John McGran's blog

I have two young children. One is 12 and he will eat -- or at least try -- just about any food. The other is 10. She subsists on a diet of chicken nuggets, fries, cheese sandwiches, grilled steak and peanut butter toast. Oh, and ketchup... lots and lots of ketchup.

I'll admit here have been times when my youngest has nearly driven her mom and dad over the edge. In fact, I harbor one shameful memory of a desperate time when we tried to force our daughter to simply try a bite of a new food.

I still shake my head at the thought of that moment.

But now I have a new friend and a new approach. Meet Tamara Follett, author of The Stay-Full Diet, and check out her advice on...

How To Get Your Family To Eat Healthier... Without Badgering or Hunger Strikes!

Getting your family to eat better doesn’t have to involve hog-tying and force-feeding. Mercifully, most of the hysteria and tearful threats can be avoided entirely by following these 5 simple steps.

As we hear almost daily on the news, even if your family isn’t overweight, there are significant long-term health benefits to eating better, (not the least of which is living longer!).

And even if you have a family of junk-food addicts, you can -- with a little dedication -- transition your family’s palate into a healthier arena. It’s just that the transition to a new way of eating for junk-foodies will have to be VERY subtle.

Once you’ve decided to improve your family’s nutritional intake, the objectives are to introduce more vegetables into your family’s diet, (because you can never have enough vegetables!), reduce fats (for obvious reasons!) and add fiber (which leaves you with a full feeling longer, and has numerous health and digestive benefits).

Quick tips to get you headed in the right direction

1. Start by adding gradually-increasing amounts of veggies to your casseroles, stews and meat dishes. The idea is to avoid the inevitable resistance by sneaking the good food into your meals.

Use more rich heavy sauces that can successfully hide the fact that the veggies outweigh the meats by a considerable margin. For example, low-calorie Szechwan Stir-Fry Sauce or Jamaican Jerk Sauce will overwhelm the taste of the veggies. (But read labels! Many sauces contain too much fat, and you can usually make the same sauce in minutes at home, with half the fat!)

Add as much flavor and spice as your family can tolerate, and they’ll never notice the meat proportions are shrinking. (My own observation is that the more flavorful the food, the more filling it is. Eat a small bowl of vegetable curry, and see if you aren’t just as full and satisfied as if you had eaten a plain boring chicken breast!)

2. To increase your family’s fiber intake, stock up on a variety of whole grain cereals your family likes. Cereal makes a healthy filling snack for kids at any time of the day or night, so get away from the cereal-is-only-for-breakfast mindset. Have a wide selection available for them to choose from, to keep cereal from becoming boring.

Add the merriment factor for the kids by letting them mix their own “customized” cereal from the array of cereals, sliced fresh fruit, and dried cranberries or chopped dates you have laid out. They’ll have fun mixing their own and trying everyone else’s combinations to see which one is best!

In addition, there are thousands of high-fiber, low-fat recipes out there using breakfast cereal as a base, including some fabulous dessert recipes! Your family will never guess it is good for them!

3. Follow up each meal with a rich fruit-based dessert, and the bowl of ice cream in front of the TV every night won’t be missed. Fresh fruit crumbles, peach and yogurt parfaits, upside-down Pineapple Cake made with pancake mix. Next to these, plain old ice cream or candy will seem boring.

4. Make snack foods, instead of buying them! With homemade snacks, you can control what goes into them. And there are entire cookbooks containing nothing but quick-and-healthy snacks that will convert even the most staunch junk food addict, because homemade snacks are heads and tails over store-bought!

5. Challenge yourself by cooking meat for one meal, but use the meat over three meals. You have one chicken? Cook it, but make it last three meals with casseroles and pasta dishes that don’t need much meat. You’ll cut down on calories, AND on your food bill!

You will note that the above tips require pre-planning and more prep time, but honestly, by the time you and the kids make it down to McDonalds, you could have made something at home. Home cooking doesn’t have to equate to time-consuming!

Plan meals for the whole week ahead and do all your grocery shopping at once. If multiple planned recipes require the same chopped vegetable, chop all you’ll need for the whole week and store in a plastic bag. This will cut down on prep time for you, during the week.

Follow these tips, don’t rush things, and the transition to healthier eating will be relatively painless. Once a week, cook your family’s favorite meal, and they’ll likely never notice that both you and they are eating healthier!

Bon appétit!

NOTE: Tamara has written four nonfiction books, the latest of which is The Stay-Full Diet, which details the methods she used to lose 65 pounds and keep it off.

A while back I had the pleasure of interviewing Victoria Moran, author of The Love-Powered Diet (Lantern Books). I really liked Victoria'a message because, unlike nearly every other trendy or fad diet out there, her love-powered diet starts from within and rebuilds the follower into a happier, healthier individual.

What I want to share with you today are a pair of key passages from The Love-Powered Diet -- "Things Foods Addicts May Think" and "Things Food Addicts May Do."

See how many of these remind you of yourself.

Things Food Addicts May Do

• Hide food

• Sneak food

• Go on diets, usually on Mondays

• Make promises, vows, and deals with themselves, others, and God about eating less and losing weight
 
• Lie to themselves, others, and God

• Avoid scales or weigh themselves compulsively

• Dissociate from their bodies — live from the neck up

• Put off living—shopping, swimming, vacationing, making love — until weight is lost
 
• Detest physical exercise or become addicted to exercise (but may still detest it)
 
• Feel unattractive or conditionally attractive based on a scale number or clothing size

• Hate fat people (or hate thin people)
 
• Have special binge foods as drugs of choice (chocolate, sweets, salty snacks, cheese, and rich, creamy foods are favorites) but could binge on almost anything in a pinch

• Vomit after a binge or even after a moderate meal or snack (bulimia)

• Eat others’ leftovers, unthawed frozen foods, or nonfoods (e.g., the paper from around a muffin, used tea bags, chewing gum)
 
• Diet successfully for a time, then gain back as much or more weight than was lost (the ability to diet eventually ceases altogether)

• Find it easier to fast than to eat moderately

• Push food on other people, especially when depriving themselves

• Cook and bake — though in later stages of the disease, these may fall aside in favor of ready made, instant - gratification items
 
• Please people, be sweet
 
• Make jokes, be jolly
 
• Be defensive, feel put upon, take up the cause of "fat lib"
 
• Deal inappropriately with anger, either denying ("stuffing") it or having attacks of rage, usually toward someone powerless, such as a child or companion animal
 
• Switch compulsions, such as giving up food for a time and becoming addicted to drugs, sex, working, or spending

Things Food Addicts May Think

• This time will be different
 
• I ate too much (or gained weight) so I’m a bad person
 
• No one else eats like I do
 
• If you really knew me, you wouldn’t like me
 
• I’m fat and disgusting
 
• I broke my diet so I’m a failure
 
• Since I ate that cookie, it means I’ve blown it and have to eat a quart of ice cream
 
• I’ve lost weight now so life is supposed to be perfect

• I’ve lost weight now so I’m cured

• I’ll just have a little bit
 
• I’ll get back on my diet tomorrow
 
• Eating will make me feel better
 
• I have to eat something to get through this tragedy/term paper/telephone call

• A venti cappuccino is really just a big cup of coffee
 
• When I lose weight, I’ll be beautiful

• When I lose weight, my husband/wife/lover will love me (or I’ll find a husband/wife/lover who’ll love me)

• When I lose weight, my mother/father/other significant person from my past will love and accept me (even if they’re dead)

• When I lose weight, I’ll do everything I ever wanted to do
 
• I feel fat (in response to being full, depressed, premenstrual, or constipated, or as a response to rejection, disappointment, or presumed failure)
 
• If I eat while I read, it won’t count (the same goes for food sampled during cooking)

• I deserve a treat (euphemism for extra food), or I deserve to be punished (food can do that, too)

• Eventually, I’ll just have the surgery and lose weight that way

Sound familiar? If so, you may be a food addict too. And if that's the case, Victoria says no trendy or fad diet is going to help you slim down and stay slim.

What you do need is to come to grips with the fact you are powerless over food and need inner strength and guidance to help you overcome the issue.

You can learn more by getting a copy of The Love-Powered Diet or by checking out Victoria's website http://www.victoriamoran.com/

I've been dieting for about a month now and I am doing okay at weight loss but I know I could be doing better if I got my butt off the couch and started working out more often.

I keep telling myself that this coming "Monday" will be the day I start exercising in earnest. But it just doesn't seem like that particular Monday ever arrives.

Frustrating? Yes. Impossible to overcome? No.

My good pal Alicia Kirschenheiter is a total wellness guru and she's agreed to nudge me in the right direction with her five steps that she says will transform me from couch potato to fitness fanatic.

See if Alicia can motivate you to get moving too.

The 5 Steps

1) Put Down that Chip

Decision time is the hardest part! That's right. The first step to wellness is the decision to be well. That's a decision that can be made every minute of every day at any time.

But make no mistake it must be a conscious decision that requires weighing the consequences, the benefits and -- above all -- your own readiness to change.

2) Start Moving

So where should you start? With 30 minutes of activity, that's where. Most experts advise at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a day. Unless you have a medical reason, you should strive for a half hour of movement.

This can be as easy as walking. The great part about it: You can break those 30 minutes up however you want. Find time for 10 minutes in the morning, another 10 in the afternoon and the final 10 at night. Work it in to your convenience.

3) Challenge Yourself

Once you get the 30-minute thing down from step 2, it's time to make those 30 minutes work more effectively for you. This can be as easy as walking faster, changing your stride, adding in skips and jumps (up in the air, not hurdles) and heading for the hills!

If you are using a treadmill, try a steeper incline. Then add a few other machines into your mix. You can even throw in a few punches and kicks -- yes, anger works for fitness! Jumping jacks, high hops and skipping rope will also fire up your metabolism. Just be sure to get off the machines before you start jumping around!

4. Pick up a Weight 

Now that you are in the groove let's keep it going by adding in some weights. Use light weights to start and do one or two sets of 12–15 repetitions. Your best bet is simple exercises that work big muscles like squats or military presses. Start once a week and build up to 2-3 times a week.

Adding in weights will help you burn calories and sculpt your body. Keep it up and you'll keep the weight from returning.

5. Learn to Love It

I said it before and I'll say it again: Without the right attitude your best intentions are probably doomed to fail. I mean it when I say you need to learn to love activity. There needs to be something inside of you that recognizes the successes and benefits in what you are doing.

You need to take note that you are feeling better, breathing easier, and climbing the stairs without needing oxygen! Cling to those improvements in your health.

All of your successes will make all of your setbacks -- and everyone has them -- seem much less important in the long run. Once you feel the success you'll want it all the time! 

For more great advice from Alicia, check out her Diet-to-Go blog. 

I don't know about you but there are too many days I awake and ask myself, "Why did I have that third slice of pizza when two were more than enough?" or "Why didn't I stop at four wings rather than stuff down seven?"

The bigger question is, "Why do we overeat?"

The Nutrition Diva -- Monica Reinagel -- tackled this subject in the Diet-to-Go February newsletter. In case you missed it, here is the beginning of her insightful blog.

At the bottom of today's blog we have the podcast link you can use to listen to Monica discuss this important subject. Stop beating youself up and start grasping why we do the things we do to sabotage our attempts at weight loss and healthy eating.

Monica notes, "There's a growing body of evidence showing that that environmental cues may have a much bigger impact on how much we eat than physiological hunger—factors such as how much food is on the table or in the package, how much the people around us are eating, and even how big our plates are have a huge effect on how much we eat."

About Monica Reinagel, The Nutrition Diva
Monica Reinagel is a board-certified Licensed Nutritionist and a professionally-trained chef. She is the host of the Nutrition Diva podcast which is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips network. She has authored three books on health and nutrition, developed recipes and diet plans for websites and other publications. Monica's professional affiliations include the American Dietetic Association, the International Association of Culinary Professionals and the American Guild of Musical Artists.

Reprinted by arrangement with Quick and Dirty Tips, a division of Macmillan Holdings, LLC.  

Having a snack attack? Do you still find yourself snacking between meals? We recommend fruits and vegetables, but if you feel the need for a little more – maybe something to satisfy that sweet tooth – then try one of our deliciously healthy between-meal snacks.

Snacking has gotten a bad rap for far too long.

According to the medical experts at WebMD.com, “One of the biggest myths about snacking is that it's a bad thing. The truth is that it's not snacking itself that's bad for us. It's all the junk food people like to snack on that gives snacking a bad name: chips, candy bars, french fries, sugary sodas, and so on.

"In fact, if you eat until you are comfortable (not 'full') at lunch, chances are you'll need a mid-afternoon snack to tide you over until dinner with plenty of energy. The secret is to snack only when you need to and to select smarter snacks."

Go ahead and eat up!

See? You can have your cake and eat it too – when that snack cake is a good nutritional fit for your healthy diet!

We don't want you to go hog wild with between-meal eating. Snacking in conjunction with your meal plan will add calories and reduce your weight loss progress – unless you are very active and participating in an exercise program.

But if you can use the extra calories and need an afternoon nosh to keep those hunger pangs at bay, then we advise you to check out our new snack assortment that's available for our mail-order clients.

Here are my 10 favorite snacks

Baked Lays Potato Chips: Baked potato chips are just about the perfect snack – crunchy and slightly salty!

Whole Wheat Soft Pretzel with Mustard: When the chips are down, try pretzels... big, soft pretzels!

Homemade Chocolate Brownies: This is hands-down our most popular snack item.

Coconut Macadamia Nut Butter Ball: Exotic and decadent-sounding but deliciously healthy!

Peanut Butter Ball: Mmm... a peanut buttery treat that won't gum up your diet!

Rice Krispie Treats: No misprint here... this crispy rice is oh, so nice and not just for the kiddies!

Apple Cinnamon Bars: It's like eating a slice of portable apple pie!

Strawberry Fruit Bars: Who doesn't like Mother Nature's super snack – strawberries.

Orange Creme Low Glycemic Designer Protein Shake Mix: It's like drinking a Creamsicle!

Cranberry Crave Granola Cookies: And that's the way the cookie crumbles -- our 10th and final favorite snack!

For more information and to order a few great snacks go to http://diettogo.com/mail-order-snacks

Step right up and feast your eyes on the five wonders of the dieting blog world -- it's Diet Blog carnival time here at Diet-to-Go and we've selected the best of the best from the blogs submitted by readers and experts just like you.

The topics we love are those having to do with dieting, eating healthy and getting fit so be sure to submit your favorite blogs that fit these categories.

You don't have to be the author to submit a blog. Your pick could be something you read -- something that inspired or educated you. If you've stumbled upon a great blog recently be sure to share it with the world here at the Diet-to-Go Diet Blog Carnival.

You'll find the submission link at the bottom of today's blog. But now, get ready to be amazed... informed... and educated!

5) Putting the squeeze on your fruit juice

Without a doubt, fresh is the way to go!

When it comes to juice, I will always drink freshly made juice. Store purchased juice is a distance second.

I do try to make a very conscious effort to continually increase the amount of natural food that I eat. At the same time, I try to reduce the amount of processed food that I eat. I am very good at achieving that goal in the morning. The evenings are sometimes a different story. The reason I try to eat more natural food is pretty simple. It is better for you and it helps you to lose weight...

Title: Fresh vs. Store-Bought

Link: http://www.fitnessover50.org/fresh-vs-store-bought

4) How journaling helps thwart binge eating

Are you sick of overeating? Your late night eating? Do you want to jump on the path to recovery from binge eating disorder yet you don’t know where to start?

In my initial recovery stages one technique that really helped me is awareness journaling. Awareness journaling is a a little different from regular journaling.

Awareness journaling is NOT simply recording your days events or keeping a diary.  Awareness journaling is about breaking down your thoughts and emotions in real time...

Title: Binge Eating Disorder Recovery Tip 35

Link: http://howtostopeating.com/blog/binge-eating-disorder/binge-eating-disorder-recovery-tip-35

3) How seniors can avoid weight weight-loss surgery

Nobody wants weight loss surgery and for older people it is particularly bad news. It is the last resort and those who have it are often at their wit's end. They have tried everything and it has failed.

There is, of course, more to it that just failing to lose weight. They may well have been suffering from stress or depression and perhaps other illnesses as well. A person who needs weight loss surgery is often not greedy and idle, they have a real problem.

But don’t forget that fat people started thin and, if they can control their weight gain early, they may well avoid escalating into obesity as they get older. It’s worth trying...

Title: 5 Ways Not to Have Weight Loss Surgery

Link: http://www.seniorwalkingfitnessblog.com/uncategorized/five-ways-not-to-have-weight-loss-surgery

2) Recipes & lessons for the "every day" cook

I write this blog and share my recipes and lessons for the "every day" cook. Whether we have formal training or not, we all have to eat. Several times a day!

I love the craze surrounding food and cooking -- there's even an entire television network devoted to it! But with food as fashion, the concern has mostly been taste, not nutrition. What's gotten lost is the concept of food as fuel.

We need it to survive, and if we want our bodies to perform optimally, we have to put the best stuff in. Lean proteins, heart healthy fats, vitamin-rich vegetables and whole grain carbohydrates. The good stuff...

Title: Food: Fashion or Fuel?

Link: http://thesveltegourmet.blogspot.com/2010/02/food-fashion-or-fuel.html

1) How the poor economy affects your health

Times of recession have an effect on our health. The recent Great Recession has already created changes to our overall health, according to different experts. The pressures that come with recession, as well as lifestyle changes that it entails, often cause health changes.

However, it is unclear whether these changes are largely good for our health or bad for our health.

Some say that the effects are positive, forcing us into better lifestyle decisions. Others insist that the effects are negative, creating a situation of deteriorating health...

Title: 25 Ways the Great Recession Is Affecting Our Health

Link: http://mhadegree.com/2010/25-ways-the-great-recession-is-affecting-our-health/

Yes, it's Over...

There you have it for this week. The show is over and the tent is coming down. But be sure to come back next Friday and every Friday for the best dieting blogs out there.

Please submit your favorite blogs -- written by you or maybe even ones you've read on your personal journey to wellness.

The submission link is: http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_8199.html

Ever feel like you aren't getting enough veggies in your daily diet? How about your kids -- can you get the youngsters to enjoy a variety of nature's bounty?

If you answered yes to question one and no to question two, you need a little help from my good friend Patty James, co-author of More Vegetables, Please! (New Harbinger).

Patty's enjoyable new book provides more than 100 easy and delicious recipes for eating healthy foods each and every day!

Patty is currently traveling coast-to-coast in an RV. Why? It's a www.shinethelightonkids.org project "to ascertain the real world lives of American kids and their families so as to know how to proceed with teaching modules and educational information in the future."

You go girl! Happy, safe trails!

Meanwhile, here are Patty's answers to the 7 questions posed by Diet-to-Go editor John McGran. 

1. So what possessed you to write a book about veggies?

I believe that eating vegetables is the key to good health and most Americans are woefully shy of the recommended 5-9 servings a day. Veggies offer dietary fiber and a variety of nutrients not available anywhere else. I wanted to give people some familiar, and some new, recipes with ways to add More Veggies, Please!

2. Why are veggies so important anyway? Can't I get the nutrients I need from vitamins and supplements?

Although supplements are necessary for many and are good insurance, they are not a substitute for food. Fresh vegetables offer dietary fiber, more enzymes and, of course, the pleasure of eating them.

3. There are different categories of vegetables? What are they and which ones are best/worst... or good/better/best?

There are starchy and non-starchy vegetables, cruciferous veggies and leafy greens. They're all important for good health. The most consumed vegetable in America is potatoes in the form of French fries. Although a nice baked potato offers potassium, vitamin C and antioxidants, one vegetables does not offer all the nutrients that you need.

Mix it up! You should be eating two-thirds of your veggies in the form of non-starchy veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, zucchini and leafy greens such as kale, chard, collard greens and spinach. The other third can be in the form of starchy veggies such as potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes and other winter squash.

4. Why won't kids eat veggies -- why does it seem like they are born to turn their nose up at veggies?

Kids, or anyone for that matter, really don’t like overcooked veggies and I have not had a problem feeding kids veggies when they properly cooked. Remember that they look for your reaction! Be a good veggie role model. Eat your veggies and they will too! Start them young and offer lots of choices.

5. Why are there so many overweight kids?

Big question, but a fairly simple answer. Kids eat too much of the wrong kinds of food and don’t exercise enough. It really is that simple.

Offer sensible portions, lots of veggies and have them get away from the computer and video games and go outside and play or if that is not possible, go to a local Boys and Girls Club or other such organization and play.

6. What are three tips for getting more veggies into your daily meals -- and for getting your kids to eat them!?

Here can be a typical day: Sauté some onions, garlic and peppers in a pan, then add the eggs and some fresh spinach leaves. On that sandwich for lunch (the bread should be 3 grams of fiber or more per slice) be sure to add lettuce and/or sprouts. Serve with a piece of fruit and some carrot and celery sticks. Dinner can be a small chicken breast (if you eat meat) with a little brown rice and half that plate could be roasted veggies. I don’t know of any kid who doesn’t like roasted veggies. Again, you set the example.

7. What are your 5 favorite -- and popular with kids -- veggie recipes?

You can find the recipes for these in More Vegetables, Please!:

1. Veggie Bake
2. Macaroni and Cheese with Veggies
3. Chicken Soup with Veggies
4. Red Pepper "Cheese" Dip w/Raw Sliced Veggies
5. Roasted Roots

To find out more about Patty James or to get a copy of More Vegetables, Please!, go to www.pattyjames.com. The tasteful tome is also available at your local bookseller or at Amazon.com.

Patty James is a Certified Natural Chef with a Master's degree in Holistic Nutrition. Patty was founder and director of the Patty James Cooking School and Nutrition Center, the first certified organic cooking school and nutrition center in the country.

My scale and I are happy to report another great week of weight loss. A few minutes ago, my digital scale announced I had shrank to 218.8 which means I've dropped a full three pounds since last week AND a super 17.2 pounds since I started my Diet-to-Go Low-Fat Traditional meal plan! 

I've got two words for you -- WOO HOO!

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Diet-to-Go is the best diet I've ever followed. They plan the meals, they make the meals and they ship the meals right here to my home.

All I have to do it heat 'em up and enjoy. And enjoy I do. Just check out my five favorite meals of the past week.

Mr. Bad Food's Flavorful Five

5) Savory Shrimp Mango Bisque with a toasted pita

4) Spicy Thai Turkey with stir-fry rice

3) Yummy Bistro Chicken Salad with sesame breadsticks

2) Fantastic Fajita Omelet

1) Outrageous Orange Roughy fish dinner with cous cous

Sounds like food you see on a restaurant menu, huh? It is like dining out... without the going out part or the high restaurant prices!

Diet-to-Go sends the chef to you. Isn't it time you pampered yourself a little and got slimmer and healthier in the process?

Weight loss really suits Donna, a military wife with a Ph.D. in mathematics. Now a very happy customer, Donna's decision to choose Diet-to-Go really added up!

To reward herself for dropping 53 pounds with Diet-to-Go, Donna treated herself to a shape-hugging new outfit, then wore it to the airport to welcome her husband John home from a lengthy tour of duty in Afghanistan.

Airman John's wide eyes and approving glances confirmed for Donna that her figure had changed for the better.

A beaming Donna, who lives near the U.S. Army base in Fayetteville, North Carolina, says another unmistakable sign that she has done well with her weight loss is the extra energy she enjoys while playing with her three young children.

How it all began for Donna

"I started receiving the Diet-to-Go meals to save time when my first son was born; I started it up again after the birth of my twins,” Donna says. “I didn't want spend hours in the kitchen preparing meals when I would rather be playing with my children.

“The quantity of food provided was so much more than I expected, I usually kept my fruit or pudding for a mid-afternoon snack. I loved telling people that I have chicken parmesan, baby carrots and angel food cake for dinner or have grilled cheese and a brownie for lunch.

"Of course, I get to tell people often because I receive many comments on how good I look! I know that it will stay off because I'm learning what proper portion sizes are and that you can actually be full eating healthy foods."

Before giving birth to her son Nicky, now 4, Donna watched her weight balloon to an all-time high of 275. It was around that time that Donna heard of Diet-to-Go while listening to the radio.

"I wanted my life as easy as possible after Nicky was born," she says. "I said, 'If they're going to cook for me, I'm there!' It was hard enough to remember to eat, let alone find time for a shower."

A perfect fit

Diet-to-Go proved a perfect fit for Donna. And for six months, she stuck with the plan while her husband served his country abroad.

"I did it for six months before John came home," Donna says. “I didn't tell him what I was doing. I lost 20 pounds the first two months to get back down to my pre-pregnancy weight.

"Two months later I broke the 200-pound mark. By the time John was coming home I was down to 185 pounds – I had lost almost 50 pounds and I began shopping for new clothes."

Donna suddenly loved clothes shopping. Gone was the need for snug size 18/20 clothes; she quickly learned that she needed to shop somewhere other than Lane Bryant.

"Shopping was so much fun," Donna recalls. "I got a cute cream shirt and vest that cinched at the waist and I wear them with tight black pants (that's the outfit she's modeling in the photo at right). I was now wearing loose size-12s!

"When John walked off the plane, his jaw hit the floor and he could not take his eyes off of me."

Donna has managed to keep her weight at a healthy level – even after giving birth to her twins, Jason and Catie, who are now 15 months.

She notices – and appreciates – the differences her weight loss has made.

"It changes your life," she says. "I can now kneel on the floor without the blood cutting off from my legs! My knees and back no longer ache. And I know how to eat proper portions.

"I am also able to fit onto the rides at amusement parks – and that's important when you have young children. Life is short so enjoy it. I can now feel comfortable in amusement ride seats, small plane seats, and on playground slides!"

Another week has flown by and here we are at the carnival again... the Diet-to-Go Diet Blog Carnival where we post some of the best blogs from around the web.

The topics we love are those having to do with dieting, eating healthy and getting fit so be sure to submit your favorite blogs that fit these categories.

You don't have to be the author to submit a blog. Your pick could be something you read -- something that inspired or educated you. If you've stumbled upon a great blog recently be sure to share it with the world here at the Diet-to-Go Diet Blog Carnival. You'll find the submission link at the bottom of today's blog.

The Week's Top 5 Blogs 

#5) How good salads go bad

A few years ago when I first heard that salads could be unhealthy for you I just didn’t believe it. I eat salads all the time. How could a salad with all the good stuff be bad for you? It just can’t be!

So how can a salad not be healthy? Well, actually it is not the salad itself. That part is usually good. It is what goes on top of the salad that determines whether or not the salad is healthy. Put the wrong toppings on, the wrong salad dressing and you might be better off having a big fat cheeseburger with fries...

Title: Unhealthy Salads

#4) Finding the motivation to reach your goals

Evrybody wants to have a nice sexy body, and just about everybody hits the gym to get the body they want. But one of the biggest problem I see with people working out is that they give up hope. They come for a few weeks and get discouraged by not seeing the results they expected.

But you can’t lose weight and get fit overnight, it takes time and dedication. Here are five great tips to stay motivated and dedicated...

Title: 5 Ways to Stay Motivated

Link: http://getfitlookgreat.net/blog/2010/02/12/five-ways-to-stay-motivated/ 

#3) A 'girls' night out' with a purpose

Clients come to The Svelte Gourmet for different reasons -- some are trying to lose weight; some love to cook, but want to make their food healthier; some just want a night out with friends; and others know that if they come to The Svelte Gourmet, they won't have to do the dishes!

Whatever the reason, we always have a great time, make a lot of fantastic food, and keep the calories to a minimum.

This particular group of ladies has a monthly girls' night out, with one major difference -- each month, they pick a charity to support. What a fantastic idea!

Title: Eat, Drink and Give Back

Link: http://thesveltegourmet.blogspot.com/2010/02/eat-drink-and-give-back-girls-night-out.html

#2) Losing weight: the little things that add up

Being overweight is a problem worldwide. In fact, the World Health Organization recently discovered that more people around the world actually die from being fat than from hunger or malnutrition. It’s shocking in this day of information at your fingertips that many people simply don’t know how to lose weight.

Sure, they know “eat less and exercise more,” but they are almost totally unaware of simple ways to lose weight they can do everyday to keep dropping pounds. In addition, they are also ignorant of simple mistakes people make that keep them fat, when it would be easy to avoid them without dramatically impacting their daily life...

Title: 4 Simple Things You Can Do to Drop Extra Pounds

Link: http://belly-fat-loser.com/weight-loss-tips/how-to-lose-weight-%E2%80%93-4-simple-things-you-can-do-to-drop-those-extra-pounds.php

#1) Eat better in 2010 by adding these four foods

New Year’s resolution time has come and gone and if your resolution was to maintain your health and eat better in 2010, then the following foods and drinks should be high on your grocery list.

Grains: Dietitians suggest that you increase your intake of oats, barley and rye in 2010. For years, doctors have been telling patients that eating oats can bring down your cholesterol and recent studies show that rye can, too...

Title: 4 Foods to Add to Your Grocery List

Link:http://www.healthyrevelations.com/blog/index.php/2010/02/eating-better-in-2010-four-foods-to-add-to-your-grocery-list/

Yes, it's Over...

There ya have it for this week. The show is over and the tent is coming down. But be sure to come back next Friday and every Friday for the best dieting blogs out there.

Please submit your favorite blogs -- written by you or maybe even ones you've read on your personal journey to wellness.

The submission link is: http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_8199.html