3 Tricks to Keep Weight Off

By Kelley Herring

Maybe you've been there. You lose 10 pounds in a month, only to gain it back (plus one or two more) over the next 60 days.

Quick weight loss rarely produces sustainable results. That's because the focus is on "dieting" rather than on adopting a healthier lifestyle.

Research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has identified three "tricks" that successful losers use to maintain their weight loss.

1. Exercise Regularly. Successful losers exercise 60 minutes or more per day.

2. Eat More Low-Calorie Density Foods. Fill your plate with organic salad greens, veggies, and fruits. Skip the energy-dense breads, pastas, and unhealthy fats.

3. Count Calories. Research shows that most people tend to underestimate the number of calories they actually eat by approximately 200 per day. That equates to 10 pounds worth of extra calories per year!

Remember, when it comes to weight loss, it's a marathon, not a sprint. Slow, safe weight loss through lifestyle changes is not just healthier, it improves the odds you'll take it off... and keep it off too.

It's Good to Know: Reading the Riot Act

Delinquent children, misbehaving students, errant employees... all may be "read the riot act." It's an idiomatic expression that we use when talking about forcefully warning or reprimanding someone.

Where did the expression come from? Turns out there really was a Riot Act - a British law enacted by Parliament in 1714 to discourage crowds from assembling and disturbing the peace. Per the law, a magistrate would read a short portion of the Act (something about the King demanding that protestors or rioters disperse immediately). If the crowd (defined by the Act as any group over 12) wasn't gone within an hour, those still assembled were charged with a felony, potentially punishable by death.

(Source: Schott's Original Miscellany)

Word to the Wise: Dastard

A "dastard" (DAS-terd) is a mean, sneaky coward. The word may have been derived from "dast/dased," Middle English for "stupid" or "dull."

Example (as used in Time magazine): "Even that notorious dastard and Spanish Political Grafter Juan March, popularly supposed to get his way in any part of Spain with 1,000 peseta notes, bolted like a rabbit for France until things should quiet down."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2579, 01-30-09], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.