Training & Nutrition Articles

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Training Articles

Simply the Hardest Ab Workout Ever (pdf)

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August 19, 2009 by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Avoiding a Hamstring Injury While Running

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August 19, 2009 by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Why A Customized Sport Specific Plan Is Essential For Alpine Skiers

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June 23, 2009 by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

No-Bull Advice About Diet & Exercise

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June 3, 2009 by Chelsea Boissonneault

Peter does 10 Chin Ups

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May 15, 2009 by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Instead of trying to lose a few pounds on your own (again), consider getting help from me over the next three months!

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May 5, 2009 by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Three intense months of working with me.
There are plenty of reasons to get in great shape. A typical cost to get in great shape can run people thousands of dollars and lots of wasted time and effort.

Anti-PMS Potion

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May 4, 2009 by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

PMS can affect women very severely and sometimes it can seem unbearable. So start supplementing with this list of supplements to reduce or maybe remove those symptoms.

5 Freeweight Exercises That Could Give You an Injury

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April 4, 2009 by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Learn about the 5 freeweight excercises that could lead to injury.

8 Ways to Not Reach Your Goals

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march 21, 2009 by Chelsea Boissonneault

Whether your goal is to lose fat, get stronger or gain some muscle, if you want to not actually reach your goal here is what you should do.

The Most Important Elements to Nourish Your Brain As You Age

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Feb 18, 2009 by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Find out how to nourish your brain as you age by taking advice on appropriate nutrition, stimulating brain activity, physical activity, stress reduction, and awareness of side effects of medication.

The Business Woman Athlete

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Jan 19, 2009 by Chelsea Boissonneault

Most of us are not professional athletes or national level figure competitors. So can you keep in top shape like they do while working a full time, non-physical job? The answer is yes, you can. You don’t have to work out twice a day to get into the best shape you can be in and to maintain that as well.

Close Grip vs. Wide Grip Bench Press

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Dec 13, 2008 by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

When looking at the bench press it’s important to consider the mechanics of the movement. I would say that over 90% of the time, people come into the center and have bad exercise mechanics. At Free Form Fitness we are kind of crazy about having good form because we know that a slight change in the angles and you can lift that much more weight.

Are You Fat for Your Height?

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Nov 13, 2008 by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Before you decide to skip over this paragraph and click to find out where you are. Let me first explain this; if you've been performing resistance training for a while and have a good base of muscle, this chart will be totally off, in fact I hate this chart as any measure of body fat all together, but I'm just tired of people sending me this question. This chart will help give you a guideline but the true test is to actually get your body fat measured to determine where you are. You can determine your frame size by using your judgement.

How to Get Your Beach Body

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Oct 22, 2008 by Chelsea Boissonneault

Summertime is finally approaching and people all around want to get into shape to look good in their swimwear as they make their plans for summer. Of course there are too many fad type diets and workouts out there that can make a quick fix but unless you want to lose the results from that before August hits I suggest you stick to what has worked for decades upon decades.

Function Follows Fitness

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Sep 22, 2008 by Mark Anders (Ace Fitness)

New ACE research that shows older adults can expect quick benefits from functional fitness programs.

Preventing Knees from Damage

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Aug 21, 2008 by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

There are many factors that can cause knee pain. Sometimes it’s the impact from poor running technique sometimes it’s the way you squat and sometimes it’s just the way you sleep. But here I will talk about the 2 most common knee pain situations I see here at Free Form Fitness and give you tips on fixing them and strengthening them.

The Secret to Six-Pack Abs

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April 18, 2008 by Chelsea von Tobel

99% of my clients are interested in improving their abdominal area, whether it be reducing the size of their round belly, getting rid of love handles or taking the last small layer of fat off from their almost six-pack stomach.

How Many Repetitions?

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April 7, 2008 by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Many people still think that high reps make you lose weight, low reps make you bulky, that is so 1998. The number of repetitions you choose is so important it determines the outcome of your workout. The number of repetitions you perform will determine the specific are of strength that you are looking to accomplish. And about the body fat thing, overall consistency in training and proper nutrition is what will make you lose that.

The Secret to a Better Butt!

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April 7, 2008 by Chelsea von Tobel

Ever wonder how that girl at the gym got that nice shapely butt? The answer is actually not really that complicated. Anybody can get the behind they desire, it is just a matter of time and sticking to the right exercises as well as eating a clean diet (just like with any other fitness goal).

Are You Ready for Personal Training?

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April 7, 2008 by Chelsea von Tobel

For some reason many people out there think that they need to get in shape to even start personal training. To me this is completely backwards and I do not understand this way of thinking. Personal training is a tool to help you achieve your health and fitness goals.

The Road to Fitness Can Start at Any Age

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March 11, 2008 by Chelsea von Tobel

A crowd of nearly 80 participants from the 40-Day Extreme Makeover Challenge put together by the Hazeldean Family Chiropractic Clinic in conjunction with Free Form Fitness gathered at Free Form's Kanata facility the evening of March 4th, 2008 to learn how to start on their road to personal fitness.

The 2 minute leg workout, is your mind strong enough?

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March 6, 2008 by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

This routine was taken from an older book called "Super Squats" by Randall J Strossen, Ph.D. Use the progressive overload technique. I have found it to be very useful as what I call a “shocker workout” to work your legs when you find your legs have stopped progressing and you want to try something different.

Fitness Fads Do Come and Go Today

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Feb 22, 2008 by Chelsea von Tobel

Fitness fads are just that - fads. Please take this advice to heart. . .if it's not work, it is not a workout, and if it is too good to sound true it actually is.

Fitness Fads = Convincing Ads & Broken Dads

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Feb 8, 2008 by Chelsea von Tobel

Fitness fads are just that – fads. They claim to work such and such an area or bring you more fun into your workouts but 99% of fads just don’t cut it in terms of real results.

How to Become a Better Runner

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Feb 7, 2008 by James Elliot

Have you ever been in a race where in the last 200m you couldn’t find enough gas in the tank to continue? How about noticing everyone else kicking and racing past you? What is the solution? A good balance between doing your cardio and your resistance training is the missing piece of the puzzle.

Good Body Can Be Great in Only 30 Minutes

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Feb 6, 2008 by Chelsea von Tobel

Nobody these days has time to waste; we are all busy people on the go. So why spend hours in the gym if you don’t have to? The truth is 30 minutes is all you really need!

Choose Your Personal Trainer Carefully!

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Feb 6, 2008 by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

The relationship with your trainer is the most important factor in achieving your goal. It’s not that we know something that other trainers don’t know, it’s not the books we read or the seminars that we attend that make our clients get the results they set out for.

Standing on an Exercise Ball = Bad Knees!

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Feb 6, 2008 by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

The other day I saw an advertisement of a personal trainer standing on an exercise ball (or swiss ball). I figured the average person probably looks at that and says “wow that’s talented”. Sure it looks fun but was is it really doing, apart from damaging your knees?

Bored on the Treadmill

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Feb 6, 2008 by Chelsea von Tobel

Cardio gets a rep for being boring, most people find the treadmill, stationary bike or elliptical pretty boring and mindless. The odd person actually enjoys cardio for some reason or another but if you are like most people you would rather not have to do any at all.

Breaking Down Overall Fitness (Part 1)

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Jan 3, 2008 by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

The average person that steps foot in our club here has the goal of getting in better overall shape. In return, our goal is to provide each and every person with the most complete overall training possible. What I’ve learned is that most people do not understand what overall fitness really is.

The “Advanced Only” Abdominal Workout

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Dec 3, 2007 by Kanata Free Form Fitness

The trainers at Free Form Fitness have given you 3 of the most serious abdominal exercises and as if these exercises aren’t enough they have combined them together in a circuit form with a reverse pyramid set of repetitions to give your abdominals a total shock workout.

Cardio - Do I have to do it?

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Dec 3, 2007 by Kanata Free Form Fitness

Most of us hate cardio. It is typically boring and it is something we drag ourselves through to get it done because we feel we have to. But do we have to?

Kids And Sports Performance

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Nov 21, 2007 by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Why are some kids better at hitting the puck, kicking the ball or playing any sport than another kid? Let's take a look at proprioception and why you might be making him/her worse at their sport.

True Athlete Exercise

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Some athletes train harder and some train smarter but it's the one's that do both that show serious growth.

Contrast Training For More Power

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Combining light loads with heavy loads can improve your power. Here is how...

Mental Training

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

What you believe you will achieve!

Explode For Sport

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Explosive endurance is important in many sports such as long distance running, mma, wrestling, hockey, soccer and many more.

22 Quick Tips For To Getting Lean While Maintaining Muscle Mass

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

If you want to lose the belly fat but not at the expense of losing your hard earned muscle then these 22 quick tips will help you along the way.

What Are We Made Of?

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Some people think fat is bad and others think high protein is bad. This is why they are both essential.

How To Cold & Flu

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

You have an 80% chance of not catching a cold or flu if you do this...

Sleep and Burn Fat

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

When you sleep your body produces growth hormone. A release of growth hormone will help you burn fat...

Ten Things I've Noticed As A Personal Trainer

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Here are a few things I have noticed through talking to people with common problems.

10 Very Toxic Everyday Things

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by Chelsea von Tobel

Low energy, fatigue, muscle weakness, inability to concentrate and intestinal complaints could be signs of to many toxins in your body. Here are 10 very toxic everyday things people use.

Discover How to Quickly Eliminate Muscle Soreness After Your Next Workout

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by Elissa Neveu

There are numerous benefits to Swedish massage..

Learn What Type Of Cardio Will Get You Best Results

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Slow, fast, long, short, learn the confusion about cardio in this article.

10 Exercise & Nutrition Myths That Separate You From The Rest

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

The fitness industry has got to be one of the industries that has the most myths. Here you will find 10 common myths about exercise and nutrition myths that drive personal trainers crazy.

12 Advanced Techniques for Different Body Parts to Improve Your Workout

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Discover the techniques that the pros use to gain serious muscle. JLB gives you 12 techniques that will make your weak spots grow.

Is Cardiovascular Exercise In The Morning More Effective Than During The Day?

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Cardio in the morning or during the day?

Exercise Ball Over Rated

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

The ball is a great tool for certain exercises but is extremely over rated and was never called the miracle ball.

Exercise Order

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

What's important here is setting your priorities.

Personal Training or Stand Up Comedy

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

With the increasing number of personal trainers these days and the fitness industry...

Safe Core Exercises

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Here is a very basic workout that works all muscles of the core.

Build Your Arms From All Angles

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Here is a bicep and tricep workout for you to try.

Strength Curve What?

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

This is why doing the same workout all the time can cause overuse injuries...Change it up!

Fun Cardio Workout

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Here is a fun cardio circuit to give your regular routine a change.

Losing Those Trouble Spots

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Having difficulty losing body fat at a certain area? Want to know the secret to getting rid of it?

16 Minute Workout Challenge

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

This workout is a test of your endurance. It's also a workout that will shed fat like no other workout. check it out...

How to Avoid Reaching Plateaus

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Have you been doing the same routine for a while now and finding that you just aren't getting the same results as you were in the beginning? Here are 5 ways to change it...

Learn 5 Secrets That Will Break Any Weight Loss Plateau

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

I increased my exercise, went twice as hard as last week, was careful not to eat bad foods and my weight stayed the same!

Nutrition Articles

10 Foods That Are Surprisingly Bad For You

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April 3, 2009 by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

10 Ways To Naturally Reduce Inflammation

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April 3, 2009 by Chelsea Boissonneault

Helping you stay young and healthy.

Bad Food List

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March 5, 2009 by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Learn which meats, calorie-containing beverages, vegetable oils, fruit, grains, legumes, sugar and sweeteners you should avoid!

Oils and their smoke point.

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Feb 4, 2009 by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Here is a list of oils and their smoke point. So you can be sure that your not killing those good fats!

Tired of Chicken? Try these seasonings

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Jan 5, 2009 by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Try Southwestern, Herb Rub, Italian, Caribbean Spice or Ginger Rub on your next chicken dinner!

7 Foods That Help Burn Fat

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Oct 30, 2008 by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Here are 7 foods that have been shown to help burn fat in some way. I'm not talking about a revolutionary weight loss solution but just something that could make a little difference.

Alcohol Facts

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July 18, 2008

Find out the facts behind your favourite beer/ malt, spirits and wine.

Your Intestine Is Your Second Brain, Take Care of It!

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July 10, 2008 by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Most people do not take the subject of intestinal health serious enough. In fact you are probably debating yourself whether or not you want to read this because this article is so long. Trust me it’s worth it. It’s so critical that you take care of your intestine because this is where a lot of diseases start and you’re in a position to prevent them.

Diet Foods Can Make You Fat

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June 25, 2008 by Chelsea Boissonneault

Sounds crazy doesn’t it? But it’s true, foods marketed to help you lose fat can make you either not lose fat or even actually gain fat.

Gaining Weight the Healthy Way

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June 19, 2008 by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Gaining weight can be just as hard, if not harder than losing weight for some people. Out of those people, most people that do end up putting on the weight gain a high amount of fat at the same time because they just eat bad foods.

Here is what I eat on a regular basis to stay Lean!

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May 1, 2008 by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Here is a large over view of what my diet has consisted of for a long time now.

The Simplicity of Eating Healthy

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Feb 6, 2008 by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

The 3 food choices that should form the basis of your diet - protein, fats and vegetables.

How Many Calories a Day Should I be Eating?

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Feb 6, 2008 by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

A rule of thumb for determining how many calories you should consume in one day.

Diet or Lifestyle Change

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Jan 3, 2008 by Chelsea von Tobel

So many people go on crash diets, fad diets and crazy diets. We know they don’t work long term but we still do it – why is this?

9 steps to re-introducing carbohydrate foods in a low carbohydrate diet while losing body fat

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Dec 3, 2007 by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

So you’ve seen it before, someone loses weight and gain’s it all back. This happens time and time again and often to the same person. I’ve witnessed three parts to this problem. . .

Do You Want To Know How To Reduce Cravings?

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Cravings happen because of these 5 reasons, learn what they are and how to stop them from happening.

Suicide By Sweetener

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

If your drinking diet drinks or using aspartame in anything, read this article.

Antioxidants, The Cell And Aging

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Most people know that eating antioxidants is important but many do not know which ones are best.

10 Exercise & Nutrition Myths That Separate You From The Rest

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

The fitness industry has got to be one of the industries that has the most myths. Here you will find 10 common myths about exercise and nutrition myths that drive personal trainers crazy.

Vegetarians and Exercise

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Here are a few supplements that will help for overall health.

Counting Calories In The New Year

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

There's a free website that can help you count the calories.

How Much Protein Should I Consume?

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Here is a quick answer!

Glycemic Index

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Not all carbohydrates are created equal

Diet Pills

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

Diet pills are being advertised on TV and in magazines all the time as the secret to fat loss, other authorities are saying they are harm full to your health...find out.

19 Low Carb Easy Snacks

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by Jean-Luc Boissonneault

When your "on the go", it's hard to get good snacks that are not full of sugar here are a 19 snacks that are sugar free.

Low Calorie Dieting

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by Chelsea von Tobel

Calorie restricted diets are good for some goals short term but they are not a long term solution nor are they for everybody. To find out if this will work for you there is an easy calculation to do.

Sample Diet for Women

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Jean-Luc Boissonneault

If your a women under 5 foot 10 inches this diet will work for you.