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Brace yourself—holiday parties and fall events are coming. Are you ready for the onslaught of cravings and temptations? Some people seem to have a superpower that blocks their craving receptors and allows them to stay the course—avoiding cookie platters like the chatty coworker at the holiday party. The rest of us mere mortals need a little help, but believe it or not, you can be that craving-resistant superhero too! Check out these tips.  Plan Ahead Every successful mission starts with a plan. You probably know there’s a family feast later tonight, so start your plan early in the day. There are two schools of thought on this, and it depends on what kind of eating personality you have. Some people prefer to save their calories and macros throughout the day, knowing they’ll have a feast that night. Others prefer to show up already full, so they aren’t as tempted to load up their plate. You know your body better than anyone else, so choose a path and stick to it....

Just starting off on your weight loss journey? Congratulations! The first step is the hardest, and as you start to adapt your cravings and change your lifestyle, you’ll notice there are some beginner obstacles to overcome. One of the biggest ones is learning how to make healthy food at home. If the thought of cooking every meal sounds intimidating to you, you’re not alone. Making seemingly boring ingredients like kale and chicken breast tasty can be a challenge, but with the right tools, you can make amazing meals from the comfort of your own kitchen.  If You’re a Macro Tracker, You’ll Need a Scale Some of us prefer to eat loosey-goosey, focusing on what we’re eating rather than how many calories it is. Even so, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with taking a detailed approach to your weight loss meal plan . If you like logging everything you eat into an app, a kitchen scale will help you get accurate readings and results.  Milk Frother for Fat-Burning Coffee...

Exercising is all fun and games until it's not. Usually, people go through a couple of phases in their relationship with working out. First, they break through and finally commit to going to the gym and start some workouts that can help get them results. After a little habit-building, you probably start to see results on the scale and in non-scale victories. But what about months after that? If you feel like your exercise routine is a little, well, routine , then it’s time to mix things up! Here are a few tips to keep you inspired on your fitness mission and change things up.  Hit the Trails Sure, you can get killer results with the treadmill, but running in place gets old for most of us. Take your cardio regimen outside and hit a trail or the sidewalk in your neighborhood for some fresh air. It surprises many people how different running outside is compared to on a treadmill, and the beautiful weather and sights can make it more interesting as well. Sign Up...

Believe it or not, for a lot of people, working out is like a (healthy) addiction. If they go more than a day without hitting the gym or the trails, they don’t feel quite like themselves. Although they might seem like superhumans, these people had to build the habit at some point and had to face similar obstacles.  If you're at the start of your health journey and still fight with motivation, here are some tips to help you while you build the workout habit. Stick with them long enough, and you'll be one of those superhumans too!   Dress for Success Look good, feel good, right? Having dedicated gym clothes that are comfortable, fit your body well, and look flashy can be all it takes to help get you going in the morning. Lay your workout clothes out before you go to bed so you can wake up without having to think about finding the right top for your leggings.  Pump Up the Jams Just like you follow a weight loss meal plan that has foods you actual...

Nobody wants people to see them as selfish, but when it comes to your health and wellness, putting yourself first is a good thing! Nobody can eat that broccoli for you or go on that jog in your stead, so it’s all on you to make your health a priority and get after it. If you feel like the hustle and bustle of the day is getting in the way of your health goals, here’s why you should double-check your priorities. Your Health Should Come Above All Else We all have priorities. Whether it’s your job, your kids, or your personal health, how you prioritize things can have an overall impact on your happiness. The thing is, your health and maintaining your body should come above all else. You only get one body—and its gotta last! Unlike your car, you can’t get a new one once it starts slowing down, so it’s essential you’re doing what you can to keep things running smoothly. It can be tempting to sacrifice your personal needs for others, and to a point, this is laudable behavi...

So, you’ve been on this diet for a few weeks. How’s it going so far? Even if you’re starting to see the needle move, if you’re on the wrong diet or eating program, you might crash and burn. Is trouble ahead? Here are some huge red flags to look for.  It Isolates You From Social Events You need flexibility in your program, and if you’re stuck eating the same three foods at the same exact time, you’ll likely become that person. There’s nothing wrong with sticking to your carrots when you go to a barbeque, and your goals should come before all else. But, if your diet has you bringing food containers to an event (and not to take home their yummy leftovers) then you should think about how flexible it really is. Want to know a secret? There are meal plans out there that let you actually live and enjoy your life! Weird to think, huh? Whether it’s a combination of intermittent fasting weight loss and carb-loading, or a low-carb, high-protein split, you can find something that keeps ...

When you’re first starting out on your health, weight loss, and fitness journey, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. From the things you have to say “no” to, to the change in your daily habits, just the thought of altering your lifestyle forever can be intimidating. Which is part of the reason why the key to anything life-changing is taking baby steps. It’s also vital to allow yourself to celebrate and take pride in those small steps. So, whether you’re well on your way to achieving your final goal or you’re just starting your health journey, here are five milestones worth celebrating along the way. You Move the Needle The first and perhaps most celebration-worthy milestone is when you move the needle of the scale for the first time. After years of either not giving fitness and nutrition any thought or following the wrong diet or exercise regimen, you're finally seeing results. It can only get better from here, so pat yourself on the back and keep moving forward. Your Clothes Stop...

To some, mornings suck. Waking up and working out first thing seems like a faraway dream that isn’t worth the effort in the end. Not true! If you aren’t a natural morning person, going without hitting snooze at least once can feel like a huge accomplishment in and of its own. That’s step one. Keep going, let’s get you up, moving, and sweating in the mornings. While exercising in the evening is better than not exercising at all, here are a few reasons why the early bird truly does get the worm when it comes to reaching your health goals. Feel the Early Burn If you’re an avid follower of intermittent fasting weight loss , then you'll know how effective fasting for set periods can be at boosting your metabolism and kicking your body into fat-burning mode. When you exercise in the morning as opposed to in the evenings, you can shift that process into high gear first thing in the a.m.—one study even found that if you exercise on an empty stomach as opposed to a full one, you can b...

Spring is here, and with the weather warming up and your favorite spot opening their patio space, you know what that means—it’s officially brunch season! Brunch is a sacred time for most of us and gives us a chance to pause, catch up with the girls, and enjoy some sunshine on the patio. What could go wrong? Well, there is that one little thing you might have forgotten—your diet. Luckily, you’re following a flexible, brunch-friendly weight loss meal plan . But even so, you can’t just go hog-wild after merely smelling some French toast. If you have a brunch date (or many) coming up, these are some easy tips that will help you stay on track with your health goals.  Plan Ahead A huge part of keeping your meal plan in check is planning well in advance what you’re going to eat when you get to brunch. If you just show up and wing it, chances are you’ll eat a big plate of pancakes and syrup with a side helping of regret for later on in the day. On the other hand, if y...

No matter what diet or weight loss plan you follow, it seems you’re bound to hit a plateau eventually. Hitting a plateau is essentially when your results start to slow down and finding the motivation to keep going can be a bit frustrating.  It happens to the best of us. Whether you’re on a low-carb plan or are following an intermittent fasting weight loss program, the plateau can feel inevitable. The good news is that many have overcome it and you can too if you have the right mindset and consider the following tips. Inspire Yourself It’s easy to let the number on the scale dictate how you feel about your progress, although your weight loss goal is really only part of the equation. When that number hasn’t moved much in a week or two, it’s easy to get discouraged and feel like this is as good as it gets. Having a positive mindset is probably the most crucial part of breaking through a plateau, so take a moment to look back and inspire yourself. If you took ...

Meeting your health goals, be it to lose weight or eat healthier foods (or both!), feels nearly impossible for some, while for others the process appears effortless. The truth is, anyone can conquer their health goals, including weight loss, with the help of an effective weight loss meal plan and the right fitness routine.  In recent years, low-carb diet phasing has shown success for many people, but as you go down that path, you might start missing your favorite carb-filled foods: buns, bread, pasta, potatoes, and more. The good news is you can have variations of these foods with a low-carb twist if you know what to use. Here are five low-carb substitutes to try: Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti is an all-time favorite comfort food for many. It’s filling, tasty, and versatile. The thing is, this crab-loaded dish doesn’t fit in a low-carbohydrate diet. Luckily, nature invented a vegetable version of pasta in spaghetti squash that is just as fork-twistingly fun to ...

Butter coffee is one of the hottest trends in the keto, intermittent fasting, and low-crab diet worlds. Once just made at home in a blender, its popularity has boomed into local coffee chains across the country. Not familiar with butter coffee? Well, it’s just as it sounds, emulsified butter—or another healthy fat like coconut milk or oil—in a cup of joe. While it might seem weird at first, the health and dietary benefits speak for themselves. Here are a few reasons to give it a try. Stay Full for Longer If busy mornings keep you from eating breakfast or you’re following an intermittent fasting weight loss regimen, then butter coffee is perfect for you. Many people find fasting until lunch a struggle as they fight off hunger pains and cravings, however, a dose of healthy fat in the morning bridges that gap and eases stomach discomfort. Butter and other healthy fats are more calorie-dense than protein or carbohydrates. Your body breaks fats down slowly, aiding in sat...

At the start of every new year, millions of people across the country create lists of resolutions. Much of the time, these lists include health goals like “lose X amount of weight this year,” or “go to the gym X times a week.” As you probably know, many of these goals are a lot easier said than done. However, at the beginning of the year with the calendar switching over, it’s easy to hold onto the “new year, new me” mindset. But what happens when you fast-forward a couple of months? The goals that once seemed conquerable now feel like mountains too steep to climb. What does it take to get up those mountains? Well, it all comes down to your habits—and more importantly—sticking to those habits. Particularly the healthy ones. Let’s go over a few tips to help you achieve your health goals and reach the summits you’re facing in 2019. Stay Away From Crash Diets It seems that every few weeks a new diet trend takes over. One week, carbs are bad, and the next, it’s fats. On...

You’ve likely heard a lot about intermittent fasting and the range of associated health benefits, including weight loss, gastrointestinal improvements, stress management, restful sleep, and more mindful eating. While intermittent fasting weight loss programs have a plethora of data demonstrating their effectiveness, it’s important to be aware of certain habits that can undermine your results. Follow this guide to avoid these five common intermittent fasting mistakes. Choosing the Wrong Plan There are a variety of intermittent fasting and weight loss meal plan options on the market today, and it’s important to find a schedule that works for you and your lifestyle. There are programs that alternate between one day of fasting and one day of eating, methods that involve fasting for 16 hours, options that allow for one meal a day, and many others. Whichever you prefer, it’s important to pick one that you can stick with. For example, if you have a demanding job, a pack...

The November and December holidays are some of the happiest times of the year. Whether it’s the first snowfall, holiday parties, or the anticipation of a new year just around the corner, the holidays are full of festive vibes. If there’s one potential downside of the holidays, though, it is likely the abundance of holiday treats. Savory appetizers, sweet baked goods, and alcoholic drinks are seemingly everywhere. But there is some good news for those already worried about the added holiday pounds. Contrary to the popular belief that the average American gains approximately 5 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, researchers have found that the actual weight gain is closer to one pound. In a study of 195 adults over a 6- to 8-week period, researchers found that the average weight increase was actually 0.8 pounds.  The real problem when it comes to holiday weight gain is not so much the extra slice of pie at dinner, it’s more that we tend not to lose ...