Tips for Dining Out

• If there are chips or bread on the table when you sit down, move them as far away from you as possible.  A single serving of high-fat tortilla chips fried in oil is over 500 calories, and those wonderful breads and rolls add up to quickly to hundreds of calories.  If your waiter or waitress tries to serve bread or chips, ask that he or she take your order and remove the chips or bread. 
• Order a salad with dark greens, not iceberg lettuce. Have as many things added to the salad as possible that provide taste without lots of extra calories, such as red peppers, green peppers, carrots, broccoli, or alfalfa sprouts.  You can have a big salad, just pass up the fat-filled dressings.  It really is possible to eat a vegetable salad with little to no salad dressing! Try it!
• Order a meat entree that is low in fat, such as chicken breast, white meat of turkey, white fish, seafood or lean meat cuts.  Portion size should be the "palm of your hand."
• Select at least two different colors of vegetables and make sure the size of the vegetable serving is at least twice the size of your protein serving (or 1/2 your plate).
• For dessert, order a bowl of mixed fruits, such as strawberries, raspberries and kiwi fruit.  If they are not available, "Well, you really don't need to have a dessert" and wait until you are home to have a snack of fresh fruit.  

Don't Overfill Your Stomach!

Your stomach is like a balloon that expands and contracts with each food load.  When you overfill it repeatedly, the stomach loses it's tone.  The result: It takes more food to fill up each time you eat.  While people with a normal stomach capacity generally feel full with 2 to 2 1/2 cups of food, a person who's stretched their stomach may need to eat 3 or more cups of food to feel equally satisfied.  And that usually means more calories and fat storage.  If you've been overloading, take heart.  Research shows that you may be able to shrink your stomach back to size in as little time as one month by eating smaller meals.

The Stability Ball

The stability ball is a vinyl, air-filled ball that can revolutionize your workout.  These balls were first used, many years ago, in physical therapy sessions, helping patients recover from everything from back pain to neurological problems. The unstable surface of the ball forces you to recruit numerous muscles throughout your body to keep yourself balanced.  Research shows that the ball can make just about any exercise more effective.  In one study, for example, people who did crunches while seated on a ball recruited more muscle fibers in their abdomen than those who did crunches on the floor.  Here's how it works: Let's say you lie on the ball as if it were a bench and perform a traditional chest press.  You'll strengthen your chest muscles as you press the dumbbells away from you.  You'll also firm your thigh and butt muscles as they keep your hips in position.  Finally, you'll tone your abdomen as it works to keep you balanced on the ball.  How's that for a total body workout?

There are now more fitness ball manufacturers than any reasonable human being can keep track of.  Look for a burst-resistant stability ball, and buy the right sized ball for your height.

         BALL DIAMETER                       YOUR  HEIGHT

• 53 cm (21 inches)                 4 ft 11 inches to  5ft 4 inches
• 65 cm (25 inches)                 5 ft 5 inches to 5 ft 11 inches
• 75 cm (29 inches)                 6 ft +

How Power Foods Keep You Healthy

Research suggests that the 30 power foods featured in this post improve your health in the following ways.

Food Replacement Game Plan

For ultimate weight loss success, I always suggest the following food replacements. These suggestions help cut calories without reducing the volume of food you eat.

• Replace a nonvegetable food with a vegetable (or increase a vegetable portion).
• Replace a nonfruit food with a fruit (or increase a fruit portion).
• Replace a high-calorie beverage with a low-calorie beverage.
• Replace a fried food with a nonfried food.
• Replace a high-fat meat with a lean meat.
• Replace a high-calorie sauce, condiment, or topping with a low-calorie alternative.
• Replace a refined grain with a whole grain.
• Replace a whole-milk dairy food with a lo-fat dairy food.
• Replace a high-calorie dessert with a low-calorie dessert.
• Replace a nonorganic food with an organic food.