DIET STRATEGIES FOR WEIGHT LOSS SUCCESS!

1 Think a balanced diet when planning your meals, remember we need our grains, proteins, dairy, fruits and vegetables.  And if you're a vegetarian or vegan, pay attention to you're complete proteins, supplemented calcium, B12 and iron intakes. The "closer to nature the better", so everyone avoid processed foods!

2 Try not to skip meals, especially breakfast.  Maintaining your energy levels throughout the day will boost your metabolism, burning more calories, reduce cravings and eliminate that late afternoon, early evening fatique.

3 Pay attention to portion sizes and use your lunch plates instead for smaller meals.  Split your plate into three sections and fill 1/3 with your meat, chicken or fish, 1/3 with a grain and the last 1/3 with vegetables.  Once you've filled your plate immediately put left overs into storage to prevent overeating.

4 Eliminate fruit juices and pops.  Drink plain or sparkling water instead. San Pellegrino is less biting then Perrier, making it a little more palatable, in my opinion.  Herbal Teas are another fantastic option.

5 Keep junk food out of the house to reduce temptation and get creative with treats like frozen berries blended with low fat milk or 100% cocoa added to low fat milk and heated with a touch of honey.

6 If you're always busy, try and prepare foods ahead of time to eliminate take out.  Cut up vegetables and precook chicken, put them in a container and store them in your fridge for future meals.

7 Choose low GI foods over high GI foods. (below for more info or visit http://www.glycemicindex.com/)

8 Be careful with artificial sweetners as they can sometimes elevate your sweet cravings.  Other more natural sweetners to consider are stevia, honey and agava syrup.

9 When choosing alcoholic beverages, think which type are you likely to sip and which are you likely to guzzle and avoid the later.  To avoid drinking too many, try and have sparkling water in between drinks.

ONE NUTTY FROZEN BANANA TREAT! 

1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup pecans
1 tsp canola oil (divided)
Sprinkle of cinnamon
1/4 cup almond meal
4 Tablespoons of almond butter
2 tsp of Agave
1 tsp vanilla
Sea Salt-a couple turns on the grinder

Take your sliced almonds and pecans and put them on a cookie sheet. Mix around with about 1 tsp of canola oil and a sprinkling of cinnamon. Roast at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Put these toasted nuts into a food processor and give them a good chop.

Pour this into a mixing bowl and add the almond meal. In a separate small bowl combine the almond butter, agave, vanilla, salt and the remainder 2 tsp’s of oil. Microwave for about 15 seconds…just to get the almond butter softened up so you are able to mix it all together. Add this creamy mixture to the nuts and almond meal, and stir until a crumbly mixture form.

Place peeled banana on a piece of foil, take some of the mixture and firmly press it around the banana. Finally, gently covered the banana with the foil and popped it into the freezer for about 30 minutes.

Slice and serve!

THE TEN POUND DOWN JOINS THE CBC MILLION POUND CHALLENGE!!!!

Live Right Now, created by CBC, is challenging all Canadians to a million pound challenge in 2011.  I encourage anyone who has been thinking about losing a few pounds to click on the site and join the quest for a healthier Canada.


Visit: http://www.cbc.ca/liverightnow/group.html?id=478


It's easy, you can follow along with us and help our group grow!

STATS CANADA REPORTS ONLY 15% OF CANADIANS GET ENOUGH WEEKLY PHYSICAL EXERCISE

According to a new study, only a fraction of Canadians meet the minimum standard of weekly exercise. Stats Canada says only 15% of people achieve the proper exercise, and that number falls to 7% for Canadians between the ages of 5 and 17. International and proposed Canadian guidelines recommend adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity a week in order to have health benefits. The bracket of younger Canadians should have at least 60 minutes of activity each day. http://www.durhamradionews.com/

HOW DO I GET RID OF MY BELLY FAT?  

Sandy from North Vancouver say's she's done everything from sit ups, to crunches and leg lifts to tone up and shed that extra fat layer around her mid section.  Though muscle toning will elevate your metabolism thus burning more calories the best way to reduce that layer of fat is through cardiovascular execises.  "Spot reducing" is a myth, the body will not just use the fat stored around the muscles you are working.  If you want to successfully reduce those stored calories then get on a bike, go for a power walk or have a swim. Be sure to focus on the fat burning zone which is a 65% of your maximum heart rate (HR). Use this simple formula to figure it out  {220 - ( age )  x .65 = the target HR}.  Then take a 10 second heart beat count times it by 6 to determine what level of exertion you are working at. Another method to determine if your body is primarily burning stored fat is to check your breathing.  If you're breathing too much your not burning fat.  And of course your diet is important and though they say "a calorie in is a calorie out", there's reasonable evidence suggesting that certain foods make better choices for weight loss.  Please review the "Low GI Diet" blog below for more information.

Here are some great abdominal toning exercises from http://www.fatlossworkoutsguide.com/  (click image to enlarge)
                                                                                                                               

   

   

JOIN THE CHALLENGE 2011

This is going to be a fantastic TPD Weight Loss Challenge with 12 exercise sessions (2X/week), a diet workshop, online support and prizes from Lady Sport, Mercedes Benz, The Garden Health, Body Plus...to name a few.  Registration begins Feb 7th and we have had 2 sold out events so don't miss this one. 

All activities can be motified to suit every fitness level, attend what you can and all participants are eligible to win a prize. 

A pledge sign up sheet will be posted on the TPD display board to raise money for the BCSPCA

Good Luck Everyone!

My top five weight loss tips! 

For most us getting older means gaining weight!  And though our metabolism does decrease slightly with age, the real reason we gain those extra pounds is because we lose our passion for living.  Being youthful means going dancing, playing sports, laughing more, chasing the opposite sex which costs the body tons of calories.  Not everyone had a passionate youth, nor was everyone thin, but now has never been a better time to discover or rediscover what makes your "tok tik"!

#1 Find that personal reason that motivates you to move!

What makes you want to get up a click your heels?  If you like being competitive then join a challenging weight loss support group. If music floats your boat then load up the old ipod and set out for daily run/walks.  If a special event is on the horizon start a program today so you can show off that fantastic you. The fact is that "being fit is healthy" just isn't enough to motivate, we need a more personal reason...find it!

#2 Never, never keep junk food in the house! 

What is it with our diminishing will power at night?  No matter how much I convince myself  "I'm in control" when the evening comes and there's treats in the house I'm weak.  So the only solution is to not buy bulk junk food and store it in the house.  An now your thinking "but I have kids" well too bad it's not good for them either, have you seen the child obesity stats....treats are not love, spending time with your kids is, so go out together for a walk and get your fix if you must.  Stop rewarding with food ..... find another way!


#3 Try and walk as much as possible every day!

I know what your thinking "who has time to walk"? Well we seem to always have time for TV, internet, video games, telephone calls so why not spend a few of life precious moments enjoying a walk ... heck bring along your blue tooth if you must.  This is one of the easiest, cheapest and most convenient ways to work off those extra pounds ... find the time!


#4 Eat like a king at breakfast, a prince at lunch and a pauper at dinner!

                                                                                                                                      

Even though this old saying still holds weight today, if you follow it, you won't!  Learn to love your breakfast as this meal will single handedly "make or break" your day.  A good morning meal can energize you, put you in a good mood and keep you focused.  As you provide yourself with the proper nutrition throughout the day your need for a large evening meal will diminish leading to less stored calories and even a better night's sleep..... look mom no more passing out after my huge dinner!


#5 Choosing Low GI foods is a "this for that"  diet strategy you can easily live by!

Twenty years ago I believed in this diet even though it never really existed till 1996.  As a competitive bodybuilder back in 1991 I experimented with all kinds of weight loss strategies and the low GI diet lead me to victory. It helped me to lose those stubborn extra pounds without leaving me weak, moody or hungry. The focus is not on extremely reducing your calories but on exchanging low GI foods for high ones.  The glycemic index (GI) of a food is how fast it will leave the digestive system and enter the blood stream.  Low GI foods (<55) tend to burn up slower, helping to reduce hunger, providing you with steady energy and preventing diseases associated with consuming too many high GI foods (>70).  For more information on The Low GI Handbook visit their website at: http://www.glycemicindex.com/