When playing blackjack are you more likely to bet on the cards you can see or the house hand which you cannot? It may feel like gambling to attempt a lifestyle change, diet, or fitness program. The “reward” is not guaranteed but you will have to ante up something whether it is mental energy, hours of sleep, a favorite television show, your favorite foods, or a preferred beverage.

I was not as consistent as I was instructed to be with my physical therapy routine after my last surgery, probably because it had been more than two years since the original injury. I no longer remembered what it was like to have a pain-free joint, thus I had difficulty visualizing the goal I was trying to achieve. I suppose a part of me did not believe it was possible. As an entrepreneur it was easy to dedicate my time to so many other tasks.

This guest blog comes from Rebecca Scritchfield, MA, RD, ACSM HFS, a Washington, D.C. based dietitian and weight management expert. Together with Bernie Salazar, at-home winner of The Biggest Loser, she co-created “The Nurture Principles” – Five mantras to help people change their lives and find wellness within.

It’s no secret. We are all stressed out, whether it’s lack of personal time, work pressures, or life issues like the economy. There is no shortage of things to wig us out these days. While a little stress can be a good thing, too much can put your life out of balance. Work seems unmanageable, you can’t remember the last time you cooked a meal for your family, and your dumbbells are better utilized as paperweights to keep your stack of mail in place because you’re not even thinking about a workout. (Whew. That’s exhausting!)

I have written a lot about the power of our thoughts and positive thinking, so it came as a surprise to me to come across this article. New research suggests that the common prescriptive of positive self-talk may not be positive for all people, after all; in fact, it might even be dangerous to some. The people most in need of encouragement and self-coaching are those with low self-esteem; however, such positive affirmations may be outside the realm of what they find to be believable. Thus, these ideas can be immediately dismissed or the individual may immediately internally contradict such statements. If you found Stuart Smalley to be ridiculous, you will have a hard time believing yourself saying such things.

Experts are always finding new and interesting benefits that come with certain vitamins or minerals. This time around, it’s vitamin K and how it may help you avoid diabetes.

In a study, those subjects (older men and women) who took a vitamin K supplement for three years had lower blood levels of insulin. They also experienced an improvement with insulin resistance as compared to another group who did not take the supplement.

Here comes the catch…

How in the world does one decide to begin, to draw themselves out of the comfort of the Cheetos and the Dairy Queen, to make the move towards fitness and smaller pants, when it’s clearly SO MUCH WORK? I get this question all the time from people who want to lose weight. And I can’t answer it.

What motivated me to lose weight is different from what will motivate you, or your neighbor or your worst enemy. It’s personal for each of us. I can tell you three things that got my flabby behind in gear, though.

1. My daughter came home from school, upset with a friend, who she’d been arguing with - the closing statement from her friend? “Well, at least I don’t have a fat mom like you do!” My daughter was puzzled - “Why would she say that, Mommy? You aren’t fat!”  Yes, I was, and hearing the truth from a little kids HURTS.

The week of June 15 is Men’s Health Week, dedicated to helping the special men in our lives take control of their health so that they’re with us for a long time. In the U.S. there are more than 73 million overweight or obese males, according to the American Heart Association. Obesity related diseases mean a diminished quality of life for these men, and often lead to death. This news should be sobering, as we prepare to celebrate the fathers in our lives this weekend.

This week we invited several fathers and men from around the blogosphere to share with you their personal stories of weight loss struggle and success. Weight loss can take on a very different tone for men than it does for women, but the end result is happier, healthier people.

We hope you’ll take to heart the message that these men are sharing, and make this Father’s Day the first of many more healthy holidays.

The week of June 15 is Men’s Health Week at DietsInReview.com. Brad Powell joins as a Men’s Health guest blogger.
Brad Powell a.k.a. “Daddy Brad,” is the Chief Operating Officer, Producer and Co-Founder of DadLabs. Inc. He serves as co-host for two of the DadLabs weekly web shows and is an avid daddy blogger, accomplished parenting speaker and social media panelist.

Powell is co-author of DadLabs Guide To Fatherhood, Pregnancy and Year One, and is a regular columnist for the web publication Destination Maternity.com and was selected as Dad of the Month by I-Parenting Media in May of 2008. He is an avid Tweeter and was recently named to Austin Social Media’s Top 100 list.  He lives in Austin, Texas with his wife and two children and has one more on the way.

Historically, it seems the only way that I successfully lose weight is to be in some kind of fat loss competition. Six years ago after the birth of our first child, I looked down and realized that I was fat. Really fat! Fat like an old school State Senator from Alabama. So I challenged my good buddy and colleague Daddy Clay, to see who could drop the most lbs in a given period of time.  

Are researchers on the trail of a big weight control breakthrough? Or should I say tail? That’s because scientists have come up with two new ways to control weight and blood sugar levels in obese mice… without diet or exercise!

Now, that doesn’t mean there will be a magic pill tomorrow that will let us all be healthy couch potatoes. But the findings are definitely intriguing.

Researchers inserted a molecular shunt into the liver cells of 94 mice. The shunt contained an enzyme normally found in bacteria and plants, but not in mammals.

This week, we love Smartfood Popcorn Clusters – a crunchy and nutritious treat from snack connoisseurs Frito-Lay.

We first spotted these charming boxes while flipping through a magazine and within days, DietsInReview Food Finders were pleased as punch to see all three flavors - Cranberry Almond, Honey Multigrain and Chocolate Cookie Caramel Pecan lined up neatly on the bottom shelf of the snack aisle of a local grocery store.

Donny Claxton joins us as a contributor for Men’s Health Week. Donny is a public relations executive who has embarked on a new adventure for the benefit of himself, his wife, and their seven children. He recently completed the EA SPORTS Active 30-day challenge and continues to use it along with other healthy habits to regain his health. Donny regularly blogs at DadsCenter.org.

On April 3, 2009, I began a journey to change my life.  In California to meet with EA SPORTS officials about the then soon-to-be released EA SPORTS Active, I made a commitment to my wife, Kari, and our kids, and the world, that I was going to change my lifestyle.

At the time, I weighed a staggering 369.78 lbs.  That was too much.  Way too much.

It’s now June 19, 2009, and I weighed in this morning at 340.65 pounds.  I’m almost down 30 pounds in two and a half months and I’m still dropping.  I’ve done one EA SPORTS Active 30-day challenge and I’m now doing a second.