1. Think Long term - Keep your goals realistic 1 to 3 pounds per week. Quick fixes never last long
   
2. Don't Starve Yourself - Don't go on an overly restrictive diet. When you eat fewer than 1,000 calories a day, your Resting Metabolic Rat (RMR)decreases. You need at least 1500 calories per day just to function.
   
3. Get Rid of Your Triggers - Get rid of the foods that trigger your urge to binge eat. Common foods include: Chips, cookies ice cream all high sugar junk foods. If its not in the house you are less likely to eat it.
   
4. Keep Your Pantry Full - Stock up on healthy staples that you enjoy. Don't stock up on food that sound healthy that you really don't like. Never let your cupboards go bare.
   
5. Eat More Often - Studies have shown that you can boost your TEF (thermic effect of feeding), by eating smaller, more frequent meals during the day. You will lose weight on five small meals a day and gain weight on two large meals each day. This is especially true if you each some protein with each meal.
   
6. Eat Breakfast - Studies have shown that the most successful individuals at weight loss always eat breakfast. Oatmeal and egg whites on the side is a great way to start the day.
   
7. No Sweet Drinks - A common reason for lack of weight loss is is consuming to many high sugar drinks. Drink lots of water 8-10 glasses per day and avoid sodas, juice blends, and sweetened teas. Drink green tea research has found that it has a fat-burning effect .
   
8. Fiber Reduces Fat - High fiber foods are a great way to prevent over eating. You should have at least 5 cups of fruit and vegetables per day.
   
9. Weekends Are Not For Binge Eating - Research has shown that people who are successful at losing weight do allow themselves cheat day. One meal will not effect the big picture of reaching you goals, a whole weekend is another story.
   
10. No Fast Food - Consider a basic medium meal of a burger, french fires and a vanilla shake. In that one meal you will find 87 grams of fat and 1,480 calories. Do yourself a favor don't super size yourself.
    
11. Keep The Salt Down - Increased salt intake equals increased fluid retention. If you want to avoid excess water retention then you need to decrease your salt intake. Drinking lots of water will also help you to get ride of excess fluid.
    
12. Get Strong - Add strength training to your exercise program. Strength training builds muscle mass, which increases your RMR. We can help you set up a strength training program.
    
13. Be Consistent With Exercise - Increase your weekly exercise. The more you exercise, the more your Thermic effect activities (TEA) goes up, and the more calories you burn.
    
14. Intensity Counts - Increase the intensity of your exercise. Research has shown that as you run harder, you get more TEA after your workout is completed. This is often called after burn, and it can add a substantial amount to your total calorie burn.
    
15. Develop The Right Attitude - You are not just exercising to burn more calories. Instead, think about everything you can do to increase your daily metabolic rate. Don't take the elevator; walk up the stairs. Walk the half-mile to the convenience store for that quart of milk. Shovel the snow; don't buy a snow blower.
    
16. No Late Night Snacks - If you want to find the most effect way to gain weight eat a large snack just before bedtime. If you must have something to eat make sure its a protein snack, no high carbohydrate foods.
    
17. A Good Nights Sleep is essential - Lack of sleep effects the levels of hormones which control weight loss. In fact research has shown that the probability of you being obese is 73% higher if you get only four hours of sleep per night.
    
18. Limit Your Alcohol Consumption - One margarita is about 500 calories, a glass of red wine is about 120 calories. Alcohol can easily sabotage your entire program.

High Glycemic index carbohydrates can cause major problems in your weight loss program. High Glycemic foods elevate your insulin levels. High insulin levels drive sugars into your cells for fat storage. Your body is programmed to do this so that you can survive a famine if necessary. Unfortunately this programming also makes you fat.

If you eat High Glycemic foods your body releases large amounts of insulin which makes you extremely hungry in only a few hours after it drives all the sugars into your cells.

This is precisely what happens to cattle when they are fattened in a feed lot. Insulin makes experimental animals hyperphagic (eat abnormally large amounts of food), and hyperobese. So avoid the high Glycemic foods and stick the suggestion of the low Glycemic list. This will take you out of what I call "feed lot syndrome".

High Glycemic Index Foods

The following foods are considered unacceptable:

• Foods containing sugar, honey, molasses, & corn syrup.

• Fruits - bananas, watermelon, pineapple, raisins

• Vegetables - potatoes, corn, carrots, beets, turnips, parsnips

• Breads - all white breads, all white flour products, corn breads, whole wheat bread, bagels, muffins, pancakes, waffles, pretzels.

• Grains - White rice, rice products, millet, corn, corn products, processed breakfast cereals.

• Pasta - thick, large pasta shapes

• Cereals - all cereals except those on the Low GI List below

• Snacks - potato chips, corn chips, popcorn, rice cakes, pretzels

• Alcohol - beer, liqueurs, all liquor except red wine

• SWEETENERS: Corn syrup solids Sucrose (table sugar) Glucose and glucose polymers (maltodextrin-based drinks), Honey, Maltose, High-fructose corn syrup, Barley malt.

Low GI Foods

This is what you can have:

• All meats: (Preferably, fish, free range hens with no skin, egg whites)

• Yogurt (Unsweetened no sugars)

• Fruits - all except the High GI fruits above

• Vegetables - all except the High GI vegetables above

• Breads - 100% stone ground bread, whole wheat pita

• Grains - barley, bulgar, kasha, whole grain pasta's, Organic Milk, Organic yogurt.

• Pasta - thin stands, whole wheat pasta, bean threads

• Cereals - Special K, All Bran, Fiber One, regular oatmeal (Oat meal is best choice, decreased cholesterol as well)

• Snacks - nuts, olives, cheese, pita chips, fried pork rinds

• Alcohol - red wine

• Misc - olives, eggs, peanut butter (no sugar)

• FRUITS: All berries, Cherries, Apples, Oranges, Peaches, Apricots, Plums, Grapefruit, Pears

• BEVERAGES:Fresh vegetable juice, Tomato juice, Green tea, Water.

• NUTS AND SEEDS: Almonds, Walnuts, Peanuts, Flaxseeds, Pumpkin seeds, Sunflower seeds.