It's no surprise to many people that they're overweight, and it's not that they don't care. It's just that "psyching up" to go on a diet seems too hard, especially when it's one more diet in a long chain of diet failures. One approach that may be more successful than most is to look for small changes in food choices or portions that will add up to a shift in balance between the amount of calories consumed versus those burned up.

Everyone's metabolism runs a bit differently, but each pound of fat generally represents 3,500 calories. That means cutting 500 calories a day should lead to a loss of about a pound a week. Even a 250-calorie cut each day will get rid of about half a pound each week. More easily than you think, you could slowly but painlessly lose weight by first making small changes in eating that drop your daily calorie total by 150 to 300 calories, and then burning an extra 100 to 200 calories each day.

Guidelines for lower cancer risk from the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) can serve as a guide to a healthier weight as well as better health. For example, most Americans still don't reach the goal of five to ten servings of vegetables and fruits a day. Those foods do more than help fight cancer and heart disease. Most are about half the calories of an equal portion of other foods. Instead of a two-cup serving of pasta or potatoes, limit those foods to one cup and add one cup of a vegetable like green beans or broccoli, which will you save about 140 calories.

Healthy eating does not mean avoiding all fat, but too much fat is unhealthy and adds too many unneeded calories. Each time you cut back by a tablespoon on your salad dressing, or add one less pat of margarine, you save about 50 calories. Order your fast- food chicken sandwich without mayonnaise and you'll cut 140 to 200 calories.

AICR's approach to eating, called "The New American Plate," recognizes that health and weight are affected not only by what we eat, but also by how much we eat. If you eat the same foods you do now, but stop overeating, the calorie savings will add up. Stop before you finish the last quarter-cup of a serving and you'll cut 40 or more calories. Pass on seconds when you're not really that hungry and you'll save 100 to several hundred calories. If you typically eat three slices of pizza but realize you're actually satisfied after just two, skip the third slice and you'll save about 150 calories.

Rethinking drink choices can also help cut calories. Each regular soft drink you pass up or substitute with a no-calorie diet soda saves about 150 calories. Cut out one alcohol drink and save 110 to 170 calories. Switch from a big, 12-ounce glass of juice to a more average six-ounce serving and cut out about 85 calories.

In studies of weight loss and maintenance, a consistent finding is that people who lose weight and keep it off exercise regularly. For someone weighing 150 pounds, a brisk 30-minute walk or 20 minutes on a stationary bike can burn 100 calories. But even 10-minute sessions scattered through the day are helpful.

You don't need to make all the changes suggested. Just identify a few changes to make and try them out. Look for those you can continue long-term, so you not only lose weight, but keep it off as well.

Five Fun Tips for Fall Fitness

With their kids in school, many parents pledge to take advantage of their family's new fall schedule by adding a daily workout to their routine. Here are five tips for making fall the most fit season of all:

1. Seize the moment: Time, or the lack of it, is often cited as the biggest challenge to sustaining an exercise regimen. When the kids return to school, what better way to use some of that precious time than getting in shape?

Your workout doesn't have to take a lot of time. Even a half hour walking your neighborhood pays off in increased energy and stamina. Most health-club aerobics classes are just an hour long, yet offer big fitness dividends. Taking care of yourself is one of the best things you can do for your family.

2. Enjoy the year's most beautiful season: In many parts of the United States, autumn is a near-sacred season, with its warm, sunny days, cool evenings and postcard perfect colors. Get outside and enjoy the season by bicycling, walking, hiking, jogging, and playing golf and tennis.

Explore parks in your area; find a new bike path through the woods, take a walk around a lake. The time spent out in nature will do as much good for your mind as for your body.

3. Return to your club or gym: It takes 30 days to make fitness a habit, and supplementing outdoor exercise with increasingly frequent visits to your health club will help diversify your exercise regimen and set the stage for regular workouts once autumn's leaves have fallen.

A well-rounded fitness regimen is important. While aerobic activity such as running or bicycling is good for your heart, resistance training is also a critical component of a balanced program, so be sure to take advantage of your club's weight lifting equipment.

4. An apple a day: In many parts of the country, autumn is synonymous with the apple harvest. Rich in antioxidants and flavonoids, both of which reduce the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, inhibiting the growth of dangerous plaques along blood vessel walls, and dietary fiber, apples are a delicious and nutritious snack that can be enjoyed any time of day.

Remember that each of us should be getting at least four to five servings of fresh fruit and vegetables every day. However, nine out of 10 Americans do not meet these recommendations. As a result, many people should consider some form of supplementation, according to Jeff Zwiefel, president of Life Time Fitness' Health Enhancement Division.

"While the goal for everyone should be four to five portions of fresh fruits and vegetables per day, many people simply do not have the time or opportunity to get there," said Zwiefel. "That's why Life Time Fitness has introduced a full line of supplements that have been specially designed to meet the unique needs and requirements of both men and women."

5. Make it social: One of the great things about exercise is that it doesn't need to be done alone. Find a friend with a similar fitness level and goals; having a partner helps you both stay motivated. You can use your exercise time to catch up on each other's lives.

Boredom is the number one killer of good health and fitness regimens. Exercising with a friend puts the fun back into your workout.

Fighting The Common Cold And Flu

People spend billions of dollars every year trying to fight off the misery of the common cold. Want to try something different? Garlic is said to work wonders. Take a large clove, peel and keep it in your mouth. Bite down every so-often to release the natural juices. Replace with a new clove every four or five hours. Your cold symptoms are reported to be to gone in twenty four, to forty eight hours.

Your nose all stuffed up? Try eating some hot or spicy foods which should open up those blocked nasal passages and you won't have the rebound effect of taking too many nose drops! Not hungry? Try a few minutes of vigorous exercise. The increased oxygen demand of your body will almost certainly cause you to breathe deeper and help open-up your blocked nasal passages naturally. Chest congestion can be effectively cleared up by breathing a mixture of hot vinegar, or white wine. Breath in the vapors for a few minutes, and you should get relief!

Coughs and sore throats can be controlled with several home remedies. A classic required a large lemon. Start by slowing roasting it until it just splits open. Now take up to half a teaspoon of honey with the juice from the lemon. Repeat at hourly intervals until the cough is under control.

Hot Lemon
1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon honey
1 cup boiling water

Squeeze the juice from a fresh lemon into a cup of boiled water, add honey for taste. Sip while warm.

Hot Orange & Ginger
1 orange
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon ginger (helps to soothe the throat)
1 cup boiling water

Squeeze the juice from a fresh orange into a cup of boiled water, add ginger & honey for taste. Sip while warm.

For Colds and Flus:

Drink 3 cups of cayenne tea daily.

3 drops of Eucalyptus essential oil in a vaporizer is good to relieve upper respiratory.

For congestion relief, make a tea of fresh parsley, steep the parsley in hot water for a few minutes then sip tea slowly. Drink daily.

For breathing problems: eat something spicy, such as eating a chili pepper, whole garlic or gargle with tabasco sauce in a cup of water.

Onion cough syrup
Cook 4-5 large onions in a pot with 3/4 cup honey. Simmer for approx 1 1/2 hours-2 hours, strain. Take as often as needed for relief. Use warm.