How to start a diet

A good diet program should start with a goal setting session and a visit to your doctor to make sure that you are healthy enough for vigorous exercise (which should also be included in a good diet program).  But there are a few other quick and easy things that you should do before you start your diet.
3 Ways to Start Your Diet Correctly

1. Set Up Your Kitchen. If your plan includes healthy eating and your kitchen is full of junk food, then your plan is in danger from the get-go.  Learn how to clean out the most important room in your house.
2. Start a Journal. It's actually important to start a food journal before you diet.  Learn why and get it started now.
3. Get Your Number. Find out how many calories you should eat to lose weight.  You can even compare numbers from different sources to get a more accurate estimate.

Each of these steps will help you become more prepared for your weight loss program and they should help you to feel more confident about your ability to be successful.  Take the time to do them today.
...More at Start Your Diet on the Right Path

o one wants to have their paycheck cut, whether its by a salary decrease or an increase in taxes. I’m no different. Less money in my paycheck means fewer dollars to buy groceries and put gas in the car. 

But, I also understand that to get certain services, we must pay the piper. Paying taxes is part of life, but it’s up to those responsible for our tax dollars to use them wisely and fund the services we use.

The recent deal made at the 11th hour in Washington was a short-term fix — instead of plunging off the cliff into the ravine, we’re now dangling by a bungee cord.

My first paycheck of the New Year was lighter, as I’m sure everyone else’s was, because the payroll tax holiday was not extended, and we’re paying 2 percent more out of every check to Social Security.

It seems our legislators actually compromised, though, and extended tax credits, including a $3,000 child tax credit, the Alternative Minimum Tax and a farm subsidy that would keep milk from doubling in price.

With President Barack Obama’s signature, the bill also included a two-month hiatus for extensive cuts (billions of dollars, reports say) to defense and domestic programs.

For a short period, our illustrious officials have merely extended the fiscal cliff negotiations for a couple of months. We’ll be back to square one once the extension expires.

Another component is the debt ceiling. Remember in 2011, when the government couldn’t make a decision until the 11th hour, and the debt ceiling was raised to keep the U.S. from defaulting on its loans?

It looks like we’re there again, as the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (passed Jan. 1, 2013) didn’t address the debt ceiling.

Congress has spent and spent and spent — they’ve overextended our government. 

The government owes money it cannot pay, so it needs to go back to the well, which is, in effect, our paychecks.

But, there are many in Washington who are fighting to keep the American taxpayers from having to give up more of their hard-earned money. Obama said last week that he will not negotiate on increasing the debt ceiling. It needs to be done, and there’s no way around it.

I appreciate him going to bat for us to keep our paychecks from dwindling away even more, but where will it end?

If the average American’s paycheck can’t cover expenses and their credit cards are maxed out, the bank is not going to say, “Well, Johnny, you have no money to pay us back, and you already owe us a lot, so here, we’ll increase your credit limit so you can pay your bills.”

That doesn’t happen. 

The bank says “tough” and sends you to collections. 

If the federal government keeps giving money away and raising its credit limit to be able to buy more with money it doesn’t have, then we’re up the creek without a paddle.

Because the deficit will continue to grow, our credit limit will be higher and the payments we owe to other countries still will be due.

And, when they can’t increase their credit limit anymore, they’ll come back to the trough for more dough.

Part of solving this problem is cutting spending, which is something officials are looking at, including the billions in cuts to defense and domestic spending.

But, I would like to see, more specifically, what is being cut. A look at the 157-page bill, signed by Obama Jan. 2, didn’t show me what the proposed cuts are exactly, and most of the bill is written with “strike” this or “add” that. 

Out of the State Department, requests for hundreds of millions of dollars were made in the current budget — that money slated for places like Pakistan, Egypt, Syria and more.

Just this past September, the White House told Congress it wanted to send $450 million to Egypt, according to a New York Times article. 

That was only a portion of a $1 billion package Obama had pledged to help the fledgling democracy.

As part of the 2012 federal budget, there was $50.9 billion requested by the State Department for foreign aid. 

I understand we need good relations in the Middle East, but I’m not keen on providing American taxpayer money to governments who don’t particularly like us and can’t implement security controls to help minimize terrorist activities. Pakistan was where Osama bin Laden was found, and I don’t think I can be convinced otherwise that the Pakistani government didn’t know he was there.

An attack in Libya left our ambassador and three other Americans dead, after terrorists attacked the U.S. Embassy. 

There also were attacks on the U.S. embassies in Yemen and Egypt.

It’s really not in our best interests to fund countries that have the ability to use our money to buy items to use against us — especially when that money could be used to help people here at home.

Thousands of people’s homes were destroyed in the Northeast after Hurricane Sandy, but by the close of the 112th Congress, there was no help for them in the form of an approved disaster relief bill. 

While I’m thankful not to have to pay the estimated $2,200 more in taxes this year, the federal government needs to stop the bickering and do the work we sent them to do, on a regular basis. 

The bipartisan compromise to the fiscal cliff bill is a good start, but they need to get their act together and stop all the gloom and doom, waiting until the last minute efforts to get the job done.

NNOr, we will have to find others who will....More at Start a diet from our paychecks - Cherokee Ledger

To read : A Salad a Day Keeps the Weight at Bay: Instead of cutting food out of your diet, start adding... http://t.co/ohX6732K #Fitness
— Kinesiologue (Mathieu Drugeon) (@Kinesiologue) Fri Jan 11 2013

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