Beyond going to the gym and eating right, we also need to stoke and stroke our body confidence. According to Judith Beck, author of The Beck Diet Solution, feeling great about your body -- no matter its size -- can provide the motivation and energy to actually head to the gym and reach for healthier foods.

In today's Parade, Beck offers four tips to give our negative body-esteem a jolt of positive:

• Don't tie your self-worth to results on the scale: Do I ever need this advice -- sometimes my entire morning mood is controlled by the number that pops up on that blinking digital screen. A heavier daily weigh-in inspires me to reach for more fruits/veggies and go for a jog, but I should not simultaneously allow the scale to spark feelings of self-loathing.
• Stop putting your life on hold: Don't wait to lose the weight before joining the gym or buying new clothes. Stepping out on a 20-minute walk today can jumpstart a host of positive body chemicals to keep you moving toward your dream weight.
• Release the pressure valve: You do not have to workout like Lance Armstrong all the time. I've gotten much better at accepting my occasional bouts of aches and pains and taking a leisurely stroll instead of pounding the pavement on those tough days. Be more forgiving, but modify as needed to keep moving -- safely.
• Congratulations are in order: Okay, maybe like me, you've only lost a couple of measly pounds since your spring shape-up began. Celebrate your progress, whether it's eating less ice cream or losing just a fraction of your body weight. If you're changing diet and exercise behaviors for the better, even on the lazy days when the only good news is you're slurping down water instead of soda while running errands, give yourself credit. It's like throwing a bunch of mini-parties to honor your oft forgotten body confidence!

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Stinging prices at the gas pump and grocery store are prompting many Americans to go on a recession diet. Makes me wonder if this evolving diet will lead to a bigger or smaller pinch of fat on our waistlines.

Middle- and working-class consumers are significantly changing their consumer behaviors. Starbucks is expecting a drop in sales. Domino's Pizza, Ruby Tuesdays and higher-end steakhouses such as Ruth's Chris and Morton's are seating fewer patrons. One restaurant survey revealed the number of people ordering an alcoholic drink dropped from 42 percent last summer to 31 percent last month. Some report cutting out red meat and reaching for turkey instead. Yet the pendulum swings in a less nutritionally-healthy direction, too. Wal-Mart Stores reports higher sales of peanut butter and spaghetti.

Eating more home-cooked meals and purchasing cheaper, leaner cuts of meat could conceivably prove slimming. But I've read plenty of articles and studies citing a tight budget is a significant barrier to eating enough healthy fruits and veggies. So in an attempt to fill the gas tank, will people slap together pb&j sandwiches and twirl mounds of spaghetti or reach for the healthier rice and beans and home-cooked chicken noodle soup instead? Recession diet or not, the foods we put in our own tank ultimately impact our weight and our health.

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Sometimes it's hard to give up tasty meals that are bad for your health but taste soooo good. Sure, there are healthy meals that taste delicious and are healthy, but finding the right combination of foods and flavors that doesn't break the fat and cholesterol bank can be time consuming.

An old adage I used to say was that "anything that tasted good was bad for you," although I've left that phrase behind in recent years as my cookbook has been refined.

Are you looking for some tasty meals (yes, they'll require preparation) that don't go overboard on the cholesterol but which are scrumptious nonetheless? View these recipes and see if you have a favorite. Mine is Roasted Salmon with mustard and horseradish.

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