Now that you’re eating a healthy breakfast every morning and making better choices at lunch and dinner, it would be a shame to blow it in between meals, wouldn’t it?

Here are my tips on how to snack smarter:

Munch mindfully: As you know by now, I am a huge advocate of mindful eating, and snacking is not an exception. It doesn’t have to be a painful process, but it does take a little bit of effort and awareness. Oh, and a positive attitude. Yep, that always helps. Be thoughtful when you’re snacking—put fruit or popcorn in a bowl and don’t eat standing up.

If you eat a piece of string cheese on the short walk from your fridge to the computer, chances are, your brain won’t actually register than you had something to eat. But unfortunately, it counts. Every handful, every nibble…it all counts, whether you took the time to actually taste and enjoy it or not. And think of it this way: Consuming 500 less calories a day for a week is a one-pound weight loss. Do you really want to use up those precious calories on bites that you hardly even remember? [continue reading…]

Editor’s Note: A little while back, I was having a conversation online with a close guy friend of mine about “breaks.” As we learned from Ross on “Friends,” the rules of being on a break can get murky and may wind up costing you your entire relationship. Being on a break is different for men and women because men and women are very different when it comes to relationships in general… a fact any ANM reader knows well by now. The conversation I was having with my friend got so interesting and enlightening, I asked him to elaborate further on the subject and took our exchange and turned it into an entire article. Let the enlightening begin…

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If Taylor Swift keeps going on the same track in the love department, she may want to consider naming her next album: “Maybe It’s Me.” Seriously, girlfriend is gorgeous, rich, talented, sweet, and yet she can’t–for the life of her—seem to hang onto a man for more than a few months.

I don’t know Taylor personally. I do know people who have met and interviewed her  though and by all accounts, she’s an incredibly kind and genuine person, which is not something you find too often in Hollywood. The purpose of this article is not to bash her, but rather, to learn from her. I don’t really pay close attention to pop culture these days, but Taylor is one famous face who I can’t seem to escape, and who’s troubles in the love department have captured my attention (and sympathy!).

All I know is this is a girl who gives her all to relationships, usually gets burned as a result, then makes millions writing songs about it. It doesn’t sound like such a bad deal, but I’ll bet that Taylor would happily exchange a lot of those millions to find true love.

So where exactly is she going wrong? [continue reading…]

I met this guy on a night out with friends and we’ve been texting pretty much all day every day for a month. He often texts me first and we seem to really get along well and like him a lot. The thing I need help with is I have no idea if he’s maybe talking to and/or seeing other girls. I personally am not interested in other boys, and while at the moment I’m still happy with seeing how things go, I just want to know how he feels it’s going with us.

I suppose I’m worried that asking him this will make me seem rather pushy when really all I want is to not feel so unsure about the entire thing. Any advice?

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This isn’t the first time I’ve mentioned the importance of mindful eating, and it most certainly won’t be the last. I know that carefully thinking through food choices probably seems like a massive chore (especially when you’re out with friends or tired at the end of the day), but please trust me—it is always worth it. It’s kind of like working out—you’ll never, ever regret doing it! And just like exercise, consistency is key with mindful eating!

How often do cravings hit at mealtime? Do you frequently indulge them? If you wake up in the morning with a hankering for pancakes or a fatty breakfast sandwich, gulp down a glass of water and pause for a minute to ask yourself if it’s really worth it. [continue reading…]

Whenever I tell people that I write about relationships, the first thing they want to know is the most commonly asked questions we receive. Next, of course, they want to know what my answers are to said questions. When it first started happening, I would get kind of nervous, especially if I was being put on the spot by a bunch of guys who didn’t think I could possibly know anything about the male mind. Let me tell you, proving them wrong is one of the best feelings ever!

In time, however, I got it down and could quickly rattle off brief, yet on-point, answers to even the most seemingly tricky relationship dilemmas.  After getting grilled for what felt like the trillionth time the other week, I decided that I should make an article out of my “bite sized” answers to the most common relationship questions.

On ANM, we got into a lot of depth about relationships, in our articles, our newsletter, and of course, in our book. However, it’s always nice to have a refresher course. Even though you might know something, it’s very easy for that knowledge to get knocked out by your emotions, and nothing gets the emotions going quite like boy drama.

Anyway, here is your handy guide to get your relationship questions answered on-the-go. [continue reading…]

Women frequently ask me what guys are looking for in their relationships with the women in their lives. And although they may realize how uncomplicated guys are, they are still usually surprised by the simplicity of my answer.

In general, men are looking for three things when they become involved romantically with a woman.

Click over to our friends at Your Tango to find out the 3 things men are looking for in a relationship.

With more than a third of Americans classified as obese, everyone from first lady Michelle Obama to TV news anchor Katie Couric is advocating exercise to maintain a healthy weight.

That’s great, says Dr. Eudene Harry, author of “Live Younger in 8 Simple Steps,” but the benefits of exercise go far beyond fitting into those skinny jeans. In fact, they extend to everything from your complexion to your mood to your digestive health.

To get you motivated to break a sweat, Dr. Harry has revealed five major (but less publicized) benefits of exercise.

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How’s the meal planning coming along, everyone? Are you ready to discuss how to eat healthier at dinner? A lot of people really struggle with making good choices at the end of the day for various reasons. It could be because they are tired, unprepared, or flat out feel like they deserve a treat.

I get it, I’ve been there. But if you want to shake some pounds, you need to commit to being a bit more prepared and mindful in the evenings. Below are a few tips that have helped me tremendously. [continue reading…]

I have been dating this guy for roughly 8 months. Things started out amazing, getting to know each other turned into mutual interest and before long he asked me to be his girlfriend. He even dropped the ‘I Love You’ bomb on me, which was fine because the feeling was mutual. I never invested myself in a relationship 100% before him, but he managed to get me mentally, emotionally, and physically. With all that being said, I understand that a woman should not put too much out there or be too available in the beginning. I did that and lived by that in the past … Hell, I got him by doing that.

Lately, however, I’ve found myself living around him, being super available and maybe even a little needy. I’ve also noticed a change in the way he is around me. He seems to slowly be losing interest. He makes time for me, but I don’t feel like it’s enough and things just feel different.

My question: When you are in a relationship with someone, how do you ensure that he wont lose interest? He says he loves me and wants to have a future but sometimes I feel like his actions aren’t matching his words. Am I reading too much into this? What’s going on?
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I’ve been seeing this guy for 6 months and we decided to officially become a couple after about a month of dating.  Lately he’s been withdrawn and doesn’t give me nearly any attention.  When we’re together we sleep together, but recently he became really emotional (like he was going to cry) and was telling me that “I deserve better than him” and that “he’s not good enough for me.”  What does my boyfriend really mean when he says that?

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Now that you’re starting off your day with a healthy breakfast, we can move on to lunch. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, so I let myself indulge a little in the morning (ie. Homemade French Toast or Almond Butter Jar Oatmeal), which usually makes it easier for me to eat healthy the rest of the day.

How many of you are squirming in your seat as you count down the minutes until lunchtime? If you’re reaching for your lunch at 11:59am every day, take a second to pause and ask yourself if you are actually hungry yet. If your tummy is really grumbling at this time, you might need to go back and reevaluate what you had for breakfast.

Whenever I start getting antsy for lunch at noon, but I know that I’m not hungry, I distract myself with a project at work to take my mind off eating. (Don’t eat just because the clock says it’s time, as Bethenny Frankel says.) I’ll say, “Ok, I’m not going to get out of my chair until I finish X.” And usually, a whole hour passes, I feel good about being productive and then I’m ready to eat! Students can follow the same rule with homework or reading assignments.

So, what are you eating for lunch? Do you plan it the night before? Eat vending machine popcorn? Grab a slice of pizza? Or do you skip it all together? I hope not! [continue reading…]

We’re going to go back to basics today and talk about breakfast. Are you eating it? Regularly? Does your morning meal sustain you until lunch? Yes, folks, everything your mom told you about the first meal of the day is true: It’s important.

Why you should eat in the am: When you eat breakfast, you are literally doing just that…breaking the fast from the night before. You need fuel in your tank to function at your best and to rev up your metabolism. If you skip breakfast, your body will hold onto the food you consume next (lunch) for as long as possible instead of burning it right away. Essentially your body is saying, “Food, finally! Gotta hold onto these nutrients—who knows when I will get them again!”

Weight loss and eating breakfast has been linked multiple times, so do I really need to convince you to make this a priority? Plus, who doesn’t want an opportunity to eat?! Also, studies have shown that those who skip breakfast have a tendency to consume more food than usual the next chance they get and have a higher tendency to snack on high-calorie foods. [continue reading…]

There was once a time when women’s sole initiative role in the human mating ritual involved nothing more than dropping a silken handkerchief in the presence of her objet d’amour – an olden day version of the “bend and snap” – thereby prompting him to retrieve it and engage her in some polite conversation.

Today we play a much more proactive part in the dating world. This evolution is, for the most part, a positive improvement. We can now go after what – or rather whom – we want, rather than resorting to passive aggressive Victorian “subtleties” involving superfluous floor-bound accessories.  On the other hand, it is on us to handle those situations in which we wish to extricate ourselves from the reach of gentlemen showing us unwanted attention… Preferably while still maintaining the grace and decorum befitting a twenty first century lady.

So here it is. The quick ‘n easy exit strategy. How to escape from an insufferable first date. [continue reading…]

So you wanna understand men? Well you’re in luck, because we wrote the book on it (or at least a book on it, a really good one!)

The book, “He’s Not That Complicated: How to Crack a Man’s Romantic Code to Get the Relationship You Want,” covers everything you’ve ever wanted to know about men.

How do we know? Because we’ve spent years answering thousands upon thousands of questions from women of all ages from all over the world. It didn’t take long to see some very clear patterns emerge in the kinds of questions we were getting and it became clear very quickly that a book which contained all the answers to these burning questions was essential.

Our mission with this book was to help you understand exactly how men think and exactly why they do the things they do.

We hope that after reading it you will have complete clarity over your current relationship issues as well as past relationships that left you devastated and thoroughly confused. You will also gain confidence in yourself, you will learn to see what it is you have to offer and how to use those assets to their fullest potential so you can get everything you’ve ever wanted out of life, not to mention, out of your relationships.

So what else might you learn if you read the book? For starters… [continue reading…]

Now that summer is over and the temps are getting cooler, it’s only natural to get a case of the blahs. But don’t give up and undo your good efforts and hard work from previous months—I won’t let you! Whether you’re seriously going through a rough time or just find yourself a bit bored with life in general, think about these rules the next time you want to Band-Aid the situation with a bag of Doritos. [continue reading…]

I went out with a guy that I dated once for a bit, but he didn’t want to be my boyfriend officially and we stopped talking for a while.  I saw him the other night and I happened to be all made-up and looking hot.

His eyes widened and he was speechless – then all of a sudden he started talking about becoming my boyfriend again.  I was shocked, but I’ve wanted to be a couple with him for a while.  I need to know though:  Does he only want to be my boyfriend because I looked hot that night?  Does he just want to be a couple because of my looks?

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Now that you’re getting more sleep and consuming less sugar (right?), it’s important to take a closer look at how you are setting yourself up to succeed in your weight loss efforts. Are your choices helping you or making it harderfor you to reach your goals? Because really, healthy eating is not about willpower—it’s about making conscious decisions that help make it easier for you to make good decisions. Chew on this: [continue reading…]

As some of you know, Eric and I are going to be publishing our first book. “He’s Not That Complicated: How to Crack a Man’s Romantic Code to Get the Relationship You Want,” very shortly. (We will be releasing the book to the members of our Dating Decoder e-mail list within the next few days and then doing a worldwide launch within a month or so. If you want to be the first to have it, sign up for the list today!). There have been numerous setbacks (including my hard drive crashing and taking with it the most up to date version of the book!), but we  emerged triumphant. The book is ready and we are beyond eager to share it with all of you.

As a little appetizer, we’ve decided to share a small excerpt from the book. I decided to share the section on infatuation since I’m sure it will resonate with most of you. Read on to check it out and please share your thoughts in comments! [continue reading…]

The last time I checked in, I emphasized the importance of making small, conscious lifestyle changes. Continue to think about how these efforts can really impact the big picture—whether you set an intention to go on a walk twice a week, drink more water daily, increase the intensity of your workouts or add more veggies to your meals.

Now, I’m going to hit ya with a little tough love and ask you to take it a step further. I know this might not be very much fun, but you really need to start taking control of—and owning up to—your actions. What do I mean? Well, I’ll put it in language we all can understand these days: Facebook.

Status Update #1 @ 4pm: Third Starbucks trip of the day! #grandesoylattePLEASE
Status Update #2 @ 1:30am: Omgggg Why am I still awake??? #fml
Status Update #3 @ 9am: Need…coffee…now #ughhhh

Ok, so I’m exaggerating a bit to make a point, but I HAVE seen similar updates on Facebook. The thing is, when it comes to your body, everything is connected. Don’t drink multiple cups of caffeine a day—particularly late in the afternoon—and then wonder why in the world you can’t get to sleep at night! Sure, there may be other contributing factors, but trust me, your Starbucks habit is not helping.

People in general tend to make excuses that have them believing there’s just nothing they can do to change. I know, I used to be one of them. But it’s time to get a grip and think about three of the biggest hindrances to weight loss: [continue reading…]

I’ve been seeing this guy for the past month. He’s been very sweet and I really like him.  He lives over an hour away, works during the week and hunts on the weekends, so seeing him regularly has been difficult.

At times he would text me in the mornings, but then he gets busy. Eventually, he started going days without texting unless I send him a text first.

He’s talked about us doing things together in the future.  He’s even said nice things about me to his mom.  But now it’s been two days without a response to my last text – did I do something wrong?  Should I send him another text?

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Ok, now that everyone has taken on a positive attitude towards being a healthy, mindful eater, it’s time to start thinking about the small food or fitness changes you could start implementing into your daily life. If you have an “all or nothing” mentality, it’s time to get rid of it, starting….now.

Want to hop off the yo-yo diet and weight loss bandwagon? Read on! [continue reading…]

My boyfriend and I had a good relationship, but mutually agreed that a long distance relationship was not for us. Just before he moved to another state, I told him that it would be easier for me emotionally if I cut off contact with him completely. He said he didn’t want to but ultimately he agreed to it…

It’s been three weeks and I miss him. I want to reconnect with him, but I don’t know how to re-establish contact with him after telling him that I wanted to cut off all contact. Any advice?

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For the better part of my adult life, I was a Monday through Thursday calorie-counter. Once Friday hit, I’d loosen my belt juuuust a little…and then a little more, and then…by Sunday night, I’d find myself sitting on my couch in baggy sweats staring at the bottom of yet another empty pint of ice cream declaring, “I’m going to be good on Monday!” For me, this cycle was normal. In fact, at the time I assumed that everyone ate their body weight in junk food on Sunday night!

When I diagnosed myself as an emotional eater last year, a sense of self-awareness came over me. I have always prided myself as being an optimistic, resilient person, but I realized that when it came to food, I was quite resentful and angry. Why can’t I just eat a freakin’ cupcake and not have to think about it?! How can she polish off a burger and fries and stay so skinny? (Sound familiar?) Simply put, I was pissed off that making consistently healthy choices always seemed like such a chore.

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I’ve been dating a guy who I have known for a while for a month. The dates have all been amazing, we have so many core values, beliefs, and lifestyle aspects in common.

However, the part where we have sex and he withdraws happened.  I’ve been totally cool about it, giving him all the space in the world, no calls, texts, emails. My Facebook page (which I know he looks at) makes it clear I’ve been out with friends, at events, and that good things are happening at work.

My questions are: Is ANY contact okay during this withdrawal, or is all contact off limits for a while (the “Rules” say it is…)? How long do I give the withdraw period before realizing he doesn’t want to take things further? Is there anything a girl can do, apart from knowing that the guy would be crazy to not want her and continue to have an awesome life?  And is there any other form of encouragement we can provide that lets him know we are interested in him, but not sitting around helplessly?

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Pretty much everyone who knows me (including my 1,181 Facebook friends) is aware of the fact that that I am an avid Bethenny Frankel supporter. Whether you love her, hate her or simply just don’t get her, there is one thing I can say about this savvy businesswoman: She makes a heck of a lot of sense (and money!).

After reading Naturally Thin, I stopped obsessing about food; The SkinnyGirl Dish taught me that healthy cooking doesn’t have to be labor-intensive and A Place of Yes prompted me—immediately—to pursue a career as a nutrition counselor.

Here’s where where my journey with food and emotional eating began… [continue reading…]

The vast majority of us spend most of our days in our office.  And just like anything else (home, closet, car) it can get cluttered easily.

However, since we spend so much of our everyday life in our workspace, it should definitely be an area that is not only comfortable, but also an extension of your style and personality. Cleaning up your office space can also do wonders for your head space by helping you be more productive, organized and focused. Ever notice how you feel stressed and scattered when your home or office is a disaster, and how calm and centered you feel when everything is in it’s right place?

With spring is still in the air, it’s not too late to maintain your “spring cleaning” vow and give your office a little face-lift. Whether it’s home or off site, bring some color and cheer with you to the job.

Here are my favorite office accessories to not only keep you organized, but also looking super stylish: [continue reading…]

EDITORS NOTE: A little while back, I saw a friend who I hadn’t seen in months and was stunned by what I saw. In a few short months, my petite friend lost an enormous amount of weight.  Naturally, my first question was how she did it and I have to say, I was even more stunned by her response: Weight Watchers. I knew she had been struggling with her weight for quite some time and had tried everything to get rid of the excess baggage on her small frame to no avail. Not only was she able to surpass her weight loss goal by following the Weight Watchers system, she did it without depriving herself and while still eating all the foods she enjoys (in moderation, of course). I know many women face the same struggles as my friend,  so I asked her to write about her experience with the program.

I have been trying to get back my old body since my sudden 30-pound college weight gain. I am very short and it used to be that I was always small, so when I gained all that weight it was a shock to my system, as well as my family and friends.

I gained that weight five years ago, and though I was able to lose some of it after college, most of it decided to stay with me. During these years I was always trying to lose weight but never actually losing or keeping off a substantial amount. I constantly worried about what I was eating and my need for exercise. When I did exercise or diet, I could not stick to a routine and did not see motivating results. [continue reading…]

I have been seeing this guy for awhile now. He told me  that he loves me twice and I told him I loved him as well.

However, he started to back off a bit and out of the blue I got an email saying he is scared because he fell in love with me and has been acting distant in an attempt to push me away because he’s getting “too emotionally attached.”

I am apparently too addictive and the relationship is complicating his life and making it difficult. I am lost on this one. Should I just forget him? How can a guy fall in and out of love like that?

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