Weight Loss Gimmicks: The Good, The Bad and The "Are you kidding me?!"

Good Morning!

When it comes to weight loss there is no end to the number of weight loss gimmicks, tricks, pills, diets and equipment (for example the shake weight pictured below - I had to put this video in my blog... it makes me laugh every time ha ha ha). So today we are going to talk about some way, beyond diet and exercises, you can help aid your weight loss. We are going to talk about the good ways, massage therapy, acupuncture, etc. and the crazy (and dangerous) things people try, like the feeding tube diet to lose weight.

Anywho, serious face back on. There is no easy way to lose weight, it takes planning and dedication with both nutrition and physical activity but there are ways you can help accelerate your weight loss while keeping yourself happy and healthy. The 'Good' ways to help yourself lose weight are listed below - my personal favourite being massage therapy:

The Good:
http://fitbie.ca.msn.com/lose-weight/tips/6-alternative-weight-loss-techniques


Now lets look at some of the bad. The methods listed in this article claiming to help lose weight are unhealthy, ineffective and potentially very dangerous to your health. Read up on these and educate yourself so you can go forth and educate others so no one uses these methods!... This article is also good for a laugh because really... who is stupid enough to try some of these things (#6 for example)?!

The Bad and The 'Are you kidding me?!':
http://fitbie.ca.msn.com/lose-weight/tips/weird-ways-people-try-lose-weight


Remember there is no trick to losing weight. It takes a healthy, nutritios diet and ample physical activity (of course reading my blog won't hurt either)!

I'm off now for the long weekend. I hope everyone has a happy, healthy and safe end of the summer and I'll talk you again Tuesday!

Stay Healthy!
Andrea :)

Your Dinner Plate = A Great Weight Loss Tool!

Hello Again!

No one I have ever met wants to count calories or measure foods or weight them or anything else for that matter, so some people (much smarter then me) came up with a simple yet genius way for people to watch their portions and lose weight.

This is part of an article from Men's Health Magazine:

Instead of counting calories or multiplying fat percentages (and tearing your hair out), try this amazingly simple concept: Look hard at your plate. Divide it into two sections; fill about half or more with vegetables and/or fruits and the remainder with roughly equal amounts of starch and a high-protein food. Then watch the weight come off. Even better, this way of eating may help prevent cancer, heart disease, and other common killers.

DIVVYING UP YOUR PLATE

By using your plate as a weight loss tool, you no longer have to remember confusing details about portions and servings, says Netty Levine, RD, a nutritionist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

"I recently worked with a client for an hour, hammering out a fabulous, detailed weight loss plan," recalls Levine. "When we finished, he looked up, and I could see it in his eyes: We'd both just wasted our time. He didn't want to remember all that information on servings and portions and food groups."

So Levine took out a fresh piece of paper and drew a big, round circle with a line through the middle. "This is your plate; fill the top half with fruits and vegetables, and divide the bottom half in two. In one quarter put your protein, such as meat, poultry, or fish, and in the remaining quarter put your starch, such as whole grains, potatoes, or pasta," she advised.

Four months later, that client, Bill Knapp, was 28 lb lighter and loving his plate plan. "I still go to my favorite restaurants, but now I know what to order to get the right amount of food," he says.

That's the beauty of this divided-plate concept: built-in portion control. "You fill the divided plate once. If you're still hungry, have another plate of vegetables, and then you're done. It's that simple," says Levine. And with a plate half filled with vegetables, there's no room for the megacalorie, gigantic burgers and pasta "hills" notorious for contributing to the obesity epidemic.


Read more at Men's Health: http://www.menshealth.com/weight-loss/weight-loss-plan-portion-control#ixzz24rshr0Jm

Give this a try it might be what makes the difference in your fitness and health journey!

Stay Healthy!

Andrea :)

The Athletic Woman's Best Friend

Happy Monday!

I hope everyone had a great weekend! As a change of pace today we are going to NOT talk about food and talk about one of the MOST important pieces of athletic equipment a woman can buy... the sports bra.

A good fitting, comfortable and supportive sports bra can make a huge difference in how you feel during your workout. And with the multitude of new deisgns the dreaded uni-boob is a thing of the past! Check out this article I found online from Runner's World magazine and see what bra type would work best for your boobs. My personal favorite is the tata-tamer from lululemon which is designed for girls on the bustier side. It provides great support and is adjustable from regular straps to a cross-back so I can wear it under regular shirts or racer back tanks.

Check out the article and find you new best (workout) friend!

http://fitbie.msn.com/slideshow/bra-vo

The tata-tamer by Lululemon

Talk to you tomorrow and as always comments are welcome!

Stay healthy (and comfortable)!

Andrea :)

PS Here is the link to the tata-tamer if your interested:

http://shop.lululemon.com/products/clothes-accessories/women-sports-bras/Ta-Ta-Tamer-II-31110?cc=4787&skuId=3464965&catId=women-sports-bras

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Happy Friday!

I hope everyone has big plans for one of the last weekends of the summer. In order to celebrate the weekend today I'm posting a delicious and nutritious banana bread recipe that is sure to satisfy adults with its whole grains, flax meal, protein and healthy fats, and kids with its great taste. Great for breakfast or as a snack on the go!

Here's how we do it:

Mix the Wet:
2 egg whites
3 mashed bananas
1/3 cup peanut butter (natural is better)
1/4 cup of milk (you will need a little bit more if you use the protein powder. Use as much as you
                        need for the desired consistency)
1/4 cup canola oil (you can also substitute the oil of apple sauce and you won't taste a bit of
                           difference!)

Mix the Dry:
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup flax meal
1/4 cup splenda
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1-2 scoops protein powder* (Only if desired!)

Mix the wet and dry ingredients together, pour in to a loaf pan and bake at 350*F for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in to the middle comes out clean.



This is one of my favourite snacks to have with a piece of fruit and a delicious cup of coffee on Saturday mornings. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Have a great weekend and talk to you Monday!

Stay healthy!

Andrea :)

Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Thighs

Well hello there!

Today's recipe is Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Thighs served with fresh grilled asparagus and sour cream and chive mashed potatoes. 3 of my clients have tried this recipe so far and they all LOVE it! Its fast, easy and so healthy! This is one of my favourite meals and one my boyfriend requests almost weekly - and it is so easy to do! This meal has 1.5 servings of protein and 2 servings of vegetables as well as healthy fats and herbs and spices.

First the chicken - I get a 12 pack of boneless, skinless chicken thighs for No Frills and a small package of peppercorn goat cheese from the deli section. To make them I open up each chicken thigh (they are all ready cut open) and put about 1 rounded Tsp of goat inside each then wrap them back up again. I put them all in a baking dish and then cover them with whatever herbs I'm in the mood for! In the past I have used Montreal Steak Spice, Rosemary and Parsley and freshly ground black pepper and they have all turned out delicious. Be creative and use your favourite spices to make this recipe your own! Bake for 35 minutes at 350* and your done.

For the Sour Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes - boil up your potatoes as usual (skins on for added fibre) then instead of adding cream and butter add freshly chopped chives and a scoop of plain 0% fat greek yogurt (instead of fatty sour cream) to get the texture your looking for. These mashed potatoes are low in fat and high in fibre and vitamins!

As you can see I took this picture when the food was steaming hot!

Enjoy! And as usual if you have any comments, questions or thoughts please post or e-mail me!

Stay healthy!
Andrea  :)

Protien Rich Foods and Why You Need Them

Good Morning!

Yesterday while I was reading the news I came across a great article on fitbe.ca on 20 protien rich foods and also includes ideas on how to incorporate them in to your diet.

Why do I want you to read this article? Because people (especially women) underestimate the importance of protien in weight loss and weight management and often it is the first thing to get cut in a 'diet'.

But protein is required by the body for the growth, maintenance and repair of all cells. It is a major component of all muscles, tissues and organs and is vital for practically every process that occurs within the body such as metabolism, digestion and the transportation of nutrients and oxygen in the blood.

It is also necessary for the production of antibodies, which fight against infection and illness, and is the main nutrient that keeps our hair shiny and healthy, our nails strong, our skin fresh and glowing and our bones strong and healthy.

Have a read through and if you have any questions or comments as always feel free to post or e-mail me!!!

http://fitbie.ca.msn.com/slideshow/20-protein-packed-foods-slim

Stay Healthy!
Andrea :)

Roasted Pineapple & Jabenero Chicken

Good Morning!

Welcome to my first blog post! Today's Topic: Pineapple Jabenero Chicken.

While I was at Costco this weekend I found Roasted Pineapple and Jabenero sauce in the salad dressing isle and decided to give it a try. It is delicious, a little bit spicey and full of chunks of pineapple (one of my favorite fruits). After getting the sauce I had to decide what to put it on so I decided on chicken breasts and fresh pineapple served with fresh asparagus. To make the chicken I used the sauce as a BBQ sauce and grilled it on the BBQ then I brushed the fresh pineapple (also from Costco) with the sauce and grilled it and the asparagus on my indoor grill. For bigger eaters you could also serve this with a nice baked potato.

This is a delicious and healthy meal that only takes about 30-40 minutes from start to finish and includes 1 serving of fruit, 1 serving of veggies and 1 serving of lean protien... and did I mention its delicious? 

Thanks for reading and let me know how it tastes! Stay turned for more recipes :)

Stay healthy!

Andrea

PS This sauce is gluten free