Does this scenario sound familiar? You’re standing in the check-out line at the supermarket. You look to your right, rows and rows of tantalizing candy and soft-drinks tempt you with slashed prices and the promise of sweetness and guilt-laden sugary delight. You look to your left, the covers of tabloids bombard you with the youthful sun-soaked trim and fit celebrity bodies that you envy. Standing at the epicenter of this perfect storm of advertising and temptation, you probably feel a lot like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, wishing you could somehow click your red shoes together and be whisked away from the buffetings of these competing forces. I want you to take a deep breath, click your heels, and repeat after me: "There’s no place like home! There’s no place like home!"

Ok, so it might not be that dramatic. But for many people this scenario is that constant reminder that where we are with our fitness is not where we want to be. Old habits die hard as we try to eat better and get more exercise. The good news is, there are secrets to nutrition that celebrities use to look the way they do in those tabloids. Let’s go over a few of them:

If you are standing in the check-out line and look to your right at the candy and soft-drinks, just look over to your left at those celebrity bodies and pick which way you want to go. (Hint: Go Left!) If you go to the right, you are likely to be consistently eating too many empty calories each day and no matter how much exercise you put in, you’re making this an uphill battle that is much harder than it needs to be. Avoid empty sugary calories and feel good about it. The more you do this, the more your tastes will change to prefer things that aren’t so sweet and that are so much better for your body. One of the best places to start is soft-drinks. It is amazing what a difference you can make with just this one thing! For instance, if you drink a couple of Cokes per day, by replacing that Coke with water, flavored with lemon or lime, you are basically guaranteed to lose 40 lbs that year. So many people struggle and struggle to lose weight and are completely missing this easy first step!

Next, look at protein. If you want to really build lean muscle to replace fat and get those rock-hard abs, you need to fuel your body with enough protein. The basic rule of protein is to use one gram of protein per pound of body weight. (This may vary, but this is the general rule for most people). Of course, you need to listen to your body. If you are exercising at a high level, you will probably need to up this to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Whey Protein is an excellent source of protein because it is easy to digest (since it is a natural byproduct of dairy), it is extremely efficient (with 90% protein content in whey protein isolate), and it is extremely lowfat.

These tips are a great starting point to achieve that celebrity body. Eat right, exercise, and soon there will be no need for envy at the check-out counter.