MY COMMENT:  Snacking is good, but there are times when it’s not.  Never go long stretches without food, but satisfy your hunger with healthy options.

-everydayhealth.com

MY COMMENT:  Nice article on overcoming mental barriers.

Let’s face it- not everybody can be a runner, and in fact a lot of folks shouldn’t even try it. Walking is ok, but doesn’t offer much in terms of higher intensity work.

Spinning, on the other hand, is done on a stationary bike, and with your body weight fully supported, you are able to push yourself much harder than walking.

While spinning classes are considered very difficult, the good news is that you are always in control of your own level of resistance and RPM.

There will be an adjustment period for your legs since biking isolates on the quads, so initially leg fatigue may be your limiting factor. Eventually, however, as your legs gain strength, you’ll be able to tax your cardiovascualar system.

If you are already a walker, stick with it but see if you can’t fit in a spin class 2-3 times a week- it will make a difference!

Light beer, 12 oz, 90 to 110 calories
Regular beer, 12 oz, 150 calories
Red wine, 5 oz, 120 to 150 calories
Rum or whiskey, 1.5 oz, 98 calories
Gin, 1.5 oz, 120 calories Vodka,
1.5 oz, 98 calories

-Can Alcohol Derail Your Diet?

MY COMMENT: Regular beer has approx. the same number of calories as soda.

Obviously (or maybe not) you eat more calories and not-so-healthy choices when you eat out. So why not make your own lunch?

Researchers in Minnesota created an interesting study to test this idea. They recruited 19 women who agreed to eat a prepackaged boxed lunch each day at work for two months. The women were given either a small lunch of 767 calories or a large lunch of 1,528 calories (double the size) and were told to eat as much or as little as they wanted. Data analysis at the end of the study showed that the women who had the larger lunch ate 278 calories more each day
-everydayhealth.com

Just so you don’t find yourself sneaking off to the nearest vending machine, keep your workstation stocked with a better choice of snacks.

Check out this handy list of restaurants at everydayhealth where you can access nutrition information of 50 popular restaurants!

These preliminary results show that low vitamin C status is associated with reduced fat oxidation during submaximal exercise. Low vitamin C status may partially explain the inverse relationship between vitamin C status and adiposity and why some individuals are unsuccessful in their weight loss attempts. -nutritionandmetabolism

MY COMMENT: Vitamin C is cheap and readily available. It would be worth a try to at least take a 500mg supplement daily. Interesting to note “an inverse relationship between vitamin C status and body weight and waist measurements . Also that it was a supplement and not real food that effectively corrected the deficiency and improved fat metabolism.

This does not mean Vitamin C is a weight loss pill- only that it may help you burn fat if your diet is dificient.

MY COMMENT: See if you can’t be the last one finshed at the dinner table. Put the fork down between bites, and thoroughly chew your food.

MY COMMENT: Eating 25 grams of fiber a day won’t leave much room for nutrient deficident high calorie junk. I’d include nuts as a healthy additional source of fiber.