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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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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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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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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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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The Super Bowl is tomorrow! We are going to a party at my friend’s house. Each couple is supposed to bring some snacks. On the menu so far are:

• Mini pizzas
• Cheese poppers
• Spaghetti
• Spinach dip and chips
• BBQ pork
• Chips
• Mini tacos
• Ice Cream
• Soda
• Beer

What is wrong with this picture? Where are the healthy foods? When I told my friends that I am going to bring a veggie tray, they insist that I bring buffalo wings instead. ‘No one is going to eat…

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I had a great vacation even with the tornado warning at Kennedy’s Space Center. If I had follow my advice to have a snack pack with me at all times, then I would not have been starving when we were finally release from the theater at 4pm. I was the next person in line to pay for my food when they ushered all of us into the theater so I did not have lunch until after 4pm that…

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When I am busy, I loose weight. My weight starts to creep up when I have plenty of free time unless I am consciously monitoring it. My sister, on the other hand, gains weight when she is busy. She forgets to eat and grabs whatever is available at the vending machine. And when she comes home, she crashes in front of the computer screen and mindlessly eats until it is time for bed.

How does your personality affect your goal…

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Studies have shown that the happiest people are those with lower expectations. Google “happiness + expectation,” and you are bound to find articles talking about lowering expectations to increase your happiness. The people most satisfy with their lives reside in Denmark. What is their secret? You guess it — low expectations. They are always pleasantly surprised when things turn out better than they assumed.

What does all this have to do with weight loss success? The “all or nothing” approach some of…

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Most people procrastinate every now and then when faced with unappealing chores or activities, but the persistent procrastinator regularly allow this habit to get in the way of achieving their goals. When it comes to trying to loose weight, the first step is not trying to find motivation to take action, but to understand how this habit is holding you back from success.

1. Pick one healthy behavior that you keep consistently and consciously avoid.
One of my…

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There are many reasons why we gain weight, usually from overeating and not exercising. But did you know there are other hidden factors such as your friends and credit cards that subconsciously make us eat more? Here are three surprising factors for why we gain weight without even realizing it.

1. Your friends
In a New England Journal of Medicine study, for every 10 pounds a person gained, close friends of the same height gained an average of 1-2 pounds. It…

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Ever wonder what it would be like after you loose all the extra padding? Here is a quick glance at that future place we are all striving for:

Your career
Good health and fitness give you more confidence and energy for quick thinking. Whether making a presentation or handling difficult clients, this difference will show. Be prepare to move on up.

Your kids
You move closer to being a perfect parent by getting into shape. Instead of vegging out…

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March — the time of year when spring is just around the corner and the crowds starts to thin out. This is the time of year when regulars get their gym back and the New Year Resolution members slowly drop off the bandwagon — again.

Why is there such a big difference between the regulars and the New Year Resolution crowd? The New Year Resolution crowd might start the year with a new nutrition or exercise program with…

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A friend of mine asked me whether or not calorie shifting work. The idea is that calorie shifting is a strategy to reduce the natural slowdown in your metabolism when it thinks it should go on starvation mode when you are trying to loose weight.

Calorie shifting means changing the kinds of food, the components (protein, carbohydrates, and fats), and calories every few days to shock your metabolism to reduce the likelihood of hitting plateaus. The theory is…

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This article on msnbc makes me a little angry. The man is writing in for advice because his wife is getting too fat for him and he thinks it is all her fault. But here is the kicker, he was not particularly physically attracted to her in the first place, but it seemed to bother him even more now that she is heavier after having his kids.

Recently my husband and I celebrated our 13 year anniversary (we have…

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This article from ABC News got me thinking about the relationship between sleep and your weight. People who get 8 hours of sleep each night tend to weigh less than people who sleep less. Getting enough sleep encourages your body to produce more leptin hormones and less ghrelin hormones. Leptin is the fullness hormone and ghrelin is the hunger hormone. Getting enough sleep reduces your anxiety and depression which may reduce your emotional eating.

To ensure that you…

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Men have only 26 billion fat cells in their bodies. That sounds weird, using the word “only.” Women, on the other hand, have 35 billion fat cells in our bodies. In addition, the fat cells in a woman’s body are 5 times larger than a man’s (more room for storage!).

How dieting impact our fat cells
Dieting shrinks the size of our fat cell, not decrease its number. However, most people end up starving themselves, eating poor…

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I am dying to get home from work today. Yep, today is the expected arrival of my Wii Fit. After reading reviews of the game from nytimes and here, I cannot wait to give it a spin. And to spend the weekend writing a great post about it.

I am not looking to replace my workout dvds any time soon or give away my elliptical machine, but I think it might just add an element of fun…

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Do you find yourself depressed, moody, erratic, volatile, forgetful, and impulsive when you do not get your sugar fix? Can you say no to a small slice of cake without eating half the cake? You just might be addicted sugar like I am. Sugar addiction is a result of low serotonin and beta-endorphin (brain chemicals).

Low serotonin
Serotonin helps control impulsive behavior and mood. When we have low levels of this brain chemical, we cannot “just say…

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I asked a co-worker once how she could be satisfy with a small microwave dinner for lunch every day, approximately 250-300 calories.  She was 53 and I was fresh out of school.  Here I was, wolfing down 400-500 calories every day and still hungry by 3pm.  She said to me : ‘When you get older, your body just need less food.’

Eat less calories at middle age to maintain your weight.
Human metabolism naturally slows down with age. …

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There are many factors that affect how our bodies convert the food we into energy.  Most people, including myself, have no problem with eating enough food to supply our bodies with the energy we need to function (though it is questionable whether we are supplying our bodies with premium or regular fuel).  This post is a discussion of the other side of the energy equation: other than fat storage for excess calories, how are the…

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Like children, sometimes what we hear and what we do when it comes to improving our health are two different things.

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For most of us, our food choices will have the biggest impact on whether or not we will loose weight. In general, we know that daily caloric intake should be our weight multiply by 10. Then you throw in some multipliers such as your activity level plus your age, and voila! You arrive at your “magic number” on what you need to eat in order to loose weight. You can either eat less or burn more (exercise) to…

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I love the “Got Milk?” ads of a celebrity with a milk mustache. I do not know whether these celebrities are regular milk drinkers, but they sure make drinking milk look sexy. And they also reinforce the idea that drinking three glasses of milk a day will lead to weight loss. That is as true as a fairy godmother.

Milk does not help us to lose weight!
The National Dairy Council has spent more than $300 million since 2003…

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Lately I have been obsess with playing DDR - Hottest Party for the Wii, to the point were I am neglecting my normal workout routine.  For the last three weeks, I played that game at every free moment in hopes of passing another level. 

Generally, I am not a big fan of cardio.  I prefer weight lifting or pilates.  I only enjoy cardio that involves lots of movement like step aerobics or kickboxing.  My husband gets…

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