We can't talk about living a healthy lifestyle without addressing diets. Many of us are overweight. I for one have tried a number of different diets and have to say that not all of them are budget friendly. This week, let's discuss what to look for when looking for a budget friendly diet.

First of all, be wary of diets that require you to buy food from the company. Sure, people do lose weight on these diets, but it's probably because they can't afford to buy any additional food. This does ensure that you'll stay on the plan, but do you really want to be confined to a plan that much? More importantly, there may be times when your budget simply will not allow for these expensive foods.

Special memberships are another thing to look out for. If you have to pay to get the information for a diet, it's not budget friendly. There are exceptions to the rule though. For example, you can find all the information you need for the Weight Watchers diet for free. All you have to do is search the internet.

Dieters should also avoid diets that are too complicated. If a diet is complicated, chances are that any money you spend might go to waste. This is because that diets that are complicated usually fail. Take it from me. If the diet is too time consuming and requires too much from the dieter, you'll find yourself quickly breaking the complicated rules.

So, what does work? Plain and simple, I've found two plans that work and are budget friendly. The first plan is to simply count calories. This plan doesn't require you to eat any certain foods, which means that it's inexpensive. Plus, it's straight forward. You determine the amount of calories needed to lose weight and then stay within that range.

The easiest diet I've ever found though, that's budget friendly, is to simply make good choices. We all know what's good and what's bad for our bodies. With further research, we can even find the healthiest foods that also promote weight loss. That's really all it takes.

It's easy enough setting goals to 'lose ten pounds' or 'get in shape this year,' but when it comes to putting your diet intentions into practice, the idea can disappear in a flash. Free food at the office, snack attacks when stress levels run high and the temptation to overindulge at dinner can easily add a few pounds to the waistline and completely derail your diet.

Still, there are some easy ways to navigate through your day without partaking in diet sabotage. Here some simple tricks for keeping hunger at bay and just saying 'no' to diet saboteurs:

Pack a Lunch
Grab a lunch bag and stock up on all your favorite healthy fare for a day's food supply. From granola bars and low fat yogurt to a healthy tuna sandwich, you can make your menu ahead of time and turn to your lunch pack when hunger strikes. Having your own food close at hand makes it easier to avoid the snack machine and tempting treats throughout the day.

Sip on Water
Water is good for the body and mind, giving your brain a boost when you're tired and helping the body flush out toxins naturally. Staying hydrated will also ward off hunger pangs; carry a water bottle that you can fill up throughout the day to keep yourself well hydrated and energized throughout your busy day.

Scale Back on Coffee
The coffee habit may be one of your diet demons in disguise; while coffee will give you that jolt you crave, you're also likely to experience a crash in a few hours that leaves you hungry and craving sweets. Start cutting back on coffee and sip on milder, healthier forms of caffeine, like green tea, to keep up your energy level naturally.

Keep Track of Your Meals
Jot down your food intake over the course of the day and keep it close by your side to avoid overindulging. Holding yourself accountable may make it easier to stick with your healthy intentions, especially when the office is dishing out baked goods galore.

Hit the Gym
A brief exercise session each morning will rev up the metabolism and also keep hunger pangs at bay. Starting your day with a healthy activity can also make it easier to make healthier choices the rest of the day.

In the new year, wouldn't it be nice to eat healthier? If you're trying to lose weight, you probably look at the calories and fat grams a product contains, but what about nutrients? Some people get so caught up in losing weight that they forget how important nutrients are. Many low-fat/low-calorie products are manufactured in a way that they are stripped of their nutrients. In this week's blog, we're going to discuss the importance of reading nutrition labels and what you should be looking for.

There are several reasons to read nutrition labels. First of all, they tell you what's in a product. More importantly though, they tell you what's not in it. While looking to see how many calories are in a container of fat-free yogurt, why not also look to see what vitamins and minerals the product contains. With many brands, you'll find that there aren't any. If you look closer, you'll find that these products are usually loaded with sugar. How can this possibly be healthy? The purpose of a nutrition label is more than just providing you with calorie and fat information. It's there to help you make healthy choices.

When looking at a nutrition label, you should see a list of vitamins and minerals. If you don't see this list, it means the product doesn't have any. Healthy products will contain different vitamins and minerals depending on what they are. For example, yogurt will contain calcium and frozen berries might contain vitamin C. Of course, you should also look at the amount of protein the food contains as well as the sodium, fiber and carbs. In other words, the entire nutrition label should be considered before buying the product. This can be time consuming, but thankfully there are websites and books that allow you to look up this information before heading to the grocery store.

What are you waiting for? Grab a water bottle and start researching your favorite foods. Chances are you'll need to make few changes to your grocery list.