Most people, even gym rats and fitness fanatics claim they eat healthy. Dieting seems to be a global obsession. Yet according to some very recent statistics, we’re fatter than ever. Why? Most of us are a bit delusional when it comes to how much we actually shove into our mouths. 

With warmer weather finally coming to South Florida, it’s no time to fool yourself. You’ve picked up a few extra pounds during the winter doldrums and that muffin top and those love handles simply have to go! Kick these bad diet habits and say, “Good-bye, blubber!” 

In order to lose weight, you’ve got to have a plan. Instead of thinking “diet” with its negative connotations, come up with an overall approach that includes sensible nutrition, regular cardio and weight training. Keep a food diary and plan your meals. Get to the gym and ride the recumbent bike or do the Precor twice a week for 20 minutes or so for starters. Lifting even light weights will help build more lean muscle which burns more calories all the time even when you’re at rest. 

Don’t try to do too much all at once. It’s unhealthy to lose more than 3 pounds per week unless you are under a doctor’s care. You’ve got to cut calories when you are reducing, but starving yourself to lose 5 to 10 pounds in one week can result in a catastrophe. Losing too much weight all at once can cause your metabolism to plummet and you’ll lose lean muscle as well as fat. You can also damage your heart this way. The same is true with overdoing it in the gym. Work out to fatigue not failure. Exercise should improve your life, not kill you! 

No more excuses, face it, you’re fat and you’ve got to do something about it. Whether it’s a slow metabolism, too much time at the office or you’re too tired, you are a master at making excuses. Change your outlook, believe you can shed those extra pounds and set your priorities accordingly. 

Thank about what you stuff in your trap! Mindless eating can ruin your figure. You grab a few Hershey’s Kisses from your colleagues candy jar because you’re bored. You go to the drive through and snarff down a load of greasy fast food because you are in a hurry. You morosely devourer a tub of Cookies & Cream because that boyfriend of yours has been hooking up on Grindr all weekend. Unfortunately such mindless indulgences add up to weighty matters in the end. 

Don’t drink away your waistline. People who drink soda consume more calories. Booze isn’t much better. Furthermore, it’s very common to eat more and make poor food choices after you’ve had a few. Cut out the soda. Reign in the boozing and binging. 

This spring take off your clothes with pride and. Shed those pesky extra pounds and strut your stuff!