Back, well kind of, by popular demand, is SUITE's Brand New series. This time we'll be concentrating on getting toned up for an important event in your life that is only a few months away...like a wedding. And since that big day is coming up for me at the end of October, I will be the guinea pig, er, I mean, the subject, this time! :-)

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Well this is it! The month of reckoning. In a few short weeks I will be a married woman! I'm excited and scared all at the same time, but really looking forward to this new chapter in my life. I'm still going through tests and such to find the root of my weight problem, but after having a colonoscopy done, and being assured there was no sign of any cancers, I can breathe easier over that one.

In my quest to find a solution to my problem, I have come upon a few answers that I found sensible and made good common sense. I'll share these with you this month.

I found a place that gave four food rules.

#1 - Don't diet. That's right, don't diet. We like to live well and that doesn't mean starving ourselves and doing without the foods that we crave. Living well is about establishing a sustainable pattern of good behavior when it comes to food.

#2 - Give yourself a break. Turning your most favorite food in the world into a guilt-ridden, sinful pleasure is not the way to go. Go ahead and eat it, just don't make it every day. Strike a deal with yourself. Eat the foods good for you five days of the week, and pick two days of the week where you can indulge in that piece of chocolate fudge...just make it a bit smaller.

#3 - Be nutrient dense. What in the world is that you ask? Most of us eat pure junk, but if you learn to choose foods that deliver the most nutrients for the fewest calories, you'll be surprised at how much you can cut back. This is being nutrient dense. For example: a 20 oz. bottle of soda has 250 calories and o mg of vitamin C; a 16 oz. bottle of orange juice has 240 calories and 225 mg of vitamin C. A slice of cheesecake has 257 calories and 41 mg of calcium; a 6 oz container of yogurt has 168 calories and 235 mg of calcium.

#4 - Eat more foods. Instead of having a big bowl of pasta for dinner (and still feel hungry) try stuffing yourself silly with a piece of grilled chicken tossed with vegetables and less pasta, along with a salad and a piece of bread, and maybe some fruit for dessert. You'll be pushing yourself away from the table saying "no more, no more"! LOL It's the balance that makes the difference. And you can play this out during the day. If lunch was a carb-heavy pasta dish, eat a piece of grilled beef with vegetables for dinner.

I found all kinds of fat-fighting strategies. Some of them laughable, some of them impossible to maintain for any period of time, and some of them almost dangerous. But I did find two that made good common sense in today's busy world.

The Problem: Hectic schedules undermine mealtimes. After an overloaded day of work, kids, schedules, etc, we usually dive into whatever's quickest and easiest in the fridge. Here's two fixes for that.

#1 - Take the coach approach. Devise a game plan, one that the whole family takes part in. Spend a half hour on Sunday putting together a food plan for the entire week. Then develop a menu for each day. Shop accordingly, that way the food that's needed     more >>