But it turns out there are all sorts of studies that say skinny people eat breakfast. So I’ve been trying to choke down something within an hour or so of waking. Admittedly, it does help me from overdoing it at lunch…combining lunch and a snack into one meal (the idea that I can combine two meals into one).

The challenge is finding something I’m willing to eat that’s fairly easy to put together. Because its winter, I don’t want a smoothie (during the summer I like mocha smoothies). I like an egg and Canadian bacon, but I can’t eat that everyday. Too many eggs apparently aren’t great for you either. So I’ve started having a whole grain waffle with 1 tbs of peanut butter.  I suppose I could have oatmeal, but I don’t like it much without the butter and brown sugar, which defeats the purpose. If anyone has any other ideas that can be put together in minutes, I’d love to hear it.

1. Turkey is good for you. Its a great form of lean protein. Simply choose the white meat (breast) and avoid the skin.
2. Have alternative vegetables. The problem with Thanksgiving veggies is that they often have tons of butter and other fattening toppings. Instead of potatoes, steam and mash cauliflower with just a little butter. Or have steamed green beans. Or roast yellow squash with red onions (mixed with a little olive oil) in your oven.
3. Make you’re own sugar-free cranberry sauce. It is so easy to do. Simply buy cranberries (usually in the produce section). Put them in a pot with a cup of water and cup of Spenda (TM) and cook until the berries pop. Let cool and then store in the fridge.
4. Have whole grain rolls. Bread is okay, but its best if you choose the kind that has nutritional value. Whole grain (whole must be on the package, ie whole wheat or whole grain) bread offers fiber and vitamins.
5. Have a SMALL slice of dessert. It is a holiday so you can have a little treat. Just don’t over do it. If you’re afraid one little slice will lead to more slices, have fresh fruit instead.

The only items you should avoid are stuffing and gravy, but even if you just have a single spoonful that would be okay. Finally, give yourself a single serving size of each item and savor it. Eat slowly. Don’t feel compelled to have seconds because there’s a table full of food. Thanksgiving food is as good, if not better eaten the next day for lunch.

1. Make sure you’re actually hungry. Hunger is a physical feeling, not an emotional one. If you don’t have the physical feelings of hunger (empty stomach, hunger pangs), try chewing gum or sucking on a sugar-free hard candy. It will keep your mouth happy without adding too many calories.
2. Get busy. If you’re bored, do something. Taking your mind off your “hunger” is the best way to keep from eating. If you’re watching tv and feeling hungry, keep the hands busy with laundry or have a glass of water or other low calorie drink.
3. Eat something healthy. If you must eat, make a healthy choice such as fruits or vegetables.

Keeping a written food log has long been known to help dieters make sure they’re not over doing it, but it turns out a photo log can have the same effect. According to a University of Wisconsin at Madison researchers, dieters who took pictures of their meals right before they ate them made leaner, healthier food choices. You can do the same. In fact, you make it social by using your Smartphone to share your meals with other dieters online by forming your own online diet support group.

Everyone finds counting calories tedious, but the truth is, weight loss is all about calories in (eating) and calories out (exercising). When the calories in is way over the calories out, you gain weight.

Calorie counting is not something you’ll have to do forever, but starting out on a diet it can be a big help and eye opener. Most people don’t realize how much they really eat. They tend to forget the little bites of this and that, completely underestimate a serving, and are in total denial about what is consumed. The best way to fix that is to keep track of the calories eaten.

Over at FitWatch you can find out the calorie count of hundreds of foods as well as sign up for its free Fitness Tracker (there is a paid deluxe version as well) that will help you monitor the amount and quality of foods you eat, as well as your exercise efforts.

According this month’s Berkeley Wellness Letter, the answer is no. Vitamins are very picky about how they want to be absorbed. Some will only be absorbed when taken with food or another vitamin. And some absolutely will not be absorbed if eaten with with certain foods. The problem with vitamin water is that they tend to be full of sugar and the vitamins are not likely to be absorbed. Which could be good because in some cases you could run the risk of overdoing it. There is such as thing as vitamin toxicity.

Your best bet to get all the nutrients you need is to eat a balanced diet that includes vitamin rich food such as vegetables, fruit and whole grains. Many doctors do recommend a multivitamin for women to help not as a substitute for good eating.

Nothing does a diet in faster than the monthly cravings that come with PMS. For many women the need for chocolate and simple carbs (sugar and refined foods) are too much to withstand. But by giving in a woman can undo all the work she’s done to lose weight.

However there may be a cure. Health experts suggest that the cravings are due in part to changes in hormones and its impact on insulin. In essence, the body craves fuel. The treatment is to have more complex carbs and fiber. This involves switching out the white breads and pastas with whole grains. Fruits and veggies are also high in fiber and offer some sweetness to help curb the sweet tooth.

I know this is easier said than done. But the goal is to not worry about losing weight during the menstrual cycle, but instead to try not to gain weight. So you can indulge a little bit. In may case, I’m trying the complex carb option, but I still have my daily dose of dark chocolate. Some things I just can’t give up.

1) Change something. Our bodies get used to things we do over and over. As a result, the lose their effectiveness. Instead of eating the same things, change it up. Don’t eat almonds for a snack. Have celery with peanut butter instead. Don’t walk for 30 minutes. Instead walk 3 minutes as fast as you can and walk slower for 2 minutes, repeating 5 times. Intervals are a great way to mix things up for the body.

2) Stop something. Sometimes our bodies react to some foods in a negative way. Diet soda for instance often hinders weight loss. I find that meal bars slow my weight loss down.  Pick something you consume a lot, and stop eating it and see if it makes a difference. In particular focus on things that may be high in sugar and/or sodium.

3) Get real. Studies show that most people underestermate how much they eat and overestimate how much they work out. Keep a journal and be honest about calories in and energy out. You may find that you haven’t been doing as well on your diet as you thought.

4) Cut 100 more calories. Only do this if you’re eating 1500 calories or more. Cutting 100 calories a day, should help you lose an extra pound every 5 weeks (100 X 36 days = 3600 cals less).

5) Add 10-15 minutes on to your exercise regimen to burn more calories without spending too much more time.

1) Is it healthy? Too much or not enough of anything is bad for you. People lose weight on Atkins, but its been critized for too much protein, particularly fatty proteins. A healthy diet will have protein, complex carbs, and fat because you need it all. But it should be in healthy amounts with a variety of sources. Protein doesn’t just come from meat. Complex carbs can come from whole grains or vegatables. Your fats should be healthy kinds such as olive oil or from nuts.

2) Is it balanced. While your diet should have proteins, carbs and fats, they should be eaten in a balanced way. Too much fat is bad. Substituting bad fat for good carbs, is bad. Experts recommend 45-65% complex carbs, 10-35% protein, 20-35% fat (good fats).

3) Will you follow it? There are lots of great diets, but some I won’t follow because the recipes are obscure. What I eat is also what my family will eat. My kids won’t eat obscure stuff.

4) Does it allow for indulgence. No one wants to go the rest of their lives never being able to eat chocolate or hamburgers. A good weight loss program knows this and will help you include the stuff you love, within moderation.

5) Does it include exercise. You have to move. You don’t have to join a gym or run a marathon, but you have to move for your body to work efficiently. So a good weight loss program is going to combine healthy eating with moderate cardio and strength building exercises.

6) Is it a lifestyle change instead of a diet? The most successful weight loss programs involve a lifestyle change in which you eat better forever, not just for the two weeks before your high school reunion. As a result it involves slow to moderate changes that are easy to implement, fit in your life, and don’t leave you feeling like your missing out. Instead it becomes how you normally eat and exercise.

One of the most difficult aspects of weight loss is dealing with being hungry when its not time to eat. This is often referred to as having the “munchies”. The munchies can completely ruin a diet by adding extra calories. Even just a few calories here and there can add up to gaining instead of losing weight. Here are some tips to get those munchies under control:

1) Choose a 5-6 meal a day diet. This isn’t 5-6 full meals. Its 3 average to small meals and 2-3 healthy snacks. By eating less more frequently you can stave off hunger, keep your blood sugar levels and energy at an even keel, and avoid over doing it. The snacks should be healthy such as a handful of almonds, an apple with cheese, or veggies with  hummus or low calorie dip. My last snack of the day I like to have air-popped popcorn with spray butter (ie Pam) and a popcorn seasoning (it does have lots of salt so use sparingly). Popcorn has lots of fiber and is filling.

2) Know your worst times of day for munchies to attack. For me between 3-5 pm and after 8 are when I really want to eat. By knowing these times are hard, I can make plans to manage the munchies by planning a snack (see #1) or keeping busy (see #3). It also help to figure out if you’re really hungry or just bored. Eating is used to treat all sorts of moods (depression, boredom, etc) and hunger may not be involved at all.

3) Distract yourself. Many see a failure to manage weight as an inability to focus and maintain will power. But telling yourself over and over again not to eat when you want to eat won’t help. You’re still focused on eating and feeling hungry even if you are able to talk yourself out of eating. I find that my best days are usually busy ones. So distract yourself with errands, hobbies, work and other activities during your peak munchie hours.

4) Drink water or another non-calorie liquid. Water is the best as it can fill you up and has no calories or other “bad” stuff. You can have a diet soda but they have salt so limit yourself to one. You can also choose tea or coffee (watch out for the cream and sugar as you don’t want to defeat the purpose), or a broth.

5) Chew on sugar-free gum or suck on a sugar-free hard candy.  This provides the sensation of eating without all the calories.

The munchies are manageable it you know when they’re most likely to attack and have a plan to combat them. Using one or more of the options above should help you avoid giving into the muchies.

If you have other ideas for beating the munchies, please share you idea in the comment section.