**~~**New Year's Health Tips**~**

[Shananigans]

I don't usually make New Year's Resolutions, but this year a group of friends and I decided to get together to form a sort of support group...kind of like a Weight Watchers/L.A. Weight Loss/Jenny Craig/Any other weight loss program all combined.

Does anyone have any tips or suggestions for us? We are looking for anything from herbal helps to crazy random things that might give us an extra boost.

Any suggestions?

[IcyPeas]

1. Find hobbies....

Seriously. Do something with your hands. If you are busy doing something you won't/can't eat. Eat normal sized portions - no seconds. All the food/water suggestions will no doubt be forthcoming, but this is my 2 cents. Don't obsess on food/diet.

G' luck.

[kdmorris]

2. Salad (without tons of dressing)

Or any vegetables that aren't high in calories (most of them). When you feel like you are starving, it's pretty amazing how well a huge bowl of salad will make you fill full while not adding many calories or fat/carbs.

Of course, if you put tons of high fat, high calorie salad dressing on your salad, it's not gonna help much.

After eating salad with little dressing for a while, you do get used to it.

Oh, yeah, and have small meals every few hours, instead of starving yourselves. The human body is able to determine it's being starved and "conserve energy". This will actually cause you to gain more weight. Even a small apple will trick your body into believing it's getting lots of food and will keep your metabolism up.

[drhilarius]

3. No sweets and no soda...

If you drink a lot of soda, stop. You'd be surprised how many calories you'll drop per week by just cutting out soda.

[goodbody]

4. soy

I'm looking into more soy products myself, so I don't know all that much about it yet, but I've heard the health benefits are high. Soy milk, there is soy cereal, soy ice cream. I almost went out for some soy ice cream tonight, but I don't know the best kind to get yet. I don't want to throw it out after one spoonful if it's nasty.

[BlueFlu]

5. Close your fist. Take a good look at it. Memorize the size.

That is the approximate size of your stomache.

Now, never eat more than a fist-sized portion of food for any meal.

If you feel you need to eat more than that fist-sized meal, eat carrots or celery.

[Shananigans]

6. That's it?

Help me out here, people!