It seems that Vitamin Water is one of the latest trends to hit the scene. Sure, we’ve all seen the commercials, but does this flavored water really give us the nutrients we need and help with weight loss? Some things are just too good to be true.

While our bodies clearly need water and vitamins to survive, sugared water doesn’t necessarily help our waistlines. Yep, go check the back of your Vitamin water bottle. See the 13g of sugar? Just another obstacle in our quest to lose weight.

Your best bet is to ditch the Vitamin water, start taking a multi-vitamin and try a healthier alternative. Sure, the flavors taste great and the colors are cute, but remember, we want to maintain a healthy lifestyle. If you are bored w/ normal water, try drinking flavored seltzer water! This comes in a sundry of flavors and will leave you feeling satisfied. If you’re not a fan, Crystal Lite may do the trick. However, watch your intake, as too much Splenda can be a bad thing.

Bottom line: Before you start consuming a new “healthy” product, do your research. It may save a few pounds!

No matter who you are, chances are likely that you have a trouble area. Let’s face it — most women battle the bulge, especially near the gut region. So what exactly sheds the pounds and helps you lose weight from your mid section? While sit ups have always been the primary way to obtain abs, this exercise is a routine of the past. Most trainers today will tell you that you first need to eliminate the fat that is on top of the muscle.

1. Cardio, cardio, cardio. Aerobic exercise is key if you want the perfect tummy. In order to burn fat, you should be running, jogging, walking or even biking 4-5 times a week for at least 40 minutes.

2. Avoid the sit-ups and opt for an exercise ball. This is a great way to target hard-to-reach areas of your stomach. With dozens of exercises, it can be a fun and different way to tone. It not only eliminates back pain and stress on the neck, but it finally gives you an effective crunch. My favorite is the Valeo Burst ball.

3. Pilate’s. If you’re like me and hate to do traditional exercises all of the time, Pilate’s is a relaxing and effective method to tone up, slim down and gain flexibility. If you’re a beginner, I recommend starting off with a basic dvd such as 10 min. solutions

4. Eat right! Exercise is important, but eating is 75% of the battle. If you work out and eat junk food, you are going to see very little results. The minute you focus on your diet, you will start shedding the pounds. Try eating an abundance of veggies, yogurt, lean meats and avoid all carbonated drinks and salty foods. This will make you bloated — adding to the gut issue.

Photo credit: Costa

How much money do you spend on groceries per week? Do you find that in order to eat healthy, you actually have to spend more money?

While junk food gives you more “bang for your buck,” it certainly doesn’t benefit your waistline. I tend to spend $100 or so per week on groceries for Mike and I. Granted we bring our lunches to work everyday (so that does save us money), but it becomes a challenge to find deals on healthy items. I rarely find a Kashi discount or a Skinny Cow sale. But once I move into the chip aisle, I could buy 5 bags of chips for the price of one healthy or organic item. Go figure.

It seems that maintaining a healthy lifestyle and losing weight does come with a price tag. But is it a price that you want to pay? In my opinion, I would rather have a small wallet and a great life ahead of me, rather than dismal health, no energy and a negative body image. Healthy food may be pricey, but isn’t the quality of our lives even more valuable?

Photo credit: Meliha Gojak

We’ve all heard the same advice over and over again: exercise every day, eliminate junk food, count your calories. Despite the fact that these tips are helpful, most of us want to find creative methods that will make losing weight easier and healthier. So what can you do to ease the pain and actually see results?

1. Put away your baggy clothes. I don’t care what anyone says — wearing sweatshirts everyday is not going to change the fact that you are unhappy. The minute you realize that your lifestyle needs to change, the sooner you will be in bikini.

2. Forget the guilt. Remember, this is a lifestyle change, not a quick diet. Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t get to the gym five times a week every week.

3. Reward good behavior. If you go one month without eating junk food and you’re exercising daily, treat yourself to a reward. I like to tell myself “you can spend $50 on yourself every time you lose ten pounds.” You’d be surprised at how this re-wires your brain.

4. Affirmations work wonders. Tell yourself “I am beautiful” and “I am losing weight for my health and to gain confidence.” You can do it!

5. Buddy system. I tend to have an easier time sticking to a health plan with a friend. Motivation is critical when you want to lose weight.

6. Put away the scale and get out the measuring tape. I feel better when I have lost inches off of my waist, rather than pounds. Remember, seeing is believing.

7. Sick of the gym? Try a dance class. This not only burns an enormous amount of calories, but it works every part of your body. You’ll forget you even exercised!

8. Sleep eight hours a day. Believe it or not, this could help your waistline.

9. Cut out the obstacles. If you know that a certain situation or place is going to trigger unhealthy eating, prevent it before it happens. For example, I am a sucker for vending machines. For this reason, I refuse to keep any change in my purse when I’m at work.

10. Start your own blog. By keeping a daily journal of your daily eating and exercise habits, it should be easy to figure out what needs to be fixed. Honesty is painful, but it will help you reach your goals in the long run.

Photo credit:  Sanja Gjenero

When I look back at my weight loss journey, I realize that one staple food item has been consistently present: Kashi Cheddar Crackers. It is the one snack that I know has helped me lose weight and maintain a new healthy figure.

Kashi Crackers are amazing because you can have 20 of them for only 130 calories. Do you live with a significant other and just can’t seem to agree on groceries? My boyfriend is a junk food addict and can’t get enough of Cheezits. Ironically enough, I forced him to try these and now he steals my crackers! He loves them because they taste like they would be junk food. However, because they are light and not chocked w/ perservatives, they do not make you feel sick.

If you are looking for a variety of healthy snacks, I would highly recommend Kashi Products.

Thanks to Kashi, I am now 15 pounds lighter.

Do you ever feel like jumping off a cliff when you think of eating healthy? Today is one of those days. I woke up already knowing that it would be a struggle. While I love feeling great and losing weight, I’m not perfect. I still have days where you literally have to drag me to the gym. I’ll admit — trying to balance work, a social life and a healthy lifestyle has become mind numbing.

In addition to the gym, the following tips have helped me effortlessly maintain

1. Park close to work? Try parking further away. Unless it’s snowing, I park in the last row. This at least burns a few calories.

2. Skip out on cafeteria lunches. My company specializes in fattening food and rarely offers anything nutritious. If you want weight loss, bring your own lunch and change it up! I like bringing humus with pita bread or a Mexican salad. Make it a rule not to bring the same lunch twice in a week.

3. Green tea. Instead of drinking coffee in the morning, how about green tea (Orange, Passion Fruit & Jasmine flavor)? It not only has caffeine to wake you up, but it will boost your immune system and most importantly, speed up your metabolism.

According to recent reports, studies have shown that fat-free yogurt may actually trim pounds off your tummy. For someone like me (who has battled the buldge since childhood), this was music to my ears! Most days I try my best to have a yogurt for a mid-morning snack. Bored with your yogurt routine? Try spicing it up with Bear Naked granola, cereal or even fruit. Just a minor change will keep you from succuming to routine!

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think it helps you lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle?

While there are dozens of “fat-free” yogurt brands on the shelves, be careful when you are choosing. It may be free of fat, but it could be loaded with sugar. For example, Columbia Fat-free Vanilla yogurt is low in calories, but it has 20+ grams of sugar!

When fitness becomes part of our daily routine, it can be challenging to maintain it. Fortunately, there are other alternatives to weight lifting and jogging. Change up your routine and get motivated!

1. Resistance Bands. I have a difficult time with weight lifting. Free weights leave a lot of room for error and machines can become monotonous. For this reason, resistance bands are my favorite calorie burner. In addition, they give you a great variety. Find exercises here.

2. Pilates. If you want to tone and lengthen your body, then this may be a calming alternative. I live in New England, so it can be difficult to get to the gym in the snow. Pilates is my exercise alternative in the winter; allowing me to still tone and get a great workout. Self.com is a helpful resource.

3. Kickboxing. When I’m sick of the treadmill or bike, I join a Kickboxing class at my gym. It not only is great for your heart, but it is a fully body workout. If you want quick results, try this out and be sure to incorporate healthy eating.

4. Video Games. Losing weight doesn’t have to be painful. Have some fun! If you like video games, try DDR. Dance Dance Revolution gets your butt off the couch and mindlessly burns calories. Watch out for Wii fitness in the upcoming months.

Today marks month #3 in my quest for a healthy lifestyle. I must admit — it has been challenging and very difficult to keep things fresh and exciting. I went grocery shopping today and figured this would be helpful to show you additional foods that have helped me shed the pounds.

As of today, I have lost 15 pounds and have never felt better! Clothes are beginning to fit again.

My favorite snack this week is: Carb and Sugar control Dannon Light & Free Vanilla and Creme yogurt. Only 60 calories.. try mixing in granola or blueberries. A healthy treat to lose weight!

Favorite meal: Chicken Marsala. Instead of using pasta, steam spinach and sautée mushrooms to put on top of the chicken. A healthy alternative to a delicious treat.

(L to R) Healthy Choice Mocha Bars (90 calories!), Pepperidge Farm Light Style Soft wheat bread, Kashi Go Lean! Crunch cereal, Corn tortilla chips, Carb and Sugar control Dannon Light&Free yogurt, 100 calorie JELLO Chocolate pudding, Strawberries, Shallots, Fresh mushrooms, Joseph’s Garlic and Herb humus, Shadybrook Farms Extra Lean Ground Turkey, Romaine lettuce, Noreast Fresh baby spinach, Joseph’s flax pitas, Zuchini and Summer Squash, Boboli 100% Whole Wheat pizza crust.

“Refill my soda please!” This phrase was all too familiar to me. I would make this remark at least once before an entrée even hit the table. So, as part of my plan to lead a healthier lifestyle, I have decided to drastically cut down my soda intake. Perhaps this will help me lose weight and have a healthy body image.

Water may be a great alternative but it can become mind-numbing. Polar brand Seltzer water (w/ raspberry lime) seems to be a better fit. The “fizz” from the carbonation provides a similar sensation to soda. Even better, this healthy drink contains 0g fat, 0g sugar and lacks one dangerously ignored ingredient; caffeine.

In consuming so much soda, I actually developed an extreme tolerance to caffeine and ultimately became dependent. Headaches and fatigue were the main affects felt on my path to a better lifestyle. Did you know that sugar-sweetened drinks may increase the risk of diabetes and weight gain? This could be the reason why many of us just can’t seem to drop the pounds.

A twelve-ounce glass of soda contains anywhere from 10-12 teaspoons of sugar. Even if it is calorie free or diet, this doesn’t mean that it is healthy. But have no fear; once you get past the second month without soda, any craving is virtually gone. To be honest, it’s way too sweet!

Sources: U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and National Soft Drink Association