The popularity of the Mediterranean Diet began with a rather simple equation: the people of Greece and Southern Italy tended to eat a diet rich in fat, yet had less cardiovascular disease than people in the U.S. How could this be? The answer seems to lie in the Mediterranean’s reliance on the monosaturated fat known as olive oil. Olive oil forms the basis of Mediterranean cooking—it is the key ingredient in preparing everything from pasta to steak. Olive oil is also considered an antioxidant, so it can be effective in the fight against cancer.

However, following the Mediterranean Diet can be a challenge. While 40 percent of one’s total calories are derived from fat, dieters can only eat small portions of red meat. Even fish and poultry are de-emphasized, as are milk and milk products. However, unlike other diets, the Mediterranean Diet allows you to eat a fair amount of bread and potatoes, and you can eat eggs as often as every other day. You can even drink wine in moderate amounts. (more…)

Before you go out to search for a job, you probably take stock of yourself. This means assessing your talents and abilities, your personal preferences, and your social skills. Once you’ve completed your personal inventory, you are ready to look for the job of your dreams.

The same sort of plan of action can help you as you begin your weight loss program. You’ll need to do a little research on yourself. You’ll need to write down things about your activities, goals, interests, and try to combine them into a workable diet and exercise routine.

It can be difficult—sometimes painful—to conduct such a self-evaluation. But it can be quite beneficial for your long-term health. Before beginning a weight loss program, you need to ask yourself some questions. In some cases, they may be hard questions. But they will help to ensure the success of your weight loss regimen. (more…)

Television is America’s most popular form of entertainment. Every night, millions of viewers tune in to catch an episode of their favorite law-and-order show, game show, or sitcom. And America’s love affair with television shows no signs of abating anytime soon. Screens are getting bigger; reality shows are proliferating; and television has quickly become the top source of information for the average American.

But television also has its downside. It has been linked to reading problems in children, attention deficit disorder, and crime. It’s been called the ultimate time-waster—a blinking box of little aesthetic or literary value. And now there’s research to suggest that television may also cause weight gain in children.

A study conducted at Stanford University a few years ago showed that children who reduced the amount of time they spent watching television were leaner than those who did not curtail their viewing time. (more…)

Diets are now as common as a hot dog on a Fourth of July afternoon. However, it can be confusing for consumers to identify different types of diets. The National Institutes of Health have identified a variety of diet plans in existence in the market today. Understanding these various diet programs can be the first step to losing significant weight.

The fixed menu diet tells you exactly what you will consume over a period of time. This makes it easy on the dieter, because he or she does not have to shop for their own food. The disadvantage to this type of diet is that the dieter fails to learn how to choose food for himself or herself. Also, the diet food you are provided with can be quite bland and boring. Also, you may find it difficult to follow the diet plan when you are traveling. A number of medical experts recommend ultimately replacing the fixed menu diet with another plan in order to keep yourself healthy. (more…)

Katie, a 33-year-old mother of two, has been on her share of diets over the years. From Weight Watchers to the Zone to Sugar Busters, she feels as if she has tried them all. While she has had moderate success in losing weight from time to time, she has never found a long-term weight loss solution. Her weight is a point of contention in her marriage; her husband—who also happens to be obese—wishes she were thin, but says he loves her anyway. The two have been separated a number of times, and even filed for divorce once. The stress has caused Katie to begin binge eating again.

There is hope for Katie and others like her who feel as if they’re trapped on the diet carousel. The key to long-term weight loss success may not be the body, but the mind. Research indicates that those who have a positive outlook on life are more likely to lose weight—and stay thin. But how can you have a positive outlook when you’ve been burned so many times before? Is it possible to “will your way” to losing weight? (more…)