Don't eat this, stay away from that — following a diet can seem like a total killjoy. If you're feeling depressed about how restrictive your diet is, here are some proven weight-loss rules you'll welcome with open arms. Dig into a big breakfast: Skipping breakfast to save calories? That's a big mistake because eating breakfast actually jump-starts your metabolism. Your first meal of the day Read more

There are many ways to go about reducing your carbon footprint, but one of the easiest ways is to participate in Meatless Mondays. Although forgoing meat also helps fight world hunger (and the issue of obesity), it's also proven to be kinder to Mother Earth, even if you're just skipping out on animal protein one day each week. To learn a few of the environmental benefits of going meat-free once Read more

Are you as excited as we are for the release of The Hunger Games in theaters this Friday? As if we needed to be any more pumped up, last week we received The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook. The trilogy does a great job of making us crave things like bread, goat cheese, and especially Katniss's favorite lamb stew. Naturally, the lamb stew with dried plums was the first thing I attempted out of Read more

Joke all you want, but since they offer so many health benefits, beans really are the magical fruit (or legume, really). If you shy away from them, here are three reasons to start eating beans today. Encourage Weight Loss Thanks to their high fiber and water content, beans are extremely filling; it doesn't take much to feel satisfied. Taking a long time to digest, beans help keep hunger at bay Read more

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar. This week Shape turns to nutritional consultant Mike Roussell, PhD, for some help! Q: What's the best way to lose belly fat: diet or exercise? A: You really need both, and here's why — losing fat (all kinds of fat, not just the belly fat that covers your lower abs) requires an energy deficit. At the end of Read more

If you work or go to school full time, getting your sweat on in the wee hours of the morn is probably the only time you can fit it in. Kudos to you for resisting the urge to hit the snooze button and skip out. Make setting your alarm and pulling yourself out of bed worth all the effort and avoid these morning exercise mistakes. Not eating: It's super early, but you need to eat in order to fuel Read more

Unless you know what you're doing, cooking at home can be as detrimental to your health as eating out. As far as your body is concerned, cooking with processed ingredients high in saturated fat, sugar, and sodium might as well be like eating McDonald's. But becoming a healthy cook isn't as hard as you think. Here are some essential habits for healthy home cooks, starting from the moment you set Read more

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar. This week Shape turns to Cynthia Sass, a registered dietitian with master's degrees in both nutrition science and public health. In a new study published in the Journal of Obesity, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco found that mastering mindful eating and reducing stress effectively prevented Read more