1. Focusing only on diet. Although you will probably lose a little weight just by changing your eating habits and getting rid of those fattening foods, you will never be able to get past the plateau without getting up and moving in addition to watching your diet. Exercise is a must.

2. Even though you may be eating healthier foods, you are still taking in more calories than you consume.

3. You are consumed by the need for immediate gratification. Your diet may actually be working and your expectations are too great.

4. You eat too little. Some people go overboard and eat so few calories that their bodies think there is a food shortage, so in an effort to save your life, your body clings to each calorie for dear life.

5. You don’t realize how much you are actually eating. Those few pieces of candy out of the dish off your desk and that piece of birthday cake in the lounge and those tablespoonfuls of spaghetti sauce you taste while you are cooking it, all add up. Watch out for the little snacking.

6. You have an unrealistic idea of proper portion size. For the most part, Americans just plain overeat.

7. Counting calories, dieting, and exercise are not fun. Who wants to do something that isn’t fun?

8. You have cravings you can’t control. Sometimes all that “rabbit food” just makes you want a giant pan of brownies, and if you don’t allow yourself to eat a little bit of the foods you like each day, you are more likely to binge and eat that whole pan of brownies.

9. You give up too soon.

10. Your metabolic rate is messed up and you have not yet boosted it enough to help your body burn off that fat.

Spend a few hundred bucks for a gym membership that you will soon not use anyway? Seems kind of dumb in today’s economy. Fear not, however, for there is a simple way to give the old heave-ho to a slow metabolism, and it requires practically no lifestyle change at all. That’s right, all you really need to do add the right foods to your diet and fat loss can be yours. Here are the top ten foods that speed up metabolism:

1. Turkey. That is really good news around the holidays, right? Turkey is a low-fat protein, and protein is great for speeding metabolism. Avoid all the trimmings, though.

2. Salmon. That pretty pink fish is high in Omega-3 fatty acids, and even though “fatty” is in the name, those Omega-3s really do help speed up your body’s calorie-burning ability.

3. Chili peppers. Chili peppers and other spicy foods contain capsaicin and help get rid of fat that would otherwise be stored in your liver and blood vessels, and the spiciness causes your body to work overtime when you consume them.

4. Spinach. Forget about your childhood aversion to the “nasty” green. Spinach is great in a salad and will help you lose weight.

5. Nuts. Almonds especially increase the old metabolic process.

6. Green tea. The combination of caffeine and EGCG may just help you over the slow-metabolism hump.

7. Trout. Just like salmon, trout is high in Omega-3s, and they are just plain healthy, so stick your pole in a lake or hit the seafood counter for a tasty metabolic explosion.

8. Grapefruit. The vitamin C and overall nutrition make citrus a miracle food.

9. Horseradish. Put a dab of horseradish on your lean steak sandwich and help your body burn the fat.

10. Eggs. Eggs are a rich source of protein and your metabolic system will thank you for eating that poached orb.

As with any other subject, peer pressure about weight loss, fat loss, or body image in general can influence teens; whether that influence results in good or bad habits remains to be seen, and as parents and members of society, we should all try to help our teens reach maturity in as good health as possible.

The best way for teens to reach and/or maintain a healthy weight is to enjoy a healthy diet and exercise. Fortunately for most teens, this is easier than it sounds. With youth come three major advantages: strength, agility, and energy. Putting those three natural abilities to work can help ensure that you – the teenaged reader – or the beloved young adult in your life – can be healthy and at a reasonable body weight.

One of the most important ways to get or remain healthy is to get exercise. Again, this is not really all that difficult for most teens. Schools all have extra-curricular activities available, and the great majority of them involve sports or other active participation. If you are a teen who wants to reach a healthy weight or make sure you don’t get too fat, one of the best things you an do for yourself is get involved in soccer or softball or basketball or some other action-related extra-curricular activities.

The next thing you should really do is learn about proper nutrition and then put that knowledge to work for you. That is not to say that you can absolutely never cross through the golden arches and indulge in some French fries. Everyone knows that teenagers are going to sometimes eat fast food, but the key is to limit that kind of food consumption. Going for the greasy burger or pepperoni pizza every once in a while is okay, but don’t forget that vegetables and lean meats are also delicious and good for you, too.

Combining healthy foods like green veggies, lean meats like chicken, and high fiber cereals with an active lifestyle is the best way for teens to break the Goldilocks syndrome. Your weight won’t be too low or too high; it can be just right.

You can still maintain a fatloss program, save yourself a lot of grief and inducement by doing one of two things. First, never go to a restaurant starving. The same golden rule that applies to dinner or cocktail parties is most applicable when dining at any commercial establishment. If you are hungry when you arrive, you know what will happen. The first thing brought to the table is the bread basket and you will dive right in. There is a natural inclination to pick. If ever there is a place where finger have power over is crucial, it is at a restaurant.

Second, simply tell your waiter} that you would prefer not to have a bread basket on the table. If your dinner companions want bread, turn your bread plate over, ask them to keep the bread basket on the other side of the table, or ask the waiter to remove the basket after everyone has taken what they want. You may find, as I have, that others share your susceptibility to the temptations of the bread basket and are only too pleased} to have it gone.

The same goes for the small cookies or mints that some restaurants serve with coffee or dessert. Ask the attendant about it in advance. You needn’t feel uncomfortable or timid about such requests. More and more people are making these requests every day. Invariably, a good maître d’ always appreciates anything specific you can tell him about what you need to keep you happy and satisfied.

When it comes to ordering beverages, mineral water is better than club soda from a nutritional perspective – have it with lemon or lime. Don’t let the menus persuade you. Some individuals find that reading the menu sabotages them and makes them crave. You can just ignore the menu and ask the server} for a simple primed grilled chicken breast. Or ask the member of staff serving at table} for his recommendation on the best fish entree in the house. Or just keep your reading to the chicken and fish sections of the menu. Dining out should be fun and a satisfying experience. Don’t deny yourself this enjoyment because you are afraid to read the dessert section on a menu.

Predressed salads are a big source of unseen calories, since most restaurants tend to drown their healthy green salads in less-than-healthy oil-based dressings. To control the amount of dressing, request your salad with dressing on the side and choose a vinaigrette dressing.

When ordering your entree, steer clear of foods that are prepared with heavy sauces or gravies. To be in control of your fatloss plan, look for dishes that have been primed without butter, cream, and other fatty condiments.