Simple Ways to Cut 500 Calories a Day

You have counted calories at least once in your life. Some of you may track them everyday. With online programs like Sparkpeople, Calorie Counter, and FatSecret this has become much easier to do. I have to ask you though, do you really know why you are counting calories or how many you should even been consuming? We know we have to cut 3,500 calories to drop one pound. To lose a healthy pound a week, that’s 500 calories a day! But what number is that based off of and how do we find out?  A scientific based test such as the BOD POD ( you can find a Bod Pod at Good Bodies for $40) is the most accurate way to calculate your calories needed. This number is important because it takes into account your current weight, height, age, body fat, and lean muscle mass . It can then calculate based off of your  estimated  exercise calorie expenditure and resting metabolic rate the exact amount of calories you should be consuming daily.  If you find you have calories to shed here are some great ways to easily cut calories from your diet or burn them off through your day!

Breakfast- Choose to eat 2 eggs, English muffin, ½ c fruit  350 calories VS bagel and cream cheese 450 calories.  (-100cal)

Lunch- Try mustard or hummus VS mayo on sandwiches and go for 15min walk during your break to burn 100 calories. Plus that leaves less lunch time to over eat.  (-100)

Dinner- Rather than depriving yourself of food to drop pounds, simply use smaller plates.  We tend to eat as much as is on their dish rather than the amount that our body actually needs. Use a smaller 9in plate VS 12in plate or use portioned plates  to slash up to 500 calories.  (-100)

Dessert- Try berries and cool whip 125 calories VS ice cream and cake 200-400 calories.  (-75)

Dining out- Restaurant dishes are up to 250 percent larger than a normal portion size, so simply leaving a quarter of the meal on your plate can save up to 500 calories. Skip chips or bread and save up to another 200-400 calories.

In the office- Trade in a ball for a chair and burn an extra 350 cal while also tightening the core! Drink water in place of coffee and sodas to save calories and also boost metabolism.  (-350)

Watching TV-  Try commercial cardio! During the commercials jog in place, do squats or crunches to burn up to 300calories  while watching your fav show! (-300)

Fun Fitness Gadgets

Working out can get routine and frankly a bit boring at times so here are so fun ways to pick up the pace, change up your routine and keep you on your toes...literally!!!

www.workoutmuse.com- If you don't have time or money for a personal trainer or your workouts need a kick in the butt try using the workout muse for timed interval training!  Downloadable for smartphones and convenient to use anywhere!

www.nikerunning.nike.com - Do you find yourself running without goals and no idea if you are making progress? Use Nike+ and your ipod, iphone, or ipad to help track your runs.

www.bodybugg.com - If you have no idea how many calories you actually burn between work and exercise then the body bug will be your best friend who tells you nothing but the truth! You wear the body bug on your arm and it will track your calorie expenditure each day. You can then have a much better idea of the calories you should be eating each day!

www.gymboss.com - Do you like interval training but find it really hard keeping your eye on the second hand? Use the gym boss timer to tell you when to start and stop. You can set it to preform the interval times of your choice to keep you moving through your workout!

One Relaxing Yet Debaucherous Week!

A week in Bermuda and I have proven whether an educated personal trainer and nutrition nut or not... I am human! Fun, food, relaxation, and rum...  Ill explain more later!

This post is going to focus on alcohol consumption! I have lectured and educated you all on the dangers of over indulging on adult beverages and the havoc it wreaks on your beach body dreams. The truth is avoiding alcohol is quite hard to do ESPECIALLY on vacation and during the summer months. What you can do is learn by trial and error as to how it effects own body.

I'm going to put it simply. Alcohol = CALORIES and way more than you would expect. So you have a very clear understanding of how easy it is to consume too many calories via refreshing goodness such as rum here it is:

The Breakdown:

• 6 days on a island
• On average 5 drinks a day ( mimosa w breakfast, rum swizzles (2) shot of tequila  at the beach, wine or cocktail w dinner)
• 900 calories p/day (average 180cal p/drink)
• 5400 calories by the end of the week!!

3200 calories = 1 lb and I gained 2lb!!!!

Need I say more! I clearly indulged and boy was every drop worth it, but I will say I won't be keeping this up! Besides the obvious, here are some reasons why:

( The following is sited from an article written by Liz Noelcke - www. sparkpeople.com)

Alcohol is metabolized differently than other foods and beverages. Under normal conditions, your body gets its energy from the calories in carbohydrates, fats and proteins that need to be slowly digested in the stomach—but not when alcohol is present. When alcohol is consumed, it gets special privileges and needs no digestion. The alcohol molecules diffuse through the stomach wall as soon as they arrive and can reach the brain and liver in minutes. This reaction is slightly slowed when there is also food in your system, but as soon as the mixed contents enter the small intestine, the alcohol grabs first place and is absorbed quickly. The alcohol then arrives at the liver for processing. The liver places all of its attention on the alcohol. Therefore, the carbohydrates (glucose) and dietary fats are just changed into body fat, waiting to be carried away for permanent fat storage in the body.

Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning that it causes water loss and dehydration. Along with this water loss you lose important minerals, such as magnesium, potassium, calcium and zinc. These minerals are vital to the maintenance of fluid balance, chemical reactions, and muscle contraction and relaxation.

Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram and offers NO nutritional value. It only adds empty calories to your diet. Why not spend your calorie budget on something healthier?

Alcohol affects your body in other negative ways. Drinking might help induce sleep, but the sleep you get isn't very deep. Ultimately, as a result, you get less rest. Alcohol can also increase the amount of acid that your stomach produces, causing your stomach lining to become inflamed. Over time, excessive alcohol use can lead to serious health problems, including stomach ulcers, liver disease, and heart troubles.

Alcohol lowers your inhibitions, which is detrimental to your diet plans. Alcohol actually stimulates your appetite. While you might be full from a comparable amount of calories from food, several drinks might not fill you up. On top of that, research shows that if you drink before or during a meal, both your inhibitions and willpower are reduced. In this state, you are more likely to overeat—especially greasy or fried foods—which can add to your waistline. To avoid this, wait to order that drink until you're done with your meal.

Many foods that accompany drinking (peanuts, pretzels, chips) are salty, which can make you thirsty, encouraging you to drink even more. To avoid overdrinking, sip on a glass of water in between each alcoholic beverage.

Skipping a meal to save your calories for drinks later is a bad idea. Many drinkers know they'll be having some alcohol later, whether going to a bar, party, or just kicking back at home. Knowing that drinking entails extra calories, it may be tempting to "bank" some calories by skipping a meal or two. This is a bad move. If you come to the bar hungry, you are even more likely to munch on the snacks, and drinking on an empty stomach enhances the negative effects of alcohol. If you're planning on drinking later, eat a healthy meal first. You'll feel fuller, which will stop you from overdrinking. If you are worried about a looming night out with friends, include an extra 30 minutes of exercise to balance your calories—instead of skipping a meal.

What are more important, calories or carbs? You might think that drinking liquor is more diet-friendly because it has no carbohydrates, while both wine and beer do contain carbs. But dieters need to watch calories, and liquor only has a few calories less than beer or wine. Plus, it is often mixed with other drinks, adding even more empty calories. Hard liquor contains around 100 calories per shot, so adding a mixer increases calories even more. If you are going to mix liquor with anything, opt for a diet or club soda, instead of fruit juice or regular soda. Sweeter drinks, whether liquor or wine, tend to have more sugar, and therefore more calories. In that respect, dry wines usually have fewer calories than sweet wines.

The list below breaks down the number of calories in typical alcoholic drinks. Compare some of your favorites to make a good choice next time you decide to indulge in a serving of alcohol.

Drink	Serving Size	Calories
Red wine	5 oz.	100
White wine	5 oz.	100
Champagne	5 oz.	130
Light beer	12 oz.	105
Regular beer	12 oz.	140
Dark beer	12 oz.	170
Cosmopolitan	3 oz.	165
Martini	3 oz.	205
Long Island iced tea	8 oz.	400
Gin & Tonic	8 oz.	175
Rum & Soda	8 oz.	180
Margarita	8 oz.	200
Whiskey Sour	4 oz.	200

Hopefully this gives you some forewarning and insight when making beverage choices! Always enjoy yourself and know when you are deserving. By the same token be honest with yourself and if this is an area where you can make some changes then give it a try, you may be impressed with the results in more ways then one!

The Grocery Store is Confusing!

So I finally understand why so many of my clients feel overwhelmed to go grocery shopping! My Ch4 news segment this week was about buying into product marketing without reading the labels. I was very excited for this segment because I thought it would be great information. What I did not realize was that the product labeling has become so sneaky and tricky that even I wasn't confident of my purchased food choices.

I shop for myself and shop only in 4 areas of the store. 

• Produce
• Meat
• Dairy
• International fare

So when I went down the dangerous aisles of endless amounts of packaged snacks and frozen foods in search of bad products to use for my segment demo, I was overwhelmed  not only by the choices but how the products actually claim they are healthy and  nutritious foods.

If you find yourself in this predicament here are a few good rules to follow when determining between an unhealthy product and bit of a better choice.

 Which one would you pick?

  

“Made with real fruit” VS the real thing

• Current law doesn't require labels to specify how much fruit is in the product therefore, manufactures can market the product as made with real fruit when it only contains fruit sugars , purees, and concentrates
• Few “real fruit” snack options contain fiber.
•  Some contain hydrogenated fats.
• Labels stating concentrated juice are just fruit sugars and water

Answer: There is no quick snack that replaces good ole fruit so buy the real thing and snack away!

Less Sodium VS Low in Sodium

• Less sodium- law requires that the sodium level be only 25% less than the original product.    Meaning a high sodium product will still be high is sodium even stating less per serving.
• Low in sodium or no sodium added– Always choose to insure you get 140mg or less per serving.

 Answer:  Most foods contain some sodium so watch your sodium intake and stay below the recommended amount of 2300mg a day.

Water VS Nutrient enriched water

• Water is essential for hydration and bodily function
• Enriched nutrient water – claim they supply daily requirements for some nutrients, however you may only be getting traces of these nutrients. You are much better off eating a few strawberries!
• Enriched nutrient waters can contain calories and artificial sweeteners.

Answer:  If the body needs water to purify your organs why add to the workload with synthetic chemicals? Add real lemon juice to add taste.

Veggie Chips VS Potato chips

• Veggies chips can be loaded with as many calories and oils as regular potato chip
• Veggie chips may not even be made from veggies. Often they only have traces of veggie powders!
• Look for ingredients with vegetables listed as first ingredients.
• Look for veggie chips with 3grams or more of fiber

Answer: Eat real veggies, nuts, or air popped popcorn

Multi Grain VS Whole Grain

• Look for food labels that say 100% whole grain.
• Whole grains should be first or second ingredient.
• Food labels that state “made with whole grain” may have little or a lot.
• Crackers labeled “multigrain” may not have whole grains at all

Answer: This was the toughest one! Everything seemed to say Whole Wheat so  look for the Whole Grains Council stamp on the box or package. This ensures it is 100% whole wheat.

Food packaging can be very deceiving when it comes to making the best food choices. Understand what product labels really mean before you buy a food in which product marketing deems healthy! Besides having a handle on portion control, having knowledge of the ingredients vs the product claims can save you from unwanted weight gain.

My number one rule and steadfast advice for you is shop the perimeter of the store. This really works. If you are buying food in the aisles then there is a pretty big percentage that  the food you are buying is crap preserved and/or injected with crap. Crap meaning, synthetic and engineered chemicals your body doesn't want or need.