In a recent interview I was asked, “Was there a certain event or breaking point that made you realize it was time for a change?” I quickly replied by providing a couple of my well-rehearsed responses; “Well” I said, “I was tired of being out of breath when going up stairs.” I then continued on by providing an extra bit of flare and added “I knew it was time for a change when I couldn’t even bend over to tie my shoes without being out of breath.” This particular interviewer respond by saying “Wow, I could see how that would really make you want to change your life!” Now in no way am I questioning the sincerity of this interviewer, rather I am questioning my inability to provide an honest response to this particular question. Taking the time and exerting the energy to really identify my breaking point has been exhausting and has conjured up insecurities that I thought I had laid to rest.

My breaking point revealed itself through the harsh realization that I had in fact put up a protective physical barrier in the form of weight. This effort to shield myself from dealing with my own issues of abandonment, low self-esteem, and an overall feeling of helplessness was an unconscious choice. I had imprisoned myself along with all my insecurities in a cocoon of excess. Stripped of my protective barrier I am forced to deal with these issues and closely analyze how each of them led to my weight gain. The encouraging part to this is, that by identifying the factors that fueled my breaking point I am able to begin confronting them so as to not allow them to control my life. I have also realized that I possess the strength to not only deal with these issues, but use them in my favor.

One might ask, “Why put yourself through the process of identifying your breaking point in an effort to embrace it?” My response is simple – “The point at which I decided it was time for a change, whether an actual event, or in my case a personal realization, carries with it an incredible power to better my life, so why not embrace it! I feel that is a much healthier alternative to living in fear that my breaking point if left unidentified could leave me broken!”

Many of you may have already reached your breaking point, which has led you to our DietsInReview website, for that I applaud you! However, be sure that as you proceed in your weight loss journey you take time to revisit that point in your life when you realized enough was enough. Not to conjure up painful memories but to realize how far you’ve come and the power you now possess to not only take the weight off, but to keep it off.

Walk 10 Minutes a Day and Increase Your Fitness Level

Old thinking was to work out in a sweat-filled gym for hours a day. No pain, no gain. New studies show that even short bouts of activity can increase your fitness level, especially if you’re new at working out.

Park and Walk

Whenever you have an errand, park your car as far away as you can handle and walk to the store. At the mall, park at the farthest end and walk the length of the mall. Use every opportunity to walk. At the end of the day, it all adds up to better fitness.

Crunch in Bed

Before you even get out of bed in the morning, do 10 stomach crunches while lying flat on your mattress. Increase daily by one until you get up to 100. Think you’ll never get there? Try it. You may eventually have to set your clock to wake up 15 minutes earlier, a small price to pay for a flatter stomach.

Get more fitness tips from our expert trainer, Matt.

A salmonella-tainted tomato outbreak began in mid-April, and was centered mostly in New Mexico and Texas. Now it has made about 300 people sick across 28 states and the District of Columbia in the U.S. Officials are still unsure why it’s happened or where it came from.

The FDA has warned consumers to avoid eating raw red plum, red Roma and red round tomatoes and products containing them, unless they come from areas that are listed on its website. Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes and those sold with the vine have been deemed safe to eat.

The timing couldn’t be worst since we are just now entering prime tomato season. So, if you want to play it extra safe and avoid tomatoes altogether until things blow over, where can you match the nutritional benefits that come with our favorite fruit that is mistaken for a vegetable?

There are plenty of nutrients found in tomatoes, but its highest potency comes in the form of vitamins C, A and K. That’s not even mentioning its secret weapon – lycopene.

Tomato growers, and even ketchup sellers, have played up lycopene and its proposed antioxidant properties, which could help fight cancer. While this conclusion is not totally conclusive at this point, it doesn’t hurt to have it in your diet. The most obvious lycopene substitute in lieu of tomatoes is watermelon. That’s not even mentioning that it also has a healthy amount of vitamins C and A, which you would lose in not eating tomatoes.

If it’s other antioxidant sources you want, there are many. Beans (red, black, pinto, kidney), blueberries, and even coffee and certain teas are good sources.

Have you ever been on a diet? How many have you pursued? In case you haven’t noticed, there are a few out there. At DietsInReview.com alone we’ve reviewed more than 400 weight loss programs and products- and we’re no where near finished. What if you couldn’t make up your mind, and decided to try them all, or at least 12? That’s what Joel Gates is doing this year, and you can follow along at DozenDiets.com.

With 2008 about to begin, and a desire to beat his long-time fight with being overweight, Joel began searching for the right diet to begin the year with (just as so many do). “When I started, I didn’t know what to start,” explains Joel, “I’ve done several in the past with varying degrees of success. I picked out those that I thought might be the most successful. I had some criteria- be able to cheat occasionally, stick with it on a daily basis, that I have confidence in and not too off the wall.” Joel also mentions that his health is important and he does take that into consideration when choosing a diet. Before starting he met with his doctor and just recently had a mid-year check-up to ensure he’s being safe about it.

Each month in 2008, Joel will follow a different diet. Half-way through the year, he’s lost about 43 pounds and 10% of his body fat. (Beginning stats were 234 pounds, 30% body fat) He keeps a daily journal at DozenDiets.com, displaying weight changes, body fat changes, food diary, exercise diary, cheats, successes and everything else that plays into his diet each day. Each month concludes with a summary, where he scores the diet on a 40-point scale, for ease of understanding, forgiveness of a cheat, ease of execution and results.

To date, he’s completed:

Jan: Low-Calorie Diet
Lost 8.5 pounds
Score 30/40

Feb: South Beach Diet
Lost 11.3 pounds
Score 28/40

Mar: Slim-Fast (tied for first place so far)
Lost 8.6 pounds
Score 34/40

Apr: The Abs Diet (in last place)
Lost 6 pounds
Score 23/40

May: Weight Watchers (tied for first place so far)
Lost 8 pounds
Score 34/40

June: Advanced Mediterranean Diet
Lost 6 pounds to date
Anticipates a high score

July: NutriSystem

Hear my interview with Joel in its entirety below. He discusses his experiences with each diet, which seem to be more male-friendly and which are definitely built for women, and how he plans to continue the rest of the year, considering he’s been far more successful than anticipated.

I found this an interesting examination of various popular colloquialisms for the same all-American drink: soda, pop, Coke, Pepsi… A breakdown by U.S. counties of what they call their favorite sugary drink, by East Central University in Oklahoma. (Click on the image to see a bigger version.)