Lose Weight? Don't count calories

• Pick up produce. Have at least one fruit and veggie at every meal. On busy days when I know my lunch won't have a smidge of green in it, I have two fruits at breakfast; I toss berries or peaches into my nonfat Greek yogurt and sprinkle it with granola. I love asparagus, green pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, sprouts, endive and more. Fruits and veggies are high in fiber, which staves off hunger. Shoot for nine servings daily. It sounds like a lot, but if you don't have to be a rabbit to reach that goal. Eat a salad at lunch or dinner, and you're there.

• Snack smart. Add protein (such as a stick of lowfat string cheese or Parmesan) to your between-meal bites. Research suggests protein may enhance the effect of leptin, a hormone that reins in appetite. I love hummus and dip veggies into it instead of pita bread or crackers. Protein is also filling and can help curb cravings for chips, cookies and the like.

• Sip more water. Dieters who swapped sugary drinks for water lose weight, but those who gulped the most H20 peeled off the most pounds, according to a study at the meeting of Obesity Society in Boston. Don’t love agua? Try the flavored kind but check the label for sugar content (it should be below 8 grams per serving).

• Map out your meals. A little attention to portions can help you eat less and still stay satisfied. Start by using a salad dish (8 inches in diameter) and divide it into quarters to help keep helpings healthy. Half the plate should get veggies, top another quarter with lean protein (3 to 6 ounces of fish, chicken or tofu) and the last quarter with whole grains (1/2 to 1 cup of brown rice, sweet potatoes or whole wheat pasta).

• Eat every meal. When you wait longer than five hours between bites, your body may release extra cortisol, a hormone that can increase appetite. I call it "hangry." I get hungry and angry: My stomach starts to burn and my brain gets annoyed at every little thing. Then I eat whatever is in front of me, usually a cookie or other sweet, empty-calorie treat. I realize I'm putting out the "hangry" fires, but it is better not to get there in the first place!

Healthy Meals for Weight Loss

• Eat 5 or more fresh fruits and vegetables each day.
• Eat 6 or more servings of grains (preferably whole grains) each day.
• Eat fat-free and low-fat dairy, legumes, seafood, and lean meats.
• Avoid foods with more than 2 grams of saturated fat per serving.
• Balance your caloric intake with your energy expenditure.
• Limit junk food, which is high in simple carbohydrates and low in nutrition.
• Limit foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Eat less than 6 grams of salt each day.

General food preparation and meal planning tips: Try to eat servings of fruits and vegetables at every meal. Besides being delicious, they are full of nutrients and fiber. They may even help prevent certain cancers.

• Boil, steam, bake, roast, or broil foods rather than frying in fat.
• Use unsaturated fats, such as vegetable oils, rather than saturated fats such as butter, shortening, and lard.
• Use olive oil spray rather than cooking oils to prepare foods.
• Eat white meat chicken or turkey, lean meat, fish, or seafood. Trim the skin from poultry.
• Use low-fat or non-fat dairy products.
• To season foods, choose lemon or lime juice, vinegar, low-sodium soy sauce, plain tomato sauce, salsa and other sauces low in fat, or mustard. Use garlic, onions, ginger, and herbs and spices to flavor foods.
• Avoid high-fat and high-calorie condiments such as mayonnaise, oil, ketchup, salad dressing, or prepared sauces.
• Drink seltzer, water, caffeine-free soda, tea, or coffee with meals.

Wonders of WATER

Water prevents and helps to cure heartburn.
Heartburn is a signal of water shortage in the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract. It is a major thirst signal of the human body.

Water prevents and helps to cure arthritis.
Rheumatoid joint pain - arthritis - is a signal of water shortage in the painful joint. The use of painkillers does not cure the problem, but exposes the person to further damage from pain medications. Intake of water and small amount of salt will cure this problem.

Water prevents and helps to cure back pain.
Low back pain and ankylosing arthritis of the spine are signs of water shortage in the spinal column and discs. The water cushion that support the weight of the body. This condition should be treated with increased water intake. Not a commercial treatment. Treating them with pain killers, acupuncture and surgery in time , produce osteoarthritis when the cartilage cells in the joints have eventually all died. It will produce deformity of the spine.

Water prevents and helps to cure colitis.
Colitis pain is a signal of water shortage in the large gut. It is associated with constipation because large intestine contricts to squeeze the last drop of water from the excrements - thus the lack of water lubrication. Later in life, it will cause diverticulitis, hemorrhoids and polyps and appreciably increases the possibility of developing cancer of the colon and rectum.

Water prevents and helps to cure high blood pressure.
Hypertension is a state of adaptation of the body to a generalized drought, when there is not enough water to fill all the blood vessels that diffuse water into vital cells. Treating it with diuretics that further dehydrate the body will, in time, cause blockage by cholesterol of the heart arteries and the arteries that go to the brain. It will cause heart attacks and small or massive strokes that paralyze.

Water lowers blood cholesterol.
High cholesterol levels are an indicator of early drought management by the body.