We often hear about the importance of eating plenty of fruits and vegetables every day as part of a healthy and nutritious diet. Fresh fruits contain essential vitamins, minerals and fiber. Indeed, you definitely need these, whether you are trying to lose weight or not. It is important to note that although fruits are beneficial, you must choose them carefully when you are losing weight. You must also be wary of eating too much fruit or mistakenly having too many fruit "products," which many people think are okay to have since they are nutritious. Fruit "products" such as dried fruits, fruit juices and smoothies can especially sabotage your weight loss efforts with their added sugars and calories and you should avoid them.

Welcome to 2014! The holidays have come and gone, and the New Year is finally here. If one of your New Year's resolutions involves losing weight, then this is a great time to get started since all the temptations of holiday parties and feasts should be gone by now. You are probably well aware of how the foods you choose to eat impact your weight loss efforts. This means you need to become serious about sticking to balanced diet plans, especially                                                                                 when you want to lose weight fast.

It's very easy to get out of your workout routine during the holidays, especially when you are busy with family and festivities. When things finally settle down again you may find you have lost your motivation to get back into your regular exercise routine. Although it helps to remember that healthy weight loss depends on both diet and exercise, you sometimes need a little extra inspiration to get back on track.

The holiday season is upon us, along with all the food, festivities and fun. Although the average weight gain during the holidays is only 1-2 pounds, it still adds up over time. If losing weight is one of your New Year's resolutions for 2014, you may consider choosing a low-carb diet. There are plenty of diet naysayers who believe the myths out there about low-carb diets so they may try to talk you out of this plan. But, when you know the facts about losing weight through low-carb diets, you will be armed with the knowledge that this is a very healthy and effective way to not only lose weight, but to also keep it off.

Winter may be approaching, but grilled food tastes great any time of the year. Even better? Grilling is a healthy and easy way to cook food. This recipe for kebabs is extremely versatile. You can eat them as part of a healthy meal for you and your family - or serve them up as party snacks/appetizers. Either way, they make a delicious treat.

Have you been working hard to lose weight? If so, you are probably seeing positive results and feeling better about your body. Toning exercises help you get in shape after weight loss so you can look and feel your best. An obvious (and visible) benefit of having toned thighs is how they make your legs look beautiful. Just as important, if not more so, is how having increased thigh strength protects the health of your knees, hips and lower back muscles. Having stronger thighs also reduces the risk of injuries to your knee and hip joints.

Many people on diet plans worry about sticking to them during holidays such as Thanksgiving. You may even be worried about trying to lose weight around Thanksgiving. Doing so may sound dreadful to you - maybe even impossible - but this really doesn't have to be the case. Instead, think about taking this time to reflect upon the things for which you have to be thankful and let yourself appreciate the season. It's also good to know that you have many good options for celebrating this holiday without sabotaging your weight loss.

Without a doubt, breakfast is a great way to start the day and to help you fuel up after a good night's sleep. Eating a breakfast packed with protein helps you feel even more energized and prepares you to take on the day. One of the most important benefits of eating more protein is that it often makes you feel full for longer. This leads to healthier eating all around, which is important for weight loss.

Many people use exercise balls as part of their regular workout routines, especially when they want to strengthen their core muscles. Without a doubt, they help make your workout routine more challenging and effective. One popular exercise ball, the Swiss ball, has a modified version know as the BOSU Ball. 'BOSU' stands for either "Both Sides Up," or "Both Sides Utilized." The BOSU Ball is half of the Swiss ball. Both sides - either the flat platform side or the soft dome-shaped side - are used during a workout routine. Most importantly, the BOSU Ball helps you lose weight by giving you a great core-strengthening workout tool.

When it comes to sugar, you may be thinking things such as, "Just a teaspoon of sugar in my coffee isn't going to hurt," or "A little piece of candy doesn't have too many calories." Well, this may be partly true. However, when you take into account that most Americans on average eat an additional 475 calories, or almost 1/2 a cup, of added sugars every day, it really does make a difference. Is it any wonder so many of us continue gaining weight or have trouble losing weight? Or worse - Americans, and women specifically, are contracting life-threatening conditions such as diabetes and heart disease in record numbers.