I take enough of an interest in healthy eating and exercise to maintain a certain control over my weight. When I became pregnant though, I really didn't have a clue. I was petrified of doing the wrong thing, exercising the wrong way, eating the wrong things and not giving my baby the right start in life. And yes okay, I had concerns about what I would look like after, what woman doesn't worry, I would have no real control over things like stretch marks but I was the only person who could maintain a healthy body.

1. Know the Facts If nothing else, by learning the facts, it will take your mind off the aches and pains and the morning sickness. Understand the difference between 'Baby Weight' i.e. Healthy and normal weight gain as opposed to just 'getting fat'. A certain weight gain is healthy and normal and what Baby and Mom needs. So it's up to you to decide if keeping your weight gain to a minimum is more important than giving your baby a great start in life. So, it is a matter of controlling the type of weight that you do gain and that you put on the right weight in a healthy manner.

2. Whether you are pregnant or not, we all know that 'Dieting Fads' are not a healthy way to maintain your figure and control your weight. Sometimes, it is hard to know what foods are best to eat during pregnancy i.e. The Fish Argument. You’re told not to eat too much fish, don’t eat too little, don’t eat too much of particular types, don’t eat certain types at all. So, although you are trying to be healthy by eating fish, you do need to investigate all the facts before over-doing it. During your pregnancy, you will have special dietary needs as your body is changing, all of these requirements can be satisfied by maintaining a healthy diet.

3. Physical Activity We won’t call it a “workout” or “exercise” as that brings to mind intense physical activity, which we do want to avoid. It is a much better alternative to focus on a gentle physical routine. Even a few minutes of exercise per day can help maintain a healthy lifestyle. If nothing else, this can help control your stress levels and release endorphins that can keep you calm and relaxed through this stressful time. Walking and swimming are good low impact activities for any pregnant woman. Avoid any activity that has the potential to cause a fall of any kind, so horse-riding and scuba-diving would be considered inadvisable.

In the past couple decades, there has been increased, open, discussion about genes and DNA. We all probably know that our blue eyes, blond hair, and other anomalies of our body come from our mom and dad, right?

But did you know that our metabolism also comes from our genes, amongst most of our other attributes. This is not to say that our weight problem is due solely to our parents and grandparents, however, they certainly do play a role. This is one reason many attempts to lose weight fails...we do not know the why and how to counteract our bodies built-in system.

You may have heard this about other health related topics...if you feed your genes right, all your health problems will disappear. But due note that you are overweight because that is what your genes want! Yes, there is certainly a psycho-thing going on when it comes to the dinner table, but our bodies are already setup in a way, asking us how to feed it. What is interesting is that our genes are using us for their longevity, not ours, and as a matter of fact, our longevity stands in their way.

What are genes anyway? It may be best to think of genes like micro computer code. For example, when I press the letter 'M' on my keyboard, the computer thinks of it in terms of a series of numbers...code. Genes act in the same manner; genes tell us what color the eyes will be, etc.

Your genes are totally dependent on your body to protect them and house them until needed for your offspring. Genes are the central point of evolution. Genes, through millions of years, have adapted to different surroundings and environments and they act accordingly for us.

Whether you believe it or not, genes control our fate in the form of a hidden system that runs most of our cellular, hormonal, and nervous systems, as well as our aging process. Genes allow you to function with minimal effort...such as breathing. How often do you find yourself controlling your breathing? Not often, I would say. This is your 'hidden' system.

Interested about Fasting for weight loss in order to put down your weight? Is fasting healthy? Will it really help you to shed off your accumulated fat? Will it not damage your health in any form? Fasting for weight loss can be used for a limited amount of time as a great way to detox your body and reset your metabolic clock. However, you need to know the proper way in which to fast to avoid potentially harmful situations you may be putting your body through.

Taking the road-less-traveled of fasting for weight loss & improved health is NOT the most popular course of action. Live to eat even if it kills you later seems to be the mentality of our current culture. Our ancient ancestors recognized the benefits of fasting and the power that it gives you. What this means is you re-gain control of your constant urge for food, in essence, you fight the root of the problem not the fruit.

Fasting for weight loss is a way to combat the relentless and insane compulsion for immediate gratification as it relates to food and eating. We are a society of here and now, instant pleasure and satisfaction. However what we need to realize is that we are able to have our cake and eat it too, just in moderation and consistency.

Food has become a drug addiction for millions and using fasting as a weight loss measure can be great, but only if done correctly. Just as destructive as cigarettes, alcohol, cocaine and heroin, food can reek havoc on your interiors and leave you feeling miserable. In my own personal experience, a great benefit of fasting is the feeling of being light and free. When you are in this state you realize the simple joys of life and are not constantly on a mission for the next best thing.

When using fasting for weight loss it is imperative that you give your body the most important ingredient, water. Water is quite possibly the single most important catalyst in losing weight and keeping it off for the long term. Not only will water keep you feeling fool, but it will lsides and make you feel, light, free and rejuvenated.

Water is also effective when fasting for weight loss because it helps your body metabolize stored fat by helping the kidneys flush out waste. Your kidneys are the key component in filtering your what you put in your body, so again, give them what they need and flush out all the negative chemicals. Coupled with fasting, you can have dramatic results when drinking plenty of water throughout your day.

Fasting for weight loss keeps a control over your appetite and tries to put off your hunger cravings. This takes a conscious effort on your part to stick with it. There is no one who is going to make you do this, you need to take full responsibility and get educated as far as the best ways to fast and what your body needs. If you are thinking you're going to fast for 1 week and drop five pounds, then I'll see you in three weeks when you are 10 pounds heavier.

With a healthy diet, associating the fasting weight loss mode coupled with exercises, you will observe fast results if you can carry them out simultaneously. last but not the least, never adopt fasting as an easy means to get out of obesity. Think of fasting as a tool that you can use in order to get a jump start on cleansing your body and on your way to a new and improved you. To really lose weight you need to get on a structured program that will insure your weight loss goals.

Below are five tips to help you handle holiday eating and overeating.

You can't instantly rewire holiday habits still you can prepare a game plan to observe and neutralize some triggers.

1. Agree to keep your word. Then make a self-covenant that promises only what's realistic and you know you can keep. Then think about some powerful yet easy things you can do to create boundaries of reason.

2. Agree to better manage the heavy bombardment of people, activities, foods, desserts and drinks? Think about past years and decide on ways you can change the outcome of stuffing yourself silly. Resist being unrealistic and setting up demands that are more than you can give. That means failure and punishment and even more eating so don't set yourself up to be martyred. Starting now, ask yourself, how can you better manage?

3. Could you agree to make friends with yourself and raise the quality of your relationship with you? Start with little steps that focus on self-awareness. Begin with questions and work on this idea now.

Questions:

4. Are you willing to not stuff your plate with food and instead take smaller servings? Then when you go for seconds, you'll be eating no more than what you would have eaten with a large portion.

Can you agree to not eat your least favorite food? Surely there must be one or two take it or leave it foods on the table you could decline. Can you agree to have one dessert? Or can you agree to sample taste all the desserts with a tiny sample and then pick one as your favorite to eat and limit it to one serving of moderate size? Can you agree to decline alcohol before, during and after dinner? Alcohol lowers and often eliminates barriers to resistance. The drink goes in and the hog comes out. There is no resistance at all with alcohol. Can you agree to decline sodas, juices and ciders? It's sugar impact is huge. Try water or seltzer with lemon.

5. Stress impacts eating and holiday stress guarantees overeating. So what's a stress buster idea?

Before you commit to an activity, ask yourself does it serve you? If not, do you have to get involved? Can someone else handle it? Do you want to spend your precious time on this? Are you willing to say no? If not, why not?

Can you set personal boundaries that examine, reduce and eliminate stress building to do lists? Are you allowing overwhelm to rule? Overwhelm causes pressure and stress buildup and that always demands release. Can you guess how? You know how!

You need to step back and evaluate are you living a high volume life with low quality returns? If it's all about doing without supporting personal fulfillment or your goals for an enhanced lifestyle, then you incubate boredom, stress and empty consumption all leading to emotional eating.

Think about it and make a plan. Put your self-covenant in writing. Date it, sign it and mean it. It's your word. Keep it reasonable, make it doable and experience all the joy and fulfillment of the holiday season without feeling deprived and without the guilt hangover for out of control eating. Stick to your agreement and enjoy!