When first starting out, staying motivated to lose weight is easy. But what happens when you’ve been on the weight loss quest for weeks, or months, and you still have a ways to go? We all know losing weight is a journey, but what's the secret to staying motivated when the journey is a long way from over? It may be hard, but it is possible.


 

Dreaded, feared and unfortunately, pretty much inevitable: the weight loss plateau. You know the story; you’re doing great, losing weight, feeling fantastic and then…bam! You’re stuck. No matter what you do, the scale does not move. Weight loss plateaus, they are the worst! But what exactly is a weight loss plateau, why do they happen? And more importantly, what can we do to get past them?

Diet-to-Go is pleased to have Emma Kaufmann as one of our new guest bloggers. A Londoner born and bred, Emma moved to Baltimore, MD eleven years ago with her then new American husband. She has since had two daughters and written a book, Cocktails At Naptime - A Woefully Inadequate Guide to Early Motherhood and publishes her own blog, Mommy Has a Headache. Emma will be sharing her humorous outlook on life, motherhood, career all while struggling to manage her weight.

The key to losing weight, and keeping it off, isn’t some secret potion or magic pill. The way to lose weight is by breaking bad eating habits and in exchange, adopting good ones. Despite promises by many advertisers, losing weight isn’t a quick fix. Losing weight (and keeping it off) is about establishing a common sense approach to healthy eating and exercise. It’s about changing habits in a way that is achievable and sustainable over the long haul.

Lose weight while being social? Doesn’t seem possible. Especially now during the holiday season, it’s hard not feel like you have to choose: stay on the diet or be social. And many times instead of forcing ourselves to be bombarded with temptations, we choose to skip the party. But there’s no reason to lose your social life while losing weight. With a little planning and some tactical maneuvers, it is possible for you to lose weight while being social.

Portion sizes have become huge! Over the last couple of decades the portion sizes of everything from pasta to hamburgers to bagels have doubled (sometimes tripled!) in size. And countless studies have shown that the bigger the portion size, the more we tend eat. We need to stop. The problem: We can’t control our portions if we don’t know what a proper portion size is.

Ugh...it's happened again. You've completely pigged out and now you feel awful. Can you recover? Or is this one binge (or weeks of overdoing it) going to undo all your hard work? Is it possible to pull it together without sliding down that slippery slope of overeating, weight gain and general self-loathing...

Your shoelace is untied.Is that a spot on your shirt?You just sat in wet paint!Today is April Fools Day. If anyone says any of the above comments, I hope you don't bite.I have always hated April Fools Day, but I know some people insist on perpetuating this silly "holiday" that's marked by giggles 'n snickers, false warnings of impending danger, and screechy nail-on-chalkboard exclamations of "Ha! Ha! April Foolsssssss!" The only good thing about April Fools Day? It gives me an excuse to write this blog!5 ways we fool ourselves into failing at dietingHere are five foolish things you say...

It's a time-starved world we live in. When the demand for more work and other commitments take a toll on your health, it is essential to make smarter food choices.Working mothers, students, and hectic travelers eat fast food or other junk food due to perceived lack of time for cooking. Many of us also don't think we have enough time to shop for quality raw foods. What too often happens is that we generally crave for energy-rich food that is high in calories and low in nutrients. Sure it can be quite tasty and easy to make, but such meals...

EDITOR'S NOTE: Diet-to-Go guest blogger Mia Redrick has made it her mission to help harried moms everywhere learn how to take care of themselves -- mentally and physically. Today she turns her attention to helping you achieve personal growth. Personal growth.We've all heard the term and most of us have a general idea of what it means. But when we try to put it into words, it becomes difficult... especially if you're a mom.Personal growth is about being more of who you really are.For moms, it's about showing more of who you are to your kids. Often, it requires us...

EDITOR'S NOTE: Diet-to-Go guest blogger Mia Redrick has made it her mission to help harried moms everywhere learn how to take care of themselves -- mentally and physically. Today she turns her attention to helping you you achieve your biggest dreams. When was the last time you really allowed yourself to dream? How about, when was the last time you not only allowed yourself to dream but to dream big?Huge dreams aren't just for children or young and single adults. Moms can have big dreams, too.The problem is that we often limit ourselves because we feel that our dreams...

EDITOR'S NOTE: Meet executive chef Michael Davis, a man with a passion for good food and great cooking techniques. As an occasional guest blogger for Diet-to-Go, Chef Davis will teach us what we should be eating and tell us how it should be cooked so we can match his expertise in our very own kitchen.We're going to Disney!!!Our dietary goals should be kind of like heading to Disney. You wouldn't just get in your car and head there without doing some planning.There are so many details in taking a trip like this that you would probably consider: take your car...

EDITOR'S NOTE: Diet-to-Go guest blogger Mia Redrick has made it her mission to help harried moms everywhere learn how to take care of themselves. Her first blog for Diet-to-Go was 5 Self-Care Resolutions. Today she turns her attention to helping you become a better mom... through group therapy that includes outings with other moms! 5 Benefits of Being in a Mom GroupBeing a Mom typically means that you're running a million miles an hour just to get everything done. Moms are the busiest members of the family because everyone else relies on them to help them look good, finish their...

I love giving gifts. And although I don't have the budget of an Oprah or even an Ellen, I do have access to a great network of fantastic, caring experts in fields that matter to all of us -- health, fitness, diet and motivation.That being said, please welcome new Diet-to-Go blogger Mia Redrick. Mia has made it her mission to help harried moms everywhere learn how to take care of themselves.We first featured Mia a few weeks ago via her blog, 7 Strategies for Balancing Your Life.Take it away Mia!5 Self-Care Resolutions for YouNew Year's is always the time for...

EDITOR'S NOTE: Guest blogger Cynthia Parrott is a busy working woman who manages to find the time for fitness, diet and the writing of great advice for health-conscious women.I used to get depressed when the latest Victoria's Secret catalog arrived in the mail. I would quickly flip through the pages and then toss it into the trash, while angrily muttering, "I need to go on a diet!" After a few years of doing this, I realized I had a little problem. Instead of looking through the catalog like a normal person and actually ordering things I might...

Mia Redrick is a self-proclaimed "Mom Strategist" who is also a mother of three, an author and a speaker on a mission to empower 1,000,000 mothers practice better self-care.In this special guest blog, Mia serves up seven proven strategies for finding the extra time to balance our lives better. 7 Strategies for Balancing Your Lifeby Mia Redrickwww.findingdefinitions.comIs your life balanced? What does that mean?Do you often say, "There are not enough hours in a day!" or "I just wish I had more time?" If you have answered YES, then this may be a sign that your life is out of...

It’s time to check rationalization at the door. While it is one of man’s best coping skills, it’s a dieter’s biggest hurdle! What does that mean? Simply put, we can make excuses as to why we gained weight or are keeping excess weight on until the cows literally come home. But doing so isn’t going to do one thing to help you actually lose the weight. I remember thinking when I was 290 pounds that in some way it was my first husband’s fault. I had myself completely convinced that Baskin and Robbins Espresso and Crème light ice cream was in fact...

The word "diet" in and of itself has become a bad word. In truth, the word diet very simply means what we consume. With that being said, there are so many weight loss diets, tips, secrets, potions, programs and surefire concoctions out there that it's hard to know when something may genuinely aid weight loss or is truly wishful thinking.Here are my top 5 diet myths:#1 Weight Loss is ComplexAs my mom, and probably everyone else's mom, has told them - "If something looks too good to be true, then it probably is." Weight loss is not rocket science...