What's The Best Fat Burner?

"After coaching clients for many years now (some of them having lost well over one hundred pounds) and trying out various fat-burner supplements, I'm convinced the "best" fat burner supplement is the fork and keeping it on the plate after you've had your portion."


Unknown


This post grabbed your attention didn't it?  I came across this quote by a coach responding to a question asking which are the best fat burners for weight loss.  I must say that it actually made me laugh and gave me the reality check I needed in pursuing my goals.  


When it comes to weight loss, we (and that includes myself) often want the easy way out, without realizing that weight loss comes with hard work, motivation and dedication in reaching your goals.  I often have to remind myself that the weight didn't just pile on overnight. It obviously came with years, upon years of using and abusing my body; therefore, no magic pill, potion or quick fix will make it come off as quickly as I expect it to.

Do You Know What Your Food Could Be Doing To You?

Last weekend I was seriously craving Chinese Food so hubby and I decided to break the healthy eating streak and indulge in our favorite eats.  As good as the food was, I kind of regret ordering it after having what I believe was an allergic reaction to the the MSG contained within the food.


My mouth immediately broke into tiny red bumps; my tongue became really itchy; I felt as if I was coming down with a sore throat and my forehead and the area underneath my eyes broke out into dry, painful patches.  Luckily for me, the reaction went away after 3 days of clean eats, but my experience had me wondering what the type of foods we eat could be doing to us.


This wouldn't be the first time that someone in my family has suffered a severe reaction to a product with traces of MSG.  My husband use to suffer from migraine headaches immediately after sitting down to a meal. We couldn't figure out what it was until we realized it was the oxo-powder and cubes I was using to season our meals.  Since then I have stopped using pretty much anything with MSG and have resorted to using sea-salt and various herbs to season our food.


 Now, I've often heard that MSG was bad for you, but didn't know just how bad it was until I did a little research on the ingredient.   


 Here's a clip I pulled off 60 minutes on MSG and its dangers:



Photo-source: apiopa.org

Are You An Emotional Eater?

I wanted to shed some light on an issue that is near and dear to my heart and one that I've been struggling with for many years- Emotional Eating.  Part of the reason I've really struggled with controlling my weight is because I am a big time emotional eater and have a hard time coping with stressful situations.  Take the last couple of weeks for example, I have been dealing with a few stressors both in my personal and work life and as a result of not having the tools to effectively cope with these situations, I ended up turning the one thing that I knew would comfort me-food.

When you think about it, there's no difference between those who suffer from emotional eating and those who suffer from addictions such as that with drugs and alcohol.  In fact, you can easily consider emotional eating a form of addiction itself. 

Bottom line here is that, those who suffer from any sort of addiction, including emotional eating, are either dealing with a deep underlying pain or are unable to effectively cope with stressful situations (as in my case).  

As of late, I've been really trying to understand this issue and have done a bit of research to find useful strategies to not only help break the habit but find alternative ways in dealing with stress.  

I found some really great information that I pulled from a few sources that I thought I'd share with my readers...

What is Emotional Eating?

Simply consuming food or large quantities of food in response to a desired emotion.  According to experts, 75% of overeating is caused by emotional overeating.

What Causes Emotional Eating?

Depression, boredom, loneliness, chronic anger, anxiety, frustration, stress, problems with interpersonal relationships and poor self-esteem.

How Do I break the Habit?

Become aware of how and why you may be using food as a coping strategy

Get help (talk to an expert such as a psychologist, social worker, or nutritionist)

Eliminate triggers

Talk to a friend

Re-direct your attention by doing relaxation exercises, going for a walk, listening to music, doing house-work or reading a book

Sources: medicinenet.com and athealth.com

Photo source: blog.ediets.com

Ketchup Considered a Vegetable in the Early 80's

Did you know that in the early 80's, under the Reagan administration, ketchup and relish were both considered vegetables?  I had know idea until this little piece of knowledge was passed on to me and my colleagues, by my director, at a work event a couple of months ago.

Through a controversial bill, otherwise known as Ketchupgate, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Drug Administration would allow public schools to cut out a serving of cooked fresh vegetables from their lunch program in order to save the White House an estimated $1 billion in annual savings.  

The program sparked so much outrage from the public and  members of the house that the Reagan administration had no choice but to drop the proposed bill altogether.

Complete Story

Photo source: oodlekadoodleprimitiv...

Jamie Oliver's, "Food Revolution"

Jamie Oliver is on a mission to save American Children!  Check out a clip from his "Food Revolution":

What's My Motivation?

What motivates me to dedicate myself to eating healthy and exercising on a regular basis?  Women like Ernestine Sheppard, 71, who are past 40 who are in the best shape of their lives. 


I have a running joke with a friend of mine that things seem to be shifting in this world.  Where you expect 20 and 30 year olds to be in the best shape of their lives, you actually see quite the opposite.  Women who are over 40 are looking better than 20 and 30 year olds of our time and seem to look much better than they ever can remember.  I guess it's true when they say that "40 is the new 30".


The above mentioned scenario serves as a constant reminder that there is no excuse when it comes to health, especially at my age.  If women past 40 and much older, can bust their asses off daily to stay in shape, then so can I.  It can be challenging at times to find the dedication needed to stay healthy, but I keep on reminding myself that health is one of the best gifts I can give myself, along with my daughter, hubby, family and friends.  


For a little inspiration check out this article I came across featuring Ernestine Sheppard, female bodybuilder:


Complete Story


Photo Source: www.wellsphere.com

Deep House...Oh How I Love You!

If you catch me in the gym, I always have deep house tracks on heavy rotation...it's like fuel to the soul!  It also makes for a more exciting work-out:

New Playlist Addition

I'm definitely adding Estelle's, "Freak" to playlist of songs for the gym!  This song is super dope!

Pie Square Method of Eating

In an earlier post entitled, "Nutritional and Fitness Tips for Motivation" I had offered up a tip I use when portioning out my meals that I wanted to expand on for my readers.  The method I use is called the "Pie-square Method", a technique where you divide your plate according to the portions you're suppose to eat of each food category.  As shown in the picture below, when dividing up my plate, I always make sure that 1/2 of my plate is filled with vegetables; 1/4 for proteins, and the other 1/4 for carbs.  I primarily use this method for each of my main meals-breakfast, lunch and dinner, however; breakfast slightly differs in that I swap my vegetable portions with fruit instead.


This is a great technique for keeping your eating on a track and knowing how much of which foods you should be eating on a regular basis.

Meal Tracking

One habit that I've gotten into to monitor my eating patterns is journaling.  Using a template that I created myself (see below), I track  everything you can think of, from the portions of food I should be eating, the times in which I eat and a description of everything that goes into my mouth (everything!).  There's also a section to track my water intake, beverages consumed besides water, supplements taken through-out the day, and a notes section to capture my bowel movements (yes I track my bowel movements), overall bodily discomforts and moods.  

The practice of food journaling has really forced me to take responsibility for myself by being more accountable to my eating.  Not only that, it has been a great tool to study my eating patterns and why and when I tend to eat certain things.

If you already haven't done so, I encourage all of you to get into the habit of tracking your meals through journaling.  You'll not only learn a about yourself in the process, but you'll be given a tool to make keeping your health in check a lot easier.  

Feel free to use and adapt my personal Meal Tracker as you see fit.  If you would like me to send you a copy of the my actual tracker let me know!

Good luck!

Meal Plan Tracker        

                                                                         

Meals	Times	Description
Meal #1 ½ protein, 2 whole grain, 1 fruit
Meal #2 1 fat, 1 fruit
Meal #3 1 protein, 1 whole grain, 1 vegetable serving, 1 fat
Meal #4 ½ protein, 1 fruit
Meal #5 1 protein,1 whole grain, 2 vegetable serving, 1 fat
Water (500ml):		Supplements: ________________________________________ ________________________________________ Notes: ________________________________________ ________________________________________
Other Beverages: _____________________________ _____________________________

                                                                                                                                                                

Embarrassing Moment

Yesterday evening, I headed out to the gym to get my work-out on, only to realize upon arriving that I had forgotten my runners.  At that moment, I had two choices-go home and catch up with my missed work-out another day or proceed with my work-out wearing old, nasty and beat up Clogs.  I figured what the hell, might as well "woman up", face the embarrassment and get my work-out it.    


It was certainly an embarrassing gym moment, indeed; I can't begin to tell you how many weird looks I got from fellow-gym goers while doing my work-out.  Picture me doing hard-core work-outs like step-ups and lunges in clogs ( ha ha).  Then again, as embarrassing as it was to work-out in Clogs, I was on a mission to complete my work-out for the day and nothing was going to stop me from from doing what needed to get done.


Lesson of the day... need to make sure I pack my runners before heading to the gym (smiles).  

Kristie Alley's New Weight Loss System

I've been hearing a lot about Kirstie Alley's new weight loss program and wasn't sure exactly what it entailed until I came across a recent article advertising the program.  

The program is called Organic Liaison  and is geared toward steering people from conventional eating habits to an organic way of life.  Membership with Organic Liaison offers you natural dietary supplements, USDA certified weight loss products and access to online weight management tools.  

With Organic Liaison, members are encouraged to eat foods without "pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, chemical fertilizers, genetically modified organisms or synthetic chemicals".  The program also supports eating meat free of antibiotics or growth hormones and advocates for the "humane and ethical treatment of animals". 


I really don't know how I feel about Kirstie delving into the world of nutrition.  Sounds a little too gimmicky in my opinion.  Besides I'm not with any weight loss program that encourages you to buy products to lose weight; I believe that can be done by diet and exercise alone.  

The Dreaded Bathroom Scale

So I've been having a dilemma as of late and that dilemma is whether or not continue using the bathroom scale to measure my progress with weight loss.  To be honest, I haven't weighed myself in two weeks and am not sure whether or not continue weighing myself in the future.  


Part of my problem comes from the fact that I'm a perfectionist by nature and tend to obsess over things not being in order, especially when it comes to weight.


 I absolutely HATE the feeling of thinking that I'm doing well with my eating and exercise, only to jump onto the scale and have a number staring back at me that I totally didn't expect.  


I think that I may need to pack away the scale for a while and save myself the turmoil I go through whenever the numbers don't read in my favor.  Who know's, I may pull out the scale in the future, curious to see my progress, but for now the scale's gotta go!

Janet Jackson Set to Release Book on Weight Issues

I am so excited to learn that Janet Jackson is currently working on a new book set to be released some time this year.  The book, entitled, "True You", will provide a candid account of Janet's battle with weight and will also include information on nutrition and exercise and approaches she's used to maintain her shape through-out her career.  


I for sure will be keeping an eye on the anticipated release of "True You" and will provide more details on the book once it's out on selves.

Living My Life Like It's Golden

I promised myself heading into 2010 that I would completely clean up my diet, lose the excess weight and live as healthy a lifestyle as possible.  I'm doing just that and using Jill Scott's, "Golden" as my inspiration in reaching my goals.  There's something about this song that makes you feel powerful, invincible and as if you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.  

The last time I used this song to accomplish a goal was when I was enrolled in my Master's program back in 2004/2005.  Believe it or not, I listened to "Golden" every day until I finished my program and I believe that because of this song, I was not only able to accomplish my goals but excel in ways I had never imagined.


I plan from now until the end of the year to use this very same song as my inspiration and you better believe that I will come out on top!


Happy Listening!

Enjoy!:  

Howard Stern Bashes Star of Precious

Howard Stern has been getting a lot of heat from comments he made on his talk-show regarding "Precious" star Gabby Sidibe and her weight.  I first heard about the apparent comments on TMZ last week and wasn't sure what all the controversy was until I tracked down a clip of his talk show on Youtube.   


As always Stern does Stern, ranting that Gabby, "Is the most enormous, fat black chic he's ever seen and will never work in another film".  He goes on to claim that "she should have not gotten the Best Actress award because she's never going to have another in shot" questioning "What movie she's going to be in next?". 


If you ask me,  I thought Stern's comments were uncalled for and quite inappropriate.  It's no wonder young girls continue to suffer from low-self esteem when in comes to body image and resort to harmful means to fit into society's ideal standard of weight.  


For those of you who haven't heard Stern's rant on Gabby, here it is:

Alicia Keys' New Eating Habits

I've always thought Alicia Keys looked fabulous but the girl's been looking smokin hot as of late.  What has she been doing?


In her March 5, 2010 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Alicia tells Oprah that watching the film "Food Inc" completely changed her life and forced her to alter her eating habits as well.  In another article I came across, Alicia has sworn off fast food and no longer eats dairy or meat.  Rather, she opts for foods such as grilled fish, soy milk, spinach and aloe vera.


She's also been following Harley Pasternak's "5 Factor Diet", a plan designed to give you results in 5 weeks by eating 5 meals a day with 5 ingredients, incorporating 5 cheats every 5 weeks, and working out 5 times/week...not bad if you ask me!


For more information on the 5 Factor Diet check out the main website at http://www.5factordiet.com/publicsite/funnel/index.aspx and if you missed Alicia on Oprah, here's a snippet of her interview:

2010 IDFA Calgary Classic

It's that time of the year for Calgarians...the IDFA Natural Bodybuilding, Fitness Model & Figure Championships.  As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I had the privilege of attending my first show last year and will certainly be attending the show this year.  Besides two of my friends will be completing this time around, so it's a must I come out and show my support.  


For details on show times and ticket prices check-out the IDFA Facebook event page:


http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=300036650872&ref=nf

Weight-loss Tips from Marlena aka "MakeUpGeek"

I recently came across this inspirational video that I wanted to share with my readers.  I usually follow Marlena's (aka MakeUpGeek) make-up video's, so it was a nice change for her to switch things up by doing a video on how she lost a total of 67 pounds.


I really like this video for the simple fact that Marlena approached weight loss by being realistic with her goals and not doing anything too drastic; being patient with her efforts; and making small incremental changes that are sustainable and could be followed for a lifetime.


Hope you find these tips useful:

Nutrition Tip: Keep the Junk Food Out of the House

One habit that I've gotten into since starting on my path towards health is not keeping junk food in the house.  Meaning that when hubby and I go for weekly grocery runs, the junk stays put in the grocery aisles and hardly ever follows us home.


Since I've been trying really hard to lose weight and stay healthy, this habit has served me well as I haven't been as tempted to indulge in mouth-watering goodies and have found it easier to stick to my goals.  Don't get me wrong, I still have my days where I crave junk and would do anything for that chocolate bar (those damn Fruit and Nut Dairy Milk bars), but not having it in the house makes it easier to think through my cravings and occupy my mind with something else.


If you're really serious about losing weight or getting healthy, do yourself a favor and keep the junk food at bay...trust me, you'll thank yourself later for it!

Jennifer Hudson Facebook Weight Watchers Interview

Fore more on Jennifer Hudson and Weight Watchers, check out her interview with Theresa Dimasi; Editor and Chief of Weight Watchers.com


Part one:




Part Two:

Calgary's Own Featured in Oxygen Special

I'm so proud to announce that one of Calgary's own, Miryah Jade Scott is featured on the front-cover of this months Oxygen's Abs issue.  I had the privilege of meeting Miryah when we were both training with Paul Anthony Neil over at "DreamBody Guaranteed" and am truly amazed at how far this girl has come in such a short amount of time.   


Miryah is a true testament that anything is possible as long as you have the confidence, drive, and determination to go along with it.    


You don't want to miss this special!  Go out and get your copy today.

Jennifer Hudson New Spokesperson for Weight Watchers

Guess who's the new spokeperson for Weight Watchers?  That's right, the lovely Miss Jennifer Hudson.  I saw the commercial for the first time the other day and couldn't believe that Miss Hudson herself has committed herself toward getting healthy.   She looks amazing and you can already see that she's lost a significant amount of weight.  

Like many of us, Jennifer has tried many diets before but has not had as much success as she's had with the Weight Watchers program.  In fact, she hardly sees Weight Watchers as a diet, but a lifestyle in which she still gets to eat what she wants and lose weight at the same time.  According to Jennifer in a behind the scenes interview with Weight Watchers, she's loosing much more weight than she has with any other program she's been on and is much smaller than she's ever been in her life and she isn't restricting anything.  

Kudos to Miss Hudson on her new found journey.  To follow her progress on Weight Watchers be sure to catch her live every Thursday at 3:00pm on the Weight Watchers Facebook page.

Here's a glimpse of the new commercial for those of you who haven't seen it yet:

Turkey Meatballs

One of my favorite snacks to eat from time to time is turkey meatballs.  They're super easy to make, low in fat, and don't have much by the way of calories.  One thing I should note is that I don't use breadcrumbs or wheat when making my meatballs.  I'm trying to stay away from breads and flour in general, and opting for alternatives when making dishes that call for these ingredients.  Believe it or not, one ingredient that I found has worked as a breadcrumb alternative is large flake oats, ground in a food processor.  One of my girlfriends introduced me to this method about a year ago and you know what, you can barely taste the difference.  


On another note, for those of you who can't live without a sauce or dip of some sort for your meatballs, try Apple Butter.  Apple butter, in my opinion, is quite similar to plum sauce, but waaaay healthier for you.  A serving is 15 grams or 1 Tablespoon and there's about 4 grams of natural sugar in total-just under the recommended sugar intake of 5 grams/meal.  You can find Apple Butter at a health food store or at Superstore (much cheaper there).


Turkey Meatball Recipe
1 package of lean ground turkey
1 egg
1/2 onion (chopped)
3 Tablespoons of large flake oats
1Tablespoon of ground flaxseed (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
dash of paprika
dash of thyme
1-2 tsp of oregano
Dash of garlic powder


Start off by lining a baking sheet with foil and coating with a tiny bit of oil.  Place turkey in a bowl, add spices and mix together.  After mixing, add your oats, onions, then egg and mix until all ingredients are combined.  Using your hands, form a nice size ball and place into baking sheet.   Once mixture has been used up, place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly brown.

Food Labels and What They Mean

One of the advantages of having been a calorie counter was learning how to read food labels.  Reading the nutrition facts for particular foods not only helped me control the amount of food I consumed in a sitting, but the amount of fat, salt, sugar and carbs I was taking in as well.  I don't count calories anymore because I found it too time consuming, however I still read food labels in order to know how many servings of foods I should be taking in at each meal. 


According to Canada's Food Guide, one can use food labels to "compare products more easily; determine the nutritional value of foods; and help you choose a product with more or less of a particular nutrient".  They usually have 13 nutrients listed as these are what "consumers, health professionals and scientists consider important to the health of Canadians".


For the healthy minded individual food labels provide an opportunity to focus ones attention on healthy eating by comparing products more easily and determine the nutritional value of foods to help one manage their weight.


Before you go off and start getting label crazy, it is important to know how much of the various nutrients you should be taking in.  For example, based on the USDA Food Pyramid, when it comes to sodium the daily recommended serving for individuals aged 9-50 is 1500 mg/day; for sugar, the rule of thumb is less than 22 grams/day (6tsp's/day) and for fat the value is approximately 53 grams/day.


For more information on food labels, check out this great article by Laura Bofinger from sparkpeople.com:


http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=145

Image from Canada's Food Guide