In my quest to stay up on what’s new in the fitness world and sniff out any useful nutrition tips for my clients and the members of my weight Loss Boot Camp I read about 5 magazines and 1-2 books cover to cover every month.
I have to say, most of the time, what I read is simply a new spin on the basics: Eat clean and work your butt off :).
This morning however, I learned a little tip that all this time even I didn’t know!
Drinking cold water will make you [Read more…]
In my quest to help the members of my weight loss boot camp eat healthy and get and/or stay lean, I’m always scouring the grocery store shelves for a new and tasty find.
Well I found one I want to share.
It’s a tasty little snack cracker called ‘Flat Out Good’ and the "cleanest" flavor is the whole grain one.
I love that these crackers are all natural. They have very minimal ingredients and you can actually pronounce them all! A lot of the crackers that market themselves as "natural" have a list of unreadable ingredients as long as your arm.
Check out these stats:
A serving size is 9 crackers and each cracker is about 3" in diameter (that’s a pretty good size)
Calories 35
Fat 0
Carbs 7
Protein 1
Fiber 1
Sodium 110mg
Ingredients: Whole wheat flour, natural cheese flavor, salt
Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been eating them with hummus, natural peanut butter, or my favorite; laughing Cow spreadable low-fat cheese.
With any of these spreads, it’s a great snack for about 100 calories (a touch more with the peanut butter)
If you need more than a snack check out the healthy recipes section of my blog.
Happy snacking!
This Sunday, April 25th the Skinny Jeans Transformation challenge starts. If you haven’t heard about it, it is a 9 week challenge that will get you into your Skinny Jeans guaranteed! All the info is here Get Me In My Skinny Jeans! I am so excited to be bringing this to you and my boot camps are definitely buzzing.
During the 9 weeks the challenge covers, we will all be uber focused on our nutrition and daily workouts but I know as much as you do that those sugar craving are going to hit at some point and we’re going to need a fat-loss friendly way to satisfy them. So I am compiling a list of the tastiest sweet treats under 200 calories and then I’ll put them all in a special report for you to keep handy.
But I need your help. What are your favorite ways to beat a sweat tooth without wrecking your diet?
Leave a comment at the bottom of this post and share with us.
Don’t forget, if you want to be a part of this truly amazing and motivating challenge and finally get into your Skinny Jeans, check out the details here Skinny Jeans Transformation Challenge.
I’ll get the list started:
Help me out, what’s your favorite sweet treat under 200 calories? Leave it in the comments below.
Sugar and alcohol, those are the two topics I get asked about the most when it comes to weight loss and fat loss.
Sugar can be as addicting as coffee or even cigarettes for some people. And just try and quit it once its got its hooks in you.
But sugar can be confusing too. Is there such a thing as "good" sugar and "bad" sugar? And is there ever a time when you need to eat sugar?
My friend Leanne Ellington from Not Your Average Boot Camp in Orlando Florida gives you the skinny on it all. Check it out.
Sarai
It’s that time of year again.
It’s cold, rainy, stays dark for most of the day, and who doesn’t want a nice warm cup of happiness?
This has not slipped past the eyes of coffee shops everywhere so they have begun to peddle their holiday beverages. With names as enticing as peppermint, gingerbread, pumpkin pie, and eggnog, it’s no wonder that these drinks are top sellers.
The last two weeks I’ve been talking to you about avoiding the end of the year weight gain but let’s get serious for a moment. You’re going to eat a LOT of food this Thursday. You know it. I know it. And that’s ok. I’m sure you’ve been working out just a little bit harder to prepare for it, right? 😉 And I know you’re going to get a good workout in on Thursday before you chow down, right?
Now, besides that, I also want to remind you one thing you do NOT want to do on Thursday is skip meals so you can stuff yourself with one big one. That’s a no-no.
You still need to start your day right by boosting your metabolism with a solid breakfast. So to help you out with that I’ve got a gift for you from me and my buddies over at Prograde Nutrition. It’s a delicious Protein Pancakes recipe.
Thanks to the protein in the recipe your blood sugar won’t go crazy like it can just by eating a huge stack of pancakes with sugary syrup. Nope, this recipe will fill you up, nourish your body and give your metabolism just the boost it needs.
Be sure to let me know how you like it.
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 scoop Prograde Protein
3 tsp. baking powder
2 1/2 c. skim milk
3 egg whites
1/4 c. oil
2 tbsp. wheat germ
2 tbsp. cornmeal
4 tbsp. bran
Heat skillet or griddle to 375 degrees. In large bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix until large lumps disappear. Pour about 1/4 cup batter into hot skillet. Turn pancakes when edges look cooked and bubbles begin break on surface.
Repeat after me -"I will not gain more weight this holiday season." 
When you said that right now, how did it feel? Did you mean it but just don’t quite know how to make it happen?
Well I’m here today with 3 more quick tips to help you avoid the dreaded end of the year 15 pounds.
And trust me, I know these simple tips work, because the women in my fitness boot camp use them to stay lean and trim all year, including through the holidays.
The 3 I’m sharing with you today are very quick and very simple, in fact, just like the first four weight loss tips I gave you, you can start these right now.
1.) Drink, Drink, Drink Water!
Water competes for space in your stomach and truly helps decrease appetite. For every plate you eat, try to drink at least 1-2 glasses of water. After that second plate, when you have 1 full liter of water in your stomach, I bet you might just throw in the towel!
2.) Control your Portions
Try to eat only half of all the servings of unhealthy food that you choose. Half of the portions equal half the calories!
3.) Perform High-Intensity Activity Before and/or After a Big Meal or Holiday Feast
I know, I know. I promised diet strategies, but I simply cannot go without recommending some activity. Your body is most receptive to higher calorie and/or carbohydrate meals within 30 minutes before and within three hours following high-intensity activity. Ideally you would want to workout out before AND after a big meal, but if you can only do one, that will suffice. It is less important when you do it and more important that you do it. Your best options will be 20 minutes of circuit resistance training or cardio interval training. Even a 20-30 plus minute walk a few hours afterwards can serve as a bit of damage control.
I’ve got LOT’s more tips to help you out. I’ll make sure to post a few more over the next few days.
If you want non-stop access to me and all my little tips, tricks and turkey burning workouts, come check out my boot camp for women. You can do it free for a full week.
It seems that the whole world has become aware of the fact that the average person gains 10-15lbs during the typical holiday season; Halloween to New Years.
But having this knowledge and actually doing something to prevent the unsightly weight gain is a different story.
So what can you do to actually go into 2010 without having “lose weight” as your annual new years goal?
I actually have lots of tips that will help you beat the end of the year 15 and today I’m going to share 4 with you that you can apply to your life all the time, not just during the holiday season.
1.) Eat Leans Proteins and Fruits and Vegetables FIRST 
Just because it’s a holiday meal doesn’t mean you can’t eat any nutritious food. Make sure to load up on healthier food choices first and try to eat as much lean meat, fish, and fruits and veggies as possible at the start of each holiday event. This will leave less room for the unhealthier, higher calorie treats. At least this way you know your body is getting in some good nutrition and you are not putting yourself at excessive risk for sickness and/or other health concerns.
2.) Drink, Drink, Drink Water!
Water competes for space in your stomach and truly helps decrease appetite. For every plate you eat, try to drink at least 1-2 glasses of water. After that second plate, when you have 1 full liter of water in your stomach, I bet you might just throw in the towel!
3.) Control your Portions
Try to eat only half of all the servings of unhealthy food that you choose. Half of the portions equal half the calories!
4.) Use Lower Calorie/Carbohydrate Substitutes Whenever Possible
Instead of using sugar, opt for zero calorie alternatives like splenda or stevia. They can deliver a similar taste without all of the extra sugar and calories. Even try replacing yeast with protein powder when you bake. The extra protein and reduced carbohydrates will result in a slimmer you while still providing some great tasting treats! Your goal should be to find the minimal amount of calories that can provide the same great taste that makes the holiday treats enjoyable rather than simply overdoing it because you can!
Carbs, carbs, carbs. That’s what everyone seems to want to talk about. How do I avoid carbs?
Well, what you should be talking about instead is, "How do I get more lean Protein into my eating plan?"
Now THAT is the right question.
You see, Protein is where it’s at. Check out these two little known facts about protein:
uses more calories to digest protein than other nutrients. Pretty sneaky, huh? Good sources of Lean Protein come from foods such as:
Fish, eggs, poultry, lean beef…
But some people have trouble eating enough protein each day. Some people would like it to be more convenient for them.
If that’s the case with you then I have VERY good news. And it’s news I’ve been waiting to tell you for some time now.
My buddies over at Prograde Nutrition have finally released their pharmaceutical quality whey protein.
You see, not all Protein powders are created equal. Prograde Protein:
– Delivers unparalleled purity through low-temperature micro-filtering
– Is naturally sweetened with Stevia
– Contains 5.3 grams of branch chained amino acids per serving
– Mixes instantly with just a spoon
– Enhances absorption and digestion via lactase and Aminogen digestive enzymes
Look, I’ve been waiting patiently for Prograde Protein to come out. But as usual, Prograde just would NOT release this product until they could get it as close to perfect as possible.
The best part is they are putting it on sale this week to celebrate it’s launch. You can get it at 10% off this week ONLY. Just go to www.BootyCampNutrition.com and you’ll find all the details. Including the coupon code to use when you order to get the 10% off your order.
But you need to hurry. For one thing, the special price ends this Friday, November 13th at 11:59pm EST. The other thing is, well, I cannot begin to tell you how highly anticipated Prograde Protein has been. There’s a very good chance they’ll be out of stock well before Friday even gets here!
So get yours NOW.
Sarai D. Jones
One concern that I often hear a lot from my clients in Booty Boot Camp is the fear of 
eating late.
I think it’s safe to say that we have all heard the advice to not eat after a certain time, say 7pm. Most of us have come to believe that if we do eat past that magical cut off time, our weight loss efforts are doomed to failure.
But this is simply not true as a cut and dry fact. There’s more to it than that.
One thing you must understand is that it is not necessarily just that you are eating late that’s the problem. What you eat AND if it fits into your overall calorie allotment for the day is what you really need to keep an eye on. If you graze all night, you will definitely be over your calories for the day, and your diet efforts could be shot.
Consider this; after a full day of healthy, portion controlled eating,
night time grazing is more about satisfying an urge to munch as opposed to true hunger. Wouldn’t you agree?
So what can you do?
First, you need to re-commit to yourself to the bigger picture; the process of making lifestyle changes, not just putting yourself on another diet. If night time munching is one of the reason that you’ve put on weight over the years, then it is obviously one of the things in your life that needs to change.
Does that mean you’ll never again sit down to a big bowl of buttered popcorn after dinner?
Of course not. You and I both know that to say we are cutting something we truly love out of our life forever is a recipe for failure.
This is about you getting control over your actions. You deciding when you will have a late night snack and
not just marching into the kitchen like some food crazed zombie.
Next, you need to get control -this can take on more than one form:
Change is not easy. Give yourself time to make the adjustment to more balanced eating. Strive to make small changes every day and over time you will get to your goals.