Baby-Stepping to Fat Loss

By Craig Ballantyne

It's no surprise that a lot of the contestants on TV's "The Biggest Loser" regain the weight once they're off the show. To maintain their new weight, they'd have to sustain the show's extreme lifestyle. Nearly impossible.

So what's a better way to lose weight? Take baby steps.

Dr. James Hill, from the Center of Human Nutrition in Denver, Colorado, is famous for the research studies which found that folks who eat breakfast are better able to keep off lost weight. He now claims that "small reductions in conscious energy intake and increases in physical activity can reduce excessive weight gain."

Listen, you didn't gain all that weight overnight. You're not going to lose it overnight. So just focus on making small changes - and the simplest changes to make are in your diet.

This weekend, take 30 minutes to plan your shopping list and meals for the following week. Then go to the grocery store, come home, and prepare as many of those meals as possible.

Cook a bunch of chicken breasts at once. Wash and cut up fresh vegetables to have on hand for snacks and to prepare filling side dishes. Every day next week, take a baby step and eat one additional serving of fruits or vegetables.

Make those small diet changes and ease your way into a workout program. By doing this consistently, just imagine how healthy and lean you can be just 90 days from now.

It's Good to Know: Avoiding Cultural Faux Pas When Traveling

When traveling to other countries for business or pleasure, it is easy to offend your hosts if you don't know the local "rules." Here are some tips:

• In Middle Eastern countries, never touch food or shake hands with your left hand. (The left hand is traditionally used for "post bathroom clean up.")

• In Asian countries - including Thailand, China, and the Koreas - personal space is respected. Do not hug, backslap, or otherwise touch anyone other than a friend or family member.

• Another no-no in Asian countries, especially China and Japan, is blowing your nose in public. They find it disgusting. If you have a cold, hit the restroom.

• Never wear a swimsuit or other clothing in a sauna in Scandinavian countries or Turkey. Au natural is preferred - but if you're modest, wrap yourself in a towel.

• In Russia, don't sip that vodka... take the whole shot at once. And in France, never fill your own wine glass without offering to pour for the others at the table.

(Source: Travel and Leisure)

Word to the Wise: Vociferous

"Vociferous" (voh-SIF-uh-rus) - from the Latin for "to shout" - is another way to say conspicuously and (usually) offensively loud.

Example (as used by Jeffry D. Wert in A Brotherhood of Valor): "The local heroes received meals, heard speeches, were presented with flags, and were accompanied to railroad stations by vociferous crowds."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2607, 03-04-09], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.