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For the best workout, eat a large meal three to four hours before you exercise. If you must eat two hours or less before exercising, have a small meal, says Stephen DeBoer, a registered dietitian at Mayo Clinic. Choose lean protein, carbohydrates, and a little healthy fat. For example, eat half a sandwich or an apple with 1 tablespoon peanut butter.

Be sure to stay well-hydrated before, during, and after exercise. Drink a glass of water before and after you work out and take sips every 15 minutes during your workout.

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Did you know that simply changing the way you eat could help you to feel more satisfied after eating?

Notice I used the word satisfied, not full. There’s a big difference. Full means, “I’m really stuffed.” Satisfied is simply, “I’m no longer hungry.”

Satisfaction is actually a learned feeling. Many of us in fact feel satisfied after eating only half of a meal, but we don’t recognize that feeling because, instead of pausing, we go on and eat to fullness. I am still part of the clean-plate generation — that’s just how we were brought up.

But now we need to change our thinking and learn to recognize what it feels like to be satisfied during a meal. If you stop when you are satisfied, you will eat less food.

Try some of these tips to help you feel more satisfied at meals:

- Use smaller plates and bowls. This trick actually fools your mind into thinking that you’re getting more food. When you see a plate (no matter what size) brimming with food, you’re already thinking, I am going to be satisfied after this meal! Smaller plates mean that your portion sizes will be smaller and you’ll eat less food.

- Eat your meal slowly. It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to get the message that you have eaten enough and to then communicate that feeling of satisfaction (or fullness!) to your stomach. Put your fork or spoon down between bites of food, talk with others at the table, chew your food thoroughly, and drink liquids during meals to slow your rate of eating.

- Drink plenty of non-calorie beverages each day. Interestingly, the feeling of thirst can sometimes impersonate that of hunger, so make sure you are drinking enough fluids every day.

- Change your eating schedule, or create one that works. Skipping or delaying meals can result in overeating. If you skip meals often, try to eat on more of a schedule. You will then feel more satisfied with what you do eat.

- Enjoy your food. Take the time at meals to simply enjoy what you are eating. Taking pleasure in what you eat will help you feel more satisfied.

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We all know it’s a challenge to eat healthfully in our drive-through, junk-food world. But what about those people who make a living urging folks to improve their diets? How do they manage to pull it off themselves? I asked a sampling of dietitians from all over the country how they eat well despite life’s challenges, and they shared some favorite diet tips that they use in their own lives.

Diet Tip No. 1: Enjoy Fast Food Weekly, but Make Smart Choices
This is one of my own favorite tips on how to live in the real world as a dietitian and mother and still aim for healthy eating most of the time. When my now 16-year-old was in kindergarten, I started bringing lunch to my two daughters on Fridays when I had volunteer duty at the school — and “fast-food Friday” was born. My girls are now in high school, and believe it or not, I still do this. (Apparently, they’re willing to brave the embarrassment of meeting their mom at the front of the school if it means getting a break from bag lunches.)

The way I see it, this is actually an exercise in moderation. By having it once a week, my girls are exposed to fast food, but it isn’t standard fare. They’ve also learned how to make healthier fast-food choices — fast-food Friday often consists of BBQ grilled chicken sandwiches on whole-grain buns, bean burritos, or vegetable-topped personal pizzas.

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Today you begin. Do not wait for the right time, the next opportunity, or a better day - begin now. Put pen to paper and follow my lead.

Action is essential to weight loss, transformation, and feeling better about myself. So, I commit to these actions:

- I will exercise vigorously for at least 30 minutes.
- I will write down everything I eat.
- I will be physically active for 45 minutes everyday, whether it means that I must workout morning and evening, bring sneakers to work, school and walk at lunch, or whatever it takes.
- I will eat more slowly.
- I will drink more water.
- At the end of every week, I will look at the food that I am eating and have (honestly) written down to (fearlessly) assess whether I am taking care of body or punishing it.
- I will then make decisions about my next meal, and the ones after that, to ensure that they really do healthfully and efficiently fuel my body.

The party (literally) is over. And that’s the good news because your life’s greatest celebration is in taking actions everyday that make you feel (and look) better!

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Indulging, splurging, pigging out. Whatever you call it, we all throw calorie caution to the winds occasionally during the holidays (OK, maybe more often than we care to admit). Then come the self-recrimination, the inevitable guilt and a vow never to do it again. But is all that drama really necessary? No, says New York City-based Bonnie Taub-Dix, M.A., R.D., a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. “Guilt is never a good side dish.”

Her advice? “Close your eyes and enjoy every bite and make those calories truly worth it.” Even the 2005 U.S. Department of Agriculture Dietary Guidelines give the green light to a little government-sanctioned cheating — thanks to the “discretionary calories” now allowed.

Translation: It’s perfectly OK to have a few sweet and gooey treats (the guidelines suggest 10-15 percent of the day’s calories). But before you get down to cashing in your discretionary calories, keep in mind the following ground rules for cheating without paying too high a price.

1. Get over the guilt.

Your new mantra is, “Nothing is forbidden.” Once you’ve accepted that dietary basic, guilt is banned from the table. “Guilt can cause you to disconnect from your real feelings about food,” says Marsha Hudnall, M.S., R.D., program director at Green Mountain at Fox Run in Ludlow, Vt., a women-only healthy weight-loss retreat. Any behavior that’s driven by guilt is hard to control; eating is no exception. Instead of focusing on your guilt, opt for a rational assessment of portion sizes. You can have anything your heart desires, if moderation is your MO and you keep portions under control. It’s those all-you-can-eat buffets at your company’s annual holiday dinner party, and jumbo servings at most eateries and at home that ultimately expand your waistline, not the occasional splurge.

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Here are the top 25 ways to stress less, reach your goals and feel happier every single day.

1. Show off, in style. Lost weight but need to drop a few more pounds? It makes sense to wait until you reach your goal to buy a whole new wardrobe, but do invest in a few fabulous pieces that fit you right now. When your clothes fit well, your progress starts to show — and that has the power to foster self-confidence and keep you motivated to continue working out and eating healthy.

2. See your good side. Instead of zeroing in on your trouble zones when you look in the mirror, consciously shift your attention to body parts you may rarely think about — like your beautiful eyebrows, mouth, shoulders and hands. Then take a minute to describe them — out loud — in positive terms. This helps you get a more complete picture of your attributes and gives your body image an instant boost.

3. Stop watching the workout clock. When you’re using any cardio machine (treadmill, bike, elliptical trainer), put a towel over the display screen so you can concentrate on how exercise makes you feel terrific rather than on how long you’ve been working out or on how many miles you’ve got left. You’ll have a better appreciation for what your body can do if you’re not caught up in the numbers.

4. Find realistic role models. Ask women you know for real-life advice on coping with stress, losing weight and juggling work and family. Seeing what helps the people around you will give you ideas for simple strategies that can also work for you.

5. Set simple, but doable, priorities. Attempting to accomplish everything perfectly is impossible — and leads to a sense of failure and unhappiness. Instead, trim your to-do list so you can focus your efforts on the things that are most important to you today.

6. Strike the right balance. Too busy trying to be a good friend, spouse, mother, daughter, neighbor and employee that you neglect your own needs? Put your well-being first by doing something for you — even if that means just getting a manicure to pamper yourself — at least once a week.

7. Give your life meaning. Sound lofty? Maybe not. Research at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro found that people who have a sense of purpose are much happier in the long run. To create a vision of what’s meaningful to you, ask yourself what excites you and what goals matter most.

8. Get moving. The easiest way to ease tension is by doing some sort of exercise every single day (even if it’s just for a few minutes). Working out is a proven way to lower stress hormones and boost feel-good endorphins.

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Shape magazine has offered a sample grocery list for the month of February. Here are some essentials every dieter should have.

- 13 eggs
- 4 whole-wheat English muffins, sliced and toasted
- 1 loaf of day-old French bread
- 2 pounds of Swiss chard
- Sherry vinegar
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Unsalted butter
- Non-fat or lite cottage cheese
- Shredded sharp cheddar
- Salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Fresh herbs, such as tarragon, parsley, or chives, or fresh spinach, chopped (optional)
- 2 to 4 sprigs fresh marjoram, oregano, or any other herb
- Cooking spray

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It is important to keep your body fed throughout the day in order to keep your metabolism going. Here are some easy snacks that are not only healthy for you, but taste good as well. Plus, each snack is under 150 calories!

- 1 medium apple, sliced, with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter
- 3 slices of mini pumpernickel bread with 1 slice of Swiss cheese
- 1 packet of low-sugar oatmeal topped with a hand full of berries
- 1 caramel apple (without nuts)
- Spiced maple yogurt: 6oz of plain yogurt, 1 tablespoon maple syrup and a dash of cinnamon
- 1 cup of chocolate pudding with 1 graham cracker square crushed and sprinkled on top
- 8-ounce serving of V8 with 1 piece of string cheese
- 1 trail mix granola bar
- 4 whole-grain crackers with 1 tablespoon of honey soy nut butter
- 4-ounce cup of mandarin oranges topped with 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts

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Want to lose weight? Eat more! As a general rule, you should never allow yourself to become hungry. Just like feeling thirsty means that you’ve waited too long and the earliest signs of dehydration are setting in, being hungry means that you’ve waited too long to eat since your last meal and your body is in need of nurishment. Allowing this to happen time and time again will slow your metabolism down, down, d-o-w-n …

Of course, this doesn’t mean you can have Burger King or Taco Bell five or six times a day. It means that if you eat 5 to 6 small, healthy meals and snacks throughout the day, you will lose weight over time. A Framingham Nutrition Study found that women who consume 400 more calories per day and eat healthier are two and a half times less likely to have an excess of abdominal fat than women who take in fewer calories but consume more saturated fat and less fiber.

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Are your ambitious resolutions overwhelming you? Do you have no idea where to begin?

Grab a sheet of paper and jot down three changes you’re going to make this week to improve your eating and exercising habits while at work. If you’re stuck, here’s some to pick from. They won’t take more than ten minutes each – so no excuses!

1. Buy five pieces of fruit at the start of the week – bananas, apples, satsumas – whatever takes your fancy! Keep them on your desk and eat one each day.

2. Set your alarm ten minutes earlier than usual and use the extra time to make a packed lunch. Include whole grains, lean protein and vegetables. It needn’t be complicated: how about a ham and lettuce sandwich on wholemeal bread, with a handful of cherry tomatoes on the side?

3. Keep a water bottle on your desk. We all know we should drink more water, but it’s easy to get absorbed in work. Take regular sips – staying hydrated will help you concentrate, and ensure you don’t mistake mild thirst for hunger pangs.

4. Escape the office at lunch time. Go for a brisk walk, or ask your nearest gym for a free day pass and check out their facilities. How about inviting a colleague to join you? If you really can’t get out, make some time before or after work to exercise – cycle or walk to work, if you can.

5. Cut down on caffeine. Switch one of your daily cups of coffee to a herbal tea. Alternatively, drink decaf (just don’t leave it near the communal kettle or your confused, sleepy colleagues won’t thank you…)

6. Ban the biscuits. Do you work in an office where there’s a communal biscuit tin – or where colleagues are constantly bringing in cakes to celebrate birthdays? Buy a box of low-fat cereal bars, keep them in your desk drawer, and munch on one of those instead when you hear the biscuit tin calling your name.

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