Linda Spangle, RN, MA, is a weight-loss coach specializing in emotional eating, and the author of 100 Days of Weight Loss, a book of daily lessons that helps people stay committed to their diet and exercise plans.

Guest Blogger Linda Spangle--

Does this conversation sound familiar?

"What is wrong with me?" Carol slammed her hand down on the table. "I’m so frustrated with myself! Every morning, I tell myself that today will be different. I’m going to stay on my diet the way I should, and NOT fall off by the middle of the afternoon."

"Have you been having trouble with this?" I asked. "You wouldn’t believe it," she sighed. "I’ve done everything you’ve said. I plan out my meals, set out my exercise clothes, buy healthy foods, and write down what I eat."

"But every afternoon, it’s like this monster comes over me and I lose my determination." Tears began sliding down her cheeks as she continued, "It feels too hard! I’ve had a lot of challenges and disappointment lately, and I always end up reaching for a glass of wine or a few cookies to help me cope. Then I get upset because I’ve messed up my diet again."

I handed her a box of tissues, then responded, "Carol, there’s nothing wrong with you at all. What you’re doing is extremely common and normal. I think the real issue is how you’re coping with your life struggles."

Then I asked, "How badly do you want to lose weight? How important is it to you?" Carol wiped her eyes, then responded. "I want it VERY badly. I can’t stand how I look and feel right now. I would give ANYTHING to be able to lose weight."

"Anything?" I asked. "Does that mean you’re willing to give up having wine or cookies when you get upset or feel challenged?" Carol thought for a minute. "Are you saying I can’t ever have a glass of wine after a bad day?"

"Not necessarily," I replied. "Being successful isn’t about setting rigid rules or feeling deprived. It’s about making choices based on what you truly want in your life."

It sounds great to say, 'I really want to lose weight,' but making this happen takes effort. If you tend to routinely fall off your diet plan, you may want to look at the difference between being interested and being committed.

When you’re ‘interested’ in losing weight, you say all the right words, but it doesn’t take much to get you off track. A hard day, another disappointment, and you’re back to food being your best friend.

In contrast, when you’re committed to your weight-loss plan, you stick with it no matter what. You don’t blame circumstances or other people for your slip ups. On days when you get worn down or don’t “feel” like dieting, you stay on the plan anyway.

Here’s a summary of the two directions.

If you're "interested" in losing weight…

* You stick with it only until something better comes along (such as doughnuts)

* How you feel determines your outcome. If you don’t ‘feel like it,’ you stop your efforts.

* You need to see results. When the scale doesn’t move, you lose your motivation.

* You blame everything else (people, travel, circumstances) for your struggles with staying on your diet.

* Whenever you face challenges in life, you give up and plan you’ll start your diet again tomorrow.

If you're "committed" to losing weight…

* Nothing stops your efforts. You stick with your diet, ‘no matter what.’

* Emotions don’t control your actions. You stay on track even when you don’t feel like it.

* Your motivation isn't linked to the scale. You assume that if you stay motivated and work hard, you’ll eventually see results.

* You don’t depend on other people for your success. You know it’s up to you, not them.

* A bad day or a lot of challenges don’t affect your efforts. You keep going in spite of it.

At this point, Carol nodded. "I thought I was really determined to lose weight," she said. "But I’ve been acting like I was only interested in it. Starting today, I’m going to change my approach and live in ways that show I’m truly committed to my goals."

More Diet Tips From Linda Spangle: 

Food Won't Take Away The Pain

Enjoy Valentine's Day Without Sabotaging Your Diet

Personal Interview With Linda Spangle

From Robert Ferguson, M.S., C.N., Performance Nutritionist to the Boxing Elite and Founder of the Food Lovers Fat Loss System. Mr. Ferguson is the author of Conquering The Munchie Monster.

Robert Ferguson--

For years I have answered the questions of whether or not coffee helps with weight loss. Well again, research and studies continue to demonstrate the metabolic benefits of caffeine.  Conclusive research says that consumption of 100 mg of caffeine raises the metabolic rate by about 5 percent over the course of a day.  That's equivalent to burning 75 to 100 extra calories.  Now, it is important to know that drinking caffeine instead of eating is not going to speed up the weight loss process.  Eating healthfully and exercising regularly rank highest on the list of accelerating your metabolism.  But, a cup of java can definitely help.

Last, even though I am sharing with you that caffeine does boost your metabolism--it is important to keep in mind that what you add or consume with your caffeine (coffee) may be counter productive--causing your metabolism to become sluggish.

Caffeine Does Boost Metabolism

More From Robert Ferguson

BestSelling author and international organization expert, Peter Walsh, recently launched his new book--Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat? An Easy Plan for Losing Weight and Living More on the Oprah Show. The focus of the book explores the relationship between the clutter in homes and how it affects weight, eating habits, and health. As part of the Oprah & Friends network, Peter Walsh hosts a weekly national radio program characterizing himself as part-contractor and part-therapist. During the last three years, the author also starred as the tough-love professional organizer of the TLC show Clean Sweep.

Peter Walsh--

Until recently, most readers to this blog were in the United States or Canada. However, there are now many fans in the Southern Hemisphere, especially from Australia.

So in this newsletter you’ll find organizing tips that (hopefully) will make sense whether you’re coming into spring or experiencing the leaves falling from the trees and the first chill of autumn.

For those of you in the Northern Hemisphere ….

At last! Spring is in the air. We all know about spring cleaning—in theory. Here’s how to put it into practice in today’s world. These tasks will leave your home sparkling, inside and out.

Spring cleaning doesn’t have to be the horrible thing that you’ll do anything to avoid. The secret is to involve the whole family, break it down into manageable tasks, fix a time and then assign everyone tasks that suit their age and ability. It’s the family home – make this a family affair! Decide who will be responsible for each task and designate materials needed to complete each task.

SPRING CLEANING TASK LIST – FEEL FREE TO ADD MORE ITEMS!

SPRING CLEANING TASK LIST
INSIDE:
Clean windows.
Dust and clean tops of cabinets and electric appliances.
Steam-clean carpets.
Launder winter bedding and blankets before storing.
KITCHEN:
Deep clean all appliances inside and out.
Clean behind and under refrigerator.
Thoroughly clean inside cupboards and refrigerator.
Discard outdated food items from your pantry and freezer.
Organize like items together around the “magic triangle.”
Discard pots, pans, and utensils that are seldom or never used.
Clear all flat surfaces.
Restock kitchen cleaning caddy.
Thoroughly clean the black hole under the sink!
CLOTHES:
Discard clothes that you no longer love, wear, or look great in.
Donate unwanted items to your favorite charity.
Arrange like items together in your closet.
Color co-ordinate your clothing so that you can clearly and easily see what is in your wardrobe.
Store away winter clothes.
Replenish cedar blocks or mothballs to protect from moths and insects.
OUTSIDE:
Remove storm windows, make sure they’re labeled, and then store carefully to avoid damage.
Clean outside of windows.
Store your snow-moving equipment.
Do a quick maintenance check on your lawnmower and other gardening equipment.
Reseed and fertilize your lawn.
Check your garden hoses and breathe the first scents of spring.

Make a schedule

Revise the above list to suit your particular needs. List all of the spring cleaning tasks inside and outside the house that need doing. Assign responsibilities to each family member and post the list on the fridge or in some central location so everyone can check progress.

Save the list so you can use it next year (or when spring swings your way).

Clean house party

Have a family celebration—a special meal, outing, or day trip - to mark the beginning of spring and the completion of spring cleaning. Let everyone celebrate their role in decluttering and organizing the house at the end of winter.

….. and these tips will make more sense for my friends Down Under!

Try the ten-minute grab bag routine

Believe me, just ten minutes a day for thirty days can make a huge difference to your home. Try this:

Brainstorm with your family to come up with any organizing or decluttering task that can be completed in ten minutes or less—put toys away, organize one drawer in the kitchen, arrange T-shirts neatly, find old magazines and put them into the recycle bin—anything at all. List these tasks on small cards and place them into the “ten-minute box.”

Every night before dinner for one month, everyone grabs one card and completes the task. Lots of small steps will make a huge difference in thirty days.

Cookbooks cluttering your kitchen?

If you have too many cookbooks for your kitchen, try this simple test. For the next six months or so, every time you use a recipe from one of your cookbooks, mark the page with a Post-It note.

At the end of six months (or a year, if you prefer) sell, donate or give away any cookbooks that have no Post-It notes in them. Most recipes can now be found online so ask yourself, “Am I really using the limited space I have in the best possible way with all those unused cookbooks?”

More From Peter Walsh 

Linda Spangle, RN, MA, is a weight-loss coach specializing in emotional eating, and the author of 100 Days of Weight Loss, a book of daily lessons that helps people stay committed to their diet and exercise plans.

Guest Blogger Linda Spangle--

Emotions, Food and Kicking My Kettles

Lots of things make me want to eat. Stress, disappointment, a bad day. In fact, sometimes LIFE makes me want to eat. But nothing sends me toward food faster than pain. I think it started when I skinned my knee as a kid and my mother said, “Here’s a cookie. Now you’ll feel better.” In my work as a weight-loss coach, I teach others how to identify emotions and be willing to feel and express them. But sometimes, I have trouble following my own advice.

This past holiday season was really hard for me. I missed my parents who both died in recent years. Family members were far away and our friends were busy or out of town. Because of a blizzard on Christmas Day, my husband and I decided to create a cozy holiday dinner at home. With the salad made and the lasagna in the oven, we started cleaning up the kitchen. In our haste to get finished, we both shoved kettles into the cabinet at the same time, and my fingers got smashed between two iron pots.

The pain was awful! I was already an emotional wreck, and this pushed me over the edge. At first I cried big crocodile tears, the fake kind you get when you’re mad. But then real ones began streaming down my cheeks and I started to wail. Although my fingers were throbbing, my heart seemed to hurt even more. As I sobbed and wailed, all I could think of was that I wanted to skip dinner and bury myself in a carton of ice cream. But as I headed for the freezer, I caught a glimpse of my husband’s face, looking shocked and concerned. “I’m here,” he said. “It will be OK. I’m here.” Those simple words caught my attention and I thought, “Wait a minute! Why am I letting some stupid iron pots make me eat ice cream?”

Suddenly, I turned back to the cupboard and pulled out the sliding shelf filled with pots and pans. Then I lifted my foot and kicked the offending kettle as hard as I could, yelling, “Don’t you EVER do that to me again!” In that split second, my emotions drained away. My tears stopped, and as I realized what I had done, I sank to the floor and melted into laughter.
During times when I’m hurting or feeling weak and vulnerable, I somehow think food will fix my heart. But like my skinned knee, eating is a foolish way to deal with my emotions. When hard times stack up, I have to remind myself that I don’t need ice cream. I need release, comfort and an outlet for the pain. That night, I thought about how easily I blame people, events, even iron kettles for my eating struggles. Whether my pain is physical or emotional, I need to learn how to deal with it rather than heading for the refrigerator. And maybe kicking a few kettles now and then isn’t such a bad idea either.

MORE FROM LINDA SPANGLE

Since receiving her medical degree from Yale in 1994, Christine Lydon, MD has made it her life’s work to educate people about sound nutrition, effective training techniques, and lasting approaches to weight loss. A fitness personality and physique model with a long list of television and print credits, Dr. Lydon has served as a nutrition consultant to large corporations, as well as a personal fitness consultant to a diverse clientele ranging from housewives and firefighters to celebrities like supermodel Carre Otis, Quentin Tarantino, and the late Richard Pryor. Dr. Lydon, author of Ten Years Thinner, currently devotes herself to writing and speaking about weight management, disease prevention, and nonpharmaceutical alternatives for increased longevity. 

Guest Blogger Christine Lydon--

Although the fruits that bore the Ten Years Thinner program began to ripen within the venerable corridors of the Yale University School of Medicine, the seeds of my revolutionary weight loss program actually germinated many years later beneath the leaky roof of the local fire hall. At the time, I was a volunteer fire fighter with Pemberton Fire Rescue and my crew was in the process of gearing down after a house fire. We were all standing in our underwear when the only other female member of our 30-man department, a devoted, 23-year-old gym-goer named Cheryl who earned her living as a utilities technician, turned to me and said, ‘No matter how many hours I spend on that damn treadmill, I still can’t get rid of these ugly saddlebags. And no matter how many crunches I do, I still have this layer of flab on my tummy. Your thighs and butt are so toned-- and your stomach is always flat. I just don’t get it. Aren’t you like forty years old? How do you do it?!’

I told Cheryl that I had a revolutionary new diet and exercise program in the works that would promote fat loss faster than if she were to continue spending all her spare time on a human hamster wheel. I warned her that she would have to give up her cardio addiction-- no more treadmill or StairMaster or LifeCycle-- or she would short-circuit the physiological mechanisms that my program was intended to harness.

Faced with the delicious prospect of never having to do another boring cardio workout ever again, Cheryl leaped at the opportunity to try my program. So, I grabbed a clipboard from Engine 13 and, on the back of a blank rig check form, I jotted down a brief, simple to follow exercise routine. I told Cheryl that the entire workout probably wouldn’t take her more than 20 minutes to do and recommended that she do it religiously, five or six days per week. I also made a list of ten dietary guidelines that conformed to my nutritional theories.

Six days later, Cheryl and I were again gathered in the fire hall gearing down after attending an emergency involving an overturned propane truck. Cheryl slid her suspenders off her shoulders and, as her turnout trousers dropped around her ankles, she stepped out of her boots and proudly announced, ‘I can already see a difference!’

In less than a month, Cheryl went on to shed what remained of her saddlebags and belly fat and her success spawned a series of informal clinical trials. To date, the Ten Years Thinner program has helped dozens of women (and a handful of men) of all ages and fitness backgrounds shed hundreds of pounds of unwanted fat. In just six weeks, my program firms hips and thighs, elevates rear ends, defines shoulders and arms, flattens tummies, diminishes the appearance of cellulite, boosts energy levels, and may help reduce symptoms of IBS, acne, asthma, and migraine headaches. Moreover, even three and four years later, graduates of the Ten Years Thinner program trials have, by and large, maintained not just their weight loss, but their healthy eating habits and active lifestyles.

By combining the most time-efficient workout for inducing the most rapid changes in body composition with a simple, easy-to-follow eating plan that neither eliminates food groups nor places upper limits on caloric consumption, the Ten Years Thinner program is founded both on the immutable natural laws, as well as our cultural proclivity for magic bullets and our distaste for tedium. It is the only weight loss plan in existence that appeals to our emotional make-up without attempting to bypass our physiology, and it does so by harnessing a novel, biological mechanism that has only recently attracted the attention of exercise physiologists. Although the science behind the Ten Years Thinner program is only beginning to emerge, the logic behind my revolutionary approach has been right in front of our noses for millions of years.

I have always maintained that, when it comes to matters of health, an understanding of our own evolutionary history is perhaps the most powerful reality check we have at our disposal. I suspect that much of the current research pertaining to weight loss could be taken up a notch if investigators would bare that fact in mind when designing their experimental approaches. Rather than view the human genome as a stagnant entity, set in stone and divested of temporality, what if researchers were to remind themselves that our DNA tells a story spanning millions of years? A story that remains meticulously catalogued within our genes-- if only we remember to look there!

The more I learned about human evolution, the more I began to question why so many physicians, nutritionists, and self-proclaimed ‘weight loss experts,’ including such esteemed organizations as the American Heart Association, advocated walking for 30 to 60 minutes per day for fat burning and good health. Existing anthropological data seemed to indicate that such an approach would be like fighting a house fire with a garden hose. I started to wonder if the experts had it backwards: Perhaps the best way to burn unwanted body fat was NOT through lengthy sessions of low intensity aerobic activity after all, but through brief bouts of high intensity anaerobic activity instead.

I began to form a novel hypothesis about exercise and fat burning. I suspected that cardiovascular exercise performed within the so-called ‘fat-burning zone’ was not just a waste of time, but that it might actually be counterproductive to fat loss. Given our evolutionary history, it seemed possible that extended duration, low-intensity aerobic exercise might somehow create hormonal signals that would enhance our body’s ability to conserve energy by conserving fat stores. By the same token, I began to wonder if brief bursts of anaerobic exercise, which do not burn much fat during the actual activity, might have some yet-to-be discovered influence on overall metabolic rate, perhaps elevating it for several hours after the conclusion of the activity.

To test my emerging theories, I designed a brief exercise routine that was a slightly revised version of Cheryl’s 20-minute workout. The routine included movements to stimulate muscle toning throughout the body, with extra emphasis on larger muscle groups like the thighs, glutes, chest, and back. In addition, the exercises were meticulously organized so that intense movements, intended to periodically elevate your heart rate into the out-of-breath anaerobic zone for 30 to 60 seconds, were interspersed between less intense movements that allowed for cardiovascular recovery. Next, I distilled the nutrition tutorial I used for my private weight loss clients into a single page of bullet point guidelines plus several pages of healthy choice food lists.

Cheryl the former cardio queen wasn’t shy about giving me credit for her new look. Pretty soon all the firemen’s girlfriends and wives wanted to try my ‘miracle’ exercise routine, so it wasn’t hard recruiting volunteers. By all accounts, the results I observed during my informal clinical trials were dramatic to say the least. I was convinced I was on to something, and the timing couldn’t have been better!

Sure enough, a serendipitous collection of peer-reviewed academic research was beginning to appear in the literature, and it supported my weight loss theories to a tee. Thanks to ongoing work in the areas of human metabolism and exercise physiology, scientists are just now discovering that lengthy, monotonous, aerobic sessions performed within the so-called ‘fat-burning zone’ may actually be far less efficient for promoting fat loss and good health than previously believed. In fact, there is evidence that lengthy aerobic sessions may actually induce a temporary dip in metabolic rate! Not only are short, dynamic ‘power’ workouts proving tremendously effective for burning unwanted fat, but they appear to offer equivalent-- or greater-- health benefits without the tedium. Perhaps even more exciting, related investigation indicates that the specific hormonal modifications engendered by this approach to training may actually combat the aging process!

Although the fundamental principles have not changed, the Ten Years Thinner program has undergone considerable fine-tuning since its inception. Thanks to feedback from dozens of volunteer test subjects, the current diet and exercise protocols are even easier to follow than the original versions. In my (admittedly biased) opinion, Ten Years Thinner represents the most versatile, efficient and sustainable approach to permanent weight loss, optimal health, and naturally extended longevity-- period.

More On Weight Loss

Being on a diet is more than cutting out sugar, pasta, and white rice.  And it's about more than just exercising fastidiously.  You On a Diet, the serious series about being you, is a successful representation of scientific wellness.  Written by the Real Age doctors Mehmet Oz and Michael Roizen, they confront dieting and its dilemmas.

So many smokers are afraid to give up the habit they say, because it keeps their weight down.  Sounds hazy, but is there some truth to this?  The doctors weigh in, "When many people quit smoking, they'll complain about the weight they've gained after quitting.  There's something to that.  While cigarettes are bullets to your lungs, they do seem to help people control weight--possibly, in part, through the destruction of taste buds.  But they also seem to help by increasing metabolic rate by up to 10% as well as helping to reduce appetite."

Researchers from the University of Florida, College of Medicine found a relationship between dieting and smoking in teenage girls.  "One of the reasons people start smoking or do not try to quit might be because of the effect cigarettes could have on weight control."  Teens may perceive that the correlation between smoking and dieting is a "benefit," and this perhaps influences the beginning of a bad habit.

Further studies from the University of Michigan Health System show that 1 in 5 women still smoke, and they don't try to quit. 75% of a group of interviewees said they would not be willing to gain even five pounds if they tried to quit smoking.  Cindy Pomerleau, Ph.D., director of the U of M Nicotine Research Laboratory, states that on average smokers weigh less than people who have never smoked, and it's also true that smokers who quit, usually do gain weight.

However, those who do quit, typically gain less than five pounds. Two of four women who quit will gain five to 15 pounds and one in four will gain 15 pounds or more.

Harming almost every organ in the body, the risks of smoking outweigh the benefits.  Smoking causes inflammation in the body, which leads to hypertension, high cholesterol, insulin resistance, cancer, cataracts, and heart disease. Doctors Roizen and Oz include, "Smoking worsens the tears made in your dermis by interfering with microscopic healing processes and depleting the short-lived gas nitric oxide that preserves the elasticity of your skin.  That's why smokers get wrinkles around their lips (plus the inflammation in arteries that cigarettes cause)."

Is smoking to be thin really worth the side effects?

Hints for Keeping Weight Off After Quitting

Get Help Quitting            More On Smoking

Mark “Dr. Tea” Ukra’s family has been in the tea business for nearly 200 years. And, even though tea might be in the Ukra’s genes, his father became a tax accountant and Ukra, himself, began his career in business, before returning to his roots in the tea trade. Being a connoisseur of fine foods, wines, tobacco and most of all, teas, Ukra began to purchase rare teas at auctions and meet with fellow enthusiasts during his world travels. As his passion grew, he began looking to establish a place for teaching and learning about teas in Los Angeles. Ukra purchased the original Tea Garden & Herbal Emporium nearly three years ago. It’s at the Tea Garden that “Dr. Tea” was born. During one of its ‘Teas for Tots’ programs, Ukra was speaking to a group of eight year olds about tea when one child commented that he looked like a doctor and another child responded, “he’s Dr. Tea.” The name stuck and from that day forward his staff and visitors began calling Ukra, “Dr. Tea.” For nearly three decades, Dr. Tea has traveled the world to pursue his studies of tea and is considered to be a leading authority on the subject. Mark Ukra is also the author of The Ultimate Tea Diet.

Guest Blogger Mark Ukra--

At the same time I started to write this book, I began to invite a group of people to go on The Ultimate Tea Diet journey with me. Eighteen intrepid TEAmmates followed the program for eight weeks, kept journals, answered weekly questionnaires, and lost a combined total of 197 pounds. It was a diverse group, ranging in age from early 20s to mid-50s, with a variety of weight-loss goals. It was more successful than we ever imagined it would be. We even had three members of the same family (two brothers and a sister) who together lost more than 60 pounds in just eight weeks! You'll meet some of these people throughout this book, and hear what they had to say. For instance, when asked after just the first week what was the most noticeable difference The Ultimate Tea Diet made, Christine A. answered:

At the same time I started to write this book, I began to invite a group of people to go on The Ultimate Tea Diet journey with me. Eighteen intrepid TEAmmates followed the program for eight weeks, kept journals, answered weekly questionnaires, and lost a combined total of 197 pounds. It was a diverse group, ranging in age from early 20s to mid-50s, with a variety of weight-loss goals. It was more successful than we ever imagined it would be. We even had three members of the same family (two brothers and a sister) who together lost more than 60 pounds in just eight weeks! You'll meet some of these people throughout this book, and hear what they had to say. For instance, when asked after just the first week what was the most noticeable difference The Ultimate Tea Diet made, Christine A. answered:

My appetite! Wow . . . the first day drinking tea all day I wasn't even hungry for dinner. That NEVER happens to me! Tea really does suppress your appetite. I was afraid tea wouldn't work for me, but I was wrong. It does. I have added tea into my life and I love it.

There are several factors that make followers of The Ultimate Tea Diet so successful.
Its basic tenet is easy to remember: find the teas you love and drink them all day. One of the best things about the Ultimate Tea Diet is that tea comes in a huge variety of flavors and forms. In the next chapter, you'll learn to identify the types of teas that have the most weight-loss benefits-but within those categories you have literally hundreds of choices. There are sweet teas, pungent teas, salty teas, light teas, and heavy teas. There are fruity teas and spicy teas. There are teas in bags and teas in tins. There are teas that are relatively expensive, and teas that are extremely economical. If there's one thing I can guarantee, it's that with all these choices, you will be able to and many teas that you will not only like, but that you will look forward to drinking every day.

The suggested food plan is easy to follow. It's a healthy, balanced diet that includes proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, and even several tasty snacks and desserts. But the most exciting aspect of the plan is that everything in it is infused with tea! There are tea- based foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, sweet treats and midday snacks, all deliciously made with tea so that you are getting the health and weight-loss benefits with every single bite you take. And they are scrumptious, to boot! And here's the beauty part: everyone knows that a lean breast of chicken is a nonfattening, healthy diet choice. But as anyone who's ever been on a diet will tell you, after a week of chicken breasts, you'd give up your firstborn for some smokey barbeque. Luckily, The Ultimate Tea Diet not only gives you a huge range of foods besides chicken-you can change the flavor of your food simply by changing the kind of tea seasoning you use. Want a smokey barbeque taste? Try using Lapsong Souchong. Like a tangy citrus kick? Rub on some Earl Grey (which is blended with oil of bergamot, a small acidic orange). The Ultimate Tea Diet includes dozens of recipes along with tips and techniques for choosing the tea that will give you the taste you want.

But the true beauty of The Ultimate Tea Diet is in the simple fact that tea can be added to any other diet or meal plan you are on and produce positive weight- loss results. So if you're on Weight Watchers, you can enhance your results by drinking tea all day and adding tea to Weight Watchers' recipes. If you're on the You on a Diet plan, or The Zone, or South Beach, or The Miami Mediterranean Diet, or Volumetrics, you can do the same. Not only will you lose weight if you follow The Ultimate Tea Diet, but simply by drinking tea all day, you can unlock the potential for any other diet plan to work as well.

More on the Benefits of Tea

Part 2 From Robert Ferguson, M.S., C.N., Performance Nutritionist to the Boxing Elite and Founder of the Food Lovers Fat Loss System. Mr. Ferguson is the author of Conquering The Munchie Monster.

(Part 1)

Robert Ferguson--

During this time of my life I put the blame on the meat I was eating for causing me to gain nearly 40 pounds of pure fat. So, I figured the best approach to upgrading my nutrition was to become a vegetarian.

I continued my running however, because even my new vegetarian diet didn't seem to be enough to keep me lean. But then one weekend I had traveled to an event in San Diego, California. As soon as we walked into the convention center where the event was being held - one booth captured our attention and we stopped to learn more.

My Body Fat Scare
The lady at this booth was asking people to get their body fat tested as a way to capture new clients. Foreign to me at the time, I took a step back as my two friends jumped to the opportunity to discover how much of their body was fat.

First to get tested was my close friend [same age]. He was quite lean and the results said that he was 11 percent body fat. Our other friend was 15 years our senior and though he lifted weights daily, his body fat percentage was a staggering 18.

I decided to pass on getting my body fat percentage checked because I didn't want it to be higher than 18 and I knew I wasn't as lean as my buddy who was walking around at a sculpted 11 percent. So, I said no thank you and we proceeded to go to the event that brought us to San Diego.

I had to know...
As soon as we got occupied I decided to sneak away from my friends and work my way back to the lady who would tell me how much of my total body weight was fat. As I got closer to her booth I noticed my heart rate increasing. But nothing was going to deter me from finding out.

To her amusement and my surprise, I was 24 percent body fat. According to her stats at the time that made me obese. I was thin because of all the running, but a quarter of my total body weight was fat.

Disbelief
I couldn't believe it. I told her that something must be wrong with her machine. She laughed and with each attempt to explain to me, I interrupted her with questions. Finally, after I calmed down a bit, she asked me to share with her what I typically eat on a daily basis. With confidence I again interrupted her and shared that I was a vegetarian. I told her that I didn't eat meat and there was no way I could be 24 percent body fat.

With a slight smile she asked me what I was eating at night?

If you could have been a fly on the wall you would have loved my confident reply. I said with a sense of pride: I eat pasta every night.

She laughed out loud and explained to me that meat wasn't the culprit to my high percentage of body fat. For instance, she said part of my problem may be what I eat at night before bed.

Pasta at Night
All this time I thought I was eating healthy; but the truth is that I was positioning my body to store fat while I sleep. Wow! I couldn't believe how confusing nutrition could be.

Food Lovers Recipes

Part 1  From Robert Ferguson, M.S., C.N., Performance Nutritionist to the Boxing Elite and Founder of the Food Lovers Fat Loss System.  Mr. Ferguson is the author of Conquering The Munchie Monster.

Robert Ferguson--

Most people who meet me think I am genetically lean. They assume that I have never had a problem or concern with my weight. Well, to their surprise and probably yours -- I am a proud owner of the "fat gene". That's right. Before I learned how to eat all my favorite foods (i.e., bread, pasta, desserts, etc) -- I would gain weight quite easily.

As many of you have heard me talk about in my seminars, if it wasn't for the things I've learned and now teach in my Food Lovers Fat Loss System... I would have fallen prey to the diet yo-yo lifestyle just like most everyone else.

MY STORY BEGINS in Anderson, Indiana where I was born and raised [Robert Lawrence Ferguson]. Growing up I observed my mother and many family members yo-yo dieting – going from one diet to another – losing weight only to gain it back and then some.

SIDE NOTE: My mother lost and gained in excess of 1,500 pounds in her lifetime.

Well, I never had a problem with my weight as a child or teenager. Simply put, I credit my participation in many sports for keeping me lean as a youth. But that all changed when I enlisted into the U.S. Marine Corps.

As difficult as it may be to imagine, after being in the Marine Corps for nearly a year – my active lifestyle came to a halt. Feeling lonely and homesick I began a daily ritual of eating lunch and dinner at McDonald’s. Matter of fact, on both occasions I ate the same thing: Big Mac, cheese burger, large fry, small fry, caramel sundae with nuts, apple pie, strawberry shake and I topped this high-calorie meal with a large diet coke.

Eating like this put me in a place where gained nearly 40 pounds of pure fat. As a result of this four month feast I didn’t realize I had gained weight. I knew I wasn’t as lean as I normally am, but in no way was I aware that I had gained eight inches on my waistline.

Fortunately, one of my friends gave me a photo he had taken of me. I couldn’t believe my eyes when he gave it to me. In shock at how different I looked with the added fat on my body and face – I panicked and cancelled my vacation to fly home to see family after being gone for over a year.

Fear got me moving
I immediately stopped going to McDonald’s and began running three times a day for a minimum of three miles each time. I ran in the morning, at lunch and before bed. I wasn’t knowledgeable of healthful nutrition at the time, but I did the best that I knew how.

Instead of eating McDonald’s I ate in the chow hall (cafeteria). Most of what I ate was deep fried and saturated with butter – but I wasn’t eating any where near the amount of calories I was eating at McDonald’s.

What seemed to last forever at the time, didn’t take long at all. After a few months I was back to a lean 170 pounds. Feeling good about myself but still running three times a day, I asked myself a life-defining question: “Do I have to run like this for the rest of my life?” Because I didn’t want to run three times a day just to keep the fat from coming back – I came to the conclusion that I better learn more about nutrition if I want to keep from gaining the weight back.

MORE ABOUT ROBERT FERGUSON             FOOD LOVERS RECIPES

Tosca Reno, BScH, BEd, is the author of 3 bestselling books, the Eat-Clean Diet (Robert Kennedy Publishing, 2007), the Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook (Robert Kennedy Publishing, 2007), and the Eat-Clean Diet Workout (Robert Kennedy Publishing, 2008). Aside from her advances in the world of health and fitness books, Ms. Reno is a regular columnist in Oxygen magazine, a fitness model and competitor, and the mother of three. Her goal is to clean up America’s plate one mouthful at a time by teaching everyone the joys of Eating Clean and weight training. Visit her on the web at eatcleandiet.com and toscareno.com. It’s never too late to start!

Guest Blogger Tosca Reno--

As a forty-year-old woman you don’t often feel that a second lease on life is attainable. As a forty-year-old woman struggling to get up the stairs because of an excess 70 pounds around my middle I knew this just wasn’t an option. My name is Tosca Reno and I had to turn my thinking around completely and gear up for the greatest challenge of my life as I faced the fact that I was overweight and unhealthy. That’s when Clean Eating came and took me by storm. What’s left you ask? A 48-year-old woman with a great body and a second chance who now wants to tell you how to do the same.

Clean Eating - you’ve heard of it, right? It’s going viral in a good way. Clean Eating is the way I reclaimed my body and won the battle of the bulge for good. It is all about eating more. You can pick yourself up off the floor now. Are you surprised? I was too. Listen up! Here is how it works. You eat six smaller meals each day and spread those meals out so you eat every three hours. That means you never go hungry! Good news for dieters. The magic combination of lean proteins from sources including chicken, turkey, fish, tofu, bison, egg whites and legumes are partnered with complex carbohydrates from whole grains including brown rice, quinoa, Ezekiel bread and from fresh fruits and vegetables. You can include low-fat dairy products and healthy fats from quality sources like olive oil, fish oil and my favorite, flaxseed. Seems pretty simple, right? So why is it so challenging for us to clean up our act?

Currently, there are 1 billion people worldwide who are overweight or obese (Perspectives in Diabetes, 2007). Why is that exactly? One big reason is that fast-food restaurants have popped up on every street corner around the globe. People have completely forgotten how to eat and rely solely on big food businesses to tell them what is healthy. Have you walked into a grocery store lately? It’s a veritable war zone between processed junk and clean, healthy foods. No wonder people are confused. In a recent study conducted by the International Journal of Obesity (2001), the relationship between fast-food restaurant usages directly correlates to a decrease in fruit and vegetable intake. So put down the take-out burger, pick up your apron and get back into the kitchen to prepare yourself or your family Clean Eating foods that will radically transform your body and your health, as it has done for me and so many others already.

The incorporation of Clean Eating foods leads to the lean, lithe look you’ve always wanted, without wreaking havoc on your health. You’re skin will glow, your nails will grow and your hair will shine. Not only that, your blood work results will come back showing a clean bill of health. Clean Eating literally cleans you from the inside out.

As a result of embracing this new way of eating, you will live your very best life possible. Think about what that could mean for you ….

READ THE INTERVIEW                            TOSCA'S RECIPES