Dawn Doneza Freelance Writer

We all know that diet and exercise are the basics for losing weight, but despite cutting back on calories and having a regular workout routine, we are still not seeing the results we are aiming for. Here are nine reasons of what's possibly tripping us up. Choosing the lowest calorie foods We know that to lose weight, we must forego the calories. But choosing the low-fat or fat-free products are doing us more harm than good. When manufacturers remove the fatty ingredients, they replace them with more sugar, sodium and chemicals to make up for the flavor lost. And since the fat-free products taste lighter than its regular counterpart, we are often duped into eating more of them than usual. Skipping the weights Cardio is essential to weight loss, and it’s so easy to incorporate them into our routine or on a busy day. What we fail to do, however, is to make time or find courage to take on the weights. Fitness expert Aimee Nicotera explains that lifting heavier weights could poss...

The holidays, although fun and festive, is usually the culprit to wreaking havoc to the strict implementation of our fitness routine. Thanksgiving is no different. We can only imagine the scrumptious dinner prepared and our self-control flies out the window, as with our fitness goals and visions. This actually sets us back and makes all our work leading up to this day futile, and we’d have to start all over again. So how do we avoid this set back and not let Thanksgiving ruin our momentum? Here are a few ways. Stop Eating When You’re Full First up, and most important to remember, stop eating when you’re full. Don’t force more food just because it tastes really good, or you would only have it once a year, or because mom cooked it especially for you. Know when your stomach is satisfied, and don’t allow your taste buds to control you. To enjoy the feast, try out as many food as you want by taking only a very small serving of each, and don’t go back for seconds! Work the Room Ins...

New Year. It's the time of the year when we swear to ourselves to improve and make a big difference in our lives. I bet one of your resolutions has something to do with health and keeping fit. That's because one of the most common New Year's Resolution is going to the gym (especially after feeling guilty about all the weight gain incurred during the holidays). But did you know? 77% of people fail to follow through on this resolution! Don't be one of them! Here are 5 tips to help you keep it. 1. Do it for yourself. Don't do it just to follow the trend. Your family or friends might have invited you to join them, and although that sounds like fun, if you're only doing it so you don't feel left out, chances are you'll lose interest pretty quickly. And if they stopped going, does that mean you'll stop too? 2. Find something you actually enjoy. Going to the gym and running on treadmill everyday will bore you pretty quickly. There are other ways to ke...