Thought this was an interesting article, some points make complete sense, other's...I'm not so sure. But for anyone attempting to lose weight and lots of it - none of it can hurt 
Celebrity trainer Bob Harper has helped contestants on The Biggest Loser US lose weight and keep it off. We take a sneak peek at Bob's new book, The Skinny Rules, in which he helps you finally shed those unwanted kilogram's, shares more than 90 delicious recipes to keep you cooking and eating skinny for life - and reveals his 20 rules for successful weight loss....
RULE 1 : WATER
Drink a large glass of water before every meal - no excuses!
RULE 2 : DON'T DRINK YOUR CALORIES
As you drink your can of coke or fanta or sprite, consider that you are actually eating the equivalent of what should be your entire lunch. Human beings are simply not built to consume liquid calories. When you're drinking liquid calories, you're fighting 200,000 years of human history! You and coke, are not going to win!
RULE 3 : EAT PROTEIN AT EVERY MEAL
Or stay hungry and grouchy! Just how much is enough? The official answer is : no one really knows. I'm going to give you what we might call the 'Skinny Recommendation' : take your weight (in lbs) and divide it in two - that's roughly how much protein you should be eating in grams a day. More research shows that consumption of a hig protein diet, with reduced high carb foods, results in better weight-control metabolism.
RULE 4 : SLASH YOUR INTAKE OF REFINED FLOURS AND GRAINS
Grains are alot like liquid calories once your body processes them. We were not built to eat them, or at least, not in plentiful quantities.
RULE 5 : FIBRE
Eat 30-40 grams of fibre every single day
RULE 6 : FRUIT
Eat apples and berries every single day. Every. Single. Day!
RULE 7 : CARBS
Get all your carbs in, in the morning. No carbs after lunch.
RULE 8 : LABELS
Learn to read food labels so you know, without doubt, what you're putting into your body!
RULE 9 : PORTION SIZES
Stop guessing portion sizes and get it right!
Studies have shown that average at-home meals have ballooned y 20 to 30 percent over the past 20 years. Practise forced portion control : stock your kitchen with foods in portions you are absolutely sure about and/or portion it out into bags or serving containers ahead of time, so that when you're hungry, you find the right sized offering, every time. If you fail to plan - you plan to fail!
RULE 10 : SUGAR/SWEETENERS
No more added sweeteners, including all artificial ones too! Be your own sugar police. Enough with the artificial sweeteners ok? But if you can really stick to a teaspoon of brown sugar or a cube of sugar in your coffee or tea, step down from more of it this way : indulge yourself that teaspoon or sugar cube NO MORE than twice a day. For your cereal or oats? Add berries to sweeten things up instead!
RULE 11 : POTATOE
No more white potatoes
RULE 12 : VEGETARIAN
Relax. Just make one day, per week - meatless.
RULE 13 : FAST FOOD/FRIED FOOD
Get rid of it. It's crap for your body, your digestive system, your heart, your brain function, your hormone function - utter garbage.
RULE 14 : BREAKFAST
Eat a real breakfast! You will fail at weight loss and weight control if you don't. Why? Because my experience tells me it's essental. If there is one habit all my obese contestants on The Biggest Loser have in common, it's skipping breakfast! When should you eat breakfast? I prefer that you eat it within an hour of waking and, of course, after a large glass of water!
RULE 15 : COOK!
Make your own food! Eat at least 10 meals every week AT HOME.
RULE 16 : SALT
Banish high salt foods! Here's how I manage my own salt intake :
* Don't use salt at the table. (Don't even put it ON the table)
* When you check a label for salt, always check the portion size as well.
* Use lemons and lemon juice to enhance the flavour of foods.
* If somethin you're cooking calls for a teaspoon of salt, start with half or a third of a teaspoon instead. You can always add more salt later, you can't take it out!
RULE 17 : VEGETABLES
Eat them! No arguments, just do it!
RULE 18 : GO TO BED HUNGRY
Your body will burn fat like crazy if you do. The absence of carbs in your bloodstream will let your body produce the hormones it needs for better sleep. And wth good sleep comes other benefits - muscle repair, brain-chemical balancing and increased energy during the day. You might say that sleep is nature's ultimate spa treatment and the best gift you can give your body!
RULE 19 : SLEEP!
Sleep right! Men should pay particular attention to sleep. Studies show that sleep deprivation makes men more vulnerable to snacking and weight gain, than women.
RULE 20 : RE-FEEDS
Plan on one splurge meal, every week.
I got so much flak when I started advocating this! Unlike episodic bingeing, splurge meals are an ingredient in your diet. When ou plan something, YOU are in control. And when YOU are in control of your splurge, you don't later think that you've failed.
And that puts an end to the old binge-shame-diet-binge-cycle.
Bob Harpers 20 Skinny Rules - extract from his book The Skinny Rules.
Celebrity trainer Bob Harper has helped contestants on The Biggest Loser US lose weight and keep it off. We take a sneak peek at Bob's new book, The Skinny Rules, in which he helps you finally shed those unwanted kilogram's, shares more than 90 delicious recipes to keep you cooking and eating skinny for life - and reveals his 20 rules for successful weight loss....
RULE 1 : WATER
Drink a large glass of water before every meal - no excuses!
RULE 2 : DON'T DRINK YOUR CALORIES
As you drink your can of coke or fanta or sprite, consider that you are actually eating the equivalent of what should be your entire lunch. Human beings are simply not built to consume liquid calories. When you're drinking liquid calories, you're fighting 200,000 years of human history! You and coke, are not going to win!
RULE 3 : EAT PROTEIN AT EVERY MEAL
Or stay hungry and grouchy! Just how much is enough? The official answer is : no one really knows. I'm going to give you what we might call the 'Skinny Recommendation' : take your weight (in lbs) and divide it in two - that's roughly how much protein you should be eating in grams a day. More research shows that consumption of a hig protein diet, with reduced high carb foods, results in better weight-control metabolism.
RULE 4 : SLASH YOUR INTAKE OF REFINED FLOURS AND GRAINS
Grains are alot like liquid calories once your body processes them. We were not built to eat them, or at least, not in plentiful quantities.
RULE 5 : FIBRE
Eat 30-40 grams of fibre every single day
RULE 6 : FRUIT
Eat apples and berries every single day. Every. Single. Day!
RULE 7 : CARBS
Get all your carbs in, in the morning. No carbs after lunch.
RULE 8 : LABELS
Learn to read food labels so you know, without doubt, what you're putting into your body!
RULE 9 : PORTION SIZES
Stop guessing portion sizes and get it right!
Studies have shown that average at-home meals have ballooned y 20 to 30 percent over the past 20 years. Practise forced portion control : stock your kitchen with foods in portions you are absolutely sure about and/or portion it out into bags or serving containers ahead of time, so that when you're hungry, you find the right sized offering, every time. If you fail to plan - you plan to fail!
RULE 10 : SUGAR/SWEETENERS
No more added sweeteners, including all artificial ones too! Be your own sugar police. Enough with the artificial sweeteners ok? But if you can really stick to a teaspoon of brown sugar or a cube of sugar in your coffee or tea, step down from more of it this way : indulge yourself that teaspoon or sugar cube NO MORE than twice a day. For your cereal or oats? Add berries to sweeten things up instead!
RULE 11 : POTATOE
No more white potatoes
RULE 12 : VEGETARIAN
Relax. Just make one day, per week - meatless.
RULE 13 : FAST FOOD/FRIED FOOD
Get rid of it. It's crap for your body, your digestive system, your heart, your brain function, your hormone function - utter garbage.
RULE 14 : BREAKFAST
Eat a real breakfast! You will fail at weight loss and weight control if you don't. Why? Because my experience tells me it's essental. If there is one habit all my obese contestants on The Biggest Loser have in common, it's skipping breakfast! When should you eat breakfast? I prefer that you eat it within an hour of waking and, of course, after a large glass of water!
RULE 15 : COOK!
Make your own food! Eat at least 10 meals every week AT HOME.
RULE 16 : SALT
Banish high salt foods! Here's how I manage my own salt intake :
* Don't use salt at the table. (Don't even put it ON the table)
* When you check a label for salt, always check the portion size as well.
* Use lemons and lemon juice to enhance the flavour of foods.
* If somethin you're cooking calls for a teaspoon of salt, start with half or a third of a teaspoon instead. You can always add more salt later, you can't take it out!
RULE 17 : VEGETABLES
Eat them! No arguments, just do it!
RULE 18 : GO TO BED HUNGRY
Your body will burn fat like crazy if you do. The absence of carbs in your bloodstream will let your body produce the hormones it needs for better sleep. And wth good sleep comes other benefits - muscle repair, brain-chemical balancing and increased energy during the day. You might say that sleep is nature's ultimate spa treatment and the best gift you can give your body!
RULE 19 : SLEEP!
Sleep right! Men should pay particular attention to sleep. Studies show that sleep deprivation makes men more vulnerable to snacking and weight gain, than women.
RULE 20 : RE-FEEDS
Plan on one splurge meal, every week.
I got so much flak when I started advocating this! Unlike episodic bingeing, splurge meals are an ingredient in your diet. When ou plan something, YOU are in control. And when YOU are in control of your splurge, you don't later think that you've failed.
And that puts an end to the old binge-shame-diet-binge-cycle.
Bob Harpers 20 Skinny Rules - extract from his book The Skinny Rules.
