Sensible Diet Tip

Choose healthful snacks; bring healthful food with you to work or in the car. I like to munch on baby carrot sticks while traveling.

Fantasize...

"Fantasize about healthy food. Imagine eating a cold, crisp, and juicy apple and enjoying it. Remind yourself how good you feel after healthy homemade vegetable burritos instead of greasy takeout. When you make yourself think eating healthy food is delicious (even if you don't completely believe it), it is easier to make healthy food decisions."

~ quoted from the Flexitarian Diet by Dawn Jackson Blatner, p. 39

Flat Belly Diet by Liz Vaccariella and Cynthia Sass

Several months ago my husband wanted to purchase a diet pill (that I won’t mention here) and I was concerned that it might be unhealthy for him, so I asked my doctor about it. He said people should never take diet pills because they are not safe. Since talking to my doctor I have heard of one death from the pill in addition to the deaths I heard about previously. The doctor said if people are looking for some quick change without changing their habits it’s just not going to happen and that of all the diets out there the two that follow the healthiest guidelines are the MUFA Diet (Flat Belly Diet) and the South Beach Diet. I checked my library for books on the MUFA Diet and there was one available, but I had to wait for it. It just came available this week.

Back of Books Says:

A Breakthough Plan from the Editors of Prevention

Bye-bye Belly Fat!

Chocolate! Peanut Butter! Avocado! Join the more than half a million women who have found the answer to losing their belly fat while eating satisfying and delicious foods.

With the Flat Belly Diet you can:

· Lose inches in just 4 days
· Drop up to 15 pounds in 32 days
· Eat delicious, satisfying foods
· Never feel hungry
· Boost your energy as the weight falls off!

The books suggests Three Rules for Women (calorie guidelines for men are available at the website)

1. 400 Calories a meal
2. Never go more than 4 hours without eating
3. Eat a MUFA at every meal

You may wonder what on earth is a MUFA… it’s a monounsaturated fatty acid. Many times when people try to lose weight they start avoiding fat, but MUFAS are good fats. They are in the following categories:

1. Oils
2. Olives
3. Nuts and Seeds
4. Avocados
5. Dark Chocolate.

The book contains a list of the food contained within these categories and a huge section of recipes. I already enjoy eating all of those foods and unfortunately many dairy fats as well. If I could just cut out the dairy fat…

From browsing through the book I’ve found out that people can lose weight just by following the rules above, but they also have an exercise plan (surely not a surprise). They suggest exercising 6 days a week with one day of rest. Cardio is done every day in addition to weight resistance training three days a week and stomach exercises the other three days. For more information get a copy of the book and check out the website.

ISBN – 10: 1594868514

Get the Best of Stress

The following is taken from my 2008 Women's Monthly Planner for May 2008. It's from last year, but still good info. The planner is published by The Positive Line.

Keeping tension at bay calls for day-to-day stress management. Learn healthy ways to unwind, such as yoga, and reading uplifting books. Stay ahead of clutter by putting things away promptly and organizing paperwork. To prevent small issues from growing into problems, talk them out with someone you trust. Getting enough sleep, exercise, and good nutrition also fortifies you to combat stress.

For some books that I enjoy both fiction and non-fiction go here.