Guest post by Lindsey Wright

The holiday season is a time for relaxation, family and delectably-tasty treats. From the special turkey dinner at Thanksgiving to the finger foods at holiday parties, it is hard to avoid putting on a little holiday weight. Though staying fit, healthy and slim through the holiday season will require restraint and dedication, it is possible to get the most out of the season without giving into the sweets cravings and lazy temptations.

Plan Workout Times:

For many who gain weight during the holidays, the lack of a plan and the mindset that it is impossible to give up those special treats leads to failure. However, according to Women Fitness, taking the time to plan ahead for holiday workouts make it easier to maintain the schedule when it is tempting to sit on the couch and watch that silly holiday movie with the family. Thus, it is important to work out when an appropriate time to exercise is and what will lead to the best success in terms of sticking to your plan.

Eat Every Meal:

During the holidays, it is easy to anticipate that special dinner or party and try skipping out on meals to save extra calories. Unfortunately, Peter Walsh from Oprah.com points out that skipping meals can actually result in extra weight gain. The hunger from avoiding necessary meals results in overeating at the special occasion and taking in more calories than you would have otherwise. This can be particularly true for stressed individuals, such those who have put in a lot of the time at office (or the malls) as well as students who have been hitting the books extra hard for their online classes, as stress can also cause people to overindulge.

Spend Time on Muscle Building:

When devising an exercise plan, always remember to include some muscle building exercises. While it might not be possible to get to a gym and use the lifting equipment, taking a few minutes for exercises such as pushups, squats, and lunges can maintain muscle mass and improve your metabolism.

Muscle building is just as important for the holiday months as it is for any other time of the year. More muscle mass results in a higher overall metabolism that works more efficiently even when the body is at rest. Trying to spend every other day on simple exercises that build muscle can help maintain or lose weight.

Plan a Day for Cheating:

Sticking to a strict diet during the holidays is challenging, particularly when it comes to the special treats that are only around in the winter. Fortunately, staying fit through the holidays doesn’t necessarily mean giving up every treat. Instead, you can plan ahead for a couple days a month to indulge yourself during the holidays. The key to the day of indulging on a diet plan is to keep the amount of treats you eat to a moderate level. Enjoy a slice of pie or extra-buttery mashed potatoes, but avoid overeating.

Eat Slowly:

With so many tasty foods set on the table, eating quickly is a common part of the holidays. Unfortunately, the body requires a little time to process when the stomach is full. By the time the brain acknowledges that it is full, fast eaters often find that they’ve eaten too much and now feel like the stuffing-filled turkey.

Taking the time to savor the meal and chew food thoroughly will not only make the experience more enjoyable but also allows the mind to recognize your body’s signals for when you are actually full.

Pay Attention to the Foods:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that diabetic individuals should pay attention to the foods they are eating and avoid or limit foods that have heavy sauces, glazes or gravies. Although the CDC is providing advice to men and women who must watch their blood sugar, the fact that it can help reduce excessive calories and sugars without giving up good food applies to anyone looking to stay healthy during the holiday season.

Avoid turkey that is covered in gravy or the part of the ham with the honey glaze. Instead, opt for pieces without the gravy-heavy, sugar-filled honey or other sauces. This will reduce your caloric intake at the meal without forcing you to eat less.

The holiday season is a tough time for anyone trying to stay fit and healthy. Fortunately, continuing to exercise and working out a plan to avoid eating extra calories is the key to staying healthy and maintaining your weight.
 

This stuff could be liquid dynamite. It could be your ticket out of "fat pants." Check it out at the jump–it's called Prograde Fusion.

Here's an excerpt from the article I got from the creators of Fusion.

The Shocking Truth About “Hydration” Sports Drinks
And How They Prevent You From Losing Weight!

So-called “hydration sports drinks” are mostly sugar-only beverages that do little else than make you fatter and unhealthier.

All that sugar you drink simply gets converted to body fat and does nothing to sustain your energy levels.  

It also wreaks havoc on your blood sugar levels and insulin production, which can set the stage for pre-diabetes or full-blown diabetes.

What you need instead is a beverage higher in protein (to sustain your energy levels) and fiber (to fill you up and keep you hunger-free for longer).

More…

One of my boyhood idols growing up was none other than Jack LaLanne. I remember watching Jack's TV show with my grandmother. She followed right along with him and so did I!

Jack LaLanne died yesterday from complications from pneumonia. It's a wicked death. Same way my grandfather died.

But let's not be sad. Let's celebrate LaLanne and all he stood for!

In that light, here's a great video from the old Jack LaLanne television show about always being tired. This one is timeless; the 3 causes of being "pooped out" are laid out by the immortal one, simply and perfectly.

The Best Way To Beat Cellulite

By Cassandra Forsythe-Pribanic, PhD, RD

Cottage cheese                           Orange Peel                             Rice Pudding

Even though this sounds like it, I’m not talking about food here.  These are just some of the names given to an undesirable skin condition known as cellulite that plagues the backsides and tummies of women all over the world.

Sure, some men are affected by it, but for the most part, women’s biggest fear about wearing a bikini in the summer is the dimply appearance of her butt and thighs or mid-section. And, women don’t even have to be considered “chubby” or “fat” to have cellulite in the most awkward of places. Even our beloved, so-called perfectly thin actresses have cellulite that they work incredibly hard to hide.

But why is it that women are mostly stricken with mattress-like backsides and how do we prevent it or minimize its appearance?

What is cellulite?

Cellulite consists of several alterations in your skins normal structure, coupled with circulation issues (fatty areas of cellulite tend to have low blood flow and are cold to the touch), and changes with the fat cells themselves.

Click here to read more about the Best Way to Beat Cellulite.

It’s a scary thought, but well over half of the people in the US are walking around with pre-diabetes, chronic inflammation, hypertension, fatty livers and plaque in their arteries. And, most of them don’t even know it.  All they know is that their belly’s have gotten bigger than they should be, and their cholesterol is probably high.

These poor health markers are a cluster of symptoms classically known as Syndrome X, or Metabolic Syndrome.

Read more about Metabolic Syndrome here.

Yes, it is obvious that you need to eat right if you want to lose weight.  There are actually a lot of different strategies to eating right.  Some may not work so great for you and others will work amazingly well. 

The key with trying different diet and weight loss strategies is to give them an honest try.  Following a weight loss strategy for just 3 days is not giving it an honest 100% try. 

Stick with something for 3-4 weeks and then evaluate it to see whether it is right for you.  If it works then keep going with it and maybe even tweak it to try and make it even more powerful for you.  If it isn't helping you burn the fat you want to lose then scrap it and try another strategy.  Just make sure you try it for 3-4 weeks before scrapping it. 

Read more about Eating Right to Burn Fat here.
 

Burn the Fat legend Tom Venuto is pulling out all the stops on this one: His latest creation is called — GET THIS! — The Holy Freaking Grail, and it goes on sale tomorrow.

Yeah, you got that right. I added in the "Freaking" part. But if you start using this program, which is designed to cut fat and build muscle all at the same time, then you'll start freaking growing huge and getting ripped!

And who doesn't want that?

Check it out here:

== > http://blog.muscle-build.com/go/holy-grail/

I don't know how he stumbled onto this method, but it is crazy how effective it is. I tried this one out quite a few months ago and saw some good results. Now, I'll be honest with you, I didn't stick to it for long (I really just like to eat constantly throughout the day), but in 3 weeks time I lost some weight and got stronger.

In short, I leaned out and built some quality muscle, all in just a few short weeks.

You can do this, too.

Check out The Holy Grail here. Goes live tomorrow. Get in line.

You have to check out this really incredible product — and the background behind why it is so promising for folks who can't cut the belly fat.

Read more about it here.

==> Fight Belly Fat with EFA

Okay, the title of this post may be a little misleading, as weight loss, especially healthy weight loss, really is fat loss and to lose fat effectively, you have to exercise. But the types of food you eat can make all the difference in your success.

In short, eat more protein!

Guest post by Jon Benson

We should all take a big, huge, massive sigh of relief.

Finally… the FDA did something right when it comes to bogus "magic" diet-fatburn pills.

A panel of experts reviewed Vivus Inc.'s new wonder-pill "Qnexa" today.

They gave it the thumbs-down.

Why?

Oh… pesky little reported side-effects like… (are you ready for this?)…

• Heart Attacks
• Stroke  
• Increased Risk of Suicide (yikes!)
• Memory/Concentration Loss

You know… "minor" stuff like that.

GEEZ. What the hell are these drug companies thinking?

Oh, right…

Quick-Fix = Big-Bucks

Got it.

So, I am going to believe that YOU are much smarter than the morons who tried to get this drug past the FDA.

I'm going to assume you want a solution to this obesity pandemic and your own fatloss issues (if you have them) that do NOT involve risking your life for a thinner you.

"Oh, Marge… she looks so thin in her casket…"

THIS IS NOT A GOOD EULOGY! : )

One day… perhaps even in my lifetime… someone will invent a chemical that actually works to shed bodyfat without harming the body. That will be a great day for all of us.

Even so, I can all but promise you that this chemical will have its nasty side-effects and/or be limited in duration or power.

Nothing, repeat NOTHING you can pop in your mouth will give you the JOY that managing your dietplan and bodyweight can give you.

NOTHING! 

It's one of the greatest feelings in the world.

And here's a fantastic clue for you: 

The reason we want to be thin is because of the FEELING it gives us.

Most everything we do is based on feelings.

Quick-fixes negate the most powerful thing about feelings:

Earning the right to have them.

Think of it this way: Would you feel more alive and powerful if you climbed a mountain or if you took a helicopter ride to the summit?

Sure, the helicopter is easy… but which is more personally rewarding?

Think of your own body transformation goals as your personal mountain to climb.

No helicopters… just really good guides (I'm sharing a "guide" with you today that I personally think is one of the best guys in the fitness industry) and solid climbing tools (like a great real-world dietplan, solid workouts that work WITH your schedule, and realistic but exciting goals.) 

Your goals will become your base camps along your summit of your personal journey to the best you possible.

Color me silly, but I think that sounds FAR more empowering and rewarding that popping pills.

As you may know I wrote one of the top books in the world on "real-world" weighttloss (spelled that way so the spambox won't eat your email… : ) called "The Every Other Day Dietplan."

I made this dietary System as easy as possible… but NO plan is "easy" and there is NO quick-fixes out there without serious pricetags.

That said, I have some "rebel tricks" to share with you today based off just a few pages in my best-seller… and they won't put you six feet under before your time.

Here's my article, "Rebel Fatloss Tricks"… go see it:

You can't sell this stuff in a bottle… but it works to get the bodyfat off and keep it off.

Jon Benson is the author of The Every Other Day Dietplan.

If you pick up Jon's dietplan (on the article page above) you'll find in the Member's Area three supplements that actually DO work to help you burn-off-fat… but they do not work like magic. They work like they're supposed to: Realistically, and without harming your body.