Beware!

Beware ... For the path you will take will lead you to certain destruction!

Ok no, not really, I just wantd to throw down a Labyrinth quote ;) (Geek attack!!)

ANYWHOOOO .... I always love these types of write ups and this is one of my faves:

There may be no place on the planet more daunting than the American supermarket. From the produce section to the frozen-food aisle, the modern day market is loaded with 50,000 food choices, all vying for your hard-earned money.

There’s no better way to start slimming down in 2009 than by eliminating the most egregious offenders in the supermarket from your shopping cart. Some are conspicuous calorie bombs, others are junk food masquerading as healthy food, but all twenty of these foods have one thing in common: they will undermine your efforts to lose weight and feel great in the New Year. So study up on the list of the Worst Supermarket Foods (and while you’re at it, don’t forget the 20 Worst Restaurant Foods in America while you’re at it), and resolve to master your market in 2009.

My Opinion:

#18 & #14 - These are the most suprising on the list, however, not overly shocking
#13 - What a total joke!
#12 - LOL!
#11 - Oh those tricky "Natural" foods ... don't believe everything you read

Keep Reading: The 20 Worst Supermarket Foods in America

Damn that Workplace

This is such a simple, yet effective tip and I cant agree with it more:

Your workplace can actually encourage overeating. Vending machines, snack rooms, and cakes to celebrate the boss' birthday can all contribute to temptation to overeat. If these pressures are sabotaging your diet, you may have to get political. Tell your supervisor about your difficulties and advocate for what you want to change.

When I started on my 2009 Journey, I told EVERYONE at the office (well, everyone that cared - lol) about my plan. At first it was a bit intimidating, but now that they know, the support is unreal.

Keep Reading: Stay Slim This Year

Aaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Stress ... its gets us all the time.

Maybe its work related, maybe its financially related, maybe its health related. Whatever it is, we all suffer from it time to time.

However, I never really thought that stress would = weight issues. Of course the "stress eating" never helps the waistline, but are there other ways that stress can pack on the pounds?

Forget Häagen-Dazs therapy. Research has uncovered new information about the link between stress and snacking that can help you break the cycle--no therapist required. And once you find out how to fight the biological odds stacked against you, not only will you be more relaxed, but the waistband on your jeans will be too.

Keep Reading: Why Cavewomen Didn't Wear Spanx: Stress, Fat, and Darwin

How Much Is Your Diet Costing You?

I know that this is something that not only I, but loads of others have thought about when embarking on a new way of life.

Tossing out all the food in your pantry and fridges, only to restock it with healthy alternatives can be hard on the pocket book, let alone the psyche.

There are fewer things more dreaded than the New Year's resolution.

For millions of Americans each year, that means deciding to drop a few--or tens --of pounds. It also means picking a diet from a number of confusing programs: low-fat, low-carb, high-protein, pre-made, points-counting, and so on. The options can be exhausting and once committed, it is hard to start over if the diet is less than compatible with your habits--and your bank account.

That's why we evaluated the first-week costs of seven popular weight-loss programs. After all, the initial week often requires the greatest personal and financial investment.

Keep Reading: What a week's worth of food on the country's most popular weight-loss plans will cost you.

"We can't eat freely"

Well, that really should be no surprise to anyone ... should it?

According to Dr. Larry Tucker, a professor of exercise science in the College of Health and Human Performance at Brigham Young University, it is:

Dr. Larry Tucker, a professor of exercise science in the College of Health and Human Performance at Brigham Young University, authored a study on restrained eating that appeared in the Jan./Feb. 2009 edition of The American Journal of Health Promotion. Tucker spent three years studying the eating habits of 192 middle-aged women.

Some participants practiced what's known as restrained eating, or the conscious effort to avoid unhealthy foods and substitute them with healthier ones. Previous short-term studies have demonstrated a link between restrained eating and binging, leading researchers to believe that limiting choices often results in overcompensation later.

Tucker's study draws the opposite conclusion. The women who did not practice restrained eating were almost two-and-a-half times more likely to gain weight over the three-year time period than those who were more selective. While the phenomenon of restrained eating and binging has puzzled researchers for years, Tucker believes the length of his study demonstrates a strong causality between eating selectively and weight maintenance. This conclusion has been supported by other long-term studies.

While it's a harsh truth, Tucker says people can adapt to it by making various changes to their habits. Weigh yourself several times per week and keep a food diary, he advises. Added calories, and pounds will show up quickly on the page and scale.

The lesson, he says, is simple and one that dieters often fear: "We can't eat freely."

Keep Reading: Is your diet passé?

I do know some people who don't every think twice about what they put in the mouths and bodies and who are forever starting on another crash or drastic diet to lose weight, that they could have avoided gaining in the fist place.

In my opinion, its breaks down to this: Lifestyle and Accountability.

Lifestyle:
We all know that being active is a healthy way to live. It's not rocket science. It’s common sense and it’s easy to get in a even just a few minutes of exercise everyday.

• Take the stairs to work
• Get off the bus or train a few stops early
• Walk to the grocery store and lug those sacks of feed back home, you'll have earned your grub!

Not only will even just a small dose of activity or exercise help keep the muffin top at bay, it can do wonders for your overall health. Your heart, your lungs and even your brain will thank you for it.

Accountability:
You have to be honest with yourself in what you eat and how active you are.

If you cheat or slip up from your healthy way of life (and we all do), admit it and move on. Don’t do your self the disservice of rationalizing your Whopper or Ben & Jerry's binge. It’s going to get you nowhere.

"If you're going to eat cookies, accept that you're deviating from your plan, and then revert to your diet afterward,". Kidding yourself will only get you into trouble.

Read More: Think like a Biochemist

No one is ever force feeding you MacDonald’s or Ice Cream. It is always your decision and though sometime it may be a hard one, what will be harder is on-going battling the bulge that will come with it.

This may sound harsh, and maybe it is, but the truth can sometimes hurt.