How to lose ten pounds at a fast pace

There are plenty of materials providing tips and info on how to lose 10 pounds fast. Generally speaking it is not an easy task and many people feel quite disappointed that they seem not to be able to get rid of something that does not really sound like much. But common mistakes actually prevent great achievements in this direction; they fail to pay attention to at least some of the factors that help one create a slender look. There are four steps or aspects that require combining in order to be successful in the endeavor you take to lose 10 pounds fast.

Physical activity is the first aspect to refer to. This is the part that many of us ignore or simply avoid. We have gotten used to our cars so much that walking is not even practiced anymore. And when we are home, we either lie in bed or sit in an armchair much like we do at work where we sit at a desk. How can one really lose 10 pounds fast like this? You should seriously start taking a bit of exercise without straining you body too much. Moderate exercise practiced three times a week at least should work wonders.

Hydration comes next on the list to success when you try to lose 10 pounds fast. Doctors point out that each adult needs between 1.5 and 2 liters of liquid per day. If this doesn’t sound convincing, check this other theory. Weight yourself and divide the number of kilos you have in two and you’ll get the amount of water necessary to support your system in 24 hours. No matter which of the above sounds more convincing, one thing is for sure, good health is impossible without correct hydration. And for weight loss, even more water is necessary. Think about your gym days and how you always had a bottle of water with you while you were working out.

The next thing you ought to be more careful with if you want to lose 10 pounds fast is the type of food you eat. Say goodbye to the leaders of junk food: French fries and hamburgers. No more sweets, fried food and red meat, not to mention about how diet-ruining white flour bakery products are. Instead of those, have chicken, fish, vegetables, grains and fruits.

Last but not least, try to have enough sleep so that your body can repair itself after daily stress. Besides the advantage of increasing the chances to lose 10 pounds fast, good sleep also helps memory and the ability to focus.

To find out more on weight loss click here: This is how to lose ten pounds in a week,Advice on losing 10lbs,

5 Simple Weight Loss Tips

Weight loss advice is everywhere. You’ll hear all sorts of

advice if you go onto the internet and read blogs and health

articles. Everyone seems to think that they have the most

important weight loss secret ever. The fact is that the

principles of losing weight are not a secret! They are

simple things you can do to really make a change to your

lifestyle.

Below you’ll find some of the main ‘weight loss secrets’ you

should know and master. This is not an all-inclusive list,

but if you can master these things you’ll be off to a great

start.

1- Motivation

This is one of the weight loss secrets that a lot of people

don’t pay enough attention to. You have to find a way to

keep yourself motivated. One way to help with this is to

take a before photo, and then find images that represent a

realistic goal for you to reach for.

2- Get Frequent Exercise

Any exercise is better than nothing. Do some body weight

exercises or lift weights. Get out for a walk, jog, or other

type of cardio workout. For you to really lose weight and

keep it off you’re going to need to build more muscle. This

doesn’t happen on it’s own, you have to get out and get some

exercise!

3- Watch Your Carb Intake

A lot of people put on extra weight because they simply eat

too much. And of all the macro nutrients you eat the one

that is probably the most abused is carbs! If you want to

lose weight, you need to control your carbs. Cut out the

unhealthy snacks and eat less carb dense snacks.

4- Eat More Frequently

I’m sure you’ve all heard this before, but don’t go for the

old idea of 3 or 4 square meals a day and that’s it. You

should be eating 6-8 smaller meals a day to keep your

metabolism going all day long.

5- Cheat From Time to Time

Cheat meals are a great way to give yourself something to

look forward to during the week. Here’s an example of how

this works: if your next cheat meal is planned for Friday,

you can be stronger when you’re tempted to eat something out

of the plan on Wednesday. Just write it down as an option

for your cheat meal. When you do have a cheat meal, don’t

let it turn into a cheat week!

WEEK FOUR

To the women participating in the 6 week “TAKE IT OFF” weight loss contest at Today’s Woman:

You are half way through the contest. Don’t let self-doubt or apathy take over. The opportunity to win is real. There are no gimmicks. The woman who is able to stay motivated and is able to adapt her current lifestyle into a healthier lifestyle will win. She will continue to reap the benefits well beyond the six weeks of this contest. Whatever it takes - stay motivated.

In Need of Motivation?

Let’s face it . . . we all need motivation on our weight loss journeys at some point. I mean, if we never, ever lacked in motivation I’m pretty sure weight loss wouldn’t be as painstaking as it is! Here are some things that I find particularly helpful when the going gets tough:

Bored with your workouts? Sick and tired of spending time on the treadmill? Try something new! If you belong to a gym, see what classes are available - Most gyms have dance classes like hip-hop, latin dance, even belly dancing, which can put a new and interesting spin on your otherwise basic cardio routine. Not a dancer? It’s ok - those classes are geared toward people at every different level. If dance doesn’t spin your stationary bike, try kick boxing or self defense. If you don’t belong to a gym, but want to try out group classes - check out nearby parks or your neighborhood YMCA for classes on the cheaper side. If that doesn’t interest you either, check out my DVD Page for suggestions on workout videos!

Make a list (!!!) of why you decided to lose weight in the first place. When I lost 25 lbs a year ago, this was the very first thing I did. It puts everything in perspective, and is super handy to have on hand when you find your motivation is slipping. For example: feeling confident in a bathing suit, buying clothes several sizes smaller, feeling comfortable in shorts, so I can look/feel/be healthy, etc. The list will make you aware of the true reason behind your wanting to lose weight - make sure you’re not doing it for anyone other than yourself!

Find pictures of celebrities whose bodies you admire - cut them out and get creative! Make a collage, make a scrapbook, put them in a notebook (added bonus, getting creative will often times get your mind off of whatever it is you’re craving, but know you shouldn’t be putting into your face!), put them somewhere you can access them. When you’re done with that, find clothing that you would love to be able to wear comfortably and confidently - stuff that you’ll most definitely splurge on when you hit your goal - and put them alongside your celebrities. My current celebrities are Drew Barrymore, Kate Winslet, Natalie Portman, and Rashida Jones. As for clothing, check out Rashida Jones’ entire wardrobe in I Love You, Man . . . her clothes are soooo adorable - definite props to the costume designer!

Journal, Journal, Journal! I can’t stress this one enough. I’ve kept a journal for twenty years now, and writing in it has kept me sane. When an intense food craving/binge craving hits and you feel like there’s nothing else for you to do except shove food in your mouth, grab a pen and a piece of paper and write! It doesn’t matter about what , really, but I usually write about how I’m feeling. If I’m about to binge, it’s usually because I’m feeling anxious or depressed, so I write about that. More often than not I’ll be able to figure out what’s really bugging me, and by the time I finish writing, the craving is usually gone. I’m telling you, my journal is my sanity. Not a writer? It’s ok! You’re not trying to write the great American novel! What you write is for your eyes only - who cares if your spelling/grammar/punctuation isn’t wonderful . . . in fact, that’s kind of the point. Get it down on paper and I guarantee you’ll feel better after!

 

Now it’s time for you to sound off - what do you do to keep your motivation up? 

 

 

I've Got to Get Back on Track

I’m still being inconsistent w/ my workouts. It’s been eight days since my last Turbulence Training style bodyweight workout. I’ve really got to get back on track. My goal is to lose another 20 pounds by our beach vacation 11 July 2009.

I did the following workout today, 20090426, as two circuits.

Y-Squat 2×10 reps

Close-grip Push-up 2×8 reps

Cross Crawl 2×10 reps per side

Stability Ball Hip Extension 2×12 reps

Stability Ball Jackknife 2×10 reps

Mountain Climber 2×10 reps per side

Wall Squat Hold 2×60 secs

Beginner Inverted Row 2×12 reps

Elevated Push-up 2×8 reps per side

Followed this with high intensity cardio on the stationary bike. Five minute warmup: 1 minute at 3/10, 2 minutes at 4/10, 2 minutes at 5/10 intensity. Fifteen minutes at 6/10 or 7/10 intensity. Five minutes at 3/10 intensity.

Overall a good workout. Stuck w/ the two circuits so as not to make myself to sore. Total bike time 25 minutes. Total workout time 47 minutes. I will workout Wednesday, Friday and Sunday of the upcoming week. I will fast from Tuesday evening to Wednesday evening and Friday evening to Saturday evening.

One for each autumn

I was tagged by Chiranjib to write 25 things about myself,

 

As If, I haven’t written enough with ‘The most revealing tag’ and ‘The weird me’ and ‘Me Googled’..

 

But it is still justified as No one can write everything about themselves as no one knows the self fully so we keep discovering new things. And so have I. and I’d like to compile a few things that I have found out about myself in this journey.

 

Here it goes –

 

1. I have seen 25 autumns in my life (hence the title). Though the first few I don’t remember but am sure were as special as the rest.

 

2. I am very sentimental about things. If it reminds me of anyone or any special day I keep it. Old ticket stubs, dried flowers, old buckles, I have even saved some piece of the Rakhi I tie my bro every year.. I have a bunch of old stuff that I can’t throw away.

 

3. Quite contrary to the pervious one, once I decide to leave something back I never look back and regret about it.

 

4. I love watching movies. Any kind depending on the mood, not much into horror though. But I can watch even the flops to see why they flopped.

 

5. I like reading stories. Maybe that is also the reason for watching movies as they are also stories told visually.

 

6. I have climbed a stage and compered a Programme in front of 450-500 people. Was very scary in the beginning but being on the stage does have a drugging effect to it. Ye dil mange more. .

 

7. I am a fan of the Sun signs. I’ve read the Linda Goodman’s sun signs so many times that I can answer any quizzes about the book without having to refer to it ever.

 

8. I am not a morning person and would prefer to be left alone in the morning. But if needed, I can wake up even at 4 am to perform any needed task.

 

9. I love walking. And I am a regular on that.

 

10. In the last 2 years I have lost about 10kgs. No need to be jealous. I was at my ideal weight before that.

 

11. I like to learn something from every person I meet. What I should do and many a times what I should not.

 

12. I love helping anyone and everyone with everything but when it comes to asking for help I just can’t. Not just monetary, I just can’t ask for any helps or favours.

 

13. I am not very emotional. That is I don’t cry easily. When I got married and was leaving the whole family everyone was crying except me. I tried, but I couldn’t bring out even a few fake tears atleast to show the family that I will miss them. (But I do miss them)

 

14. I love discussions. Call them debates or arguments whatever you prefer. I can take any side and go on.. I love to see new point of views of every topic.

 

15. I can’t do small talk. I find it useless. I can either be a silent listener or go for a full fledged discussion. I find it hard to just talk about the weather or what the woman next door is cooking for dinner tonight.

 

16. On cooking, I cook fine but you won’t find me hanging out in the kitchen or searching for new recipe blogs.

 

17. Since I read “Men are from Mars, women are from Venus” I find that I think more like men.

 

18. I can’t waste water. And I hate it when people do. I totally abide to “Use as much as you need.”

 

19. I use money as I use water. Just enough for my need. And none if there is no need.

 

20. I love photography. I click snaps wherever possible. My mobile is full of roadside and dustbin cat snaps.

 

21. I feel I am a minimalist.

 

22. I feel I am very self confident, to an extent that it gets to overconfidence at times.

 

23. My kind of humor is sarcastic. Slapstick doesn’t tickle me that much.

 

24. I am not much into sports or video games, though I like watching Cricket when India is playing well. And I used to love the ‘Super Mario’ and ‘Battle city’ when dad got us the videogame years ago.

 

25. I love music, how can I miss this. I sing along with every song that I hear from anywhere. I even sing the jingles from the ads along. My bro says I am like the radio itself, change songs every few minutes. But don’t be mistaken that I sing well. It is just that I enjoy my songs from my heart and not my ear. (Though I should consider other’s ears too) I don’t want to get into the mathematics of songs and dissect them technically. I feel I can enjoy the song more this way so I do. And songs are there to enjoy right..?

Chiranjib Thanks for tagging me. You have helped me in digging my life and getting things out which I could have forgotten in later years and let me put them permanently on the net.

 

Now who should I tag..? Well you came in, you are tagged, unless of course you’ve done it already.

 

No need to panic I forgot to write one important thing about myself. “I can’t force anyone to do anything against their will” maybe the selfish reason behind this is that I want to be treated the same way. This doesn’t mean don’t tag me. This means you can pick up the tag if only you wish.

 

And so I finish one more revealing tag and this one really tells a lot about me. Now you all know me a lot better.

 

Maybe as much as I know myself.

 

No way.. There’s more where it came from. Saving it for further tags.

 

Slimfast, Zone, Weight Watchers - Throw it all away!

For years the “Meal Replacement Shake” has topped the weightloss charts as one of the favorite ways to cut calories and lose weight, but quite frankly…these companies have not kept up with the trends in nutrition.  There is a new “Big Dog” on the prowell and quickly gaining recognition as the “Best Meal Replacement Shake in the game”.

SHAKEOLOGY is here!

This is by far the best most nutitious meal replacement drinks you can get your hands on.  Just look at these facts:

More than 70 different ingredients were chosen from around the world for their potency and bioavailability (the ability to deliver the nutrients your body needs). Here are the key nutrient groups that these ingredients deliver:*

• Protein and Essential Amino Acids to help build long, lean muscles and reduce food cravings
  • Help build and repair muscles
  • Reduce hunger and food cravings
  • Help keep blood sugar steady
  • Support brain function to help promote alert thinking and reduce anxiety
  • Promote healthy skin, hair, and nails

Shakeology includes whey protein isolate, an easily absorbable source of high-quality protein that’s ideal for building and maintaining lean muscle mass. It also helps keep your blood sugar steady, reducing hunger and junk food cravings. Essential amino acids, found in protein, help the body repair muscle tissue and heal wounds; support the brain to promote calmness and alertness; and reduce hunger pangs. The whey protein in Shakeology provides a highly bioavailable source of essential amino acids

• Prebiotics and Digestive Enzymes, which aid in improving digestion, regularity, and nutrient absorption
  • Aid digestion
  • Help boost the immune system
  • Increase absorption of nutrients
  • Help keep you “regular”

Shakeology contains many ingredients that are beneficial to the digestive system. Prebiotics, natural components of certain plants, help support the “friendly” bacteria in your digestive tract. They may also help with the absorption of minerals such as calcium. Digestive enzymes, from plant sources such as pineapples and papayas, help your body break down food into its individual components, making the nutrients easier to absorb. Cooking can destroy food’s natural digestive enzymes, so there’s a good chance that you don’t get enough of them in your diet.

• Antioxidants and Phytonutrients to help counteract free radical damage that can lead to degenerative diseases
  • Get rid of harmful free radicals
  • Help decrease inflammation
  • Help boost your immune system
  • Potentially decrease the risk of degenerative diseases
  • May even increase longevity

Many of Shakeology’s fruit and vegetable sources have been chosen for their high concentration of healthy natural substances known as phytonutrients, including flavonoids, polyphenols, anthocyanins, and catechins. These substances have antioxidant properties, meaning they help get rid of molecules known as free radicals, which damage cells and may be a key component of the aging process. In laboratory tests, phytonutrients have shown promise in helping prevent a wide variety of degenerative conditions. What’s more, studies suggest that the natural mix of phytochemicals you get from whole-plant sources is more effective than taking them individually as nutritional supplements.

• Vitamins and Minerals your body needs to function for optimal health
  • Get a wide range of essential nutrients
  • Get your necessary vitamins every day
  • Make up for dietary deficiencies

Most of us don’t get the complete range of essential vitamins and minerals in our daily diets. Some important vitamins, such as vitamin C and the B vitamins, are water-soluble, meaning they’re flushed out of your body after a short time and need to be replenished regularly. Others, like vitamin E, can be difficult to get enough of in food. Shakeology provides all these nutrients in an easy-to-take, easily absorbable form, so you never have to worry.

I know amazing right!  So what are you waiting for?  Order your 30 day supply and start to feel some real difference from the same old Slimfast shakes.  Start getting the results you’d always hoped these old school meal replacement drinks would give you.  Start losing weight and feeling better today!

CLICK HERE to order your Shakeology today!

Chalean Extreme Review

It has been three and a half weeks since I started the workout, so I thought that I would do my first ChaLean Extreme Review.  Overall, I have really enjoyed it, but there are a few things that I am not to crazy about.  I will get my dislikes out of the way first.  I am not to crazy about the warm ups,  I feel like the warms up are very rushed and it does not give you enough time to actually pump blood through your muscles,  and I would like it if there were more stretching after the warm ups, instead of just one hamstring stretch.  However, I understand that I could push pause if I wanted to warm up for a little longer or stretch a little more.  Another thing that bothers me, are some of the people in the video.  I just feel like some of them are faking it, not all of them, just a couple people.  Those are the only two problems I have with the Chalean Extreme Workout, and they are really not that big of a deal.  

Now I will talk about the things I do like, and I am just going to start off with the basics.  I like that the workout sessions are only about 35 minutes, with the exception of a couple workouts.  I feel like these workouts fit better in my day and are easier to achieve than the P90x workouts.  I also like the fact that it comes with the sculpting band.  As for the workouts themselves, there are a lot of things I enjoy.  I love all the uses of the dumbbells, I feel like dumbbells are the most underrated piece of workout equipment out there.  Whenever I go to the gym and see people working on these big transformer like machines or even doing bench-presses with a bar, I always think to myself that they could probably be challenged more and see better results if they did more of their workouts with dumbbells.  So I love that Chalean Extreme uses dumbbells.  I also love that Chalene Johnson notices the importance of slow repetitions.  Let use the Gym as an example again,  I see people there trying to whip out reps as fast as possible, because it looks cooler or they can brag to their buddies how many reps they did.  I understand that it is okay to do fast reps, but where I get annoyed is that people do not know how awesome slow reps are for your muscles.  You might not be able to do as many reps, but you will burn more calories and even continue to burn more calories after your workout is over.  

 

Which brings me to the whole philosophy behind the Chalean extreme workout, “Muscles Burns Fat.”  Building “lean muscle” so you can burn away that excess fat.  People do not understand that building muscle does not mean you will look like The Incredible Hulk.  I am glad that Chalene understands that the quickest way to burn fat is to build muscle, and lean muscle.  So far the burn phase has been great at targeting muscles groups like the arms, back, legs and abdominal regions.  Every workout has focused on a full body workout, which if you have the correct weights you can really see some great results.  You need to choose weights that will make your muscles fail by the 10 -12th rep so you can really get everything out of these workouts. The exercises are challenging and fun.  And if I was not such a huge party person, the diet would really not be that hard to stick to.  

I will probably do another Chalean Extreme review after I complete the first month or maybe the second month.

Keeping slim is good for health, planet

LONDON, April 21 (UPI) –

Maintaining a healthy body weight is not only good for one’s health, it benefits the environment as well, British researchers said.

Phil Edwards and Ian Roberts of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said because food production is a major contributor to global warming, a lean population, such as in Vietnam, will consume almost 20 percent less food and produce fewer greenhouse gases than a population in which close to 40 percent of people are obese as in the United States.

When it comes to food consumption, moving about in a heavy body is like driving around in a gas guzzler, the study authors said in a statement.

The heavier our bodies become the harder and more unpleasant it is to move about in them and the more dependent we become on our cars. Staying slim is good for health and for the environment. We need to be doing a lot more to reverse the global trend towards fatness, and recognize it as a key factor in the battle to …

See the full post at Keeping slim is good for health, planet

Low Carb Eating on a Budget

Hello,

Just got back from a weekend away….sounds good but it was not a vacation, just a trip to New Jersey to visit a friend. I had a blast as usual and in today’s economy any trip away is a get away!

As I watch the world sink into financial crisis, I thought I might talk about healthy ways to eat while keeping it low carb. It is difficult to dispute that meat is more costly than a box of pasta. As common sense as this may seem, there may be more to this than meets the eye. My line of thinking has always been off the beaten path, which is how I ended up in the “Low Carb Camp”. So bear with me, ‘cause my thoughts do make sense.

If you eat a portion of pasta or a 16 oz. box of pasta ($1.00 Stop and Shop brand or Dreamfields is $2.99), it might seem to cost less than a package of chicken thighs but the difference may not be a big as you think. See the chart below.

Eating in line with the Economy

ITEM

AMOUNT

COST/LB

 

 

Perdue Cornish Game Hen

 

1.5 LB

$2.98

 

 

Perdue Chicken Thighs - 5 ct

 

2 LB

$3.98

 

 

Nature’s Promise Chicken Thighs Antibiotic Free Natural

1.7 LB

 

$3.83

 

 

Nature’s Promise Beef Ground 85% Lean Natural

 

1 LB

$3.99

 

 

Nature’s Promise Beef Ground 75% Lean Natural

 

1 LB

$2.99

 

 

Nature’s Promise Beef Ground 85% Lean Natural

(on sale)

1 LB

$3.99

 

 

 

However, you are going to get hungry after that pasta and end up eating at least twice as much, maybe more.  Why?

For one reason, because your are gonna have a huge glucose load, your body will try to balance this and your blood sugar is gonna take a quick dive.

Another reason is just that pasta is not filling. It is a carbohydrate that has no fiber and little if any nutrients, so you need to eat a lot to feel full.

OOPS, almost forgot to factor in the fact that no one eats pasta plain, so you must add oil or tomato sauce that should get factored into the cost and carb content. Let me just say, I am not a big fan of eating pasta and oil or butter because as I mention in my book, The Stubborn Fat Fix, combining high amounts of carbohydrates with high amounts of fat is one of the many contributors to the obesity epidemic.   You must walk a fine “tightrope” line when you start combining fats and starches.

On the other hand, eating a couple of chicken thighs, you can season with pepper, oregano, curry or any herb/spice, to give yourself the protein and fat to satisfy your belly!

So, be a smart shopper and think before you stroll down the pasta aisle to save a few bucks. You might be surprised that the cost of weight loss or maintaining your weight when eating low carb foods is not as expensive as you think.

Here is a list of protein foods that will help keep expenses down while still doing the right thing for you. Remember, look for sales or managers’ specials. Many times if the date on the package of food is expiring within a day, it will have a great price.

10 Low Cost Low Carb Protein Sources

1.       Canned tuna (use Tongol tuna)

2.       Canned salmon

3.       Eggs

4.       Chicken

5.        Turkey

6.       Ground meat

7.       Nitrite free Hot dogs

8.       Peanut butter

9.       Cottage cheese

10.   Any meat on sale

 

 

In good health,

 

Valerie Berkowitz

The Adventure Cleanse!

It has been such a great day today. I’m almost sad that I have to go back to work tomorrow but I am looking forward to seeing my class.  After all I have had two weeks off.  We all have to work sometimes I suppose  

To those who asked if my luggage was overweight from all the goodies I brought back, it was not!! In fact, I was underweight…go figure, I could have brought more! haha.  For an international flight I was allowed to check two suitcases weighing a max of 23kg each, so I had plenty of room!  And the Z-bars? My sister bought those for me in the US when she picked me up two weeks ago from the airport! I wish we could get them in Canada!

Lunch today was fabulous.

I made sandwiches for Steve and I… his looked the same as mine, except I made his with chicken deli meat.

While making lunch I sliced up some cucumber to dip in the Lemon & Coriander hummus.

Here is my sandwich in all of it’s glory…

Two slices of wholegrain bread with hummus, pesto, green pepper, lettuce, tomato & cucumber.

I also split an apple with Steve and had a serving of Kashi crackers on the side.

Altogether now…

I had this Presidents Choice Organic Peppermint tea after lunch.  I absolutely love this tea. I love peppermint tea in general but there is something about this tea that just stands out to me! Ange originally put it in the tea box she bought me, and i’ve been hooked ever since!

 

I haven’t done any official exercise today.  Mainly because I’m so exhausted still from my travels.  I’m not too worried though because i’m sure tomorrow I will start up again.  Last week I ran 16 miles which wasn’t too bad!  Steve and I are going to be working on a fitness & healthy eating regime.  Not that we don’t already, don’t get me wrong… but we are really going to work hard over the next few months.  I’ve actually been considering doing this cleanse from Kris Carr’s blog.  What do you think?

The Adventure Cleanse!

Here’s the jist of it…

Part of my book is a 28 day cleanse - The Adventure Cleanse to be exact. Once you learn all the juicy reasons for adopting an alkaline plant-based diet with a high concentration of raw foods, you’ll have the opportunity to put your knowledge into practice Crazy Sexy style. I like to think of the cleanse as a jumper cables. For 28 days you’ll clean out with class and sass. You’ll move your God pod with joy and a new found anchor reminding you of the real reason to take care of yourself - your Divinity! That’s right, you’re a gorgeous angel so why would you put crap in your yap? Once the cleanse is complete, you can choose what level you want to stay at OR move towards.

The Cleanse has four levels (because hey, not everyone is the same):

Adventure Level one - 50/50 - raw to cooked ratio

Adventure Level two - 80/20 - raw to cooked ratio

Adventure Level three - raw till dinner, then 80/20

Adventure Level four - 100% raw with a mini juice fast

Here is a bit more info (taken straight from the blog incase you don’t click on the ^above^ link!):

* Every Wednesday (or whatever day works for you) - you get the chance to try a spiritual fast. The same as we do here at CSL. 3-4 quarts of green drink but with intention and purpose!

* When I say raw I don’t just mean raw snacks that are mostly nuts and mostly acidic - I mean mostly veggies and sprouts! Some nuts, pates, etc are fine - but not the entire raw ratio. The cooked portion is filled with yummies like slightly steamed veggies, gentle sautes, sweet potatoes, winter squashes, soups, gluten-free grains and pastas, tempeh, veggie burgers cooked beans etc. Soy products in moderation if at all. If you have an estrogen sensitive issue then I would stay away from soy. The problem I see with many of the vegan diets out there is that they rely on vegan fast food - fake soy nuggets etc. I’ll be honest, I like that stuff from time to time. On nights I work late I’ll chow a spelt pizza with soy cheese or make soy meatballs. But I keep that stuff in my “occasional”, I’m too lazy tonight column.

Now to the NO section…

* No gluten, wheat, bread of any kind, animal products, processed sugar, refined carbs, alcohol, coffee, cigs. If you have cancer then only low glycemic fruits - if you do NOT have cancer then all fruit are fine but in moderation. Too much sugar in ANY form suppresses your immune system.

I’m considering doing it, but i’m not sure.  Kris asked when readers would be most likely to do it.. in May, or June. I chose May- just because I really want to kick start my healthy habits going into the summer.  We’ll see! I’m still deciding.  I talked to Steve about it, and his reaction was positive but he said “Hunny, if I brought only green monsters to work on Wednesdays I think I would get the piss taken out of me”…. that’s British for “I’d be made fun of.”

What do you all think??

Would a cleanse be something YOU would consider??

Mc Donalds' yummy French Fries & Burger - I'm Lovin It!!

I have recently put on weight and have been trying to find ways to shed that extra flab.Apart from routine exercises and Surya Namaskars,I tried to find a healthy proper nutritious meal and their calorie content so that I can possible succeed in my effort in shedding the extra weight.So I started looking for Diet Secrets,Food and their Calorie content,then I stumbled on to this stunning video.Watch it yourself.

As she said IT CAN’T BE REAL FOOD!!!But it is too late, I had already eaten one burger few years ago and that explains me why that extra thingy(Misnomer : Flab) is not easy to get rid off.May be I need to born again in a place where there are no Mc Donalds!Mc Donalds - I’m hating it!!

How Fat Loss Pills Can Make You Fatter

What the diet industry doesn’t want you to know can have serious long-term effects on your health and bodyfat levels.

There are many good supplements on the market today that are extremely effective for fat loss. Fat loss is big business and this has fueled tremendous developments in technology. There are more high-quality fat burning products out there now than ever before.

Properly used, these supplements can make a big difference in your fat loss efforts, helping you reach your goals far quicker.

Improperly used, however, fat burning supplements can actually make you fatter, no matter how effective they are! In fact, the more effective a supplement is, the worse off you could be!!

To be clear, there is absolutely nothing wrong with using supplements to help lose fat. I’m all for it. The main problem with fat loss supplements lies with how people use them (and how they are told and encouraged to use them).

Armed with the knowledge in this article, you will learn exactly what you can do to break the diet pill cycle and keep the fat off for good.

The Big Secret

The diet pill and fat loss drug industry is built on ignorance: not theirs, yours.

Many of these companies bank on that fact that people generally don’t know a whole lot about fat loss or supplements. They are in the business of selling shortcuts to you so that you don’t have to know anything about fat loss. The reason for this is simple: if people knew a lot about fat loss, they wouldn’t need fat loss products anymore and the companies would go out of business.

As backwards as it seems, the diet industry can only stay profitable by keeping people fat.

Look at the typical business. They do their best to keep customers coming back to them. That’s how they make money. Why would the diet industry be any different? If you lose fat and maintain that fat loss you won’t need to lose fat anymore. You won’t be their customer anymore!

As little business sense as it makes, the ideal situation would be to have companies that are dedicated to the goal of losing customers. If they do their job, you will lose fat and keep it off and never need them again! As a personal trainer, my goal has always been to train people so thoroughly that they don’t need me anymore.

Is this sort of reform going to happen in the diet industry? Not likely. But there is something you can do to stop the cycle (you are doing it right now): LEARN!

How Fat Loss Pills Can Make You Fatter

The bottom line is…fat loss pills work. This is both the best thing about them and the worst thing about them.

When you take a good fat burning supplement, you lose a lot of fat, you feel better about yourself and you are happy, right? This is the best thing about fat loss supplements.

The worst thing about these supplements is that because they work so well, you don’t have to change your eating or exercise habits to accomplish your goals. You get results simply by taking a little pill.

Does this phrase sound familiar: “Eat whatever you want and still lose weight!”

Here’s the scenario: you take the pills and you lose all the weight you want. What happens when you stop taking the supplement once you’ve reached your goals? Since you haven’t had to change your eating or exercise habits, you regain the weight. Then you buy their pills again and start the same cycle again! It is very similar to the yo-yo diet syndrome of weight loss and regain.

How do you break this cycle? The solution is very simple though it may not be glamorous or easy: you learn to eat properly and you exercise regularly.

When you remove your dependence on fat loss pills to lose fat (through education, nutrition and exercise), you free yourself to use them to enhance your efforts, not anchor them. You will be able to lose your extra fat and keep it off without having to depend on fat loss pills to make it happen.

I hurt, oh how I hurt!

I finally made my return to the gym. I would (yet again) like to thank the folks at King West Fitness for being non-judgmental. It makes it so much easier to show back up at a gym when the staff still remember who you are and act as if you were just there yesterday, instead of noting the gaping 12 week MIA.

Going back to the gym for me involves breaking all of the barriers for why I haven’t been in the longest time.

1. Schedule gym time.

As soon as I stop going to the gym regularly there is no chance I’m actually going to go back unless I put it in my calendar. I will not get up early enough. I will not magically find time in my day. No, need to make a decision and put it in writing. I was an hour off my planned time today, but I still made it.

2. Buy the gadget

I’m a total gadget freak. The last time I had to go back to the gym I decided I simply couldn’t go until I had a better gym bag, and new better, proper running shoes. This time, it was an interval timer. I wanted to try this HIIT training I’ve been reading so much about and decided I simply could not do it without a timer. I’ll review the time in my next post.

3. Leave time for girly wardrobe changes & grooming.

If there is a guy reading this post I’m sure he’s rolling his eyes right now, some girls likely are as well. I’m super uncomfortable about myself at the gym and how my flabby body looks bouncing around on the machines, so there’s no way I’m going to show up without my legs newly shaved, and in clothes that I think look like crap. Yes, I realize the irony…. and if I didn’t my partner pointed it out to me today when I asked if the small brown stripes on the arms of my hoodies clashed too much with my black yoga pants. That being said, it’s a barrier, and it needed to be addressed.

The Work Out

After reading a tonne of information from Health Habits, and New Rules of Lifting for Women, I decided that I have been committing most of the exercise sins… or common mistakes. Hours on the cardio machines at a moderate pace, barbie weights, bizarre awkward crunches. I feel a bit embarrassed about this, but not too much. First off, I’m apparently far from alone in these common mistakes and secondly, they did help me loose 6 sizes so it wasn’t all bad.

I decided to start with Health Habits HIIT aerobic, followed by his HIIT anaerobic, and then following it up with workout 1 from NROLFW

Workout looked like this:

Elliptical resistance 8, height 10

5 min warm up

10 min HIIT with 10 second sprints, and 50 second recovery.

HIIT Squats - 9 ’super sets’ (no idea if that word is right)

10 sec sprint

60 sec recovery

HIIT Push Ups (done at 45 degree angle) - 9 super sets

10 sec sprint

60 sec recovery

NROLFW Barbell Squat using 20 lbs

15 reps

2 sets

NROLFW 45 degree push up (see above)

15 reps

2 sets

(I alternated between this exercise and the step ups to reduce recovery time, may have been a mistake)

NROLFW Step up 3 steps, 24 lbs

15 reps (each leg)

2 sets

NROLFW Seated Row 40 lbs

15 reps

2 sets

(I alternated this exercise with the prone jack knife to reduce recovery time, may have been a mistake)

NROLFW Prone Jack Knife

15 reps

2 sets

Comments / Mistakes

1. HIIT before NROLFW

I didn’t find the HIIT series too challenging, I know that I can progress through that work out. The big difficulty came when I tried to do the barbell squats after doing the HIIT workout, there was way too much burn in my thighs and they were really really painful. As I got through the set they got easier, which I suppose is not supposed to happen. I think I can likely do more weight on the barbell squat but I’d better do them before anareobic HIIT.

2. NROLFW Prone Jack Knife WTF??!!!

I had a lot of problems with the prone jack knife and really wish I had watched this particular you tube video before trying them.

Part of the problem was this description from NROLFW:

Get Ready

Grab a Swiss ball and set your shins on top of it, with your palms flat on the floor.

Carefully walk your palms out until your body is in the push-up position, forming a straight line from your ankles through your neck.

Lift

Pull your knees towards your chest, allowing your torso to shift diagonally so your hips rise towards the ceiling and your head tilts down towards the floor

Keep your arms straight, and your neck in line with your torso.

Your toes will end up on the top of the ball, with most of your weight now shifted to your hands.

Return

Roll the ball back to the starting position, so your shins are again on top of the ball and your body is aligned from ankles to neck.

Basically the drawing and this text gave me the impression that the end position was butt high in the air, head between the shoulders pointed at the ground so that the back was vertical.

All the youtube videos however stress how important it is to keep the back horizontal and in line with the floor. Which, after trying the exercise seems a bit easier and less awkward than the how to get my head between my shoulders pointed at the floor while on a swiss ball.

3. Damn I’m sore!

This is not going to be the workout where I say it feels great to have done it, I feel really really sore, and I expect walking will be a challenge tomorrow morning.

No Excuse Workout

I just wanted to post my workout today to show everyone that there really i snot reason for not getting your workout in. I am on the eve of taking my exit exams for graduation for the completion of my masters in Kinesiology. I have had my nose in my books, for seems to have been forever. Well I am vry prepared for the exam but my body has felt a bit neglected. So I did a quick but very intense body wieght circuit that was a killer. Heres my workout ( i completed each movement for 30 seconds the moved right to the next exercise withou rest)

                  Box Jumps

                  push-up

                 single leg squats

                 pullups

                 burpees

                              rest 30 seconds

                              repeat for a total of 4 times

This whole workout took me a total of 12 minutes to complete but had me on the floor for about another 20 minutes. It was short but extremely tough. Great workouts dont have to be long, just efficient and effective.

Until next time Stay fit

Jeff Paluseo

www.sports-fitness-solutions.com

Life Training Experts Announce Upcoming Phobia Day

Phobias affect many peoples’ lives in a variety of ways.  From the irrational to the utterly real, phobias can be hugely restricting and some people feel trapped by a fear that literally consumes their day-to-day lives.  NLP Life Training, a firm specialising in self help and positive thinking training seminars with a wide range of foci, is pleased to announce its’ upcoming Phobia Day with Richard Bandler.

The event, which will held on May 9th at the Ibis Hotel, Lillie Road, London, will teach a wide range of techniques that will remove unnecessary fears and phobias, and ultimately help you take control of your life.

Richard Bandler, co-creator of NLP, has cured thousands of phobias.  Together with his skilled team of assistants he will demonstrate and teach NLP techniques that will free you from your phobia and make it a thing of the past.  This self help event is a must for anyone burdened by a phobia and wanting to gain control of their life again.

NLP Life Training create and offer high quality seminars, from brief introductory evening seminars through to advanced trainings.  With the best NLP trainers in the world they offer a wide variety of self help and self improvement training, including weight loss seminars and personal enhancement, as well as corporate training.

Their corporate training programmes bring together the leading consultants from all areas of business management and strategic corporate development, to provide a comprehensive and exciting portfolio of learning experiences and training services. Such is NLP Life Training’s experience they also work closely with Paul Mckenna, offering his I Can Make You Thin live weight loss events.

To find out more about NLP Life Training exciting range of positive thinking and self improvement training, or to book a place on the up coming Phobia Day, visit www.nlplifetraining.com.

Editor’s Note:  NLP Life Training are represented by search engine optimisation agency, Top Position.  Please direct all press queries to Tina Clough.  Email: tina@topposition.co.uk or call: 01623 726233.

Gym day

Yahoo, tomorrow morning, at 8am, I have my appointment at the gym for my assessment and new program.

I am very excited about this.

I know I already walk for several hours a week, but, I really need to get a good weight lifting/toning up program going and I also want to use the swimming pool at the gym.

The wonderful thing is that this gym is brand new and within walking distance from my home (it is a 5 minute walk from where I live) and because of my vision problems I rarely drive these days, so this gym is very easy for me to get to via walking.  Yay!!!!!]

I had been umming and ahhing about whether to join this gym, since it opened in February and I kept telling myself I cannot afford it and that I already get plenty of exercise.

This is kind of true, though, at $18 a week, I actually CAN afford it (I used to spend double that, a week, on junk food) and seeing as I no longer indulge in rubbish food, well, the money I save from that does make the gym affordable.

There is the fact that I already walk for hours a week and because of my delivery job, well, I will keep walking for at least 4 hours a week, but, my body has gotten so used to this walking routine that I think a shake up in the form of weight lifting and swimming will give my weight loss a new life and believe me, I am very, very motivated to get this last 25 kilos off, once and for all.  Forty kilos are already gone and now it is time to wave goodbye to the rest of my lard.  ;0)

Because I am such an “early morning” type of person, it is going to be no hardship for me to get out of bed and walk to the gym at 6am, 4 mornings a week.  Nope, no hardship whatsever.

All up, I am very excited and say “roll on tomorrow” because that is when I have my assessment and new exercise program worked out.   :0)

A week of easy wins

So the Easter madness is nearly over. I’ve done better than most years foodwise, but could have done even better still.

I really want to steam on ahead over the next week and get my healthy eating spot on and fit in as much exercise as possible. It’s going to be a challenge as far as the exercise goes because it’s still the school holidays - so I’m going to have to plan ahead and really stay focused.

To keep things simple I’m going to stick to ‘easy wins’ this week. Actions that only require a small amount of forethought, but should hopefully help me heaps in my weight loss campaign. So, in no particular order, here are the things I’m going to commit to doing every day over the next 7 days. 

• Drink lots and lots of water.
  
  I’m pretty sure my body is crying out for more water - I’ve just got to remember to drink it! I’m going to fill up an 800ml sports bottle and make sure I sip from it throughout the day, with the aim of refilling it at least twice - but preferably 3 or 4 times.
• Exercise for a minimum of 30 mins.
  
  Normally this would mean a trip to the gym or going for a run, but as I’m looking after the kids during the day at the moment I’m going to have to also consider exercise DVDs or weight lifting at home in the evenings as alternatives. I’d like to really ramp it up after the holidays, but this is a realistic target for this week.
• Eat 10 portions of fruit/veg a day.
  
  The days where I go over my calorie limit are always days where my fruit and veg intake is 5 portions or less. I’m going to aim for 10 - I know I can do this as I’ve often managed 8 or so without really trying.
• Plan my meals
  
  Self explanatory really - but not something I’m properly in the habit of yet.

I think that’s plenty to think about for this week - and just writing my goals down is getting me all fired up! Nothing too taxing to achieve - but all the above easy wins should hopefully give me the kick start I need to succeed.

Time to go and plan some meals…

High Impact Cycling Workout #15 - Time Trials

This is my favorite workout.  Not because it is easy.  On the contrary, Time Trials are very hard because you are working close to your lactate threshold (the absolute hardest effort you can maintain for 30 to 60 minutes).  It is my favorite because it is the best workout for improving your performance in a time trial, which is an individual race against the clock over a predetermined distance (usually 10 to 25 miles but sometimes longer depending on the event).  In addition to pure cycling races, the time trial is the bike portion of virtually all triathlons.  So if you want to improve your performance in a triathlon, this is the workout for you!  Click below to download the workout. 

Time Trials

NEXT POST - April 20, 2009

Time Trials - Cadence

First point in the process of cleansing....

For all of the talk that has been going on regarding this issue, Im sure you will not surprised that I mention as a top priority in the process is the cleansing of the colon.

Colon health is of utmost importance. And, there are many components that determine this.

For the purposes of this blog, we will only discuss the aspect of cleansing. But, I will just mention that, nutritional components, such as hydrochloric acid creation, and probiotic supplementation are absolutely necessary things to pay attention to when both clearing the colon of waste products…as well as improving the digestive function.

Now, to be honest, if I were dealing with someone who was very sick….the first thing I would make them implement would be a very focused colon cleansing regimen.

Its obvious that I would mention nutritional aspects also, but nutrition would not be of initial importance. The reason for this is, that if you have a colon that is caked with waste products and solid masses of plaque aligning its walls….how do we assume that we would be able to absorb and actually utilize these nutritional elements?

The implementation of a predominantly vegetarian diet would be the first step in the nutritional focus since the fibrous vegetation would do much in the way of clearing the blockages in the large and small intestines.

But, in order to get a solid foothold and reduce the troublesome aspects of detox (fatigue, cravings, sweating, foul smell) then you would need to implement a focused colon cleansing program.

There are actually many ways to go about this. But, I want to stress that the biggest consideration for me when I was designing the Hacking the Body Mind protocol was simplicity and efficiency.

Now, we will discuss the methods. To be honest, I have been a little freaked out to discuss these concepts. Nothing grosses folks out more than talking about the bowels.

That is so unfortunate. You simply cannot be healthy unless your bowels are clean and moving properly and regularly. It is the concept we avoid most but it is the most important concept by far.

There are numerous products and methods being implemented for this purpose. But, truly, they are all centered around two distinct concepts.

There are products you ingest. These range from things like psyllium products to bentonite and other magnetic clays…to herbal products.

There are also things you can do to inject substances into the colon itself. These tend to work much much faster. And these things…such as colonic irrigations…and coffee enemas…yes….ummm…coffee enemas…are what I most highly advocate. Coffee enemas are cheap…very cheap…and easy…and are highly effective.

For more info on these you can visit http://www.gerson.org/

(Im cringing as I write this…I hope you guys dont get disgusted!)

Now, when I mention the colon…you have to understand that I am actually talking about three seemingly distinct organs.

These are the colon, liver, and gall bladder.

It was realized by Dr. Max Gerson of Gerson therapy fame…that health of the body relied in large part on the health of these three organs. And over time he discovered that coffee enemas…along with a highly vegetation based diet…did this most effectively.

Coffee enemas are so effective because they go in and remove waste from the colon as well as the liver (and the blood) while stimulating the liver to produce more bile…and encouraging the gall bladder to release more of it.

These things put together in a nice sequence…actually stimulate further improved digestion and waste removal…even when you re not doing the enemas.

This is contrary to the opinion that says that enemas are addicting.

Now, Im not talking about fleet enemas! Those are a waste for so many reasons. Ignore them. Do not waste your money.

I go with coffee enemas because they are efficient and highly effective. And, in the case of beginning any healing protocol….they severely reduce the effects of detox by applying a focused and purposeful way of removing the waste that your body is beginning to remove.

Usually, if you just start eating more vegetarian and maybe start using an oral cleansing product….the body will absolutely start dumping its waste back into the colon and bloodstream in increasing amounts.

And, if you were to rely on oral methods alone…although they are still effective over a larger period of time…they will typically begin to make you feel either sick, tired and fatigued, perhaps nauseas…bloated and also they intensify your odors.

None of this is pleasant. And, I KNOW..i do….i know that injecting anything into the colon is disgusting to consider….but once you get past the gross factor and realize how easy they are….you will notice that you just feel better after doing them.

If you are on any type of colon cleansing regimen, I encourage you to add enemas to quicken the pace of detox and just make the program more effective overall all.

You wont regret it…you have my word on that.

And, also, I know…..coffee has caffiene! Oh no! Well, you know what is the most surprising thing? When injected from the rear rather than injested orally….caffeine soothes the nervous system!

If you do them at night, you will sleep better! That was a surprise for me as well as just about everyone I have made try them.

In the beginning they were all disgusted by the idea but as they began implementing….they went from disgusted that they had to do them to dissapointed when they were not able to do them.

I ll be back soon to continue the treatise on cleansing. Im cutting this one here.

If any of you have questions, please feel free to send me a message.

Comment and Subscribe.

Peace, Love, Light!

Does Body Cleansing Assist With Weight Loss?

Cleansing the body at an internal level seems to be a very hot topic today, and for good reason.  People want to know if those colon cleanses and liver cleanses actually assist with weight loss.   There are different views on this topic, but I can only comment from personal experience. 

Back when I started on my weight loss journey (a few years after my last child was born) I did all the right things.  I joined a gym, and started eating a healthy diet.  I paid for a few personal training sessions, and thought that I was well on my way.  I did lose some weight, but could not seem to get that last 15 lbs off my body, no matter what I tried. 

I resorted to fad diets, and even tried some of those diet pills.  Not such a good idea – the harmful stimulants made me nauseous.   I stopped taking them. 

I came across a nutritional cleansing program – a complete body cleanse.  Not just a colon cleanse, but a cleanse at the cellular level.   Why did I choose these particular products?  Well, I liked the fact that not only would this program help remove the impurities from my body, but my body was also being nourished with the finest vitamins, gentle cleansing herbs and ionic trace minerals, so I was replenishing my body at the same time.

So was this the missing link to my weight loss? 

Here are my results…

14 lbs and 15 3/4″ in 30 days!

While I was going through my program, I also decided to do a weekly video clip update.  I think doing this helped to keep me motivated, as well as to show that my before and after pictures are REAL and have not been “touched up”!

Here is my Video Journey:

 

So I guess the answer is an absolute YES!     I did find the missing link to my weight loss.  Oh and, as of the writing of this blog, it has been 8 months since I did my initial program and I have kept the weight off.  I continue to cleanse on a regular basis, because to be honest with you – it makes me feel so good, why would I ever want to stop?

What Cleansing Program did I use?

I started with the Isagenix 30 day Cleansing and Fat Burning System and continue with their Total Health and Wellness Program!

To find out more about Isagenix you can visit:

http://www.leanandhealthy.ca

Thanks for reading.

Hope you are having an Amazing Easter Weekend!

Kim

Friday photo

Eggs have strangely come out in reverse!

Here’s a snap of just some of the choctastic treats my boys will be tucking into this year for Easter. Crikey! Mr N and I will have to run for cover when the ensuing sugar rushes take hold! They’ve still got some eggs to come from various relatives (just want to point out that we only got them one egg each - all the rest are from other family members!). We’ll just have to make sure they don’t snaffle them all at once…

As for me, I usually get at least a couple of chocolate items at this time of year, so I’ve promised myself I can have some, as long as I ration it out over several days. Just don’t want to get into that crazy scenario of having plenty of chocolate to eat, getting reasonably full, and then keeping on munching, purely because it’s there.  There’s no other reason. Could feel quite sick even - but I have the capacity to eat and eat some more, just because the chocolate is in front of me. It’s bizarre!

The last week has been a bit of a ‘treading water’ one for me. Not much achieved in the weight loss area - and thanks to tracking I know it’s because I haven’t been sticking to my calorie allowance every day. I know I need to plan a bit more with my eating, and up my fruit and veg intake again. Exercise has been going well though, and that always keeps me positive. 

Hope you all have a good Easter!

Tips for staying on track at Easter (....resurrected)

In the spirit of recycling, here is a reminder of a previous Easter post….

Many of our clients, and countless other people, are well into a new year healthy eating or Weight Management plan or may just be starting a programme in time for summer. The Easter weekend is probably second only to Christmas in being a difficult time to stick to any sort of healthy diet.

Here are a few tips to getting through the Easter weekend:

• Chocolate is high in fat (and therefore very calorie-dense) and nutritionally poor - it will seriously impact your weight loss progress if you are not EXTREMELY careful!!! While no chocolate eggs are a “healthy” or “diet” option, it is true that some are less fattening than others. This link will show you the calorie details of some of the most common eggs: Easter egg calorie counter.
• If someone does give you chocolate, and you can’t bear to pass it on, why not keep it in the fridge and eat a little of it over a number of days or weeks. If you have a little of this instead of a pudding after your main meal it will have less impact on your weight loss.
• Rather than eating chocolate eggs with your children, why not take the traditional approach and decorate fresh eggs! Much less fattening and a great source of protein (egg protein is of high biological value as it contains all the essential amino acids needed by the human body) and an average of only 78 calories per medium egg.
• Once you’ve painted the eggs, have an Easter Egg Hunt to get outside in the fresh air and get moving! This is such great fun for all ages, and much better for you than sitting in front of the TV eating chocolate!

If you are following one of our Herbalife Programmes, here are some extra tips:

• Have a chocolate shake!!! If you don’t have any Chocolate Formula 1, or don’t have time to pick any up from me, try a spoon of low calorie hot chocolate powder in a Vanilla shake
• The Chocolate Peanut Protein bars are seriously YUMMMMMY - why not ask for some instead of chocolate eggs! They are high in heart-healthy soy protein, nutrient dense, and provide great nutrition for in-between-meals!
• Make sure you use your products as directed - if you don’t have the correct nutrition levels, you’ll feel hungry and more inclined to “cheat”
• Thermojetics Green Tea Boost and Thermo Complete will help you to control any cravings - if you are not already using these products, contact me to arrange to get some!

Whatever you do, and whether you celebrate Easter or not, I hope you have a lovely long weekend with your families and loved ones!

Vegetarian Recipe: Szechuan Tempeh with Sweet-Spicy Peanut Sauce

NO-MEAT ATHLETE™ HAS MOVED!  The updated version of this page can be found here!  Please leave all comments on the new page, not this old one.

After reading my lament on the sponginess of tofu, my sister, who bakes in a vegetarian restaurant and knows much more about vegetarian food than I do, suggested that I try tempeh.  As she put it, “People who don’t like tofu like tempeh.”  This made me a prime candidate (though to be fair, I have had a few decent tofu meals of late).  Tempeh is similar to tofu in that it’s made from soybeans, but it often contains rice or other grains.  The result is a much firmer, tastier product than the flavorless marshmallow-cube that is tofu.  Not only that, but tempeh has more “protein, fiber, and vitamins” than tofu (according to Wikipedia), making it even better for the many vegetarian endurance athletes who are presumably reading this blog!

So Erin and I decided to give tempeh a try, with very high expectations.  And we were not disappointed.  It seems tempeh, when cooked, takes on a flavor and texture not entirely unlike chicken!  Granted, it’s not a Chick-Fil-A 12-pack of nuggets, but it’s the closest vegetarian food has come for me.  This got the hamster wheel spinning in the old noggin-head, and I started excitedly daydreaming about ways to imitate buffalo-style chicken, my favorite food in the whole world, with tempeh.  I may have even drooled a bit.

But lest I get ahead of myself, I’ll just let the buffalo tempeh idea simmer for now.  Today’s meal is called Szechuan Tempeh with Sweet-Spicy Peanut Sauce, my hot-served adaptation of a cold-served Chinese dish I found in a vegetarian cookbook.  You’ll notice that in my recipe I’m suggesting you serve it over brown rice; we used rice noodles and I wasn’t a fan.

Ingredients (for the tempeh):

• 8 ounces tempeh, diced into half-inch cubes
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce (I used tamari)
• 4 tsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 8 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts
• 1 cup brown rice (alternatively, 1 package rice noodles)
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper

Ingredients (for the peanut sauce):

• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 Tbsp dry sherry
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon chili paste or curry paste

Mix the tempeh, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and 1/2 tsp pepper in a medium bowl and let stand for 15 minutes or more.  Cook the brown rice however you like, my favorite is simmering in 2 cups of water with 1/2 tsp salt for 20-30 minutes.  If using rice noodles instead, soak in warm water for 15-20 minutes or until tender.

Whisk together the ingredients for the peanut sauce in a bowl until smooth; set aside.

Heat 1 Tbsp vegetable oil in a skillet or wok over medium-high heat.  Add the tempeh and cook until lightly browned, stirring often for 3-5 minutes, then keep warm in a bowl covered with foil.  Heat the remaining 1 Tbsp canola oil in the skillet, add the cucumbers, half the red bell pepper, and half the scallions.  Season with just a pinch of salt and cook the vegetables until barely tender, maybe 2 minutes.

Serve the tempeh and vegetables on top of the rice or noodles, drizzle with sauce, and garnish with remaining (uncooked) bell pepper, scallions, and peanuts.

Makes 4 small servings. (Update: The servings aren’t as small as I thought when I first published this.  I just ate my share of the leftovers and I’m completely full.)

We decide to give this meal a strong 3 cows out of 5, but I think using brown rice instead of rice noodles would have elevated it in terms of both taste and nutrition (I haven’t seen brown rice noodles, so if you want rice noodles you’re stuck with the white version).  I think rice noodles would probably taste better with the cleaner flavors of the chilled, raw-vegetable version of the dish.  Make no mistake though, our rating of “3″ is no knock on tempeh.  The tempeh was the shining star of this meal for me, and my mind is still racing about possibilities for using tempeh in place of chicken in my favorite chicken dishes.  You can expect to see lots of those in the days ahead.

Yes, buffalo fans, it’s coming.

The Ugly Truth About Belly Fat

Millions of people seem to suffer from being overweight; but are they really struggling to lose weight and just hate the fat image that stares back at them in the mirror; or is there more to belly fat that you may not be aware of? Belly fat is dangerous and many people who seem to suffer from being overweight do not understand it. We wrote this article to hopefully help you get off your butt and do whatever it takes to get rid of the excess fat on your body.

Do you find it difficult to approach someone of the opposite sex or even walk into a room full of people because you tend to think that they are talking about your or snickering about you? Well the truth is that most people who have excess belly fat; tend to have a lower self esteem than someone who is healthy and not overweight. You may not know the truth about belly fat; however if you suffer from this condition then you know that your level of self confidence is not as high as it could be.

People who are overweight tend to think it looks bad; while this is true they fail to remember that if you are suffering from being overweight you are putting a lot of work on your heart organs; therefore you are more at risk for a heart attack. Of course I am not a doctor; but I did have an aunt who was overweight and had 2 heart attacks. If you are overweight then I recommend that you visit your doctor to get a physical to make sure that you are not at risk.

No matter what type of information that you find online about being able to lose weight; nothing will work unless you are willing to follow through on a program. The truth about belly fat is that you can get rid of it. It is not as hard as we as a society tend to make it seem. However most of us are never willing to do what it actually takes to get rid of the excess fat from our bodies.

The truth about belly fat is that while it does not look good it is not healthy. If you have children and you fail to learn how to eat healthier; then chances are your children will soon suffer from being overweight as well. Your children will do the same thing that you do. Therefore if you are overweight and you lose it and become more physically active; then so will they.

Begin today to make a promise to yourself that you are going to show your children the right way to eat. Stop eating all that junk food that is keeping you overweight. You will notice that once you change your eating habits; the fat will start melting away from your body. Plus your kids will also begin to feel better and will become more physically active as well.

Tired of struggling to lose weight and you know that it is not the healthiest way to live; but you never seem to get rid of the weight that you want to? Well the truth about belly fat; is that it is not hard to get rid of if you know what to do. Visit our site below and get access to the tips and information that will help you burn the fat and begin building muscle.

Ready to Lose The Extra Weight! Try The Amazing Plan That Has Helped Thousands Learn How To Get Rid Of Belly Fat Easily! Get Your FREE 10 Day Ecourse On The Best Ways To Lose Weight!

Microsoft HealthVault Weight-Loss Journal

Have any of you checked out this super cool FREE tool on the Microsoft HealthVault site? It’s a custom meal plan & weight-loss tracking journal. All you have to do is sign-up for a free Microsoft HealthVault account and you get access to this and a ton of other really amazing resources - bmi calculators, exercise trackers, health record management….soooo super cool!

microsoft healthvault

Phase 1 Week 3

I weighed 207 this morning! That is happy!

I believe I accomplished my 2nd week goal - expanding my world by using my commute time to listen to books on audio. I was very specific and wrote down “Atlas Shrugged” which wasn’t available so I started with a less (ha-ha) classic book - “the Secret Life of Bees” which is wonderfully enjoyable and I feel quite confident I will continue listening and learning during my drive time.

This week I am to plan a movie night with Hubby - kind of forgot that the DH is home this weekend so it might not be as romantic as I had hoped but time together is time together!

But the problem is the Phase 1 goal or habit to be developed - food logs. Still struggling- last night I joined weightwatchers online - thinking I can make this work. I am starting to wonder if subconsciously I am fighting doing the log because I am fighting losing weight…. This shouldn’t be so hard.

I just had an insight - I always want to keep my food log hidden, but why? I am going to get a notebook out and put it on the counter by the fridge (I have my recipe/menu planning stuff there) - I can write it down as I am preparing food or after dinner. There is no reason not to write down what I eat in front of DH. WOW, I think I may have solved my problem.

I’ll keep the weightwatchers (I only signed up for a month) and see if this is something I want to use also but I really think making my food log “public” may well be the solution. Who am I trying to fool - I am overweight!

Smell of success

Morning Weight: 84.8KG

I reset my one week goal for the next week. By Next Sunday (April 12) I should be below 83.5KG. Dinner will be just Salad tonight and the same will go on till I go below 83.5KG. It is moving slowly which makes me quite happy. I am coming to a balance. My meal size is shrinking which means my stomach size is shrinking at the same time. Sounds good, but here is some shit at the same time.

 

It is snowing in Toronto which means no outdoor rollerblade so hitting the target seems a bit difficult in this week.

Starting Again...

As anyone trying to lose weight knows, it’s an ongoing process and falling off the wagon is expected. However, this time I’m determined to stick it out. I have enlisted the help of my husband to help me stay on track and keep my goals attainable.

I’ll be using my space here to document my progress and to share my workout routine and meal plans. I’m doing this strictly on my own, without the use of supplements and weight loss centers. Many people like to use centers like Weight Watchers to help them lost weight but I can see spending that kind of money. I’ve used weight loss supplements in the past without much success. While there are some people who claim to have had success with them, I have to wonder if they’re actually learning anything.

Losing weight isn’t just about losing weight - it’s a complete lifestyle change. Those people who use supplements, are they taking them even after they’ve hit their goal weight to help maintain or did they stop taking them and gain the weight back? These are the things I’m constantly asking myself so I just decided not to deal with supplements this time around. While I don’t take supplements, I do take a multi-vitamin every morning.

I’m finally to a point in my life where I know that I need to change a lot of things. I’m tired of feeling self-consious about my looks and not participating in a lot of activities because I’m too uncomfortable.

So, that’s about it for now. I’m going to post my first workout routine now.

B

Worth The Weight

Yes, there is no doubt about that; she definately was.

But what am I complaining about? I only gained 35 pounds. And last week when I weighed, I had lost 27 of them, thanks to breastfeeding, because I surely haven’t been doing anything that comes even close to being called “exercise”.

So I had been wondering where, oh where, were those 8 pesky pounds hiding on my body? I sure do look just like I did before I got pregnant. Don’t I? And I can fit into most of my clothes just fine. (Keyword: most)

I found out yesterday as I was trying on dresses to decide what to wear to the wedding.

Dress #1: Whoa, my hips are huge! And what is up with those saddlebags?That must be where those 8 pounds are.

Dress #2: Hold on a minute. Was my butt this wide before? Maybe the extra weight is in my butt.

Dress #3: Dear God, don’t you think that you could have made my boobs just a little bit smaller, and given some poor Itty Bitty Titty Committee member a share of my blessing? It looks like I’ve stuffed water balloons down my dress. Surely milk doesn’t weigh that much. Maybe I can convince Denny to let me get a reduction once my child bearing days are over……

Dress #4 (Maternity dress): Ahh, this looks great. And it fits! No side-boob! No rolls poking out! But, um, aren’t maternity clothes intended for women who are pregnant? I’m not in that club anymore!

And so the mystery is solved: the 8 pounds that I wasn’t looking for have been found. They are spread out evenly between my boobs, butt, hips and thighs. Which just so happen to be all of the parts that a woman is naturally self-conscious about. I think mother nature was in a pissy mood when she decided where a pregnant woman’s fat deposits should be distributed. Or maybe she was drunk, or high, or, well, you get the point….

I'm Ready...

So today has been Day One of Medifast, and I’m pretty impressed!  I’m at 5 PM and I’m feeling full!  I’m going to use my blog as a weigh-loss journal of sorts.  I’m determined to get down to a healthy, good-looking weight.  I’m not putting a time limit on this because I just don’t think I need to.

Current weight: 268 (yikes!) - I haven’t been this heavy since Freshman year at Elon.  This weight needs to come off, ya’ll!

Today I’ve had:

10 AM: Orange Creme Shake (pretty good!)

Noon: Cream of Broccoli Soup (yuck…too many chunks - I guess I didn’t stir very well…)

2:30 - Chocolate Shake (the best so far today!)

3:30 - Oatmeal.  This is my closest to cheating.  I drank the shake too quickly and became really hungry.

6: My “lean and green” meal.  Basically - whatever mom’s making.  Probably a Salad with some chicken on top.

8: Pudding - looking forward to this!

I’m very optimistic!

Keep ya’ll posted!

-Ryan

What type of overeater are you?

Eating and overeating are different

How old were you when you first started having problems with food and your weight? When did you start your first diet? This is relevant because compulsive overeating, chronic yo-yo dieting and weight problems follow a definite cycle, just like drug addiction. Where you are in this cycle is dependent on many factors and the age of your first diet is just one of them. The younger you were, the further you’re likely to be down the road that is followed by all overeaters.

There are five stages, which I’ve named ‘types’ for the sake of clarity.

The next five posts will examine the five types of overeater and if you have any problems with controlling food, worrying about weight gain or inabiltiy to stick to a diet, you will be sure to spot your own situation in one of the types.

I have labelled these stages as types for the simple reason that it helps you to see the process that you go through more clearly. In reality you could be at a crossover stage or you could find that you identify with characteristics from several of the types, but there will be one type that stands out as most like you. Whichever type you feel more strongly reflects your thoughts, feelings and behaviour around food, weight and dieting is your type.

Bookmark this page or simply keep an eye out or subscribe to the RSS feed to read the next five posts that will help you to discover where you are in the overeating life cycle.

Please respect my copyright. You’re very welcome to use anything off my blog. If you wish to use all or part of this post for any kind of public display, please add this byline: by Sue Thomason and provide a link to this page: http://antidieter.wordpress.com. Thank you.

April Fool You… Not! & A Raw Food Diet

Well… as if this bride-to-be doesn’t have enough to worry about with what I am going to wear! My wonderful bridesmaid Ange sent me an email yesterday asking me what I was wearing to my bridal shower this Sunday.  I told her that I bought a new outfit (which you will see in photos this weekend!) and she said she will likely be wearing her new Orange Bebe top.  Then she sent me another email telling me that she found the best pants ever and she thinks she’s going to go out and buy them!

She wrote: “Hey, What do you think of these Bebe pants I found online?? They are a bit trendy but I am IN LOVE WITH THEM!!! I think they’d look so cute with my orange top!”

There was also a photo attached:

 Click here for larger photo!

All I could reply was “Wow, I don’t even have words!”

LOL

To which she kindly replied ….April Fools!

Not funny

Well, it was.. but you know!!

All I could think was, she’s going to show up to my bridal shower wearing these funky pants.. **********************************************************************************

The past couple of days have been busy but great.  Last night I managed to get out for a 4 mile run which was definitely needed!!  I also spent most of the night preparing for my trip home. 

This morning I went with an old faithful breakfast… this never disappoints:

Cereal with banana and blueberries!

I have some blueberries to use up, so I incorporated them into my snack to take to work:

Soy yogurt, cinnamon, ground flax & blueberries.

I haven’t blogged much about lunch & dinner lately because to be honest they’ve been pretty boring!! I’ve had a couple of wraps, a sandwich… carby goodness! Plus I have some veggies to use up so i’ve been eating plenty of those.

Oh… and I always have one of these per day:

Tonight I took the girls football (soccer!) team to a tournament, which we won 1 game and lost 1 game. Not too shabby! I coach the same girls in netball and I swear their enthusiasm is contagious.  They are such a strong bunch! I also came home and chatted with Mom on Skype and did some more packing!! Tomorrow I get out of work at 2pm! (woot!) I have a hair appointment at 2:30 and some more errands to run.  Steve and I are having a date night.  I’m going to miss him the next two weeks!

I didn’t get out for a run tonight but I did get some yoga in! I also did loads of push ups, squats, ab work and lunges! 

******************************************************************************

After watching Episode 9 of VeggieGirl TV, I checked out Kristen’s Raw Food Site.  I am so intrigued by a raw food diet.  Has anyone else looked into this before?  Here is Kristen’s Blog which has some great recipes on it! 

Kristen writes:

For most of my life, I had intense migraine and tension headaches, acne, cellulite, allergies, and back pain. I was constantly tired and so you’d always find me drinking 2-3 Starbucks’ triple venti soy cappuccinos each day. I took plenty of prescription medications, for both my headaches and my exhaustion.

Eventually, I was so tired of not feeling well, of not feeling like I was at my peak unless I medicated myself with something like caffeine or pain pills. I was living a life of stimulated energy instead of Raw energy. I had no idea there was such a thing as Raw Energy. And, wow, what a difference that has made in my life!

Over time, I tried many diets and supplements. Some worked okay, and I would lose weight, but I would still get headaches, acne, and be tired and sluggish, unless I was drinking tons of caffeine and taking energy pills. The benefits never lasted long either, because your body gets used to being in that stimulated state and then requires higher and higher dosages to maintain it. Too many people are looking in the wrong places for the answers on how to achieve optimal health. They’re wasting their time, health, and money and they still don’t get the ultimate results they’re so eagerly seeking. I was one of those people.

What are your thoughts on this?  I would love to hear them!!

********************************************************************************

Ange also posted a great interview with Kris Carr on Tuesday.  I loved reading her answers to the questions!  I have been a fan of Kris Carr for a while now and love her site.

Go check it out if you haven’t already seen it!

Don’t forget to enter the FIT FROM WITHIN book giveaway! I’m also going to put  one or two “9 Bars” in with it! Contest ends tomorrow!!!!

Suunto to support Jonathan Hinkle

 

I am pleased to announce Suunto will be sponsoring me this year to achieve my weight loss and Triathlon goals. After working with Suunto, I am equipped with the t6c, Comfort Belt Heart rate monitor, Bike Pod, and Foot Pod. The t6c and Pod’s (Peripheral Observation Devices) allow me to transition from swimming, biking, and running using one integrated system. The addition of PODs allow me to measure and record my speed and distance information enhancing the functionality of the Suunto heart rate monitor.

The Suunto Training Manager software will analysis my training sessions and overall progress to log workouts, track progress, highlight areas for improvement and create and update ideal training programs.

I am excited to use the Suunto t6c package as a comprehensive solution. I have been in search of the best training system to achieve my goals and develop a training plan and Suunto fits perfect with my weight loss and training needs.

The Slim Quick Formula

Reviews and News:

Designed specifically for a woman’s body this weight loss formula is the world’s first advanced fat burner. It is scientifically developed to overcome the hormonal and physiological barriers women face in losing fat.

This contains six exclusive complexes, each aimed at supporting fat loss through separate mechanisms. Thepowerful formula is designed to maximize rapid fat loss when used in conjunction with the SlimQuick diet and exercise program.

Each bottle  includes a free copy of the sophisticated SlimQuick diet & exercise program to ensure that you know exactly what to eat, and what exercises to do to help you lose fat as quickly as possible.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000XQRAAE/makingthebe08-20