1. Understand Calories

Learning how to count calories is the key to successful weight loss. Calorie counting is easy and effective. If you want to lose weight and keep the pounds off for good, it’s important to take some time and learn this critical skill.

The first step to counting calories is to understand what a calorie is and how it applies to your weight. Your body uses caloric energy to perform everything from basic biological functions to typing on your keyboard or jogging around the block. A calorie is a unit of energy.

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If you’ve been spending any time at the gym, you’ve probably seen (or done) more than a few sets of these strength-training moves. These exercises are trainer and fitness-buff favorites for balancing and strengthening the body; they are also effective when it comes to shaping, toning, and whittling. Learn how to do these essential exercises in time to add them to your shape-up routine!

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We all know that we should do whatever we can to adopt a healthy lifestyle.  It’s common sense: staying healthy means less trips to the doctor and possibly a longer life.

If we all know that we should do our best to stay healthy, why are so many of us unhealthy? The answer is simple: because we don’t know the easiest, most effective ways to maintain a healthier lifestyle.

If you want to adopt a healthy lifestyle, here are four easy ways that you can begin:

  • A Healthy Lifestyle Means Eating Less Meat

You don’t have to go vegetarian if that’s not your desire, but cutting back on the amount of meat you consume on a weekly basis will lead to a healthier body. Replacing two or three servings of meat, per week, with whole grains or vegetables will increase your heart health, put you at a lower risk for diabetes and even reduce your cholesterol.

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Every dieter knows that cooking and weight loss are practically synonymous. But when you have a jam-packed schedule or are just too tired to be bothered, it can feel like a major effort to deal with a guilt-free meal.

When you plan meals, you’re less likely to give in to take-out temptation. You’re also less likely to fall back into old, unhealthy habits, like reaching for a box of processed food, packed with excess calories, fat, sodium, and sugar. Invest a few minutes before each weekly grocery trip to plan out meals. Here are weight loss recipes that will jump-start your meal planning!

BREAKFAST


1. Vanilla Quinoa and Roasted Blueberry Breakfast Bowl

Our healthy cereal offers everything you need, from protein to complex carbs, to start your day off right—and all for 220 calories.

 


2. Breakfast Yogurt Parfait 

Whether you eat this at home or on the go, this recipe delivers protein and fruit in a breakfast that’s less than 190 calories.

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At Optimal Weight Control we recommend that you shop only once a week. Use the list below to get everything you need, so you won’t have to go into  —the supermarket— unplanned…during your diet week.Here’s everything you need, to lose 2-5 pounds each week.Organize your grocery shopping list by aisle. Follow these tips for filling that list with the healthiest foods from each aisle.

1. Bakery and Bread

On Your List:

  • Whole wheat bread, pita pockets, and English muffins
  • Whole-grain flour tortillas

Look for the words “whole wheat” or “whole wheat flour” as the first ingredient on the label.

Choose whole-grain breads that contain at least 3 to 4 grams of fiber and have fewer than 100 calories per slice.

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