voluntarily spending more time in front of a computer at home). A car accident two years ago messed up my back. Various activities will make…

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Like Jen, I have tried various other “diets.” They just do not work for me. The reason why is that they always require such a HUGE modification of my current…

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I have a friend who starts the New Year with a new gym membership for the last five years. Inevitably, she would stop going within one month. I finally asked her what is the reason she quitted each time, she said:

‘I am afraid I will look stupid because I do not know what is going on at the gym.’

Oh, I understand that feeling all too well. I remember when I started at the gym for the first…

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Microwave dinners are a stable in my brown bag lunches. It provides instant portion control and convenience when we do not have any leftovers from the night before for lunch the next day. I prefer microwave dinner to fast food for lunch when I have the option.

Microwave dinners are not the salt pit that it once used to be. When combined with a piece of fruit or a salad, it can make a healthy meal for someone watching…

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It is great to have healthy food at home, but unless you are on house arrest, there will be times when you need to leave the house. You should always have a snack and water with you at environments within your control, such as at work and in the car.

By having these two things easily accessible at places where you spend a lot of your time, you enjoy these two important benefits: 1. you save money from…

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Sometimes when you want to eat when you are not hungry, the best thing to do is to distract yourself. However that is not always possible when you are in an office meeting and the box of donuts is just sitting in front of you at the conference table. Unless you love your work and the conversation is so simulating that you can forget about all the other random thoughts rattling inside your head, you…

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If you haven’t notice by now, whenever I talk about food, it usually revolves around convenience. And one of the most convenient food items available at your local supermarket is the rotisserie chicken.

Getting enough protein in your diet is important when you are trying to loose weight. It takes your body longer to digest protein than carbs. You feel full far much longer when you include protein in your meal than you would with just…

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According to a study by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, people pour more into short, wide glasses than tall, skinny glasses. On average, people pour 19% more into short glasses regardless of the type of drink.*

I tried this experiment at home. Since I already know about this theory, I was careful when pouring into a short, wide tumbler and a tall, skinny glass. Then I pour each of them into a glass measuring cup, and I was…

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Living a healthy lifestyle will only deprive you of poor health, lethargy, and fat.

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It would be nice to know how many calories are in that plate of pasta or sandwich before eating it when you dine out. Knowing the information might not deter you from eating the burger, but at least it would make you think twice about eating the fries. You can try looking up the information online beforehand or you can try these tricks that I use to estimate the calories when dining out.

Step 1: Break down…

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As emotionally balanced adults, some of us never came out of the childhood stage with regards to food. As responsible adults, we learn that all actions have consequences. When we were children, we think for the present moment. The food taste good, we put it your mouth.

Stop talking about food as if you are a child.
Most of us feel deprive when we trying to loose weight because we attach emotions to food with baby talk.

• ‘It’s…

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