t is hard to start new habits, we all know that. I have compiled a few tips to make it easier to start a habit. Remember, once you get past the first 30 days or so it becomes much easier and you can reap the benefits of this new habit for a long time to come

1. It takes 30 days A month is about what it takes to create a habit. During that first month you will encounter most of the obstacles that normally make you revert back to your old ways. Be aware of this before hand and plan for it. Have a good support system in place. Choose people that you can talk to before hand and let them know what you need them to say to you in order to keep you on track. Remember that only you know what is going to work for you so tell your friends so that they can support you.

2. Plug away every day Espically during the first 30 days, keep it up. Don’t let any excuse get in the way of your new commitment. The first time you break your word to yourself on this issue may be hard, but it will get easier after that, so don’t let it happen.

3. K.I.S.S. (Keep it simple sweetie) If you try to change everything at once, you will likely become overwhelmed and throw the whole idea out the window. If your habit is exercise, then workout out one time a day for x amount of time and that is all, don’t do anything more. Remember moderation is the key to all things. Do the task then enjoy the rest of your day.

4. Keep your new habit in plain sight As the newness of this new habit starts to wear off, it may become easy to forget. If you can’t do it first thing in the morning, put reminders around the house or in your cell phone. Remember that you have a long history of doing things the old way and your history will do its best to keep it that way.

5. Bring along a friend Find someone who wants to establish the same habit you do. Report regularly to each other and hold each other accountable in a kind and supportive way.

6. Replace the what you are giving up If you are quitting smoking, for instance, one thing you might miss is the time you relaxed when you smoked and the deep breathing that naturally occurs. Maintaining a time that you can sit and relax and do some deep breathing exercises will increase your chances of success. If you reward yourself with food, find something else that is rewarding to replace the food with. Find out what you are giving up and make sure that you replace it.

7. Accept yourself You are going to mess up, you will make mistakes. The key is to get right back up and get going again. Beating yourself up giving up will only make it harder to start on this path again. See how you messes up, find out what was missing, fix it and move on.

8. Write it down Write down what it is that you desire to achieve. Be specific, the more specific the better. Where will you be when you reach your goal? Who will be with you? What season will it be? And so on… The more detail you go into the more likely you are to succeed. Look at your paper daily. Feel what it will feel like when you know that you have established this habit or reached this goal. Spend 30 seconds feeling the feelings. This will empower you to keep going.

9. Do it for you, only you Don’t do it for someone else or because you think you should, these habits won’t stick. Do it because you think that it will make your life better and it is something you believe in. You know you better than anyone, cherish and honor your opinion.

If you choose to put these tips into practice, you will create habits. Remember to take it slow and be kind to yourself, celebrate the successes no matter how small and enjoy the journey.

The reason is simple. I got my lost weight back in just as short a period of time. You see, most diet plans in the ads on the internet and in magazines claim that you can lose weight fast.

What actually happen is these diets are temporary and mainly due to loss of water weight. Once we re-hydrate, we gain back our lost weight.

More reasons that fad diets are a no-no.

1. It usually asks you to just consume a single food type. You will then miss out on the nutrition of other food. This is actually harmful to your body.

2. Fad diet may include vitamins and supplements to replace food that you missed. Sometimes, these supplements are not absorbed into your body unless you take them with other types of food. Unfortunately, these foods were excluded from the fad diets.

3. These diets are unappetizing that you need strong willpower to complete the course. Once you give up by binging, you not only not lose weight but also lose your self esteem.

4. These diets offer only temporary solutions. Although you stick to the strict regime, you will tend to gain weight once you complete the plan, and regain your old eating habits (no fault of yours as your body needs the nutrition).

So you see, don’t trust the ads on such diet plans that promise quick weight loss as they never work long term.

The best way for a more permanent and natural weight loss is to eat a variety of healthy foods, and exercise regularly. Of course there are other easy weight loss methods in the market other than fad diets. You just have to do some research to pick the right ones.

Because of the reluctance of regulatory authorities to add a “weight loss†medication to the list of approved medications, the sales of Acomplia have been only modest (around $120m last year). Relatively this is a good performance because European patients have been buying this product out of their own pockets. Nevertheless, it is disappointing that such a good product as Acomplia cannot be more widely accepted. For example, the German regulatory authority has refused to reimburse patients out of public funds because it views Acomplia as a lifestyle product.

This starkly contrasts with the public policy stance of the British government which has made the fight against obesity in the young one of its top medical priorities. This is a particularly positive move towards preventative medicine by a country that believes it is facing an “obesity crisisâ€. The more overweight you get, the greater the risks of heart disease or diabetes. Both of these represent long-term and expensive conditions to treat in a public health system. It is therefore good value for money to get as many as possible to use Acomplia and reduce their weight while young.

In the United states, the Food and Drug Administration has been reluctant to give any recognition to Acomplia after a link was made to one or two very rare cases in which individuals who happened to be taking Acomplia attempted suicide. So far, there is no clinical evidence to support a general link between Acomplia and suicide. More clinical trials are underway and Sanofi-Aventis expects to have new evidence to submit to the FDA in 2009. But this experience with Acomplia has become increasingly common. Many new and effective medications have been approved for the European market but have not received FDA approval. Several European manufacturers have indicated that they may ignore the US market in future even though it is the largest in the world. They all complain that the FDA’s demands for more and more clinical data prior to approval has become unreasonable.

It is not clear why the FDA has grown more demanding. It may be that the process has become more political in the US after the approval of Vioxx became the focus of litigation and hearings on Capitol Hill. There are also funding problems as the agency struggles to consider more applications for approval with a reducing budget. As it is, US television and print media are full of advertisements for medications. This is the land of the hard sell. Europe does not permit national advertising campaigns for prescription medications. In one sense, this makes Acomplia’s market penetration in Europe all the more impressive. Positive word-of-mouth has been selling the product. Thus, if you live in the UK, you can enjoy the benefits of Acomplia to reduce your weight on the NHS. Elsewhere, you can pay for this product confident that, in conjunction with a low calorie diet and physical exercise, it will significantly reduce your weight.

Can you pass this challenge? The 5 health foods that aren’t as healthy as you think.

1. Yogurt- Everyone who is dieting loves yogurt. And yogurt in and of itself is a great food to eat when considering yogurt. But hold the phone…before you buy a couple cases of your favorite yogurt, you should know this….most flavored yogurt on the market is loaded with sugar, sometimes as much as a candy bar. Worse yet, much of this sugar is in the form of high fructose corn syrup.

Best Bet Opt away from the sugary flavored yogurts and instead purchase the plain yogurt. Too boring for ya? Add some fresh fruit to mix.

2. Cereals- Breakfast is important but most of the cereals out there pander to our “desert minded” selfs, loading up their products with sugar. Forget about the nutrients for a second. If you are eating a cereal that has more than 6 grams of sugar, then you should reconsider your breakfast philosophy. Also, look for cereals that are high in fiber (4 grams or higher) as these will make you feel fuller longer thus reducing the chances of you grabbing a danish pastry mid-morning “pick-me-up”

Best Bet Oatmeal is probably one of the best fast breakfast foods out there. Want more “ummmmphhh”…add a boiled egg. The added protein will work wonders with keeping you going through to lunch.

3. Slim Fast Shakes- Ounce for ounce, a slim fast shake packs almost the same whallop as drinking a real shake. Once again, it is all about the sugar content, which Slim Fast more than accounts for. Don’t believe me? Check out the label. The first four items on the label are sugar, sugar, sugar,…and milk. And although Slim Fast claims a whopping 12 grams in protein, bear in mind that you can get the same amount in a glass of skim milk.

Best Bet Skip the shake and instead opt for a glass of milk. Milk is high in protein and other nutrients and the fat in milk will help you feel full.

4. Nutri-Grain Bars(and other like-minded bars)- You have to hand it to the marketers. They have managed to think that their “snack bars” are healthy. Actually, most multi-grain bars are nothing more a glorified candy bar. With less than a gram of fiber and high fructose corn syrup as its main ingredient, this bar is far from a healthy snack alternative.

Better Bet Rather than grabbing a nutri-grain bar, why not opt for an apple instead. The pectin in apples will make you feel full and with 2 grams of fiber in each fruit, this will not cause that “sugar surge” that you will get from eating a mid-day sugar snack.

1. Strength Training Will Increase Your Bone Density- Now I know that this point is not really a diet point but consider this. The stronger your bones are the less likely they will break. This isn’t such a big deal if you are young but the older you get, the more important this is a factor. And ultimately, our bone density starts to diminish as we age.
2. If you want more energy, you should Strength Train- Once again this may not be considered a good proponent for weight loss but let’s look at this from another angle. If you have more energy, chances are you are going to be more active. And if you are more active….you get the point, right?
3. Strength Training Will Actually Increase Your Metabolic Rate-Your metabolic rate is important in factoring in how many calories you burn sitting still. There is documented proof that by strength training, you <em>will</em> burn more calories over a longer period of time than if you were to do cardio (try up to 12 hours longer)
4. Strength Train for overall health and happinessStudies have found that Strength Training will help you reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and a plethora of other diseases associated with weight. It can even help with depression. In other words, rather than grabbing a donut to ward off those blues, you will be happier if you strength train.
5. Strength Train to prevent backaches-<u>True Story</u>: I used to run every day and suffered from a very sore lower back almost on a daily basis. This not only caused me pain but also made me more sedentary that I would like to have been. I incorporated a back and core routine before and guess what happened? You betcha…my back aches disappeared.
6. If you don’t use it, you lose it OR why you should Strength Train to prevent muscle mass lossOn average, after you hit the big 3-0, you can bet on losing 5-7 pounds of muscle every 10 years. What does that mean to you? Well, a loss of muscle equates to less calories needed (which is why many people get fat as they age). You can offset this by eating fewer calories OR strength train to keep you muscles taut and firm.

The drugs work by increasing the serotonin levels in the brain, making it believe that the stomach is already full, thereby, increasing the person’s metabolic rate. Unfortunately for the manufacturers, it was found that incidence of heart valve disease were connected to the use of the weight control pills and were rapidly removed from the shelves. Of course the manufacturers did not give up that easily and new drugs were created, these drugs are still being prescribed even though the Federal Drug Administration has not yet approved them.

These weight loss pills have become popular and you can almost guarantee that you will know of someone who has tried them with success. It is a tempting proposition, to lose weight while still maintaining the same diet; who would say no? This approach has seen consumers spend millions of dollars every year and has generated huge profits for the drug companies who manufacture and sell the weight loss drug.

An individual wishing to buy weight control pills can do so over-the-counter or have them prescribed by their doctor; however there are still health risks associated with their use. But they are not the only side effects and some can be more harmful than others. These include heart attacks, tremors, strokes, hallucinations and renal failure.

Of course, many factors can affect the type and severity of problems like family history, weight, age and lifestyle; this is why it is so important to see the doctor before starting a course of pills; should you decide to stop taking the treatment, other side effects can occur as a result. The side effects experienced by users of weight loss pills can include noticeable mood swings, hyper-activity, stomach pains, insomnia, nightmares, severe irritability, extreme fatigue, depression, nausea, vomiting and trembling.

Despite all the bad publicity, weight loss drugs do work but they are more successful if they are used in conjunction with a low calorie diet and regular exercise, preferably using a properly worked out exercise regime. The type of balanced food groups would be oats, cereals, rice, potatoes with fruit and vegetables as the best source of minerals, fiber and vitamins.

Exercising will need to be carried out if you want to benefit from the healthy food option but this probably needs to be worked out in advance with your physician. A good exercise plan with the use of weights will help improve the body’s ability to burn off the calories and maintain a healthy heart.

The incidence of diabetes has increased dramatically in recent years, and it’s no coincidence that obesity has as well. The good news is that type 2 diabetes, the one most closely linked to weight and lifestyle, can be prevented or delayed by losing weight and increasing physical activity! Doctors notice significant improvements with a loss of as little as 10-15 pounds. This small weight loss can lower your blood glucose, your blood pressure, and your blood fats. Talk about an incentive!

How do you start?

The most difficult part about any diet is getting started. Old habits are hard to break, but even small changes add up to huge benefits! Be sure to meet with your doctor prior to starting any kind of diet or exercise program. To get started, write down a few manageable short-term goals. Make them something that you can realistically achieve in a period of one month. For example, you could strive to lose 5 pounds, commit to walking 30 minutes 3 x week, and make healthy food choices 5 days a week, leaving weekends for the occasional splurge. Make your goals as specific as possible. You’ll have a better chance of attaining them.

Purchase a journal or tablet and record everything you eat and all of your physical activity. The process of journaling can be very motivating.

Spend a few minutes alone each day quietly reflecting on your goals and what you need to do to achieve them. Visualize yourself at the end of the month, five pounds lighter, and more confident. When you visualize, see the details, not just the big picture. See specifically what you must do to make this happen. Imagine what you will wear, how you will feel, and what others will say. It’s all in the details!

What about activity?

Exercising a minimum of 30 minutes a day is absolutely essential! To make this task easier, find an activity that you enjoy and think of it as “playing.” Remember that everything you do, whether it’s walking, raking leaves, or washing the car, burns more calories than sitting in your easy chair. Look for things to enjoy during your work out. Notice the beautiful weather, the pretty flowers, or just be grateful that you are capable of performing this activity. If you prefer to be social, join a gym or recreational center. If you don’t like the great outdoors, walk in your local mall. If you’re too intimidated to work out in front of others, buy or rent a walking DVD, or check out different exercise DVDs from your video store or library. For every excuse that you come up with, there will be a way to get around it! Accept that this is what you will need to do for the rest of your life and work on your attitude! You can learn to love activity, or at the very least, appreciate what it does for your health and well-being!

What about food?

A diabetic weight loss diet is very similar to any other weight loss diet. The bottom line is you must eat less and burn more. Many type 2 diabetic patients are put on a 1500-1800 calorie diet, depending on age, sex, fitness level, and weight. Carbohydrates would typically make up about 50% of your daily calories, as a low carbohydrate intake is associated with low blood sugar levels. Carbs are generally found in starchy foods, fruits, and milk. Remember that your body will convert the carbohydrates you eat into glucose, so portion control is essential to keep your blood sugar regulated. Get used to weighing or measuring your portions until you can “eyeball” portion size. Like most diets, a diabetic weight loss diet should consist of healthy fats. Saturated fats should be replaced with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Think olive oil and canola oil as opposed to butter and margarine! Be careful though. Since you’re trying to lose weight, you’ll want to limit your intake of oil, even healthy oils, to 2-3 teaspoons a day. As with most diets, you want to choose mostly lean protein, green leafy vegetables, and complex carbohydrates.

The Food Nutrition Label is the most valuable resource that you have to help you make healthy choices on a diabetic weight loss plan. Learn how to read and understand the label.

What about sugar and salt?

As with all weight loss plans, you’ll want to control the amount of sodium you consume. Try to get in the habit of using ‘lite” salt or no-sodium products such as Mrs. Dash. If you enjoy cooking, experiment with fresh spices as an alternative to adding salt.

Added sugar has no nutritional value and is often replaced with artificial sweeteners. Sugar doesn’t have to be completely avoided, but your carbohydrate intake for the day should be taken into effect if you plan to eat sugar.

What about the Glycemic Index?

Different carbohydrates behave differently in your body. The Glycemic Index is a ranking of carbohydrates based on the effect they have on your blood glucose levels. The carbohydrates are ranked as High (70 and above), Medium (56-69), and Low (55 and below). Carbohydrates ranked “Low” only produce a small fluctuation in your blood glucose and insulin levels, and are the ones you want to consume. Eating low GI foods will keep you balanced and satisfied longer.

To move towards a Low Glycemic Index diet, make healthier choices. The American Diabetes Association recommends eating breakfast cereals consisting of oats, barley, and bran, breads made of whole grains, fruit and vegetables, salads with vinaigrettes, pasta and quinoa, and basmati rice.

As with all weight reduction plans, the diabetic weight loss diet requires that you learn to make healthy substitutes. Instead of fried foods, broil, grill, or bake your foods. Choose lean meats, avoid sauces and creamy dressings, avoid cream-based soups, choose low-fat yogurt over sweets, and avoid added sugar.

“How’d it go this week?†I queried as we sat down for her consultation. “Terrible.†Disappointment, self-disapproval and her profound sense of failure oozed from her being. She gazed at the floor and avoided eye contact. “Terrible, huh.†I repeated. I was thinking that I have heard this hundreds, maybe thousands of times in my almost twenty years in practice helping people lose weight. â€What was so terrible? If I may ask…†“It was my son’s birthday week, and I had a piece of birthday cake. Then we went out for Mexican food, and I had some chips. I completely blew the diet.†“Ok,†I responded in a soft tone that lets my clients know I am confident in my ability to help them. “May I ask you a couple of questions?†“Sure,†she muttered looking up only to reach for a tissue. “In our work together, we’ve talked less about dieting and more about eating a minimum of five to six times per day. How many times did you eat in an average day this week?†“Four to five.†She dabbed the makeup at the corners of her eyes with the tissue. “Ok… first… that’s up from one to two times per day before you and I started working together. That alone is definitely movement in the direction you want to go, right?†“I guess.†My acknowledgement clearly did NOT make her feel better. “So that’s about thirty eating events for the week, two were off target. How did the other twenty-eight stack up? Were they on target? Not on target?†“No, they were pretty much on target.†I paused being sure that we made eye contact to drive the communication home, “Melissa, do you realize what you are telling me? Twenty-eight of your thirty eating events for the week were on target… but you had a terrible week?†Understanding that the evidence simply weighed too heavily in my favor, she relented. “Yeah, I guess that doesn’t make sense, does it?†“No, it really doesn’t. But in your defense, this is the way you have been trained to think by our compadres in the weight loss and diet industry - one ‘mistake’, and you have failed. You have ‘broken’ your diet. One ‘mistake’ completely and totally negates whatever you did that was on target.†I paused for emphasis. “Does it feel better when you realize that you were over ninety percent on target?†“A LOT better. I didn’t realize… I had no idea.†she had stopped crying. “I have never thought of it like that.†“I know. This is VERY common. This is one of the most important things that I help people with through this weight loss counseling. But that’s not all, Melissa,†I continued. “Last year and the year before, your son had a birthday week, right?†“Yeah?†she wondered where I was going. “Were you on a ‘diet’?†“No.†“What percentage of your diet would you say was on target during those weeks?†“Oh… maybe ten percent if it was a good week,†she countered with a little more spark. She put the tissue down. “So… not only were you twenty-eight of thirty on target through a relatively difficult week this week. You were over ninety percent on target in contrast with maybe ten percent last year and the year before during the same week!†She sat up. “Wow,†she muttered in an understated tone. It seemed that she was a bit perplexed. “Wow!†Melissa was more animated now. “I guess that’s pretty significant, huh?†she said with a calculated certainty. “Then I did good, didn’t I,†she had seen her accomplishment with clarity for the first time. “From ten percent on target to ninety percent on target? I’d say so,†I confirmed. Melissa was alert, engaged and excited about her newly revealed accomplishment!

Is the psychological context in which the weight control endeavor is “held†important? It is BEYOND “importantâ€; it is CRITICAL! Which Melissa is more likely to succeed at lifelong weight control? The Melissa disempowered and defeated Melissa who moped into my office or the Melissa who was empowered and accomplished a few minutes later?

That’s the way it looks from here at The Castle…

1. Diets must be flexible and allows you to eat the kinds of food you enjoy

2. Healthy diets that promote 4-6 healthy mini meals a day to prevent cravings 3. One that promotes eating fat, This doesn’t mean that you have the license to eat any fat that you want. A good diet should consist of naturally occurring fats, such as avocado, coconut milk, and even meat.

There should be no deep-fried food and processed oils, which contain the bad fat - trans fat.

4. Healthy diets that reject sugar from your daily diet. Although as it is addictive, going sugar free is a challenge - but what you to note here is sweets are not meant to be taken every day.

Regular intake of sugar and refined carbohydrate numbs your body to the effects of important metabolic hormones such as insulin and leptin. This means that your body will store more fat and you will always feel hungry!

Therefore cutting out energy drinks and any kind of sugary drinks are highly recommended.

5. Diets that include protein and fiber with every meal and snack. Both are essential to a healthy body.

6. Meals must have variety. Eating the same kind of foods can lead to boredom and lack of motivation.

7. Lastly, ask yourself, can you manage this diet long term say in a year or two. It must be manageable and help you lose weight gradually.

Therefore, take your time when choosing healthy diets that work for you.

It must suit your lifestyle, improve your eating habits in a healthy manner and it must have variety to keep you motivated.

But if you’re not too sure which of the many healthy diets that can work for you - try Fat Loss 4 Idiots. Not only does it meet the 7 points above, it has days when you can cheat on the diet and eat any kind food you love. Nothing beats the occasional indulgence of your favorite food, like a piece of cheesecake or dark chocolate.