First of all, there are any number of dieting books that come out each year. These range from no carbs to all carbs and everything in between. Some are based on specific food combinations. Others are based on strict calorie limitations. If something feels right in your gut, it’s okay to try it for a few weeks and see if it pays off. Nothing you do for a few weeks is going to kill you.

The more popular diet books inevitably lead to paid membership web sites, supplements, and other money making ventures. If a diet has been successful for you, it may make sense to join. However, you should stick to the book’s plan for a few weeks before investing more money in the program.

Other programs are based on meetings. For instance Weight Watchers takes an approach where you can have a specific number of calories (divided into “Points”) each day. You also attend weekly meetings which are a combination of weigh ins and cheerleading sessions. If you decide to do Weight Watchers as your lose weight programs, consider going to two or three meetings at different times before you settle on one. That’s because different meeting leaders have different styles. Further, the mix of people at a meeting can affect the tone, so find a group you are comfortable with.

Jenny Craig is a great lose weight programs for busy people who want to be able to microwave their meals. Everything except a few products from the produce isle and milk is included with the program. You will also meet one on one with a consultant to track your progress and do the weekly weigh in. The problem with Jenny Craig is that it is very expensive. You will spend $150 a week or so on “Jenny Food” and then another $30 to $50 at the grocery store. However, the food is quite good, and some even say it is restaurant quality.

Nutrisystem provides a similar program at a lower cost. The food is shipped to you four weeks at a time. Three fourths of the meals are “shelf stable” (ie. freeze dried) and don’t need to be refrigerated. A new component to the system is their frozen food which composes one week of food each month that you can spread out through the month. The freeze dried food tends to be not so good. However, this is a much cheaper option for those who cannot afford Jenny Craig.

There are so many lose weight programs around that you have to pick and choose what you want. Don’t swing from diet to diet. Instead, pick a plan that feels right and stick to it for the long run or until you meet your weight goals.

6 egg whites
1 whole omega-3 egg
1 green pepper
1/2 small onion
1 slice cheddar (28 ounces)
2 tsp of coconut oil
6 oz turkey ham

Preparation

Whisk all eggs in a large bowl. Chop peppers and onions to desired size. Next, sauté the onions in 2 tbsp in coconut oil. After lightly sautéed, pour eggs into pan and wait a second or two so it evens out. Add peppers, cheese, and turkey ham to the top and continue to cook on low, covered for 3-5 minutes. Remove from pan and enjoy!

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 cups shelled pepitas
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg white, beaten until frothy
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray. Mix pepitas and next 6 ingredients in medium bowl. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, depending on spiciness desired. Spread pepitas in single layer on baking sheet.

Bake until pepitas are golden and dry, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Seperate petpitas with fork while still warm. Cool.

1 – 8 ounce carton fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup minced fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/4 cup prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon white wine Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 – 2 pound beef tenderloin
Cooking oil spray
1/2 teaspoon salt free lemon-herb seasoning (Mrs. Dash)

Directions

Combine sour cream, parsley, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce and black pepper in a bowl. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 500° F.

Trim fat from tenderloin. Place tenderloin on a rack in a roasting pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle lemon-herb seasoning over tenderloin. Insert a meat thermometer into the thicket part of the tenderloin, if desired. Bake at 500° F. for 35 minutes or until thermometer registers 145° (medium rate) or 160° (medium). Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with horseradish sauce.

Vegetable cooking oil spray
1 – 8 ounce bag coleslaw mix
2 cups cooked bonless skinless chicken breasts, shredded
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
4 10-inch fat-free flour tortillas

Directions

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet. Add coleslaw mix and cook briefly, 2 to 3 minutes, just until slightly softened but still crunchy. Add chicken and cook another minute or two, to heat through. Stir in hoisin sauce and soy sauce. Remove from heat.

Place tortillas on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high (100% power) for 45 to 60 seconds, until softened. Place 1/4 of the chicken and cabbage mixture on a tortilla. Fold each end over, then roll to make an enclosed wrap.

1 pound boneless top sirloin
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 can sliced water chestnuts
2/3 cup low fat beef broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 – 6 ounce package frozen snow pea pods, thawed and drained

Directions

Heat wok or large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add oil to coat. Add garlic and sirloin which has been thinly sliced. (Partially freezing makes slicing meat across grain easy.) Stir fry for 3 to 4 minutes or until just brown.

Add salt and pepper, stirring in beef broth. Mix cornstarch, water and soy sauce. Slowly stir into broth mixture and bring to a boil and cook until thickened, about one minute. Stir in ginger, pea pods and water chestnuts. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes until peas are crisp-tender.

When you are trying to lose weight, you will want to find the most efficient and effective approach to dieting. There is no magic potion or solution to losing weight. You simply have to take in fewer calories than you need to maintain your current weight. You can speed up reduction through exercise for even faster weight loss. If you simply cut your calories, you will start to see a weight loss. The use of a calorie counter guide is an effective way to track your daily calorie intake.

Often, you eat foods throughout the day without any thought as to their calorie or nutritional value. These are the foods that you eat quickly without thinking about them such as a couple of pieces of hard candy or a handful of chips. Small items like this can add up to a great many additional calories in your day. This will thwart your weight loss goals. When you use a calorie counter guide to find out the calories in every food that you eat, you are more likely to pay attention to those quick little snacks.

There are some great handheld calorie counter guides that will assist you in your efforts to lose that weight. You will be able to quickly check out the caloric content of any food you are thinking about eating. You will know instantly if it is something you wish to eat on your particular diet plan.

Most of these handheld calorie counter guides have a large database of foods already programmed into them. You will be able to check the calorie content of the foods already stored in the device and also add some of your favorite items so that they are stored in the memory as well.

Another feature of many of these devises is that you are able to track your water intake and other items that you might like to keep track of as well.

Technology in the form of these calorie counter guides has made it easier than ever to keep track of the calories you eat throughout the day. This allows you to stick to your diet plan. If you are trying to lose weight you can use one of these calorie counter devices to assist you on staying on plan. Keeping track of the calories you consume is a proven way to both lose weight and to maintain your current weight. Additionally, make sure you watch the kinds of food you are eating, drink lots of water, get plenty of exercise and keep track of your calories with a handheld calorie counter guide.

Weight loss is not found in a pill. The latest diet book won’t offer you a miracle cure. Essentially, you have to burn more calories than you consume. Pills can curb your appetite so that you won’t be hungry when you diet. Diet books can offer you ways to eat fewer calories according to a specific plan. But, essentially, all diets boil down to the same thing: eat less than you burn.

Food calorie counters can help you make smart choices about what foods you consume when you are trying to lose or maintain weight. You must begin counting your calories and capping them at an amount that will allow your body to lose the weight. The use of a food calorie counter can help you to keep track of what you have consumed throughout the day. Don’t guess as to how many calories are in certain foods. A calorie counter will give you the information you need.

You are also advised to use a diet and exercise journal to make sure that you are keeping track of all of your foods eaten. By taking the time to write down everything you consume along with your exercise, you are better able to see where you are having problems and where you are finding success. You may be surprised at the foods that are adding excessive amounts of calories to your diet. The food calorie counter along with a journal will help you find success.

Write down every food item you have for a week. At the end of each day, look up the calories in each food and total the day’s take. At the end of the week, you can analyze where your problem areas are. You may be surprised, for instance, at how many calories you are drinking every day and choose to replace these liquid calories with food. Or, you may find that on days when you eat a hearty breakfast, you eat less food during the rest of the day. Alternatively, you may find that you eat high calorie lunches because nothing else is available. You can plan to pack and bring low calorie lunches to work or school with you.

Between the food calorie counter and the journal, you should be able to find the weight loss success you have been looking for. As I said earlier, there is no magic cure for weight loss. You will have to watch your calories and limit the amount you are eating.

There are a number of free food calorie counters available online. You can also purchase them for your iPhone or PDA so that you will have them on the go. These tools will make your diet much easier.