7 Easy Tricks to Lose Weight

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:19:46 -0400

I lost over forty pounds in just under a year doing these small tricks and basically eating what I wanted, so I thought I would share them with you! Here are some little ways to lose weight without really feeling like you're on a diet.

1. Don't drink calories.

Yeah, it's that easy. I know you've heard it a thousand times, don't drink soda, it's loaded with calories and sugar. Your calories should be coming from food not beverages. I was once an avid soda drinker, I couldn't imagine ever liking diet soda. When switching to diet soft drinks, drink water and milk for at least a month straight. Then try diet soda. Give it a few times and you will become used to the artificial sweeteners. But sticking to water is the healthiest and cheapest option. The first few days will be the hardest, but just remind yourself that you've already gone x amount of days without soda, and stay motivated!

2. Avoid white foods.

I'm not talking about cauliflower either! I am talking about cheese, mayonnaise, ice cream, ranch etc... In general, if it is white it is full of fat and calories. These are all fine in moderation, but that bucket of blue cheese is not going to help your waist line. Instead cut back on your portions, opt for light mayonnaise and dressings, and remember that sweets are to be used sparingly.

3. Watch portion sizes.

Sure a serving size of Cheetos is only 160 calories, but did you know a serving size is only 21 delicious morsels of cheesy goodness? Watch those serving sizes, you'd be surprised.

4. Eat slowly.

Don't gorge yourself. Take your time to enjoy every bite. I'm sure you've heard that it takes some time for your brain to get the signal that you're full. So really enjoy your meal and you will consume less because you will get the full sensation when you're actually full versus when you've eaten too much and then are uncomfortably full.

5. Replace one meal a day with a leaner option.

Who doesn't love Lean Cuisines or Smart Ones? They're college friendly in more than one way. They're a breeze to prepare, easy on the wallet and delicious! Replacing one meal with a leaner option is an easy way to stay slim. If you aren't fond of frozen meals, there are an infinite amount of recipes that you can prepare that are under 300 calories, just search online. There are so many options that you are sure to find something that you really love.

6. Stop grazing.

Don't eat because you are bored, and don't eat it just because it is in front of you. Snacks are fine in between meals. It is easy to eat mindlessly. especiall with snack foods. Don't ever eat potato chips out of the bag. Instead measure out the portion size into a bowl that way you know how much you are consuming.

7. Diets don't work.

You should make a permanent change and strive towards a healthy weight. Never deny yourself the occasional treat! If you are craving a chocolate brownie, then have one! Really want to have cheese fries? Do it! If you deny yourself all sweets you will binge and there goes all of your hard work!

Remember, A normal and healthy amount of weight to lose each week is two pounds. Good luck and remember it's not going to happen overnight.

Bikini Bootcamp Day 14

Fri, 06 May 2011 20:37:38 -0400

We've already given you some great diet advice for getting that perfect bikini body. You know what foods to eat and which to avoid but we thought it'd be useful to give you ladies a sample meal plan for a day so we enlisted one of our fitness expert's Brooke Mora to help us out. It may not sounds as delicious as pasta, pizza or chocolate but it'll help you get that bikini body just in time for summer.

Breakfast

4 egg whites
½ cup Oatmeal

Multiple Vitamin
12 oz of Water

Mid Morning

¼ cup Almonds or piece of string cheese
half an apple
12 oz of Water

Lunch

Chicken 1 chicken brst., Turkey breast 4 oz., Tuna 4 oz., Salmon 4oz., Fish 4 oz.
Leafy green salad 1tbs olive oil dressing
½ cup Brown Rice or 1- med Sweet Potatoes
12 oz water

Mid Afternoon

½ low/no fat greek yogurt
¼ cup Almonds
12 oz of Water

Dinner

Chicken 1 brst, Turkey 4oz., Tuna 4 oz., Salmon4 oz., Fish 4oz.
Leafy green salad 1tbs olive oil dressing or 1 cup steamed veggies

Multi-Vitamin
12 oz water

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Bikini Body Bootcamp Day 4

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 22:06:43 -0400

It's Day 4 of our Bikini Bootcamp so hopefully you've started your food journal and are feeling more confident about how to maintain a healthy diet. As they say, you are what you eat. The goal is to speed up your metabolism not slow it down so we've compiled a list of the types of foods you should/should not eat.

Here are the five major food groups that slow down your metabolism...

Sugar: Eating too much sugar overloads your body and causes your blood sugar levels to rise rapidly and this in turn makes your body go into conversion mode meaning you will store extra fat and burn less calories.

White Bread: White bread is made from wheat flour which then has the bran and germ removed. White bread is bleached to remove any yellow color which destroys many of the vitamins contained in the wheat plus it is full of sugar.

Fried Foods: Fried foods are very low in nutritional value and easy to digest. They are also very high in calories and full of saturated fats. Saturated fats are solid at room temperature, generally come from an animal source, make your body produce more cholesterol and slow down your metabolic rate.

Processed Foods: The vast majority of processed foods and ready made meals are also lacking in nutritional value, contain dangerous trans fats and are high in chemical preservatives. Again this combination of factors in processed foods means that they reduce your metabolic rate.

Alcohol: Alcohol is full of sugar and calories which restrict your metabolic rate. Alcohol is also known to have a dehydrating effect if you are not fully hydrated your metabolism does not work as effectively.

And the four food groups that will help boost your metabolism...

Superfoods: Super foods are foods which are deemed highly beneficial to your health. They offer protection against a number of diseases, provide you with energy, and are full of anti-oxidants. They can also help boost your metabolism. Some of the most popular super foods are blueberries, grapefruit, oranges, tomatoes and yogurt.

Spicy Foods: Most spicy foods have a mild thermogenic effect which means that they can help activate your body’s fat burning process.

Protein: Protein has a number of metabolism boosting benefits. According to the Journal of the American College of Nutrition : “convincing evidence exists that protein exerts an increased thermic effect when compared to fat and carbohydrate” which in simple terms means that your body uses more calories when processing protein than carbohydrates or fats. So by increasing the amount of protein you eat each day you can suppress your appetite and burn the amounts of calories you burn.

Water: I know this is not technically a food group but it is a part of your diet which can make or break your metabolism. If you are not properly hydrated then your metabolism does not work as effectively and ultimately you burn less calories when resting. It is therefore really important to stay hydrated at all times if you want to maximize your metabolism.

Written by our fabulous Fitness and Wellness Expert, Jennifer Era. Check out her site at http://jenniferera.com and follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/JenniferEra

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Bikini Body Bootcamp Day 3

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 22:22:07 -0400

Healthy eating is about making smart choices, having more energy and keeping yourself as healthy as possible. We have all heard the saying “work smarter not harder”. If you eat “smarter” you will create less work for you in the gym. Life is about choices. Each one of us can make our own decisions, but we do need some guidelines. Here are a few for you to follow:

1. Set yourself up for success. When planning a healthy diet go for several small manageable steps rather than one big drastic change.

2. Keep your food plan simple. The world is complicated enough so start slow and make small changes.

3. Eat smaller portions. Moderation is key. A proper balance of carbohydrates, protein, fat, fiber, vitamins and minerals is the goal.

4. Listen to your body. Are you hungry or thirsty? Or are you, in all actuality, bored and tired?

5. Take your time. Chew slowly and put your fork down between bites. Allow your stomach to catch up to your mouth.

6. Fruits and Vegetables are your friends. Vegetables are not just for dinner, they are great for mid day snacks as well. Fruit can be used as a sweet snack when a case of the sugar cravings arrives

7. Eat More Healthy Carbs and Whole Grains

Healthy carbs (sometimes known as good carbs) include whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables. Healthy carbs are digested slowly, helping you feel full longer and keeping blood sugar and insulin levels stable.

Unhealthy carbs (or bad carbs) are foods such as white flour, refined sugar and white rice that have been stripped of all bran, fiber and nutrients. Unhealthy carbs digest quickly and cause spikes in blood sugar levels and energy.

8. Enjoy Healthy Fats and avoid Unhealthy Fats

Healthy Fats to add to your diet:

Monounsaturated fats, from plant oils like canola oil, peanut oil, and olive oil, as well as avocados, nuts (like almonds, hazelnuts, and pecans), and seeds (such as pumpkin, sesame).
Polyunsaturated fats, including Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, found in fatty fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, and some cold water fish oil supplements. Other sources of polyunsaturated fats are unheated sunflower, corn, soybean, and flaxseed oils, and walnuts.

Reduce or eliminate from your diet:

Saturated fats, found primarily in animal sources including red meat and whole milk dairy products.
Trans fats, found in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, candies, cookies, snack foods, fried foods, baked goods, and other processed foods made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

9. Protein is your homeboy. Protein is the basic building block for growth and energy and essential for maintaining cells, tissues and organs

10. Limit Sugar. Check food labels carefully.

Sugar is often disguised using terms such as:

Cane sugar or maple syrup
Corn sweetener or corn syrup
Honey or molasses
Brown rice syrup
Crystallized or evaporated cane juice
Fruit juice concentrates, such as apple or pear
Maltodextrin (or dextrin)
Dextrose, Fructose, Glucose, Maltose, or Sucrose

11. Cut back on salt intake. Most of us consume too much salt in our diets. Eating too much salt can cause high blood pressure and lead to other health problems. Try to limit sodium intake to 1,500 to 2,300 mg per day, the equivalent of one teaspoon of salt.

Avoid processed or pre-packaged foods. Processed foods like canned soups or frozen dinners contain hidden sodium that quickly surpasses the recommended limit.
Be careful when eating out. Most restaurant and fast food meals are loaded with sodium.
Opt for fresh or frozen vegetables instead of canned vegetables.
Cut back on salty snacks such as potato chips, nuts, and pretzels.
Choose low-salt or reduced-sodium products.
Try slowly reducing the salt in your diet to give your taste buds time to adjust.

Written by our fabulous Fitness and Wellness Expert, Jennifer Era. Check out her site at http://jenniferera.com and follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/JenniferEra

Bikini Body Bootcamp Day 1

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 17:39:14 -0400

Welcome to Day 1 of our Bikini Bootcamp. We have one goal in mind which is to look and feel our best! So without further ado, our focus for Day 1 is key to really coming out of this with an A+ result. With anything in life your success is directly correlated to your dedication. For instance, an athlete won't perform their best without being religious about practicing their sport. Or at work/school you'll never perform your best if you don't give it 100%. All of this is true when it comes to your body as well. In order to look and feel your best you need to treat your body with the same love and dedication. However, being consistent is key. You can't expect a body makeover or even just to firm up if you're pigging out 6 days of the week and hitting the gym only once. You have to make a schedule. You have to eat healthy. And, you have to stick with it. That doesn't mean depriving yourself of the things you love. Oh trust us, we'd go crazy if we couldn't indulge in some froyo and a martini once in awhile. Rather, it's about coming up with a schedule, keeping tabs of your progress and being aware of what you're putting into your body.

So for Day 1, it's all about a journal. This will allow you to record what you're eating and keep track of your calories. You can also include what workouts you're doing daily and keep track of how many calories you're burning. We also advise you to write down your fitness goals. There's no better sense of accomplishment then knowing you've achieved something that you've set out to do.

This journal doesn't have to be some expensive notebook either. You can buy a little pocket notebook at your local drugstore for $.99 and carry it in your purse so that you can write down what you eat on the go.

There are also mobile apps that you can download that will actually help you create a food log. They help calculate how many calories you should take in per day based off your fitness goals. They even include calorie counts for the things you're eating which is our favorite part because it's easy to misjudge on our own. Two of our favorite apps (and they're free) are:

My Fitness Pal (available for iphone, android, and now blackberry) and Daily Burn (only available iphone but we hear that android is coming soon)

Whether it's an old fashioned little notebook or a mobile app... there's no time like the present to kick off day one by starting a journal.

We're always open to hearing new ideas so if you have alternative ways to keep track of your food/fitness let us know!!!

Your question

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 12:27:46 -0400

What are some good ways to maintain a healthy diet in the workplace? I feel like I've been eating so much crap lately and I don't know where to start to fix it. I'm always getting snacks at the vending machines, going out to eat with coworkers (putting a dent in bank account too), and then doing happy hour after work. Any tips?

Your question

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:23:59 -0400

How do you motivate yourself to stay on a diet? I've tried, but I always seem to give up the moment the initial excitement of "omg I'm gonna look great" wears off. How do you prevent that? Anything you tell yourself or any reward systems you use? Thanks!

Your question

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 12:45:08 -0400

I'm a college student going to a culinary school for baking - so we have to try everything we eat, but my roommates and I are trying to get fit before we leave for externship in July. We're walking twice a day - before and after class - and doing some other workouts, but we are having a hard time eating right since we don't have great choices for food all the time. Any suggestions on food that we could get to store in the room ?

Diet Tip: Prepare for a diet with a sea salt flush or colon cleanse

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 05:04:52 -0400

Seriously, if I see one more berry pill or powder on TV that is being touted as the latest and greatest miracle diet - I am going to hang myself with a Marc Jacobs Stam bag. Unless you count lipo or a prescription diet pill - there is no magic to losing weight - it is all about diet and exercise and getting the right nutrients into your body. Well, here's a tip most people neglect - sometimes getting nutrients into the body is more difficult because the body might be a bit polluted from too many Twinkies and red meat. So, when you start a diet - prepare your body by cleaning your most important diet asset - your digestive system.

Preparing your body for any diet is important to success. A clean digestive system responds better to a new diet than a toxic one. Here is a disgusting fact - a human intestine can store up to 7lbs of dried fecal material. (Ummm... that's just gross!) Clearly, this creates a very unhealthy colon and intestine - and it has the side effect of not allowing your intestines to absorb water properly so you can become dehydrated more easily no matter how much water you drink. An unhealthy digestive system can also impair the way your body processes food so less nutrients are converted into usable energy so not only will you feel sluggish but you may not feel as full as you should from a normal diet. If you have never purged your colon or intestines before, start slowly and naturally with a salt water flush. A Sea Salt Flush is a completely natural and immediate way to purge your intestines. While not a full colon cleanse, it is a good start in purifying your body from toxins and expelling wastes. And best of all... dun dun dun.. you probably have everythign you need in your pantry. No need to buy a magic pill or powder. Mix a little water, a little sea salt... viola - digestive system flushed!

Sea Salt Flush Recipe
1 liter of room temperature water
1 tablespoon sea salt (you must use non iodized organic sea salt)

Instructions
The best time to do this flush is at night about 1-2 hours before bedtime. Simply, chug the mixture! After you have consumed the solution, you can go about your evening until nature calls (about 30-60 minutes). Some suggest lying on your right hand side to aid the solution on its journey through your digestive track, although I don’t find this especially helpful and so I don’t bother. You are going to have 3-7 movements, possibly more. Generally speaking, you will end up pushing out what you put in.

Why It Works

The entire liter of sea salt water will be immediately expelled. This is because the solution is indigestible. You may have heard that, if you are stranded at sea, drinking sea water will only dehydrate you more and make you shark bait. This is why. It just comes right out of you because the mixture has the same gravity as your blood and cannot be absorbed.

Other Recommended Cleanses:

*Tip: need to look super hot a slim for a special event or date – try using a Salt Water Flush and a Colon Cleans 24-48 hours before the big event. It can help to reduce unnecessary bloating and flatten your tummy.

I like OxyPowder and Super Colon Cleanse as full colon cleansing agents - you can find both online or at GNC and Vitamin World. Colon cleanses do not need to be performed daily - you do want probiotics (good bacteria) to build up in your system but by cleansing your body once or twice a month with both a flush and a cleanse you will notice that you will have mroe energy and feel fuller on less food because your system is working more efficiently and you are absorbing and processing more nutients and water. If used regularly, you will even see a difference in your skin.

Your question

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:51:50 -0500

HELP! I need to lose weight like 20 pounds. I've lost and gained 30 pounds in the past two years, and it's miserable. I have almost no willpower when it comes to food. I can exercise just fine, but never enough to work off what I eat. When I cut out sweets completely, I ruin my diet within 24 hours. Any suggestions, success stories?