Roger Leblanc asked:


In our zeal to lose weight we often lose sight of the more significant issue of good health. Certainly it is good for our health to lose unwanted fat, and of course we all want to look good in front of the mirror. But it is vitally important to remember that good health is the number one concern and looking good in your jeans is a distant second. I emphasize this because I am continually put off by the number of diet plans or weight solutions that either do not encourage overall health or are actually detrimental to your health to begin with.

So called diet pills, which include the “natural” herbs such as hoodia, are effective in decreasing your appetite. But these pills imply a “quick fix” solution that does not encourage a healthy diet or stress the importance of proper exercise. Also dangerous are plans where you essentially starve yourself of proper nutrition or the outright fraudulent suggestion that you can burn pounds of fat with just ten minutes of exercise a day. Keep in mind the old adage: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Not that every plan is equally bad. In fact some are fairly good, such as weight watchers and Jenny Craig. My only reservation against these is that they seem to neglect the value of exercise in overall health.

Remember; weight loss is an important part of a good health program, but it cannot be the entire program. A good and healthy weight loss program ought to fit well within an overall program of health and fitness. This takes both a healthy diet and regular exercise. Any plan that appears to go counter to this is to be absolutely avoided. Don’t believe me? Ask your doctor at your next yearly checkup.

Ruddy Setiadi Gunawan asked:


Diet is a tough challenge for many people. I will give you some useful tips for your diet. These tips are good to read but extremely useful if you really practice these tips in your real life.

Let’s start with foods.

So what’s your problem with foods? You should think about foods based on their calories and energy. I will give you a list of 15 foods that is good for your health.

Mineral water, fruit, carrots, eggs, peanut butter, yogurt, lemons, mayo, mustard, cheese, canned veggies and fruits, milk, spices and herbs, cereal, butter. Let’s start from mineral water.

Everyone needs mineral water. Many people loved soda but you should try to love mineral water. Always have some cold water on hand. Beside water, what you will always need is a low fat milk on hand. Remember, low fat milk. And don’t forget to replace your unhealthy snacks (example: chocolate, potato chips) with fruits.. Whenever you are hungry and tempted to eat snacks, you should eat fruits.

Carrots. You will need carrots. Good for snacking and also good for your health. Aboutpeanut butter, peanut butter is good because of its protein. Fortunately, you should not worry about the fat. And why you need eggs? Protein. That’s why. Everyone loves eggs.

Yogurt also good for you. You can make tons of drinks out of this. Eat it often. And If you loved seafood, you should need lemons. Also, a cold glass of lemonade is great after a days work. Don’t forget butter. Butter is a must for baked goods.

And if you loved chicken salad or sandwiches, you should think about mayo. You do need to use some if you make chicken salad. Mayo tastes good for me but don’t use this stuff every day. And you can use mustard for sandwiches.

Hey do you love cheese? I loved it and you certainly need cheese but do not ever eat too much cheese. You can get fat. The next good food is vegetables and fruits in can. When in a pinch, canned is better than none at all. You should always have some canned vegetables and fruits on hand. When you are hungry and looking for fresh foods, canned vegetables and fruits can be a good alternative.

How about spices and herbs? You will always need them. Go to a place where you can buy them in bulk. And now the last food. I think many people loved cereal for their breakfast. Cereal is healthy and effective, if you don’t have much time before go working, cereal is your best alternative.

Now you know what is 15 good foods and drinks for your health. Now you should need to know 10 things if you want to get a healthy lifestyle.

1. Do not ever lose touch with reality, whatever you do. It is important for you to always know the reality in front of you.

2. Stay away from “super diet”. Do not ever rush into diet that is too strict for you.

3. Always eat when you hungry. I strongly suggest you to always eat in breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Do not skip.

4. Control your emotions. Don’t let emotions control you. Many people when they are frustrated or angry, they eat lots of food. You should not allow foods to come between you and your problem.

5. If you have any questions, ask professionals or your family. Do not hesitate. You are not alone in this world.

6. Don’t cut down too many calories when you eat or your body will start storing anything to replace calories needed by your body.

7. You should not check your weight everyday. Sometimes you will become depressed.

Everybody is eager to see the confirmation of his or her efforts in the shape of lost pounds, but you should not let this drive you to checking your weight everyday. The daily fluctuations of your weight will soon have you depressed and ready to quit dieting. And this is something you want to avoid.

8. Gym is good for your health and muscle build but do not go to the gym every day. Your body needs time to heal and expand the muscle mass after each training session.

9. Eat your favourite foods but do not too often. Diets are not prisons. Sometimes you need to eat your own favourite foods, but do not eat too much.

10. You will need willpower. Without “willpower” you will never succeed in your diet plans. But use your logic as well, don’t push yourself too hard.

Sheri O. Zampelli, M.S., CCH asked:


Over 95% of people who use restrictive dieting to lose weight, gain it all back within one year. Restrictive dieting alone will never solve your weight problem. In fact, many studies show that dieting actually causes weight problems because it forces you to focus most of your energy on food and your weight. Dieting fosters diet mentality which causes us to call some foods “good” and others “bad”. If you’re dieting your feelings about yourself are often dictated by your food choices.

Here are some common statements you might hear people make when they’re on a diet:

“I was really good today, all I had was rice cakes and a protein shake.”

“Wow! That cheesecake is so good I felt like licking my plate.”

“I wish I could be good like you, look at how bad I’m being.”

Notice how the word “good” is used for the diet food and the high fat food interchangeably. Notice also how dieter’s judge themselves based on the food they put in their mouths. Our words and beliefs have power over our feelings and our actions. If we do something we think is “bad”, we will likely begin to feel bad and even make choices to prove how bad we are. This is called a self-fulfilling prophecy.

So, one of the keys to stress-free slimness is to stop judging ourselves based on food choices. Another key is to change our definition of “good” so that it’s consistent and self-affirming. There is no food that’s universally “good” or “bad”. We all have different tastes and we can eat a variety of foods in moderation without gaining weight. However, it is true that some foods contain more nutritional value than others and therefore are good for our bodies. Some foods give our bodies more of what we need. If you must call food “good”, reserve the label for food that’s: high quality, enjoyable and beneficial to your body’s health.

As a dieter, you are in a quandary when you label “good” food: boring. I’ve seen long-time dieter’s roll their eyes at people who are healthy or “good”. They say things like “I’m not good like her” or snicker at the prospect of eating “good” as if it’s somehow uncool or dreary. We must change our mindset if we hope to have long term health and weight maintenance.

If you’re like many dieters you have assimilated numerous low-fat, low-calorie foods into your diet and you call yourself “good” for eating them. Yet these foods are not good in any way. They don’t taste good, they usually aren’t good for you and they don’t necessarily make you feel good after you’ve eaten them. In fact, many dieters will admit that certain diet foods cause a myriad of symptoms such as gas, bloating, diarrhea, headaches and constipation to name a few. I think we can all agree: these side effects are not “good”. So, to help you reframe the concept of “good” food and “bad” food, I’m going to leave you with a mental image you can carry with you so that you are eating more “good” foods and feeling better. If you keep it up, you will probably lose weight too.

Imagine that “good” food is the kind of food that makes your body say “hooray!!” Imagine the food goes down the “conveyor belt” of your throat, to your stomach. When it arrives; your organs, cells and glands all say, “WOW check out all the new nutrients we just got in! There’s tons of good stuff here. Yipee!!” On the flip side, when you eat pre-processed, preservative and chemical-laden foods, your body says, “Oh no, not again. How does she expect me to exist on this? There’s almost nothing I can use here. The whole thing is waste! I’m going to have to spend all my energy processing this worthless food…for what?”

I hope this mental image will stick with you the next time you’re making a food decision whether it’s at the grocery store, a restaurant or a party. Be good to yourself. You deserve it and your body deserves it.