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In a past Blog, I covered the differences between chronic dieters (also called ‘Restrained Eaters’) and Natural Eaters who have not experienced deprivation diets.  The disparity rests with the restrained eaters' narrow boundaries, rigid control and inevitable feelings of guilt; the natural eater shares none of these.  For restrained eaters, all is presumed well as long as they stay within their narrow boundaries, but when they breakthrough and eat “forbidden food” (or even anticipate overeating). restrained eaters lose their resolve and that can lead to a binge.  For restrained eaters, the holiday season is particularly problematic.

If you’re like most dieters, you probably don’t like your body so much. You probably are frustrated and angry with being overweight.  But do you realize that criticizing yourself undermines your efforts? Shake that trend with an attitude of gratitude and lose the weight with ease.

At the risk of sounding unprofessional, I think fad diets are a hoot - in a cynical way.  A book, a plan, a pill, a drink, whatever.... Fad diets provide (false) hope for a quick fix, not lasting change.  They involve the complete suspension of normal life for as long as they last.  Many are dangerous when extended, but who can make it past the first few days?  And, what's more, they give people something to talk about.  And so, without further ado, meet the Fad Diet du Jour.

For better or worse, the eating patterns of toddlers and preschoolers mirror those of the adults who care for them. That’s why 24 percent of two-to-five year olds are overweight or obese in the United States. 

It happens to everyone.  You are cruising along, dropping the pounds, and then all of a sudden, Halt!  The scale is stuck.  What can possibly be wrong?  

There are some many reasons why weight loss can stop, but if you back up and play detective, perhaps you can explain it.  Start by asking yourself these questions:

Every Tuesday night 8 to 10 million Americans watch The Biggest Loser on NBC.  The show is so popular that it is now a “lifestyle brand” selling books, DVDs, video games, home-delivered meals, and supplements.  Yet, many health and fitness professionals don't like The Biggest Loser.  What's behind their discontent and disconnect?

Jack LaLanne recently celebrated his 95th birthday.  He had hoped to commemorate by swimming 20 miles from the California coast to Santa Catalina Island, but his wife didn't think it would be a good idea.  If you don’t know Jack, then you’re missing out on something.  If you do know him, then I’ll bet you are smiling now.  As a little girl, my Mom and I exercised with Jack everyday on the black+white TV.  I think CBS2 summed it up best when they said, “Before there was a ‘Biggest Loser’ or even Richard Simmons (and don't forget Jane Fonda), there was Jack LaLanne.”

Do you know the best way to reach your weight loss goal? 

Make peace with where you are today.

When you accept yourself the way you are, you paradoxically allow yourself to change. When you criticize and fight with yourself, you remain stuck and prevent change from happening.

Have you noticed that all kinds of foods are suddenly “good source of fiber?” Fiber is now in yogurt, ice cream, beverages, cookies, sweetened cereal, and other foods that previously had not contained fiber.  Could it be that someone is pulling a fast one on us?  Let's find out.

Visceral fat [vis-er-uhl] is the official name for the fat inside a big “beer belly”.  It is not the same as subcutaneous fat [suhb-kyoo-tey-nee-uhs] found under the skin. Visceral fat and subcutaneous fat may, or not, appear together.

Think about the money you’ve spent for years trying to get slim.  Here’s a switch:  Now someone might want to pay you for losing weight. 

Governments, health insurers, and employers are experimenting with rewarding people for weight loss. They figure that obesity is linked to high medical bills (including the colossal expense of obesity surgery) and since money motivates people, perhaps paying people to lose weight will impact the bottom line.

You might know Ruby Gettinger from Savannah, Georgia, star of “Ruby”, the reality TV show on the Style Network.  The show documents Ruby’s personal struggle with obesity and her success – so far.  Ten years ago, Ruby weighed 716 pounds.  In April 2008, at the start of filming her “inspirational weight loss journey”, Ruby weighed 477 pounds.  Now, according to her Facebook page, Ruby weighed 328 pounds on August 28, 2009.  (Ruby is 5’9” and age 34.)  The show had its 2^ndseason finale on September 6^th.  Calorie Count’s Erik Fantasia and Mary Hartley spoke with Ruby to learn more about her weight loss journey.

You have the power to improve your confidence at a moment's notice.

Here's how: Choose your words wisely!

A healthy diet of encouraging words is just as important as a healthy diet of nutritious foods.  Because your mind and body are connected, your body responds to your words and images. Your words can either uplift and lighten you or feel heavy and weigh you down.

We’re talking about food, here.  Did you stick to your diet, or did you blow it? What happened?  Was it a few chips that became the whole bag?  

Sometimes, eating forbidden foods on a diet can lead to a binge and the promise to start the diet again tomorrow.   But that shouldn’t be the answer. It is to be more flexible and the time to start is today.

Are you a candidate for The National Weight Control Registry?

The National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) is a research study funded by the National Institutes of Health. It was developed to identify and investigate the common characteristics of people who successfully lose weight and keep it off.