Author: Lili Kazemi

This author has written 304 articles
Read more about the article ESCAPE the Free Food Trap: Strategies for Being Healthy This Holiday Season
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ESCAPE the Free Food Trap: Strategies for Being Healthy This Holiday Season

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  • Post category:ActPath
  • Reading time:7 mins read

This week I attended a conference in San Diego, and at one point, to my horror I found that I was EATING CHILI LIME TORTILLA CHIPS FOR BREAKFAST.

WHAT THE WHAT? This my friends is a classic case of the “Free Food Trap,” and no one, not even the ones with the most willpower, are safe.

Whether it is a work event, friendsgiving/family Thanksgiving, holiday party, or even just minding your own business in Costco, there is FREE FOOD everywhere. And no matter how financially secure you may feel, for some reason, the natural reaction is to shovel it in like you were at the Last Supper.

Free food, it’s one of life’s greatest pleasures, right? We all love to indulge in delicious treats, and when they’re offered to us without a price tag, it’s even better. However, this “free food trap” can lead to overindulgence and impact our health, especially in typical scenarios like holidays, work events, kids’ school functions, and parties. But fear not, we’ve got strategies to help you navigate these situations while still enjoying yourself.

The good news is, there is a logical explanation, a primal reason in fact. And the key to escaping the food trap is understanding this reason and figuring out a way to outsmart it.

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Read more about the article 10 Ab exercises that won’t mess up your hair

10 Ab exercises that won’t mess up your hair

Whether it’s a midday workout or a quick one before you hit the office, or your weekend activities, you might want to just zoom through a workout with as little “muss and fuss” as possible. For me, sometimes I have just gotten my hair done the day before, or maybe I don’t want to look like I have been rolling around on the floor just minutes ago. If you are working at home, you can do many of these between calls. If you only have 15 minutes to actually be in the gym you can easily do an amazing ab workout after a five minute brisk work or HIIT workout. (see my post here for a simple explanation of HIIT and how it is easily accessible)

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Read more about the article How you can hydrate for optimal health and weight loss
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How you can hydrate for optimal health and weight loss

You know water is a key component to your overall health. But did you know that hydration is a big part of maintaining your energy and regulating your appetite throughout the day? But it’s a lot more complicated than “8 glasses a day” because everyone is different. So how much should you drink and how often? This article breaks it down by the times of day.

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Read more about the article Hot Sauce: The Spicy Secret to Jump Start Your Fall Fitness
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Hot Sauce: The Spicy Secret to Jump Start Your Fall Fitness

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  • Post category:DietsTools
  • Reading time:12 mins read

Did you know hot sauce can be a powerful weight loss tool? From boosting your metabolism to reducing your appetite, hot sauce has been found to offer a range of benefits for those looking to improve their health. In this article, we’ll explore these benefits, as well as the different categories of hot sauce.

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Read more about the article Why You Should be Skeptical of the 12-3-30
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Why You Should be Skeptical of the 12-3-30

Every single day when I walk into the Equinox I see the treadmill -style workout still sweeping the nation – the 12-3-30 workout. But a lot of what I see is people holding on for dear life on the handles and craning their necks to overcompensate. It is important to consider whether a certain “hot” workout is right for your physique, as opposed to jumping on some social media bandwagon. You should always be skeptical. This is why.

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Read more about the article Sip, savor and stay skinny with this coffee creamer guide
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Sip, savor and stay skinny with this coffee creamer guide

For many, the comforting ritual of sipping a steaming cup of coffee is a cherished part of the day. However, concerns about weight gain often loom large, especially when considering the addition of creamy, flavorful coffee creamers. The good news is that with a mindful approach and a few clever techniques, it’s possible to enjoy the indulgence of coffee creamer without tipping the scales. In this article, I will give you specific recommendations and a great method to make sure no matter what you choose, you can sip and stay skinny! Thanks to my husband’s friend Chris H for inspiring this article!

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Read more about the article The DAO of Metrics: Why You Will Succeed With Food Tracking
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The DAO of Metrics: Why You Will Succeed With Food Tracking


In business, accountability and metrics are important. How is a company supposed to know if it is meeting its goals and gains if there is no understanding of daily, weekly, quarterly sales? Similarly, fitness goals also need measurable metrics. But what are the right ones, and how should you track them? The #fitprofessional is here to help.

NOTE: This is not to be interpreted as a recommendation of how many calories/macronutrients you should be eating. While the tools highlighted here are a good litmus test, everyone should consult with a medical professional and/or dietician to ensure that the numbers are consistent with their individual health profiles.

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Read more about the article What the Liver? What You Don’t Know Might Kill You
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What the Liver? What You Don’t Know Might Kill You

Have you ever had a long weekend and felt like you needed a “detox”. Maybe you had too many glasses of wine at that wedding. Maybe you ate a lot of croissants on that summer vacation to France. Or maybe you just feel a little sluggish, and the fantastic promise of many products in the market that will “clean out your liver” and “detox” you is very tempting. This article should make you reconsider. Based on a true story.

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Read more about the article Why Portion Sizes Matter! (more than most things)
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Why Portion Sizes Matter! (more than most things)

We are going to talk about portion sizes. I categorized this as a saboteur because I have seen many cases, including with me, of eating nothing but healthy whole food and gaining weight. It is SO frustrating.

The only explanation lies in CICO, Calories in = Calories out (read my cardio post for more explanation and breakdown of CICO). Portion sizes matter in this equation. And thanks to Supersize menus, we have a skewed view of what they should be. So I will use this article to understand the problem, and then offer a guide to retrain your brain – which is what I had to do after being brainwashed by the skewed portion size saboteur.

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Read more about the article Your Low-Cal Guide to Summer Starbucks Drinks
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Your Low-Cal Guide to Summer Starbucks Drinks

You know it’s summer when you start seeing pictures of the frothy, creamy, colorful Starbucks drinks pop up on the menu. 

What you might not know is that many of these favorites, even when not supersized, are the calorie and sugar equivalent of a large candy bar. And have far in excess of the recommended sugar intake sometimes on a daily basis. While following my 80-20 approach can definitely leave room for an indulgent Starbucks drink as is, regular consumption of these “empty calories” will not only add up but will leave you unsatisfied, as there is no significant amount of protein, fiber, or fat in any of them.

But you don’t have to be left out in the heat. You can have your cake and eat it too on the reg. Here’s how.

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Read more about the article What Happens when ChatGPT Designed My Meal Plan
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What Happens when ChatGPT Designed My Meal Plan

When I saw influencers start to post videos with AI-designed meal plans, I immediately opened my Chat GPT app and joined the fun. I will say that ChatGPT did a pretty good job, if not lacking a little in variety. I also learned you have to be REALLY SPECIFIC about what you want, so you don’t get weird combos (you will see).

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Read more about the article The Best Low-Carb Wraps
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The Best Low-Carb Wraps

When I need something to eat during the day when I am working, I literally sometimes have NO TIME to either prep or time to get lunch out. Not to mention, the latter is expensive and can add up to 100s of dollars a month!

For this post, you will find the DAOFitLife “awards” for the best types of low-carb wraps.

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Read more about the article Love and Other Weight Loss Drugs: The New Wave of Injectable Treatments
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Love and Other Weight Loss Drugs: The New Wave of Injectable Treatments

Sometimes the greatest success comes from a mistake. Or an accident.

In a drug originally developed to treat Type 2 diabetes, scientists discovered during the process that the active ingredient in these drugs could also be used prescriptively to aid weight loss. Boom, an industry estimated to be worth 200 Billion dollars by 2030 was accidentally born. 

So what do you need to know about the trend sweeping social media and dominating the headlines? And why does it matter?

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Read more about the article How to Show Steps on Your Apple Watch Face
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How to Show Steps on Your Apple Watch Face

If you have or are considering getting an Apple Watch, you may be aware of this fact: unlike a Fitbit, you do not see the number of steps immediately on the watch face. Wait, what? 

Steps don’t automatically appear on the watch face. Which can really decrease your motivation when you are trying to track steps. The good news: There IS A WORKAROUND. I learned it, I did it, and so can you! All is right with the world.

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Read more about the article When Your Jeans Feel Tight: A How-to-Deal Guide
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When Your Jeans Feel Tight: A How-to-Deal Guide

Have you ever taken a pair of jeans out of the closet you haven’t worn in a while? There is already an inner battle in my head when I do. Should I try them on? What if they don’t fit? What if I’ve gained weight? How did they fit the last time I wore them?

Now you shimmy them on. You might already be on the struggle bus in the shimmy process. Or you might get them all the way up but they don’t quite zip. Or they might zip, but that’s only a technicality. It zips but doesn’t quite fit.

In my day job, I like developing a “mode of analysis” for all my projects and issues I handle. So here is the DAOFitLife “Mode of Analysis” for your tight-jean issue. Step by step, with decisions along the way that you make based on what you feel is right for you!

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Read more about the article Change Your Life with Your Words: The Power of Positive Affirmations
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Change Your Life with Your Words: The Power of Positive Affirmations

“The definition of hell is: Your last day on Earth, the person you became meets the person you could have become.”– Dan Sullivan.

We all want to live up to our full potential. But life is moving so fast and there are so many obstacles. What can we utilize to manifest the best possible version of ourselves? The answer lies in our words, and this article will discuss how positive affirmations can completely change the direction of your life. I know this because it did with mine.

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Read more about the article The DAO of Conquering Negative Thoughts
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The DAO of Conquering Negative Thoughts

If you are on a path to fitness, mental fitness is a critical pillar.  You can  only fix so much on the outside. The negativity you experience on the inside can sabotage years of efforts and weigh you down, literally. It is a proven fact that positive thinking and weight loss success are interrelated. Not only that, but mastering the art of guarding your mind can lead to better job success, relationships, and overall health. On the flip side, a negative mindset is associated with depression, weight gain, and disease. 

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Read more about the article The DAO of Meditation for Busy People
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The DAO of Meditation for Busy People

Who has time to meditate? Monks? And also, people who want to stay sane.

If you want to achieve next level fitness, the mental and spiritual element is a huge part of it. I am going to give you a simple guide to meditation, because I know you are too busy to meditate. And so am I.

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