Every activity requires some kind of tools to go with it. For example: sports, whether tennis or football need proper sport equipment and a playing field. Activity like cooking requires kitchen appliances and food to be excuted. Diet also needs proper tools to be done correctly and to insure that it will have long lasting results. There are as many diets as varieties of flowers. Each one is more unique as one before it. However, one secret about diets is that FAD DIETS DONT WORK in a long run. The key words here are “in the long run”. Yes, you might see pounds melting from your booty in the first couple of weeks, but in reality you are doing more harm to your body then any good. “Why is this so?”, you make ask. Well, fad diets like Atkins, Zone Diet, and South Beach Diet deprive your body of one or more macronutrients such as carbohydrates or fats. Nevertheless, our bodies were not designed to survive on grass or smoothies alone. WE NEED ALL MACRONUTRIENTS TO FUNCTION PROPERLY Yes, you heard me right, ALL! That means fat, carbs, protein, sugars, etc. Yummy ha? Well the problem in America is that many of us like to stick particularly to some macronutrients more than the others. Carbs and Sugars are Specials on American Diet Menu. Thus the BEST DIET is the most simple one: Eat a bit of everything! When starting a diet it is very important to equip yourself with tools of the trade. These tools will help you not only stay at the top of your game, but also help you get the most out of your diet. Here are some must haves!! #1. Measured Food Containers These containers are great way to store food in small or big measured portions. You can usually find these at kitchen appliances isle. If not, you can use some measuring cups ,water, and a permanent marker to mark where a measured amount of water would be at. #2. A Colorful 9 inch Plate A lot of experts agree that if one uses a smaller plate, then one will eat less. Different plate colors like green, pink, and orange have been proved to make the food taste better. So go to closest store, and get yourself the most craziest 9 inch color plate. I am getting mine on Sunday #3. Food Journal Keeping a Food Journal is a MUST! Last time I tried dieting, I didn’t go so far because after some while my food habits turned from bad to just ugly. Journal serves as a motivation booster. I got my journal from a Wal Mart. Its a pocket size one, that I can take with me anywhere I go. I will write what I eat for breakfast, snack, lunch, dinner and how much I exercised. (Yes, I said will..I am starting my diet on 1/11/2010) To

stay motivated I designed a reward system that will work for me. As a kid, little things like medals and awards pushed me to my limit and kept me motivated. So I decided to use the SSSS. SSSS stands for SHINY. STAR. STICKER. SYSTEM. This means that I went to my closest Michaels ( Art Store) and got me star stickers of two different colors…red and gold. If for a whole day I eat good and exercised for reasonable amount of time, I will put a GOLD sticker on the page of my Food Journal. If I sinned and ate some kind of junk food, then I will put a RED star sticker on my page. At the end of semester I will count the numbers of both, and see how well I did. If my ratio of Gold:Red is good enough for me, then I will reward myself with a small portion of something that I like. [Note: Diet does not have to be cruel. You can allow yourself to have something sweet once in a while. Just not too often and not in a big portions] #4. Measuring Tape Ditch that stinky weight scale, and get your self a measuring tape. From previous experience I have found out that checking my weight too often and seeing no results make me anxious, which is not good at all. Weight has a tendency to fluctuate during a diet. One day you might be 2 lbs lighter, and the next day you might be 1 lb heavier. This can be due to your water weight. However, tape measurements are more precise. You cannot possibly have your waist measurement be 38, and then the next day measure at 41…unless you are really bloated. The only time you should weight in, which a lot of experts agree, is at most once a month. This way, when its time to weight in, you will see some actual results that hopefully will satisfy you. Seeing a difference will keep you motivated and in track of your goal. Nevertheless, weight loss can also be tracked through tape measurements. I will measure myself before I start my diet, and every two weeks after that. #5 Naughty and Nice List Before starting your diet, it is important to make a list of good foods, foods that you will dedicate yourself to eating, and bad foods that you will keep of your menu. For example: chips, burgers, candy bars, soda…etc. As a visual person, I made a small poster of foods that I will eat more often, and foods that I will avoid at all cost. This little piece of artwork I put right on my fridge, so the next time I reach for my roommate’s cheesecake at 3 in the morning, I will think twice before taking a bite.

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[Forum] 5 Essential Tools of Proper Dieting