15 Tips for weight loss…that WORK

Think you have to do something really radical and punishing to lose weight and keep it off? Just the opposite is true! It's actually the small, simple changes you make that have the most dramatic and lasting results. I know this firsthand, having tried every diet on earth and yo-yoed for years before discovering that weight loss doesn't have to be grueling, depressing or discouraging. It can be easy, fun, painless and permanent.

To lose 1 pound, you have to create a deficit of 3,500 calories. By incorporating easy ways to cut or avoid 250-500 calories a day, you can lose 1/2-1 pound a week, or 26-52 pounds a year. For some/most of us, that is simply accomplished by omitting our daily Starbucks Frappucchino or fast food meal.

Following are 15 tips for losing 3-80 pounds a year by making one small change in your diet. Remember that the more consistently you follow these tips, the more weight you'll lose, even when other eating and exercise habits stay the same.

You can lose about 1 pound every two months by achieving a caloric deficit of only 60-100 calories a day. Here are four really simple, fun and delicious changes in habit that will get you there easier.

1. Beware the burger blast. Make your own burgers at home with a cut of beef called round or a round steak (the butcher can grind it into hamburger for you). The best part? It's as lowcal as skinless chicken. Or use lean ground beef (95 percent lean or better) for a skinny burger with 400 instead of about 500 calories for standard ground beef.
   
2. Add the whipped cream. Instead of ice cream (350-500 calories per cup), combine a cup of fresh or frozen sweet pitted cherries with 1/4 cup canned whipped cream for a sweet, creamy dessert with just 140 calories.
   
3. Eat more pizza. Instead of ordering takeout pizza (two slices of Pizza Hut's Stuffed Crust Pepperoni Pizza pack 720 calories, 32 grams of fat and 2,240 milligrams of sodium!), fill your freezer with healthful frozen pizzas containing no more than 600 calories and 10-15 grams of fat per pie (e.g., Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice brands).
   
4. Drink up. Have a glass of water with lunch or dinner every other day instead of a soda or an alcoholic drink and you can lose 7-15 pounds a year. To stay full, eat plenty of foods high in water, including fresh fruits, vegetables and healthful (lowfat, low-sodium) soups.
   

Want to lose 11-20 pounds (or more) in a year? This will take a caloric deficit of about 100-200 a day. You can live with that! Try these three tips.

1. Fish for health. Instead of a 6-ounce steak (550 calories), enjoy tuna (250-300 calories) or salmon (350 calories). If you eat fish instead of red meat four times a week, you'll save 200-300 calories each time, or up to 1,200 calories a week. Besides being lower in fat, seafood is also high in omega-3 fatty acids, which lower cholesterol and reduce risk for heart disease. Choose grilled, broiled or steamed fish and avoid fried or blackened versions, which pack in extra fat.
   
2. Snack more for fewer calories. People who snack all day find it easier to lose weight because they actually take in fewer calories. Enjoy healthful snacks like apple slices spread with 1 tablespoon peanut butter (about 160 calories) or 1 ounce lowfat cheese with a piece of fresh fruit (about 130 calories.) Both snacks provide natural sugars to satisfy your sweet tooth plus fiber and protein to keep you full. Opting for healthful, filling snacks that keep you away from vending-machine versions packing 250-500 empty calories each will save you thousands of calories a month.
   
3. Mine sweep for calorie bombs. Losing weight is not about discipline or willpower; it's about taking charge of your environment. So get rid of all that high-fat, high-calorie junk in your kitchen and replace it with healthful, lowfat fare.
   

Looking to lose 21-30 (or more) pounds in a year? Create a 200- to 300-calorie deficit per day using these five tips and watch the pounds melt off!

1. Cook with nonstick pans and spray. Make every meal in a nonstick pan, and you'll automatically save 100 calories every time by eliminating the butter, margarine or oil used to grease the pan. When sautéing or frying, simply coat nonstick pans with a spritz of vegetable oil cooking spray (0 calories). Always use fresh, full-flavored ingredients, and you won't need fattening butter or oil to add flavor. Talk about a painless way to lose weight!
   
2. Savor each bite. Eat more slowly to let satiety register -- it takes your stomach 20 minutes to send "full" signals to the brain. You'll save 100 calories each time you stop eating when you're almost full instead of eating until you're stuffed (about 200 calories a day).
   
3. Eat by the clock. Believe it or not, the biggest cause of Believe it bingeing is under eating. Your body gets hungry every three to five hours, so you need to eat five to six healthful, lowfat mini meals daily to stay full and curb cravings. Cut nighttime snacks and say adios to 15 pounds a year; have a fruit snack instead of a vending-machine snack and subtract 20 pounds; plan meals ahead and knock off 22-30. (For a complete guide on grazing via mini meals, including yummy recipes, see next month's issue.)
   
4. Use the dilution solution. Love regular soft drinks but hate the pounds the sugar packs on? (A 32-ounce soda has about 400 calories!) Do as my friend does and cram your cup with ice every time you have a soda, and you'll drink at least half as much. For my friend, that meant consuming about 200 fewer calories every other day. After a period of time her taste buds adapted. so all she really wanted was sparkling water. By making this one simple shift from soda to sparkling water, she cut 400 calories a day.
   
5. Defrost the freezer. Forget all the nasty things you've heard about frozen dinners! Supermarkets stock hundreds of lowfat and delicious frozen meals -- from meatloaf and mashed potatoes to Thai and Indian cuisine. Just add vegetables and fruit to boost nutrients. You'll save 300-500 calories every time you prepare a frozen dinner instead of ordering fast food or cooking a high-fat meal. Enjoy four frozen dinners a week and lose a minimum of 18-30 pounds a year.
   

And for you big "losers" out there who are looking to lose 31-40 (or more) pounds in a year, this one's for you! With these three easy tips, you'll have no trouble reaching even a big weight-loss goal in 12 months.

1. Shop by the book. Make weekly shopping a habit by setting a specific day and time when you can always go. Without healthful foods on hand, you may be tempted to improvise by hitting fast-food and convenience stores, where nearly everything is high-fat and high-calorie. Good grocery-shopping skills are the flip side of good meal-management skills. One of my clients saved at least 400 calories per meal by incorporating just this one change and lost 30 pounds in less than a year!
   
2. Keep "happy hour" at home. Spend a few hours at a bar on Friday night, and you could easily consume 3,000 calories in drinks (300 calories per mixed drink) and snacks (an order of nachos has 2,100 calories). For a healthy happy hour at home that has just 750 calories (you'll save 2,250 calories a week), stock up on sparkling water or wine and create a lowfat feast.
   
3. Satisfy your sweet tooth. Deny your sweet tooth and bingeing is sure to follow. Satisfy your cravings with a low-calorie treat -- about 120 calories -- that you can enjoy every single day. My faves are Starbucks' frozen Mocha or Java Fudge Frappuccino Blended Coffee Bars. Limit rich desserts (most have about 500 calories) to once a week, and you'll save about 380 calories a day for six days, or 2,280 calories a week.
   

 

Good Luck!

Have an AWESOME and HEALTHY day!

Fit-NOW-Girl

 

 

I’m addicted…

Odds are that:

• 1 out of 7 adults is addicted to alcohol
  
• 1 out of 8 adults is addicted to drugs
  
• 1 out of 8 adults is addicted to the internet
  
• 1 out of 5 adults is addicted to gambling
  

 

I have an addiction too. Although it is something I MUST do in order to be happy, I don't really think it's out of control or something I need to get help for.

 

I've tried it in the past, here and there. I never really got hooked on it before…it never really did much for me. Two years ago though, I joined a group and we did it all the time. I started to notice a change in me…physically and emotionally. People around me noticed it too, and wondered what I was doing that made me change. I tried to get others addicted…to come with me to do it…but most of the time they wouldn't. They didn't want to become an addict like me. They questioned what it was that made me feel like I couldn't live without it. I guess it was the rush of adrenaline pulsing through my body as I beat an old time, pushing myself harder and faster than ever before. It was the comradery I developed with so many other addicts; they made me feel just like family. I love the endorphin release just when I am starting to get off my high…that boost me right back up to do it again. I never knew or realized just how much of an addict I was until recently when I had to stop cold turkey because of a knee injury.

 

I miss it.

 

I can't WAIT to start again.

 

I feel like part of my life is missing…a HUGE chunk of my being has gone cold, and I DESPERATELY need a fix.

 

Well, I guess the first step to dealing with an addiction is to admit you have a problem.

 

Here goes….

 

Hello. My name is Fit NOW Girl…and I'm addicted to working out. Want to join me??

 

Have a great day!!

 

Fit-NOW-Girl

 

Probiotics may aid weight loss

Twelve weeks of consuming a fermented milk product containing the Lactobacillus strain was associated with a 4.6 per cent reduction in abdominal fat, and a 3.3 per cent reduction in subcutaneous fat, according to findings published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Furthermore, body weight dropped by 1.4 per cent and waist size decreased by 1.8 per cent, report researchers from Snow Brand Milk Products, Kyushu University, Nippon Milk Community Co., Iwaki Meisei University, and Isogo Central and Neurosurgical Hospital.

The study extends previous findings from Kyushu University researchers, which showed LG2055 may reduce fat levels (adiposity) and fat cells in animals (British Journal of Nutrition, 2009, Vol. 101, pp. 716-724; 2008, Vol. 99, pp. 1013-7). In addition, Snow Brand scientists have reported that LG2055 in fermented milk "has the ability to establish in the human gastrointestinal tract and alters the composition and metabolism of the intestinal microflora and physical characteristics of faeces", (J. Appl. Microbiol. 2001, Vol. 90, pp. 343-352).

Potential

With the World Health Organization estimating that by 2015, there will be more than 1.5 billion overweight consumers, incurring health costs beyond $117 billion per year in the US alone, the opportunities for a scientifically-substantiated weight management food product are impressive.

A breakthrough paper published in Nature in December 2006 (Vol. 444, pp. 1022-1023, 1027-1031) reported that microbial populations in the gut are different between obese and lean people, and that when the obese people lost weight their microflora reverted back to that observed in a lean person, suggesting that obesity may have a microbial component.

A recent study, published in Science Translational Medicine (Vol. 1, Issue 6, 6ra14), advanced this by successfully showing that the human gut microbiota can successfully be transferred to germ-free mice, and that this can then be passed on from mother to offspring.

Study details

The Japanese scientists recruited 87 overweight people with an average BMI of 24.2 kg/m2 to participate in their multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled intervention trial. The participants were randomly assigned to receive 200 grams per day of fermented milk with or without LG2055 day for 12 weeks.

At the end of the study, significant decreases were observed in the Lactobacillus group in body weight, BMI (1.5 per cent), waist circumference, and in the hips (1.5 per cent). No significant reductions were observed in the control group, however.

"The probiotic LG2055 showed lowering effects on abdominal adiposity, body weight and other measures, suggesting its beneficial influence on metabolic disorders," concluded the scientists.

Have an awesome day!!

 

Fit-NOW-Girl

Devotion…making the change

It goes without saying that life can rarely be predicted. Obstacles and hills are often thrown in our paths without warning, and we as humans are tested. Our strengths, weaknesses, supports and determination are all more clearly pronounced. For better or worse, it is at these trying times that we find out what we're really made of, and what really matters. It is also at these times when routines & schedules are disrupted that you realize how incredibly comfortable and needed little routines really are…things like, oh I don't know, daily workout regimen.

Due to unforeseen circumstances beyond my control, I have been MIA at boot camp for 2 weeks. I. Miss. It. TERRIBLY.

I miss a whole 90 minutes of "me" time, when (though I am not relaxing by a pool drinking margaritas) I am truly looking after only myself. Time dedicated to the collection of thoughts, release of emotions built up throughout the day, and catching up with good friends. 2 years ago, I never knew that feeling. I never knew how exhilarating working so hard could be, that I could manage to make friends as cherished as other bootcampers, or how much I would miss working out. Me?? MISS working out?? Who is this speaking?!!

Still, I have to admit, that when I made the decision to start and COMPLETE this journey to fitness, it was a conscious decision to make it a permanent and in-exchangeable addition to my already busy schedule. For years I used the excuse "I'm too busy" or "I can't afford it" but I have to tell you that I've learned WHEN THERES A WILL, THERES A WAY. We sacrificed a little as a couple, both financially and personally, to make it work. Although there have been times when I have fallen off schedule, I always miss it and run back on. When I feared I would not be able to continue because of some unforeseen circumstance, things always just seem to work out.

And I am thankful…

Both for the opportunity to belong to such an amazing circle of dedicated women and for the sacrifices made by all involved so that I can.

I challenge you to make the decision…to make the change…to dedicate time every few days, every week, to your health.

You body will thank you. Your mind will thank you. Your family will thank you.

Your life will be never the same.

Have a beautiful day.

Fit – NOW - Girl

BBQ Baked beans & sausage

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup prepared barbecue sauce, (see Shopping Tip)
  
• 1/2 cup water
  
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  
• 1 tablespoon molasses
  
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
  
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
  
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
  
• 1 medium onion, chopped
  
• 4 cups chopped collard greens, (about 10 ounces), tough stems removed
  
• 9 ounces cooked chicken sausage links, (about 3 links), halved lengthwise and sliced
  
• 2 - 15-ounce cans great northern or navy beans, rinsed (see Note)
  

Preparation

1. Whisk barbecue sauce, water, tomato paste, molasses, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
   
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and collard greens and cook, stirring occasionally, until the collards are wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Add sausage and cook, stirring, until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes more.
   
3. Reduce heat to medium-low; add beans and the sauce mixture to the pan. Gently stir to combine, cover and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.
   

Tips & Notes

• Shopping tip: Check the sodium of your favorite barbecue sauce—some can be quite high. This recipe was developed with a sauce containing 240 mg sodium per 2-tablespoon serving.
  
• Note: While we love the convenience of canned beans, they tend to be high in sodium. Give them a good rinse before adding to a recipe to rid them of some of their sodium (up to 35 percent) or opt for low-sodium or no-salt-added varieties. (These recipes are analyzed with rinsed, regular canned beans.) Or, if you have the time, cook your own beans from scratch.
  

Nutrition

Per serving: 444 calories; 8 g fat (1 g sat, 2 g mono); 45 mg cholesterol; 66 g carbohydrates; 28 g protein; 14 g fiber; 653 mg sodium; 987 mg potassium.

Happy Dining!

Fit-NOW-Girl

Sticking to a healthy lifestyle

Old habits are hard to break…biting nails, smoking, shopping, snacking….

Sometimes I find myself falling back into old habits that I was sure I had conquered. For example, I have been very stressed lately. A few years ago, when I became stressed, I often found food as a comforter…a safety net if you will. I would graze on a bag of chips, candy or chocolate without a second thought of what or how much I was consuming. I would convince myself that I was under such stress, I deserved the treat. Last night, as I tried to de-stress by reading a book, I caught my mind BEGGING me to walk downstairs for a night time snack. My craving would NOT leave me alone! I must have read the same sentence in my book 20 times in an attempt to change my thought process. Ultimately, I beat my craving by turning out the lights and going to sleep rather than staying up and reading, but it got me thinking and worrying about my lack of will power to regress to old habits. I am sure that if I had not gone to bed, I would have given into my mind's incessant pleading and eaten an unhealthy snack.

What is it that we find comforting in junk foods, and how can we successfully train our bodies to avoid them and lead healthy lifestyles?

# 1 - Stick to many of your own food preferences but substitute them for the lower fat varieties. This way it will seem like less of a DIET and therefore more chance you'll stick to it. Remember lifestyle change indicates a change for life!

# 2 - If you need to completely cut out certain "junk" foods then cut them slowly and introduce favorite healthier foods a little at a time. Apple "chips" are enough to satisfy my chip addiction, yet are 100 times more healthy.

# 3 - Try to get into a habit of eating little and often. Keep string cheese, crackers, fruits and veggies pre-measured and always on hand.

# 4 - Always remember to take it one step at a time, big changes are often too much too handle when within a few weeks they seem like hard work.

# 5 - Don't get too caught up with calorie content of everything, it should be a rough guide so you generally take in less calories until reaching your goal.

# 6 - Try to reduce calories slowly over the course of a few weeks, maintain the intake when losing about one pound of weight each week then continue to lower calories slowly when weight loss stops.

# 7 - Don't obsess over scale weight you could be losing or gaining water, buy some fat monitors to check progress. On average, your weight can fluctuate 2 pounds throughout the day!

# 8 - Don't get hooked on trying to achieve the perfect nutrient ratio, as long as there is enough activity and less energy intake the weight should come down no matter how many carbs/protein are consumed.

# 9 - Take a little time each day to plan your activities and stick to them.

# 10 - Set small goals often and enjoy/ revel in the joy when you reach the ultimate goal! Always take a before photo to help you remember and visualize just how far you've come.

Small and consistent changes are the ONLY way to ensure that you maintain and STICK to your decision to lead a healthy lifestyle. Old habits die hard, but given enough time, they will die and be replaced with the new healthy habits that you want.

Good luck!

Have an awesome day!

Fit – NOW – Girl