Real tips to beating the holiday 'bloat'

Gotta fit into that smashing little dress for the holiday party? Yes, there actually is help for that.

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Diet fact, fiction or maven's way?

I usually find the ‘diet factss’ just as lame as the bullshit they replace. So, here’s my take on the debate as presented in Women’s Health:

The advice: Chug eight glasses of water a day.

Why it’s useless: Peeing every 20 minutes seriously interferes with life.

The real deal: Believe it or not, the eight-glass quota isn’t etched in stone. Yes, we need to be well-hydrated, but if your urine is clear or close to it, you’re probably getting enough fluids. If your No. 1 is neon yellow, lighten things up by adding one or two glasses a day. Once your body adjusts to getting more fluid (and you don’t have to run to the can every 10 minutes), add another, says Karen Benzinger, R.D., a dietary consultant in Chicago who specializes in health care. And don’t forget that all liquids—including tea, juice, even the tonic in your vodka drink—help keep your body sufficiently saturated. 

Maven’s way: Yes, indeedy. Look at your pee.

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Really ready to lose weight? Here's the simplest way possible.

And, not a bit of calorie counting involved.

It’s going to cost you $5.00 plus postage.

You eat normal, real, whole foods.

You eat like Grandma used to.

You eat like they do in France.

Sounds impossible? Not.

Snag yourself a copy of ‘Food Rules’ by Michael Pollan. At a mere $5.00 at Amazon.com, you can’t afford not to get a copy. I downloaded it to my Kindle, but then ordered the paper copy for reference.

‘Food Rules’ is a simple, 70 page manual for how to eat. Simple, easy to follow rules that once learned will forever banish junk food, engineered faux food products, overeating, chemicals and additives from your life and your kitchen. With a bit of daily exercise, this is quite simply all you need.

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