Somebody wrote to me recently and asked for my help. They said that they have recently started a new job with unsocial hours and can’t help eating junk food all the time. They also said that they find it hard to get motivated.

You’ll be pleased to know that there is something that can be done about this, so I’m going to tell you 8 easy to follow steps to take that will help you overcome this problem.

1. Stop buying it:

If you don’t buy junk food you can’t eat it! Look for healthier options and read of the rest of the steps.

2. Eat breakfast:

How many times have you heard that Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I can still hear my mother’s voice! Well, it’s true! A bowl of porridge or cereal will fill you up for the morning. If you don’t have time in the morning then eat a banana and a pot of low-fat yoghurt. Oatmeal bars are also a great snack, full of fibre and healthy for you.

3. Keep healthy snacks at work:

Keep a supply of apples in your desk – they keep a long time. Bananas are a great snack as well as they are ready-wrapped and release energy slowly so you don’t feel hungry quickly after eating one.

4. Eat healthy alternatives:

Instead of a lunchtime burger or high-calorie, high-fat sandwich or roll try making a healthy lunch at home. Buy some brown, oatmeal burger buns and fill with freshly chopped lettuce, low-fat grated cheese, tomato, cucumber etc. Alternatively choose a baked potato with a healthy topping or filling.

5. Keep healthy food in the house:

If you don’t have any junk food in the house, you can only eat good stuff, right?

6. Plan your meals for the week:

Once you have planned your meals you can make a shopping list. Buy only the items on the list and don’t shop when you’re hungry. Cook enough for a few meals and freeze the rest for later in the work when you come home from work tired.

7. Keep active:

Deliberately make your body work harder to do simple, everyday things.  Use the stairs instead of the elevator. While sitting at work or home move your legs up and down as if walking or marching on the spot. Do sit ups, fidget or walk places quickly,

Walk to work and walk home from work. If it’s not feasible to do that then park the car further away from work, or get off the bus a stop earlier and walk the rest. Try going out for walks when you don’t work.

8. Drink plenty of water:

You can lose at least 7-10 extra pounds just by drinking enough water. It also boosts your metabolic rate. When your metabolic rate is raised you will burn fat and lose weight. Water detoxifies your body by flushing out all the toxins. As a result you will feel better and have healthier, clearer skin as an added bonus.

If you really want to lose weight then it is simply a matter of getting into the right frame of mind and deciding that it is something you will do. Don’t think – I will TRY to lose weight but decide I WILL lose weight!

You can if you want to!

Somebody wrote to me recently and asked for my help. They said that they have recently started a new job with unsocial hours and can’t help eating junk food all the time. They also said that they find it hard to get motivated.

You’ll be pleased to know that there is something that can be done about this, so I’m going to tell you 8 easy to follow steps to take that will help you overcome this problem.

1. Stop buying it:

If you don’t buy junk food you can’t eat it! Look for healthier options and read of the rest of the steps.

2. Eat breakfast:

How many times have you heard that Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I can still hear my mother’s voice! Well, it’s true! A bowl of porridge or cereal will fill you up for the morning. If you don’t have time in the morning then eat a banana and a pot of low-fat yoghurt. Oatmeal bars are also a great snack, full of fibre and healthy for you.

3. Keep healthy snacks at work:

Keep a supply of apples in your desk – they keep a long time. Bananas are a great snack as well as they are ready-wrapped and release energy slowly so you don’t feel hungry quickly after eating one.

4. Eat healthy alternatives:

Instead of a lunchtime burger or high-calorie, high-fat sandwich or roll try making a healthy lunch at home. Buy some brown, oatmeal burger buns and fill with freshly chopped lettuce, low-fat grated cheese, tomato, cucumber etc. Alternatively choose a baked potato with a healthy topping or filling.

5. Keep healthy food in the house:

If you don’t have any junk food in the house, you can only eat good stuff, right?

6. Plan your meals for the week:

Once you have planned your meals you can make a shopping list. Buy only the items on the list and don’t shop when you’re hungry. Cook enough for a few meals and freeze the rest for later in the work when you come home from work tired.

7. Keep active:

Deliberately make your body work harder to do simple, everyday things.  Use the stairs instead of the elevator. While sitting at work or home move your legs up and down as if walking or marching on the spot. Do sit ups, fidget or walk places quickly,

Walk to work and walk home from work. If it’s not feasible to do that then park the car further away from work, or get off the bus a stop earlier and walk the rest. Try going out for walks when you don’t work.

8. Drink plenty of water:

You can lose at least 7-10 extra pounds just by drinking enough water. It also boosts your metabolic rate. When your metabolic rate is raised you will burn fat and lose weight. Water detoxifies your body by flushing out all the toxins. As a result you will feel better and have healthier, clearer skin as an added bonus.

If you really want to lose weight then it is simply a matter of getting into the right frame of mind and deciding that it is something you will do. Don’t think – I will TRY to lose weight but decide I WILL lose weight!

You can if you want to!

Losing weight can be an easy task; it just takes dedication and effort. A lot of people think they can just purchase a miracle product and lose weight by next week without doing anything. If only that were true. Think about it, in order to lose weight, one must actually apply themselves to doing it. You can’t win the lottery if you don’t buy a ticket right? Taking action would be one of the most important factors in losing weight and/or accomplishing ANY goal in life.

These weight loss tips should help you get on the right track to losing weight fast and easy, the right way — the healthy way.

To lose weight fast, all you have to do is consume a lot less calories (daily) than you are right now. Calories are units of energy that will either help you, or harm you. If you actually use them, you will benefit from the energy that they give you and without them you might not be able to complete certain tasks. However, if you consume a lot of calories everyday and you do not burn them properly, they will only turn into unwanted fat. Basically, consume less calories = lose weight fast.

Another great weight loss tip would be to walk or jog for at least twenty minutes a day. This will not only help you lose weight, it will also help you remain a healthy human being in general. Swimming, jumping jacks, push ups, sit ups, crunches, mountain climbers, etc. are all things you can do in the comfort of your own room without needing to go to a gym, and they will certainly help you lose weight.

If you apply these tips to your everyday life and add them to whatever diet plan you are on you will definitely notice a difference. You can lose weight fast and easily if you just devote yourself. Don’t give up, just do it!

If you’re on a busy schedule you might not have time to prepare elaborate meals, or restrict yourself from foods you love and serve your family. Here are 4 tips for fast weight loss that won’t take a lot of time.
Have breakfast. Skipping breakfast leads to low blood sugar mid morning which results in cravings for sugary foods to pump the blood sugar back up. A vicious cycle results and continues throughout the day. Your breakfast should consist of whole grains, a protein source and fruit. It doesn’t have to be fancy. A slice of whole wheat toast spread with a tablespoon of low fat peanut butter and an apple will do just fine. Or you could mix 1/2 cup of nonfat cottage cheese with chopped fresh peaches and a couple of whole wheat crackers. Another possibility is a scrambled egg served on an English muffin with a glass of orange juice.
If you work outside the home, brown bag your lunch. It’s tempting to run out to the nearest fast food joint for a high fat, high carb lunch. If you pack your lunch you have control of what you eat and won’t be tempted by a burger and fries. If you have a fridge and microwave at your office, and who doesn’t these days, you can serve up a delicious salad and soup lunch. As an added benefit you will save money. The average fast food lunch these days costs around $7.00. And you can use the time you save to run errands, relax or take a walk around the block.
Plan for your snacks so you won’t be hitting the vending machines or the cookie jar. There are lots of prepackaged alternatives at the grocery store that offer low fat, low calorie, but tasty snacks. Prepackaged costs more than the big bags but you get portion control in return. You can also package up your own snacks. Keep the calorie count to about 100. Fresh fruit and veggies are a given, but you can also have popcorn without the butter, saltine crackers with low fat cheese, a cup of soup, a handful of nuts, or pretzel sticks. Put your selected snacks in a zip lock bag and place in the fridge, when you feel the urge, they’ll be ready and waiting.
What you drink counts in your calories for the day. It’s easy to forget that fruit juice, sodas, sweetened ice tea, and cafe mocha, all add up. Water is always your best bet as a refreshing drink. Add a slice of lemon or lime for flavor. Or a crushed strawberry, a few raspberries or a peach slice. You can keep a pitcher of ice water on your desk, or kitchen counter and it will remind you to drink more. Keep single serving bottles in the freezer to grab on your way out. Put the bottled water in front of the juice, milk, and sodas and you’ll be tempted to drink the water instead of the other liquids. Just cutting out two sodas a day can significantly drop your calorie count.
Follow these tips and you’ll be able to lose weight quickly without a lot of time and effort.

Presentation is critical at a spa for several reasons. Garnishes take up space on the plate tricking you into thinking that there’s more food than there really is. If you’re creating an at home spa experience for a fast weight loss program, then do what the experts do and use garnishes.
Contrasts between colors and textures, say a glistening ruby red strawberry against juicy orange slices set off by a dark green curly kale leaf increases the appreciation of the food. Thinly sliced lemon slices alternating with springs of Italian parsley is another easy to do garnish. A radish rose offset by three cucumber slices is a pretty bouquet. Use your imagination when garnishing a plate.
The garnishes don’t have to be edible, although they shouldn’t be toxic of course. Raw kale with its dark green ruffled leaves makes a lovely garnish but in its raw state it’s too bitter to actually eat. Edible flowers make beautiful garnishes. A curled strand of lemon, grapefruit, or orange peal isn’t edible, unless you’re desperate, but does add scent from the essential oils in the peel and color to the plate.
Arrange the food artistically on the plate. For example: one chicken breast can be cut into three slices horizontally, or 6 slices vertically, and then overlapped on the plate. It looks like considerably more food. Place a fruit slice between each slice of chicken, or an herb sprig for even more color and appeal.
Whether it’s a crystal glass with a slice of lime on its rim, a soup bowl with a paprika sprinkle or a dinner plate with wreath of herbs, garnishes are a spa standby.
Use undersized plates when serving spa cuisine, a lunch plate and a small salad bowl instead of a large dinner plate. Use a contrasting charger, a large oversized plate, under the lunch plate for a look of luxury. The servings will look like more. In the same vein, serve courses. Garnish each course. An appetizer, salad, soup, and entree take longer to serve and eat than an entree with a cup of soup. Your stomach needs 20 minutes to signal your brain it’s full. If you serve an appetizer and then salad, by the time you’re finishing the soup, your tummy is saying you’ve had enough, so you won’t overdo on the entree. Keep portions tiny so you don’t overdo the amount of food you’re eating at the meal.
Take the time to use the good dishes, silverware and glasses. Seltzer water straight from the bottle is fine for slaking your thirst after a workout, but it is so much more elegant when served in a crystal glass and garnished with a mint sprig. And that’s another trick. Use herbs to flavor the water without adding calories. Don’t stick with just mint. Lavender adds a floral note, basil and tarragon add a taste of licorice. A cucumber slice with a bit of dill is a refreshing change from sweet beverages.
Use tips and tricks from the spa cuisine masters for your fast weight loss program.