Steve Victor : Whether you still have your holiday pounds to lose or not, these small steps can help you lose the weight and keep it off. They are simple, but effective and will turn into good habits if you keep them up.

* Increase your a-peel - Speaking of fiber, a lot if it is in the peel, whether it's potatoes, apples, or pears. Even oranges - don't eat the whole peel, but keep the pith, that white stuff; it's packed with flavonoids. More nutrients, more fiber, less labor.

* Drink with your dominant hand - If you're circulating at a party, keep your glass in the hand you eat with. If your're drinking with it, you can't eat with it!

* Plate it - Whatever it is, don't eat it out of the container and don't bring the container to the couch. Pour a small amount out in a small bowl, or plate - part of eating is visual - by seeing the snack and seeing yourself finish it you will be more satisfied.

* Keep your hands busy - Find a way other than food to work off your nervous energy. By doing something with your hands (knitting, playing solitaire/cards/games/puzzels, doing arts and crafts) you are using behavior modification.

* Take 10 - When your mind strays from your desk to the vending machine, it could be hunger - or it could be boredom or irritation with your boss. If you're still thinking about snacking 10 minutes later, then you're probably hungry. Keep some veggies with you for a quick, healthy snack

* Go out for ice cream (a Jody Victor suggestion) - Or an eclair, or even quacamole and chips. Just go out. If you don't keep your danger foods in the house you won't be tempted to eat them. You can't eat half a carton of ice cream that's not there.

* Start with salad - It's the holy grail of dieting - eat less by eating more. Reaearchers have found that eating a salad as the first course decreases total meal calories by 12%. But avoid the croutons and creamy dressings - they have the opposite effect.

* Just scrape by - Always order your bagel or burger with a plastic knife. Use it to scrape off the excess cream cheese and mayo. Or use it to spread only a thin layer of the same.You could shave off as many as half the calories.

* Send back the bread (a Jody Victor suggestion) - By skipping or cutting back the bread at a meal you can save up to 200 calories.

* Go crazy, sometimes - Deprivation won't make you thin - or happy. Designate a meal or two a week when you can eat absolutely anything you want - but only then.

All the Best!

Steve Victor

How much extra time do you spend at the grocery reading the labels on food boxes? On the front of the food box is the producer’s claim to fame. They are the buzzwords we are all looking for in our attempt to reduce calories, fat and cholesterol in our diets. Here's a little "Reading Food Labels 101" to help you save time deciphering label lingo.

No Fat or Fat Free: Contains less than ½ gram (g) of fat per serving.

Saturated Fat Free: Less than 1/2g of saturated fat and trans-fatty acids per serving.

Lower or Reduced Fat: Contains at least 25 percent less per serving than the reference food.

Low Fat: Contains less than 3g of fat per serving (a Jody Victor suggestion).

Cholesterol-Free: Less than 2mg cholesterol and 2g or less saturated fat per serving.

Low Cholesterol: 20mg or less cholesterol and 2g or less saturated fat per serving.

Extra Lean: Less than 5g of fat, 2g of saturated fat, 95mg of cholesterol.

Lean: Less than 10g of fat, 4.5g of saturated fat, 95mg of cholesterol per serving.

No Calories or Calorie Free: Contains less than 5 calories per serving.

Low Calories (Lite): Contains 1/3 the calories of the original version.

Sugar-Free: Contains less than ½ g of sugar per serving (a Jody Victor favorite).

Reduced Sugar: At least 25 percent less sugar per serving than the reference food.

No Preservatives: Contains no preservatives (chemical or natural)

No Preservatives Added: Contains no added chemicals. Some may contain natural preservatives.

No Salt/Sodium or Salt/Sodium Free: Contains less than 5Milligram (mg) salt per serving.

Very Low Sodium: 35mg or less salt per serving.

Low Sodium: 140mg or less salt per serving.

High Fiber: 5g or more per serving.

Good Source of Fiber: 2.5g to 4.9g per serving.

More or Added Fiber: Contains at least 2.5g more per serving than reference food.

All The Best!

Steve Victor

Stress is a daily fact of life. Stress can come from major events such as getting married or changing jobs. Or it can come from minor daily incidents such as job pressure or holiday plans. It is the result of both the good (EX: vacation) and the bad (EX: illness in family) things that happen to us.

When you find an event stressful, good or bad, your body undergoes a series of responses. These responses come in three stages:

1. Mobilizing energy. Your body releases adrenaline, your heart beats faster and you start to breathe more rapidly. Both good and bad events can trigger this stage.
2. Consuming energy stores. If you remain in the mobilizing energy stage for a period of time your body begins to release stored sugars and fats. You will then feel driven, pressured and tired. You may also experience anxiety, negative thinking or memory loss, or catch a cold or flu more easily than normal.
3. Draining energy stores. If you do not resolve your stress problem, your body’s energy needs become greater than its ability to provide them. At this stage you may experience insomnia, errors in judgment and personality changes. You may also develop a serious illness such as heart disease.

Signs that you may be over-stressed include:

• Feelings of irritability, sadness, or guilt
• Change in sleep patterns
• Change in weight or appetite
• Difficulty in concentrating or making decisions
• Negative thinking
• Loss of interest, enjoyment or energy in something you used to enjoy
• Restlessness

Here are some approaches you can take to deal with short and long term stress:

1.       Identify your problems. What is causing your stress? Is an unimportant surface problem masking a deeper one? Once you identify the problem you can do something about it.

2.       Work on solutions (a Jody Victor suggestion). Start thinking about what you can do to relieve the problem. Take control over the issues you can manage. Ask yourself what will happen if you do nothing. Once you make the changes, you will take pressure of yourself.

3.       Talk about your problems. Family, friends, and co-workers may not know you are having a problem. Just by talking and venting your feelings can relieve some of your stress. If you and your support group feel you need to talk to someone outside of your support circle, make that call.

4.       Learn about stress management. In addition to mental health professionals who specialize in stress, there are many books, movies, courses and workshops available.

5.       Reduce tension. Physical activity is a great stress reducer. Walk, do some exercises, dance or garden to reduce stress. There are also relaxation exercises that can take the pressure off, such as Yoga deep breathing and stretching techniques. Meditation can also help by calming your mind and allowing you to make more relaxed decisions.

6.       Take your mind off your problems through reading, a hobby, or sports. Give yourself a mental holiday from stress. The holiday can give you some distance from your problems and they may become easier to solve.

7.       Try not to be too hard on yourself. Stress can cause a lot of negative thinking. You may find yourself saying, “I can’t, won’t, should, must…” Try to find realistic solutions you can achieve in steps that will bring success.

Once you have lowered your stress level, there are techniques to help prevent stress:

• Make decisions. Worrying about making a decision causes stress.
• Avoid putting things off. Make a weekly schedule that includes leisure activities as well as the things you must do.
• Delegate to others. Stop trying to do everything yourself.
• Keep your thinking positive and realistic (a Jody Victor favorite).

All the Best!

Steve Victor

From the instuctions for some diets, you'd think losing weight was more complicated than quantum physics. The food diaries you need to write, nutrition labels you need to read, pronounce and translate; the protein, fat and carbohydrate grams you have to add up. It's time to try an easier way. No math, no more squinting at the fine print and trying to decipher those words with no vowels. Instead, just everyday tactics that will get you started on your weight loss plan and then help you stick to it. Soon enough, your diet will simply become the way you eat.

1. Always eat dessert. Yes, always. We're not talking a whole pie here - just a piece of quality chocolate (Jody Victor's favorite), mini-cupcake or fruit. This "sweet ending" will signal your body that the meal is over.

2. Blot out the fat. You can use a napkin to blot a teaspoon of fat off a pizza slice. That may not sound like a lot, but multiply it by a slice a week, and that's more than a whole cup of fat you won't eat - or wear - this year.

3. Take the beltway. When junk food beckons, tighten your belt a notch. Not so you can't breathe, but so you have a gentle reminder of the size you'd like to be.

4. Go public. Enlist the help of coworkers, friends, and family - and know they're watching (a Jody Victor suggestion).

5. Get spicy with it. Capsaicin, the substance that puts the hot in hot pepper, temporarily boosts your metabolism. Just make sure you're drinking a little dairy with your Hot Juan Special. Dairy blocks capsaicin's sweat-inducing signals better than water.

6. Milk it. Consuming 1,800 mg of calcium a day could block the absorption of about 80 calories, according to a recent University of Tennessee study. Add milk to your morning cereal and be sure to take a calcium supplement daily (a Jody Victor suggestion).

7. Go Organic. That's where you're likely to find bread and cereal with fiber counts that put the conventional choices to shame.

8. Splurge on precut veggies at the supermarket. Sure, they cost a little more, but you're more likely to eat them. Keep low-calorie snacks and veggies on hand so you have no excuse. (and don't buy any high calories ones!)

9. Practice fine dining. Pick a restaurant where you'll actually want to linger. When the meals are not hurried, the presentation is beautiful and the portions are reasonable you can relax, enjoy your meal and let your body - not the empty plate - tell you when to stop.

10. Don't skip your 3 pm snack. Have a 150 calorie snack in the afternoon to keep you from overeating later. An ounce of nuts or two sticks of string cheese weigh in at about 170 calories.

All the Best!

Steve Victor