To be successful in any endeavor you of course want to set yourself up for as much success as possible. Just as you would want a well-organized work area (environment) to maximize focus, creativity and thinking, you will also want to surround yourself with a healthy environment to support your well-being.

This begins with taking stock of all the unhealthy, non-supportive foods and drinks you have in your immediate environment. An assignment I highly suggest you take on is to go through and inventory all the places where you keep foods and drinks in your immediate environment. This would be your refrigerator, freezer, cabinets, shelves, and drawers. This also includes your garage shelves, outside refrigerator and freezer and anywhere else you keep foods/drinks.

Put aside (in a box or a bag) anything that:
1. You think is unhealthy
2. Is over six months old
3. Is in a can, bag, box, or container with 10 or more ingredients
4. Contains soy oil, corn oil, or cottonseed oil (look at your store-bought salad dressings)
5. Contains corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup
6. Contains artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, NutraSweet™, Equal™, saccharin or Sucralose™
7. Contains hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil

When you do this exercise, you may be surprised how many items you’ve put aside. Most of what you've identified are processed foods – foods with a long shelf life that have a long list of ingredients and that are difficult for you to digest. These foods also contain harmful ingredients that cause diabetes, cancer, and heart disease that will simultaneously add unhealthy fat over time.

Are Fancy Labeled Packaged Foods Good For You?
Packaged foods and drinks with fancy labels have a lot of marketing hype and millions of dollars of advertising behind them. They usually contain a long list of ingredients many people cannot pronounce. It doesn't matter if the packaging says “low-fat”, “reduced calories”, “heart healthy”, or if the product is called “Wise Choice”.

All of these things should scream at you, “I'm not healthy.” “I am toxic to your body”, no matter what the label says. In other words, smart marketing doesn't mean it's good for you. Think about this for a moment. Do you think Mother Nature in her infinite, divine wisdom intended you to eat packaged processed foods? Does any other animal eat these foods? I don’t think so. You’re smart, use your head. Please don't buy into their corporate marketing hype.

I’d like to make suggestions as what to do with the foods you’ve hopefully just set aside.
a. Return them to the store for a refund
b. Throw them out
c. At the very least, put them in a box or bag and give them to a friend to hold and see if you miss them.

If you don’t shape your environment, your environment shapes you. Set yourself up for success and surround yourself only with healthy, natural foods. When you do this, you won’t reach for unhealthy foods or desserts, especially if you are one to emotionally eat and even binge. Also, you won’t be tempted to eat these foods and that’s why you won’t see ice cream in my freezer!

I highly encourage you to do this exercise. By doing so, at the very least you will create awareness as to what you are buying and eating.

FREE Special Report -- Avoid The 7 Most Dangerous Weight Loss Mistakes -- go to www.SlimHealthySecrets.com.

Author's Bio: 

Daniel Topkis, MS has been providing trustworthy, life-changing health information to his audience for over 17 years. His clients rely on him for straight-talking, clear cut answers that lead them to the attractive and healthy body they desire.

Using a multifaceted, holistic approach, which includes both mind and body, Daniel has helped hundreds of super busy women and men naturally and permanently lose weight, reverse diabetes, reverse heart disease and dramatically increase their energy, emotional well-being and overall quality of life.

He is the author of 7 Minutes to Slim – The Healthy New Secret for Fast and Easy Weight Loss as well as The Psychology of Slim – How to Use the Power of Your Mind to Achieve Your Ideal Weight. He is also founder of Project Everyone Slim – a local not-for-profit organization in Austin, Texas that educates and supports people to naturally and permanently achieve their ideal weight.

Daniel has a Master of Science in Exercise Physiology from New York Medical College and certifications in Holistic Health Counseling and Personal Training. He has also studied numerous philosophies of personal development from Tony Robbins, Wayne Dyer, Landmark Education, T. Harv Eker, Conscious Languaging, The Law of Attraction and many others.

In his books, audio programs, one-on-one counseling and group coaching sessions, Daniel combines many of these teachings to give him tremendous insights to empower his clients to tap into their inner “hidden” strengths and resources to help them achieve the results they desire most!

FREE Special Report -- Avoid The 7 Most Dangerous Weight Loss Mistakes -- go to www.SlimHealthySecrets.com.