Myth: Margarine is Always Healthier than Butter

One fat-loss myth many people believe is that real butter is more unhealthy for you than stick margarine. You might be surprised to learn that neither one is healthy, and you should avoid them both!

Years of marketing by margarine companies have turned butter into this evil product that will surely wreck your fat-loss and health goals. The truth is, one teaspoon of butter and one stick of margarine have exactly the same amount of fat and calories (about 4 grams of fat and 35 calories).

The difference? The type of unhealthy fat that each contains. Butter contains "saturated" fat, the bad fat that causes high cholesterol contributing to heart disease.

Margarine, on the other hand, contains "trans fat". You may have heard of this lately, as all the health experts are warning everyone away from it. Trans fat is so bad for you that it has been banned in U.S. cities and restaurants, and even some countries in Europe.

So don't use stick margarine or butter. Instead, try soft tub or liquid margarine when baking and cooking. Many of these products, such as the Smart Balance brand, are now trans-fat free. They are also relatively low in saturated fat.

Free Training and Nutrition Ebook

Lately I have been searching for fitness and weight loss resources to post here on my blog. To the left is a 60-page training and nutrition ebook by fitness author Mike Geary that can get you started on the road to fitness. And it's free!

As you can tell from the title, "Training & Nutrition: Insider Secrets for a Lean Body," this ebook discusses both exercise and eating habits. I read the entire thing carefully and it is full of useful tips. It is worth reading for the Top Fitness Foods section alone.

The author allows free distribution of this ebook. To save it to your computer, open the ebook then select File -> Save As. You can email it to anyone you want or post it on your own blog or website, but you are not allowed to sell it.

I hope you find a few new ideas in this ebook that will help you reach your goals. Enjoy!

Weight Loss Quotes

On this page I've listed some of my favorite weight loss quotes. I hope you find them inspirational and interesting.

Why the quotes? Because perserverance is an essential part of any self-improvement program. These words of wisdom can remind you to persevere and stay motivated when you get discouraged!

Some of these quotes are serious, but others are just interesting observations about the struggle to lose weight.

We never repent of having eaten too little.
- Thomas Jefferson, 1825

The one way to get thin is to re-establish a purpose in life.
- Cyril Connolly

Rich, fatty foods are like destiny: they too, shape our ends.
- Author Unknown

"Stressed" spelled backwards is "desserts". Coincidence? I think not!
- Author Unknown

The commonest form of malnutrition in the western world is obesity.
- Mervyn Deitel

In eating, a third of the stomach should be filled with food, a third with drink, and the rest left empty.
- The Talmud

Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels.
- Kate Moss

The belly is ungrateful--it always forgets we already gave it something.
- Russian Proverb

To lengthen your life, shorten your meals.
- Proverb

Bigger snacks mean bigger slacks.
- Author Unknown

I guess I don’t so much mind being old, as I mind being fat and old.
- Benjamin Franklin

Clogged with yesterday’s excess, the body drags the mind down with it.
- Horace

I’m fat, but I’m thin inside. There’s a thin man inside every fat man. - George Orwell

If you wish to grow thinner, diminish your dinner.
- Henry Sambrooke Leigh

Your body is the luggage you must carry through life. The more excess the luggage, the shorter the trip.
- Arnold H. Glasgow

Feed sparingly and defy the physician.
- James Howell

More die in the United States of too much food than too little.
- John Kenneth Galbraith, The Affluent Society

Take twice as long to eat half as much.
- Anonymous

Your stomach should not be a waist basket.
- Anonymous

One should eat to live, not live to eat.
- Cicero, Rhetoricorum LV

If hunger is not the problem, then eating is not the solution.
- Author Unknown

Life itself is the proper binge.
- Julia Child

You can't lose weight by talking about it. You have to keep your mouth shut.
- Author Unknown

They are sick that surfeit with too much, as they that starve with nothing.
- William Shakespeare

If you hang your swimsuit
On the refrigerator door,
The goodies inside
Will be easier to ignore.
- The Quote Garden

Do you have a favorite weight loss quote? Feel free to post it as a comment.

<< Back from Weight Loss Quotes to Easy Fat Loss Tips

Tuna with Lemon Pepper (Low Carb)

Tuna is one of my favorite sources of protein. It is low in fat and carbs, and I usually eat it once or twice a week. The following lemon-pepper tuna recipe is both easy and delicious.

In addition to the tuna, you might want to add a complex carb such as a small sweet potato and small side salad to round off your plate.

Recipe #12: Tuna with Lemon Pepper

Ingredients:

4 Tuna Steaks, 3/4 to 1-inch thick (20-25mm, about 6 ounces each)
1 1/2 teaspoons (7ml) grated Lemon Zest
Juice of one (1) Lemon**
2 teaspoons (10ml) dried Thyme leaves
1/2 to 1 teaspoons (2.5-5ml) coarsely ground Black Pepper
1/4 teaspoon (1.25ml) Salt
1 to 2 teaspoons (5-10ml) Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

**Or, use 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime zest and 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice in place of the lemon.

Instructions:

In a small bowl, mix together lemon zest, thyme, pepper, and salt to your liking. Lightly rub both sides of the tuna steaks with olive oil and rub the seasoning mix on the tuna steaks.

Heat a bit more oil in skillet and then add tuna steaks. Cook each side of tuna steak for about 1 minute over medium heat.

Pour lemon juice over the steaks when ready to serve.

If you have feedback or suggestions on how to improve this recipe, feel free to post a comment.