Fat, Fat I Ain't Down With That! Easy Tips To Revive Your Metabolism!

 I get a little lazy in winter since generally the swimsuit is many months away however this year I am determined to not let the holidays and all the great food that comes with it leaving me with a mad dash before summer to get those winter pounds off.  Here are some easy tips to help make fighting fat not so painful!

Metabolism, metabolism, metabolism. That one word has always been a mystery to me. Apparently I have a good metabolism (at least that is what my mother has always told me and I am not one to argue with her) and to tell you the truth I was never to sure what having a good metabolism entailed just was glad that I did (based upon serious looks my mother made when talking of metabolism ). One of my friends who is forever on a diet will tell you that she has a terrible metabolism and can never lose weight because of her metabolism (of course she always mentions this while eating several cookies at once). I decided to delve into the metabolism mystery and find some tips to help you speed up your metabolism whether you think you have a good one or a bad one.

When you have a high metabolic rate this increases the amount of calories, or energy, the body burns on a daily basis. Without optimal metabolism the body will store excess calories as fat for future use. The problem for many people is they don’t ever use these excess calories and as a result struggle with weight issues ( not fun).

Vavavoom Your Metabolism

**Eat Spicy Foods- Have you ever noticed that when you swallow that really hot jalapeno that you start to sweat and feel a little hot (I have on many occasions)? Great news! You are speeding up your metabolism. Add some red pepper, or jalapenos to your favorite dish to get going. Mexican and Thai are great choices for this.

**Eat Breakfast-Believe it or not, it may be the most important meal of the day as far as metabolism (and weight loss) is concerned. People who eat breakfast lose more weight than breakfast skippers do, according to studies. Breakfast gives your metabolism a boost and provides a consistent energy supply throughout the day. Christopher, a New York City fitness expert and my online personal trainer is constantly stressing this to me!
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**Eat Lots Of Small Meals Throughout The Day-If you can eat 5-6 small meals (try not to go for more than 4 hours without eating) this will keep your metabolism running great. I have also found this to be helpful so that I do not overeat. I never really feel hungry.

**Drink Green Tea-Studies have found that green tea extract actually increases metabolism. The antioxidants in tea appear to improve concentration, gently boost energy, make people happier, lower cholesterol levels, improve cardiovascular health and help guard against some cancers too. Sounds like a win win idea to me.
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**Avoid Stress-Too much physical or emotional stress causes our bodies to release a steroid called cortisol that actually slows down our metabolism and can cause weight gain, especially around your stomach area.

**Eat Protein-You should make sure that 10 to 35 percent of your total daily calories come from protein. The amino acids in protein make it harder for your body to break down than carbs and fats so you burn more calories. This does not mean you have to eat a lot of meat (if you do eat meat I think the organic grass fed is best). I am a vegetarian and eat a lot of eggs (thank you Christopher),nuts, cheeses and other low fat dairy to get in my protein.

**Get Plenty Of Sleep-Studies show that people who don’t get seven to eight hours a night of sleep are more prone to weight gain. I have heard that the first 4 hours of sleep help with brain repair and the last 4 hours help with body repair (this is just a rumor but comes from a reliable source).
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**Stay Away From Sugar- Honestly, this has to be my least favorite as I love, love, love sweets! Unfortunately, sugar throws our metabolic rate into fat storage mode (that just sounds awful).

Isn't this terrific! These are really not tough tips to include in our daily lives (although I do struggle with the sugar one) so that we can burn calories more efficiently and speed up the ever mysterious metabolism (what does a metabolism look like? anything?).

8 Foods To Help You Get Slim And Trim ... I Am Definitely In!!

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could eat things that are healthy and that we like and still lose weight? Below are some superfoods that your body will thank you for......

Superfoods To Help With Your Weight Loss

Olive Oil-I personally take a teaspoon a day as well as drizzle this on salads and pasta. Olive oil has healthy fat that increases satiety, taming your appetite. It is also know to have anti-inflammatory properties and chronic inflammation in the body is linked to metabolic syndrome. 

Buckwheat Pasta- This pasta is high in fiber and, unlike most carbs, contains protein. This makes it hard to overeat buckwheat pasta over regular pasta. 

Quinoa-This whole grain is packed with fiber and protein, a nutrient combo than can keep you satisfied for hours.

 Blueberries-these berries have the highest antioxidant level of all the commonly consumed fruit and deliver lots of fiber. “Fiber may actually prevent some of the fat you eat from being absorbed because fiber pulls fat through digestive tract”. 

Almond Butter-May lower bread’s glycemic index (which measures food’s effect on blood sugar). A study from the University of Toronto found that people who ate almonds with white bread didn’t experience the same blood sugar surges as those who ate only the slice. This is great news because blood sugar changes cause the body to make insulin, which can increase abdominal fat.”

 Plain Yogurt-Has a trifecta of carbs, protein and fat that can help stave off hunger by keeping blood sugar levels steady. In a study from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, people on a low-calorie diet that included yogurt lost 61 percent more fat overall and 81 percent more belly fat than those on a similar plan but without the yogurt. I love plain yogurt with fresh or frozen berries on top!

 Pomegranate Seeds-they are loaded with folate and disease-fighting antioxidants, they’re low in calories and high in fiber. They can satisfy your sweet tooth without blowing your diet. 

Eggs-Egg protein is filling prompting you to eat less during the day. Women on a low-calorie diet who ate an egg with and jelly each morning lost twice as many pounds as those who had a bagel breakfast with the same number of calories but no eggs, a study from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge reports. I know that I am going to start including more of these in my diet and see what happens!

Merry Christmas eve!

 I was going to write a health post today but then decided that since today is Christmas eve I would much rather just say that I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday season. May whatever holiday that you celebrate be a happy one. Although the holidays are a fun time they can also be a stressful time and a time when we sometimes splurge a little on our eating habits and eat an entire tin of fudge and all the chocolate for the kid’s stockings and then have to rush out to the store to buy more since you ate it all (okay maybe that is just me). Having said that I want to remind everyone to take a few deep breaths and know that it is okay to indulge a little as long as you get back on track. Have that cake, chocolate, or whatever it is that does it for you but have it in moderation. Give yourself a break over the holidays and relish the warmth and love of the season. Happy Holidays! Heidi

I used to always say "EGGS PLEASE GO AWAY" but now looking at the scale they can STAY! If you want to lose pounds quick then eggs are the way! HOORAY!

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 An Egg A Day Makes My Belly Look Okay!

I am just going to say it loud and clear..... I DESPISED eggs. Yes, completely and absolutely despised them and it all comes down to being on a ferry in England as a child and the only thing they had to eat was a runny egg. My mom made me eat it  (that entire unfanciful tale is for another time) and since then I have sworn them off but now well things have changed a bit.  I am always looking for a quick way when I am in a pinch to take off a few pounds and have known that eggs are a good way to do it. Desperation came calling when my Schmancy Pancy Christmas dress would not zip and then the horror of once I had it half on I could not get it off ( I think most of us have been there and even in a dressing room which is the most terrifying). So an unlikely hero emerged ...kind of like when Tarzan saved Jane . Eggs are Tarzan and Jane sadly was me.  Okay so enough of that and to what I did.  I looked everywhere for recipes to make eggs that did not taste like eggs and found several great ideas.  I ate eggs and salads with boiled eggs and that was it for 4 days (okay and well a few chocolates) and lost wait for it........3lbs.

I made these incredible egg pancakes which consisted of (and this is approximate bc I am in no way a cook or measurer) one egg, a teaspoon of cream cheese and 2 packets of sugar substitute (I used Stevia).  I put them in my blender and then in a pan and fried them up . They looked like a pancake and with the Stevia in them had a sweet taste.  I also made omelets with lots of cheese and veggies and salads with boiled eggs and low carb, low calorie dressings.  I saw that there is something called a 3 day egg diet so you could google that but the idea behind it is that eggs are full of protein, low or no carbohydrates and do not raise your blood sugar so are ideal for helping to lose weight.  There are a variety of ways to eat eggs and as long as you are light on the cheese and heavy toppings they are great for weight loss.  I had to find a way for me to be able to eat them and not have them taste like eggs so this worked for me.  I have heard of people doing a 3 or 4 day egg diet to boost their weight loss when at a plateau but cannot say if that works. This worked for me so thought I would share. I am not a nutritionist or have any medical training but just sharing what helps me in a I have to get into this dress kind of bind.  I would not advise eating eggs like this for a long term.  I think I may do this every month to get things going after overdoing chocolate which is my weak spot.  I had about 8-10 eggs a day and now my belly and booty are looking okay.

Oh My Giving Making Videos A Try......

 This is my first effort at learning to make videos. I am hoping that in the near future I can do videos as well as write. My first love is writing but who knows maybe I will get the videos down soon. I have to admit that seeing myself on video is a bit cringe (as my kids would say) and weird. It is time I get in the step with the times so here I go.......

Want To Buy Organic But On A Budget? Here Is A Guide Of Ones To Buy And Save You Money So When You Look At Your Budget It Won't Make You Cry.

 I will be the first to admit that I love to spend money. I love to shop and buying healthy organic food is no exception (who knew grocery shopping could be so fun-but hey it IS shopping). Unfortunately, I have to be on a budget in all areas and this includes my organic food choices. I looked around and found some helpful information on which are the top foods to buy organic if you are like me and on a budget ( I hate the word budget). Here we go-

Top Foods To Buy Organic-Worth The Money......

**Peaches-In some studies, they’ve had up to 10 times as much pesticide on them as other fruits and vegetables.

**Apples-Apples may contain methyl parathion. Both fresh apples and baby food applesauce can also contain chlorpyrifos, an OP which has caused large bird kills. Doesn't sound good.

**Strawberries-Strawberries receive a dose of up to 500 pounds of pesticides per acre.Straw-berries and other produce bought out-of-season are the most likely to have been imported, possibly from a country with less-stringent pesticide regulations.

**Milk-While milk is a natural product, all the antibiotics and hormones that go into high-yield cows most certainly aren’t. Some studies on supplements like recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) used in conventional milk production have suggested links to early puberty and other hormonal abnormalities. Danish studies have shown that not only does organic milk have less of the bad stuff, it has more of the good stuff. Specifically, organic milk has higher levels of vitamin E, omega-3 essential fatty acids and antioxidants. Did you know that Europe has banned U.S. Milk? I also make sure to buy organic cheese, yogurt and all dairy products when possible.

**Meat-. Contrary to a widely reported "fact," meat typically contains less pesticide residue than plant-based foods, according to Debra Edwards, the director of EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs. That said, raising animals with conventional modern methods often means using hormones to speed up growth, antibiotics to resist disease and pesticides to grow the grain fed to the animals (plus I think modern methods promote cruelty to animals-had to get that in there). As the EPA puts it in an Ag 101 feature, "Antibiotics, pesticides, and hormones are organic compounds which are used in animal feeding operations and may pose risks if they enter the environment." Consumers looking to avoid meats raised with these substances can seek out certified organic meat. To meet USDA standards, this meat can come only from animals fed organic feed and given no hormones or antibiotics.

**Coffee-Many of the beans you buy are grown in countries where pesticides and chemicals are not regulated. Look for the fair trade certified organic label on your coffee for assurance.

**Eggs-Though they are a terrific source of protein, most eggs are produced using a range of antibiotics and hormones on the chickens that bear them. Given this, the health gains of eating organic eggs are similar to those of drinking organic milk. Essentially, organic eggs mean fewer hormones in the chicken and fewer foreign hormones (or chemicals acting as hormones) in your body.

**Celery, Grapes and Sweet Bell Peppers-Peppers and grapes have thin skins and celery none which creates little and no barrier to pesticides.

**Potatoes-Chlorothalonil, often used on potatoes, can be particularly harmful to children. In Canada, potatoes have been linked to high rates of asthma and asthma-related deaths in farming communities.

**Lettuce And Spinach-Leafy greens are often contaminated with what are considered the most potent pesticides used on food.

Save Some Money And Probably Don't Need To Buy These Foods Organic-
**Broccoli,
**Bananas
**Frozen sweet peas
**Frozen corn**Asparagus 
**Avocados 
**Onions:

Levels of pesticides are low even in conventional versions of these.

Now you are armed and ready to save money and go do some organic shopping!

Chris Johnson's Meal Patterning Food Target Chart That Can Stop The Confusion And Get You On Track To A Healthy You.

 Below is Chris Johnson's meal patterning food target chart.  There is a book that goes with this but I wanted to show you the chart because it provides a simple way to see what you benefit from eating and what you do not benefit from.  For example, blueberries, kiwi, olives, fresh greens are in your best and white starches and soda are poor.  I can look at this wheel and it simplifies my shopping! Wish I wanted the healthy stuff and not the soda and white starches. Sigh.

Hope you enjoy!