Most diets fail because it is nearly impossible to deprive yourself of food forever.  What usually happens is you starve yourself for a period of time.  Then you start to go crazy and start revolving your life around food.  You start to think of the day in which you can eat whatever you want, and at some point you start binging and over eating, hence weight GAIN.

If a diet has ever worked for you there is only one reason why…….Calorie deprivation!  Of course you are going to lose weight if you only eat 500 calories a day!  But what kind of weight is it?  Most of it, especially initially is water!  For every 1 gram of carbohydrates you ingest, you retain 3-4 grams of water.  Most diets eliminate carbohydrates so that the initial weight loss is water, my friend, NOT FAT!  Then your body starts to break down muscle in order to convert it to sugar so that you can utilize it as fuel.  Though this doesn’t sound catastrophic, my friend, it is.  Muscle is metabolically active tissue, this means it burns calories!  So the last thing you want to do is lose muscle!

Ok, so what do you do in order to maintain the eating habits that I spoke about in my last newsletter, without feeling like you are DIETING?  It is easy; all you have to do is enjoy your food!  Does this sound too simple to be true?  It is simple, but it does take some time and effort.

You are probably thinking……great, I have to eat bland grilled chicken, bland brown rice, and boring green broccoli!  You are so wrong, my friend!  I enjoy so much eating healthy.  But I absolutely don’t eat bland food.  My trick is to make the food taste good, and to eat something different all the time.  This way I don’t ever feel deprived!    If you are not a good chef, don’t worry, I wasn’t a couple of years ago either, but I’ve learned, and you can too!  Buy cook books, go on the food network, and start playing around with food.  I will give you a couple of examples and healthy recipes of my favorite meals so you get a glimpse of how healthy, and tasty I eat every day.

Healthy Recipes for Breakfast

My version of an Egg McMuffin

1 toasted 100% whole-wheat English muffin
1 slice Kraft fat-free cheese
3 egg white omelet
YUMMY!

Mid morning snack:  Egg white muffins

Blend:
4 egg whites, green, yellow, and red peppers, ½ cup of shredded potatoes, and a couple of tbsp. of Kraft fat-free shredded cheddar cheese.
Place the blend in a muffin pan and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.
YUMMY!

My favorite chicken dinner:  Raspberry Balsamic Chicken with herbed brown rice & roasted feta asparagus

Healthy Recipes:  Protein

Raspberry Balsamic Chicken (4 servings)

Ingredients:
½ cup red onion, chopped
½ tsp dried thyme
4 chicken breasts
1/3 cup sugar-free raspberry jelly
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions:
Heat a nonstick pan with light cooking spray, add onions and sauté for 4 minutes.  Combine the thyme and pepper and sprinkle over the chicken.  Add the chicken to the pan, and cook until done on each side.  Remove the chicken from the pan, keep warm.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and add jelly and vinegar, and stir until the jelly melts.  Spoon the sauce over the chicken.
OUT OF THIS WORLD!

Healthy Recipes:  Healthy Carbs

Herbed brown rice (4 servings)
Boil 3 cups of water, add complete seasoning (dried herbs), and 2 tbsp of chopped fresh parsley, and 2 tbsp of chopped fresh cilantro.  When water boils, add 1 cup of brown rice, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until done!
YUMMY!

Healthy Recipes:  Yummy Veggies

Roasted Feta Asparagus

1 small package of fresh asparagus, chop stems off
Sprinkle the asparagus with Herbes de Provence and bake on a cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes.  Take them out of the oven and sprinkle them with reduced-fat feta.
DELICIOUS!

There is just no way you can feel like you are dieting eating like this.  The trick is to eat something different all the time, and to season your foods so that you really really enjoy them.  Eating healthy should be enjoyable, if you are planning to lose the fat and KEEP IT OFF!

For more healthy and delicious meal ideas, purchase my RECIPE BOOK "Eat to be Fit" for only $19.95.  Over 300 healthy and delicious recipes, divided by proteins, carbohydrates, and vegetables.

Remember, keep it different, and keep it delicious!  You won’t feel for a moment you are on a diet, and the fat will be coming off!  WOOHOOOOOOO, HOW EXCITING!

There is no need to eat bland and boring food in order to LOSE WEIGHT & GET FIT!  I have a solution for you……A Healthy Recipe Book with over 300 recipes that will help you lose weight without losing sanity.  Get your own copy of “Eat to be Fit” for only $19.95.  You will be AMAZED at how good HEALTHY food can taste!  Get hundreds of recipes just like this.