Is there anyone who has not blamed his or her weight gain or lack of weight loss on a slow metabolism at one time or another? Just about everyone realizes that boosting your metabolism is necessary if you are going to lose pounds and keep them off, but exactly how are you supposed to do that? Get up early every morning and go for a run before work? Laughable for me.

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.

A fast food place isn’t exactly a paradise for nutritious eating, but sometimes you just have no other choice. Try to following these tips for making better choices at fast food joints.

Never assume that a salad is the healthiest choice on the menu. For example at Taco Bell, a taco salad with ranch dressing, weighs in at 1,167 calories, has more calories than any other food item on the menu. (with 61 percent of the calories coming from fat) Often salad bars can be a dieting danger zone, as well. For example if you cover your lettuce in blue cheese dressing or add on the marshmallow ambrosia, potato salad and olives, you may be end up worse off than if you order a burger with fries.

Any time you order burgers and sandwiches, always look for words like “junior” and “small.” In addition order your burger without  cheese, special sauce, and mayo.  Adding lettuce, tomato, onion, mustard, ketchup, and pickles can supply plenty of flavor. Remember to avoid items with the words “super” or “double” on the menu. In the end if you can’t stop yourself from having those two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun, at least try to balance out the calories with exercise.

The next time you encounter a trigger food and then find yourself feeling sorry for yourself, stop right there! Stop exhausting yourself by fighting invisible enemies. Just pull yourself together and make your food choice. Alway decide whether you are going to walk away or stay to eat that food – with full awareness that if you eat that food, you’ll have to wear it later.

Regardless of your choice, take responsibility and ownership for it and don’t blame the food, or the diet, or the argument you had 20 minutes before. Don’t grumble about your weight and bore everyone around you with talk of how you’re going on a diet.

Being slim is not a birthright. Neither is being able to eat anything you want anytime you want too. If your goal is to be thin, you must occasionally just say no. And if you are going to say no then you have to do it of with own free will. Such self-chosen avoidance is not deprivation, it’s liberation. And with each time you say “No, thank you” you will gain a bit more control, self-esteem and self-reliance.

The greatest danger of eating in restaurants isn’t the entree, it’s the breads, chips, and the other appetizers that most restaurants supply customers with before the main entree is even ordered. How many times have you gone out to dinner and found yourself saying, “I’m not even hungry anymore,” when the entree arrived, all because you had stuffed yourself on bread or some other starter? And how often did you go ahead and eat the entree anyway?

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.