A few weeks ago I jokingly said that if animals gain weight to survive the winter, well maybe we should too. I was trying to worm my way out of my current diet and postpone weight loss until the spring.This past week, I got some cold hard facts about cold weather and weight gain from Tom Venuto, a fat-loss expert, nutrition researcher, and natural steroid-free bodybuilder. So do we really get fatter during cold weather, Tom?The answer is YES, according to Venuto, the author of The Body Fat Solution: Five Principles for Burning Fat, Building Lean Muscle, Ending Emotional...

Feeling down about your weight? It may be time to rejoice and maybe even reacquaint yourelf with some of the foods you cut out during your attempt to drop a few pounds.CARB is no longer a four-letter word for us dieters! In the new paperback version of their best-selling The Serotonin Power Diet (Rodale), renowned scientist Judith Wurtman, PhD, and her co-writer, Nina T. Frusztajer, MD, detail the power of carbs which they say help us...Activate the appetite-suppressant function of serotonin to stop weight gainRegain control over emotional overeating and cravingsLose up to 2 pounds of real weight...

As Bette Midler sings -- and Donkey in Shrek, too -- ya gotta have friends! Having someone you trust to provide support and tough love is essential when you are facing a challenge.Dieting is a challenge... so you gotta have friends.During my 10 years in this field of health, wellness, diet and fitness, I've accumulated quite a few great friends. Some I have yet to meet, but that hasn't stopped me from forging great phone/email relationships.Total wellness guru Alicia Kirschenheiter has become one of my best friends. And that's a good thing because, as I try to lose weight, I...

Forner NFL player Dave Hubbard has come up with what he calls a new formula for fitness -- a formula that will transform your body and energize your life.And it only takes 10 MINUTES A DAY to see results!If we can't find 10 minutes a day for fitness, then we're in deep doo-doo here folks.Hubbard, who way back in the '70s played on the offensive line for the New Orleans Saints, developed his fast and effective workout after hurting his back in a skydiving accident.For Hubbard, long sessions at the gym were no longer possible. And he soon discovered they...

I just had my fourth weigh-in since starting my diet three weeks ago. While my first week's closing number of 225.2 surprised and excited me, things just haven't been moving in the right direction since then.Last week I was exactly the same weight; this week I am actually ONE POUND HEAVIER!It's disturbing and frustrating... but like any good dieter, I have EXCUSES -- five of them, in fact!Excuse #1: Faulty EquipmentI'm referring to my scales.... yes scales. I went out and bought a new one after last week's shocking weigh-in results. I realize this category could very well refer to...

I enjoy food shopping. However, more often than not, I come away from my local Walmart or Weis with a cart that's crammed and overflowing with unplanned purchases.Did I really need three large bags of Jalapeno Krunchers that cost me more than $11 or those three half gallons of ice cream that cost me hundreds of extra calories?Of course not. But that's how I shop... or, as my wife is fond of saying, that's how I buy.Shopping should mean looking for deals and sticking to a list, not just grabbing a pack of cupcakes or a frozen pizza just because...

A healthy lifestyle is much more than a diet and exercise program. It encompasses just about everything we do -- and that includes how we raise our children.I have two kids -- Jonathan, 12, and Caelyn, 10 -- but I am by no means an expert on parenting. Lucky for me and you, I do know parenting experts, including Paula Statman, author of Raising Careful Confident Kids in a Crazy World.Paula says, "A child who feels loved is less likely to look for love in the wrong places... from the wrong people. It's a documented fact that kids who feel...

The Diet-to-Go Book Nook is back and today we're showcasing Nicki Anderson's Single-Step Weight Loss Solution (Healthy Learning).I've worked with Nicki for the past decade and have always valued her insightful advice and sane approach to losing weight and getting fit.So check out Mr. Bad Food's 10 questions for Nicki, then get yourself a copy of Single-Step Weight Loss Solution by clicking here.As you read Nicki's comments please keep in mind that Diet-to-Go is not your typical "diet" -- we are a meal company with food that meets the health guidelines set forth by major organizations like American Dietetic Association...

I gotta get me a good scale...I did my week two weigh-in this morning and was shocked and saddened to see the same number showing as last week... this, despite the fact I stuck to my guns this week and didn't cheat.I am officially blaming it on the cheap scale I bought at K-Mart. I guess I was pennies wise and pounds foolish!For those just checking in: I am down almost 11 pounds over the past two weeks... well, according to this scale anyway.This is why I hate scales. I awoke this morning feeling great... so slimmed down and so...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning about bogus diet pills. The warning concerns counterfeit versions of Alli, an over-the-counter weight loss product. The counterfeit products have been sold online.Read more about it here: http://www.kpho.com/health/22269318/detail.html...

A lot of companies say they care about their clients, but Diet-to-Go talks the talk and walks the walk. Last year, our motto became "It's more convenient than ever to be a customer!" and our small but energetic team pushed through a lot of great things.I asked our Vice President of Administration, Rachel Lynch, to select and comment on the top 5 things that Diet-to-Go did in 2009.Here are her choices:"We never rest on our laurels here at Diet-to-Go," says Rachel, who spends much of her day making sure our customer service is second to none."We're always looking for new...

You don't have to be a football fan to enjoy a super bowl... not when we're talking about a super bowl of hot steaming soup on a chilly winter's day!Soup can be a dieter's best friend. A bowl of vegetable-rich, nutrient-dense soup will fill you up without filling you out.To avoid extra sodium and other unnecessary ingredients, I urge you to take a few minutes to whip up your own homemade soups.In honor of National Soup Month, I turned to Diet-to-Go's registered nutritionist, Rebecca Mohning, for three great, easy to make soup recipes.Easy Vegetable Soup1.5 quarts of water2 quarts of...

Whenever my friend orders a drink or a glass of wine, he always jokes that it's "strictly for medicinal purposes" or "doctor's orders." After all, moderate alcohol consumption appears to have a number of well-publicized health benefits. Statistically, people who have a drink or so a day live a bit longer than teetotalers.Why? Mostly because moderate alcohol consumption is good for your heart. It reduces your risk of heart disease and stroke-presumably by thinning the blood and reducing inflammation. Although the cardiovascular benefits account for most of the impact on longevity, a bit of alcohol also seems to reduce the...

If you heard an excited scream this morning, it was probably me... right after I stood on my new scale and saw that I had dropped a tremendous 10.8 pounds my first week on the Diet-to-Go Low-Fat Traditional meal plan!Yes... I said 10.8 POUNDS!My first mini-goal of my new diet is to drop 10% of my body weight. That equates to 23.6 pounds since I started at an unhealthy 236 pounds.Thanks to my great first week I am only 13 pounds away from that mini goal!I am traditionally a great starter when it comes to weight loss, but I wasn't...

I've been fooling myself for the past few years. I love basketball and I used to be fairly good at it. So when I was living in Massachusetts from 2008 until this past August I started playing pick up games with the neighborhood kids...Sure I was a little sore afterwards but I felt like a champ. The kids thought I was the second coming of Michael Jordan. And, you know what? I began to believe some of the hype.Oh, did I mention these kids were no older than sixth grade... and that the basket we played on was just 8...

It's January 11th -- how are your diet and exercise resolutions faring?My new diet is going very well, thank you. Sure I'd like to be more active. I have done some walking and I have run the basketball court with the team I coach.Okay so I really haven't done a lot in the way of fitness. I do know that has to change soon or my weight loss progress will plateau. And there's nothing more frustrating than a stuck scale needle!Fitness guru Brad Schoenfeld wants to help you and I get on track. The author of such popular books as...

I'm using my laptop to post today's blog because some jerk decided it was fun and/or profitable to slip a virus into a file or page I recently opened on my office PC. Whatever is running rampant throughout my PC has slowed it to a crawl, causing it to freeze up every so often.Worse than that... when I tried to log-in to AOL I got this stupid message that said I needed to input my credit card info (including the CV number and ATM pin #) to update my account and access my email.When I tried to contact AOL to...

Good news: My fresh cooler of Diet-to-Go food -- all the breakfasts, lunches and dinners I will need for the next seven days -- has just been delivered by Fed Ex.The bad news: My fat-addled brain is already spinning at the thought of cutting out the junk that has plumped me up and put me in need of a weight loss plan!Luckily, the food that I will start eating tomorrow is not only delicious but also extremely filling. And included in the package are apples, oranges, string cheese, yogurt drinks and other little extras that can easily be removed from...