The United States FDA is finally catching up to this truth, and by January 2006 they will be requiring food products to label amount of trans-fat they have in them.) What is frightening is that trans-fats are found in over 40% of products on our supermarket shelves.

The fatty acid chains in coconut and olive oil are medium-chain fatty acids (MCT’s) and they promote weight loss by increasing body’s metabolism to create energy. Coconut oil has become popular lately, because it has been discovered that coconut oil is nature’s richest source of MTC’s. If you decide to add coconut oil to your diet, it is recommended that you purchase virgin coconut oil (VCO), usually found in health food stores, because it from best part of coconut and has not been chemically bleached and heat processed. It is better for cooking than olive oil, because olive oil can be damaged by heat of cooking, making it similar to other vegetable oils in body when cooked.

Even saturated fat from animals is not as bad as it once was thought to be, especially if it is from organically raised animals (free range and grass fed). Organic butter has a very high conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) content, which helps us lose weight and gain muscle. But non-organic meats may still be dangerous because of way animals were raised or fed. Most grocery store meats are filled with hormones, pesticides, medicines and unhealthy fat that gets transferred to us when we eat it.

Organic grass fed and free range meat and eggs avoid these problems, and give us a much healthier source of protein and saturated fat. Organic saturated fats and oils are actually good for you and should be eaten daily. The body needs these fats for healthy functioning.

So, forget guilt and fry up that range-fed chicken in some coconut oil and enjoy!

By Dianne Ronnow © 2005 Mohave Publishing. All rights reserved.

Without this mental “skin in game,” you will never have a reason to keep at it day after day, month after month. With no clear objectives in mind, you will start out of gate strong for a few days – perhaps a week or two – but soon return to your old ways when you don’t get results you want immediately. Patience is a virtue when it comes to weight loss – looking in mirror each day is like watched pot that never boils. Instead, try gauging your results on longer periods of time – a week, a month, or more. Set realistic goals for these time periods so that you are constantly working towards them. Write these goals down using SMART formula:

S = Simple, M = Measurable, A = Agreed-upon, R = Realistic, and T = Time-bound.

Goals with dates attached to them help you put that “mental skin” in game and keep your persistence going. We’re all given deadlines at work that keep us working hard towards achieving our work-related goals, so why not give ourselves some time-bound personal goals - in this case, for losing weight?

So before you eat that bar or drink that shake, consider why you are embarking on this weight loss journey, where you are going, how you’re going to get there, and what it will be like when you arrive at your final destination. A clear picture of all of these factors will put you in weight loss frame of mind. I know – I lost 35 pounds in three months in 2001, and I’m still at my ideal weight four years later. So be a “Good Loser:" Set your SMART weight loss goals – persist – achieve – and enjoy results!