Don't Get Carried Away When Eating Out

Many people enjoy going out to a restaurant or a fast food spot with family or friends and who can blame them? The food is cooked for you, brought to your table, and you do not have to wash or clean anything when you are finished. Simply enjoy the food and the atmosphere is all you have to do.

Statistics show that 65% percent of Americans eat out at least one time per week. This number has risen drastically over the past twenty years as fast food has become more prevalent throughout large cities across the country. However those of you focusing on losing weight and developing a healthier lifestyle need to be cognizant of what is consumed when dining out so that you do not wreck havoc on your healthy agenda. Just because you are eating away from home does not mean you have to go hog wild and order everything in sight.

In other words, enjoy your time but don't lose complete self control when dining out.

When you try and minimize the amount of damage eating out can cause to your plan, you will find yourself much more content with the fact that you can go out and eat, and at the same time not interrupt your healthy lifestyle. Here are a few tips to consider when going out to a restaurant or fast food spot.

Opt For Healthy Choices
Try and select something from the menu that is healthy, or at least more healthy that the majority of the other options offered. If that is not possible, then at least request to substitute a unhealthy option for something else. For example, if you are going to order a hamburger, instead of the fries and soda that are generally served alongside, ask for a cup of fruit and regular water. Much better to just have one slightly unhealthy choice instead of three unhealthy options all at once.

Watch That Portion Size
Generally the portion size at a fast food place is way too much. This is especially true at sit down restaurants where the plates are often oversized which means more space for food. Remember, you don't have to eat every single thing on your plate. When you start feeling full, that means you probably had plenty to eat so why not just take the rest home to have for lunch the next day?

Get A "To Go" Box
One of the best tips you should start getting used to especially if you often eat at restaurants is to ask the waiter to bring a "to go" box (sometimes referred to as a doggie bag) right at the start of the meal. That may sound strange, but reason being is when your meal arrives, immediately put half the food into the container and put it away to take home with you. This will eliminate half the calories you will eat, thus making the amount you're putting into your body much more reasonable.

Salad and Healthy Soups
If you want something healthy or a low calorie option, salads and some soups are definitely options you should see if they offer. If you do opt for a salad, inquire about light dressing or vinaigrette, and soups such as vegetable or chicken noodle are great, whereas soups with the words "potato", "cream of", or "cheese" in the name are not as healthy.

Drinks Lots of Water
Last but not least, drink plenty of water throughout your meal. Plain, purified drinking water has absolutely 0 calories, helps improve digestion, and actually makes you feel more full. This is a benefit all on its own since if you feel full, you are more likely not to eat any more food. Try at all cost to avoid drinking sugary drinks such as soda or beer, since these pack on needless calories and increase the amount you have to pay afterwards - not only on the scale but out of your pocketbook also.

Gregory L. Gomez, M. Ed, has been teaching 5th grade in the LAUSD for 12 years and has recently embarked on a journey to lose weight, eat healthier, and finally get in shape! Follow his progress on http://HealthyChoicesInLife.com as he strives to lose 60 pounds through dedicated exercise and eating healthy. From healthy eating guides to a step-by-step manual to help tackle the process of losing weight, readers will find the latest information to combat the rising obesity epidemic and start getting into shape at http://healthychoicesinlife.com/programs.

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How to Lose Belly Fat - Three Reasons Why Diets Don't Work

There is no doubt that many people every year try to diet in order to lose weight and feel better. Let's look at three reasons why diets are ineffective for most people.

The first reason that diets don't work is that they are not realistic. By thinking that you can lose weight and keep it off for any period of time by omitting either carbs or fats out of your diet is foolish. You may see some initial results, but those will only be long term if you decided to never eat carbs or fat again. The same principle can be said for cutting calories. As long as you continue to eat less and less, you see results. Of course once you will eat those foods again, so you can plan on seeing that weight come back as well.

The second reason that diets don't work is because they are too time consuming. Most people do not want to count calories or carbs for an extended period of time in order to see results. Looking at labels and calculating and wondering if you are doing well is a tedious process that many of us just can't keep up for an extended period of time. If you are doing a diet the right way, you really need to be preparing food ahead of time and measuring it out. This is time taken away from other facets of your life. Instead of spending time with family or friends or something you enjoy doing, your time is spend preparing meals for the week.

The third reason that diets don't work is because they become a total focus of our lives. They are limiting. Constantly worrying when you will get your next meal in can cause anxiety. Furthermore, when you are dieting, you no longer are able to go out to eat with your friends because you can't eat half of the options on the menu. You want to go out and have fun, but part of having fun is socializing and enjoying a good meal. There is nothing fun about going out and eating steamed broccoli while your friends are enjoying drinks and dessert. In fact, one night of that is enough to decide that either the diet is not worth it, or you won't spend time with your friends. Neither of those choices will make you happy.

There is hope though, by following intermittent fasting, you can have your cake and eat it, literally. Intermittent fasting is a way that allows you to cut calories while still eating the foods that you want. By combining intermittent fasting with a solid workout program you can see results fast. What is more important is that by following these principles of intermittent fasting and a solid workout you can create a lifestyle change that will help you keep the weight off long term. There is no need to worry about rebounding or a yo-yo effect from a fad diet because you aren't sacrificing anything, you are simply making a few changes.

If you are interested in how to lose belly fat, a beginner training program or how to use goal setting to help get in shape go to Everything Simple But Well Fitness and get the free program to get started.

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How to Motivate Yourself To Stick To Your Weight Loss Routine Even If You Don't Feel Like It

ByDavid Carlton

Your moods change all the time and therefore, you are not going to feel motivated all the time to stick to your weight loss routine. You are bound to feel various set of emotions that will prevent you from sticking to your weight loss routine. But every day if you fail to stick to your weight loss routine, you will start to fail with your weight loss plans.

Missing even a single day from your weight loss routine can be fatal. You don't know whether just doing this small thing today can help you lose three pounds tomorrow or not. But this is true. When you stick to any routine for a while, you reach a tipping point. But the problem is we can never tell whether you have or you haven't reached a tipping point.

That's why you need to follow your weight loss routine religiously. If you fail to stick through, you will never notice any results on the outside. You might feel motivated internally. Your friends won't understand your emotional state and will secretly make fun of you. They'll mock your weight loss routine and hurt your self-esteem even further. Your self-respect will go down if you fail to adhere to your plan.

But there's a way out. You can make sure that you stick to your weight loss routine on a daily basis by using an accountability partner. An accountability partner is someone who holds you accountable for a particular set of actions that you need to do on a regular basis.

An accountability partner can be a friend you trust or your spouse or your boss or your personal trainer. This works because you are motivated by the fear of losing your partner's respect and trust in you if you fail to adhere to your plan. That's why celebrities succeed so fast when it comes to weight loss.

They make an open commitment to the producer, director and the media that they are going to get a bikini body or six pack abs for this particular movie. If they fail, their entire reputation is at stake. With your friends, your reputation won't be at stake because they know you well and will continue to love you no matter what. But there's a way around that. It's by offering your friend your hard earned money.

Here's how to set up accountability:

1. Find a person who you know that wants you to lose weight. There will be people who will support your weight loss plans and those who secretly want you to fail. Find someone who wants you to win at the weight loss game.

2. Ask them to support you in your goals. Reveal to them your exact weight loss routine. Give them your one month's paycheck.

3. Tell your accountability partner that they are to spend the entire money on something that is of depreciating value if you even fail to stick to your plan for a single day.

4. Find a way to contact them and tell them as to whether you've followed your plan for the day or not. If they're close by, you can meet them and tell them. Or you can e-mail them or tell it to them via phone. But you have to be honest to yourself and to your partner.

5. Set up the accountability for about 30 days. Until day 30, the partner will have to hold you accountable for your plan. After day 30, you can choose to keep an external accountability or change your plan based on the results you are getting.

That's how you set up an accountability partner. The results you experience will be based on the effectiveness of your plan and routine. So it's worth to consult an expert before creating your plan/routine. Always give a break once every week or once every ten days for renewal. And also tell your friend/partner that you might need a day off for sick days. Legitimate reasons are allowed.

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