Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas. 

Guess I am gonna have to worry about the Xmas binge tomorrow. 

Always Remember This One Piece of Advice When It Comes To Your Weight Loss.

Making major lifestyle changes is always a tough feat to accomplish. Whether you're adopting a brand new diet, trying to get eight hours of sleep a night, or giving up alcohol for the first time, shifting to a brand new habit is far from easy. The same goes for losing weight. When you're trying to shed excess pounds, it often all boils down to a culmination of everyday choices we make. And we all know that those daily habits are the hardest ones to keep.

My weight has fluctuated over the years, but 2017 was finally the year when my weight-loss efforts stuck. I'm sure it was due to a combination of smart choices, like eating a plant-based diet and strength training more often, but much of my success can be attributed to one piece of weight-loss advice that made it so much easier to reach my goals: ignore everyone.

 Related: 8 Ways To Motivate Yourself To tart To Lose Weight

This may sound unconventional and perhaps a little wacky, but trust me, when implemented in a smart way, this instruction will give you all the tools you need to reach your own goals. Here are three reasons why this advice has helped me so much in the past.

People Will Always Comment on Your Weight-Loss Efforts

This Is What Happens To Your Body When You Stop Exercising.

               


Saw this and thought Whoops. May need to stop slacking off. 🙇

Let me know what you think?

6 Tips To Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

I love the holidays! But if you’re trying to lose weight, all the sweet, carb-filled holiday treats can sometimes add stress to your celebrations. In this blog, I’m going to share with you how to enjoy all the delights of the season while still staying true to your weight-loss goals.

First, remember that there’s no better time of year to remind yourself of why you want to lose weight in the first place. Your friends and family care about you and want you to succeed. They want you to be happy, healthy, and on your way to becoming the person you want to be in 2018!

Also, seeing your loved ones at these gatherings is a great reminder that the holidays are about so much more than the food. Those delicious dishes and desserts are just tokens of the love you share among the most important people in your life. When you focus on what really matters, it’s not so hard to let a treat or two pass you by.

Related: What To Do After A Binge To Get You Back On Track 

In fact, there’s no reason you can’t successfully lose weight (or at least maintain your weight) during the holidays. But it helps to have the right mindset — and a plan — for getting through holiday meals and parties keeping your weight-loss goals intact.

6 Ways to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain:

1. Eat a filling breakfast and lunch

Don’t starve yourself before the big meal! You may think you’re “saving up calories,” but the hungrier you are when you arrive, the more likely you are to make poor food choices and wind up eating more than you might have otherwise. Start the day with a healthy, satisfying breakfast and a reasonable lunch, so you won’t be ravenous by the time the holiday meal is served.

Will Eating Carbs At Night Cause Weight Gain?

You may have heard that if you're trying to lose weight, you shouldn't eat carbs late at night, because it'll make you gain weight. Leanne Ward, a sports dietitian known as the_fitness_dietitian on Instagram, posted to settle things once and for all.

Leanne says, "They won't... as long as the carbs/meals you consume are within your energy budget. Ie... any macronutrients (carbs, fat & protein) will make you gain weight if you're eating in surplus (too much food for your body's needs)." She goes on, "As long as the calories you're consuming at night are within your body's required amounts, you will not gain weight."

 Related: How Many Calories Should You Eat In a Day

So, basically, as long as you eat the right number of calories per day, including the appropriate amount of carbs, fats, and protein for your goals, it doesn't matter what time you eat them. Amazing to hear this from a dietitian, right?!

Love Bread And Pasta? Here's How To Lose Weight Without Giving Them Up.

When it comes to weight loss, pale is out. White bread is evil, brown rice is best, and if you do spring for pasta, it better be whole-wheat. Quinoa pasta is cool too.

The whole-grain trend does make sense. After all, while grains naturally contain three distinct, nutritious parts—the bran, germ, and endosperm—white breads and pastas are stripped of everything but the endosperm, a.k.a. the starchy part, explains registered dietitian Jonathan Valdez, R.D.N., owner of NYC-based Genki Nutrition and a spokesperson for the New York State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

So, with only the endosperm on board, white, refined grains are low in fiber and sky-high in simple sugars, threatening to spike you blood sugar and fat-storing insulin levels. Not exactly a weight-loss superfood.

Still, white grains are also ridiculously fluffy and yummy—meaning that a lot of us have a hard time giving them up. Fortunately, you don't have to. It’s important to remember that no one food on its own will keep you from hitting your weight-loss goals, explains registered dietitian Alissa Rumsey, R.D., author of The 5-Minute Mindful Eating Exercise.

“So, if you really enjoy white bread and pasta, don’t cut them out,” she says. Just make sure you take a healthy approach to them. 

Here, experts share five tips to help you make your love of refined grains work for your weight-loss goals.

The Four Things You Need To Know Before Going To The Bar.

                    

As we head into the festive season here are some tips to help you navigate the office Xmas party drinks. 😉 

Let me know what you think?

Related: Alcohol and Weight Gain. Here's The Lowdown

Bananas? Should You Avoid Them If You want To Lose Weight?

One of the basic truths that everyone learns about healthy eating is that fruit is good for you. So it’s kind of weird that many low-carb diets say that you should swear off bananas.

After all, bananas are a fruit, but they are starting to get a reputation as a sugar-laden, calorie-packed fruit. More than 70,000 Google “how many calories in a banana” each month, and even celeb trainer Harley Pasternak recommends that dieters avoid bananas to lose weight. And eating bananas on a keto diet? Forget about it.

Why: A medium banana packs 27 grams of carbs, more than two slices of white bread, as well as about 14 grams of sugar. That sugar occurs in the from of fructose, a simple sugar that the body digests rapidly and can lead to blood sugar and insulin spikes. And, for the record, there are 105 calories in a banana.

 Related: Can Eating Avocados Help You Lose Weight?

How The 80/20 Rule Will Change Your Weight Loss Plan

One balanced approach to lifestyle change—and lasting weight loss—is the 80/20 model. The idea is that 80 percent of your choices are made in the planned and predictable environment of your "normal" routine and are therefore mostly healthy, while 20 percent of your decisions are made in situations that are not part of your normal routine, and therefore may include indulgences or lapses. You might be at a birthday party and have a slice of cake, or maybe you get superbusy at work and miss a few days of exercise.

At first glance, an all-or-nothing approach actually seems easier to stick to because it's so black and white; there are hard-and-fast rules that are simple to follow. The 80/20 approach, on the other hand, requires judgment and moderation; you have to make decisions and choices on the fly. For example, can you have just one of your trigger foods (one of those foods that you struggle to eat in moderation) in a given situation? Can you take a day off from exercise and get right back to the gym the next day?

The keys to making 80/20 work are that 

1) understanding that the 20 percent is a normal part of life and it's better to make peace with it than attempt to avoid it altogether, and 

2) you haven't "blown it" and one indulgence or lapse doesn't have to cascade into several more. 

Related:  8 Ways To Motivate Yourself To Start to Lose Weight

5 Ways To Lose Weight Without Going Low Carb.

Low-carb dieting has been having a moment, and then some. For years now, women have flocked to diets like Whole30, Paleo, and even a resurgence of Atkins. It’s not without good reason: In the short term, these diets can be effective for those looking to slim down. In the long run, though, they do come with some drawbacks.

Heather Caplan, R.D., a Washington, D.C., sports nutritionist, says the low-carb approach will amount to relatively fast results. “The majority of what we eat is carbohydrate based, so there’s plenty of room to reduce them by cutting out desserts, snacks, and processed foods,” she says. “This will lead to weight loss and feeling good.”

But the approach has its limits, both in terms of weight loss and longer-term health impacts. “Eventually, if you omit all carbohydrates, there are metabolic implications, especially if you omit fat at the same time,” says Ellie Kempton, R.D., owner of Denver-based Simply Nourished. “Even if you choose to emphasize fat and limit carbohydrates, you still need enough carbohydrates to fuel the brain, adrenal glands, and thyroid, all three of which are crucial for energy, sleep, and weight.”

Related: Carb Cycling: A Beginners Guide

Both nutritionists are fans of nixing the highly-processed carbs that are common in the American diet. “I teach each and every one of my clients to decrease processed sugar/carb intake,” says Kempton. “My qualm stems from cutting out all carb intake because extreme low-carb weight-loss strategies only work for so long.”

How To Keep Your Cheat Meals In Check

                       

Check out these 5 cheat meal tactics to try. 

Let me know what you think?

Related: 5 Easy Tricks to Outsmart Cravings

3 Ways To Get Your Friends And Family Help Your Weight Loss Plan.

When it comes to working out and losing weight, the whole process is hands-down easier when you have your friends and family standing behind you.

Don't just listen to us, either, science agrees. In a university study cited in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, those who recruited three friends or family members to assist them in their quest to lose weight had better weight loss results than those who had no buddy system to fall back on.

We get it, though. There's not always someone just waiting around to be your support system when it comes to the long journey that is weight loss. While getting your friends to join you in your weight-slashing aspirations may seem daunting at first, it's important. The good news? Harvard researchers Dr. Walter Willett and Dr. Malissa Wood have the suggestions you need to make losing weight with friends and family efficient (and even fun!). Check out their three suggestions for losing weight with friends, adapted from their book Thinfluence.

Related: Why Men Lose Weight Faster Than Women. (We Know Its Unfair)

Make it cheap

If you want to get a group of friends together to exercise regularly, it's super important to be mindful of the costs. Generally speaking, the less expensive you make it, the more people can join you and the more likely it is that people will stick with the group. Doing things like  walking around your neighbourhood or a local school's track is obviously free, save for the cost of a pair of walking shoes. Not to mention, there are loads of other budget-minded activities you could do together, too.  

5 Weight Loss Myths That Are Setting You Up For Failure.

Losing weight is no small feat. It requires you to make changes to your daily routine, eating habits, and maybe even your social life. The traditional advice of “eat right and exercise” can often seem daunting if you’re looking to drop fat fast.

That’s why one internet search for "how to lose weight" yields millions of quick-fix alternatives to the slow slog of jogging and salads. But do they work?

Science says no. There’s no one magic ingredient that’s going to make you lose weight, says Wesley Delbridge, R.D., spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Choosing the wrong fad or crash diet could leave you lethargic for workouts, lower your immunity, and even derail your weight loss, slowing your metabolism and making it harder to drop pounds in the future.

There’s no substitute for putting in the hard work, but the good news is that there are a lot of little things you can do each day to shed pounds. Read on for five weight-loss myths that could set you back, and the research-based tips to try instead.

MYTH #1: DETOX DIETS ARE GREAT FOR YOUR BODY

Some research suggests that harmful substances we’re exposed to from our environment (like the BPA in plastics, for example) may play a role in diseases like obesity and diabetes. However, there’s no evidence that commercial detox products like teas, juice cleanses, and special restrictive diets can effectively remove them.

The all-powerful secret to detoxing? Your body’s natural filters, also known as your liver and kidneys. The thought that special detox formulas travel from your digestive tract to your muscles, fat, and skin to seek out toxins, like alcohol or drugs, and flush them from your body is a myth, says Delbridge.

Plus, most detox cleanses involve drastic calorie restriction, which can be bad news for your waistline. When your body senses that it’s starving, your metabolism slows, so it will hold on to those foods tighter when you do start eating normally again, making it likely that you’ll just gain back any weight you lost to begin with, explains Delbridge.

Try this: The best way to support your body’s natural detox pathways is through food. First, you need to drink enough water, so your kidneys can properly flush out unneeded chemicals, says Susan Payrovi, M.D., an integrative medicine practitioner at Stanford University’s Medical Center.

Acupuncture For Weight Loss? Does It Work?

Unless you're freaked out by needles, you might have considered acupuncture as an alternative pain relief treatment. This traditional form of Chinese medicine dates back thousands of years and is based on targeting specific trigger points in your body using small, thin needles. Research finds that it may help alleviate some health issues, like back pain, sports injuries, or even anxiety.

Modern acupuncture is mostly used to stimulate your nerves, muscles, and blood flow. And in the past few years, there's been some buzz surrounding acupuncture's ability to help you shed pounds, too. In a study published in the British Medical Journal, Korean researchers randomly assigned 91 overweight people to a group receiving treatment at five ear acupuncture points, one ear acupuncture point, or a sham control group. They found that those receiving acupuncture saw their body mass index (BMI)—a marker of their weight—decrease by roughly six percent after eight weeks.

But can simply sticking a few needles in your body really help you shed pounds?

The science behind it isn't quite clear yet. There's a theory that putting these needles on the outer part of your ear stimulates various trigger points that may play a role in your appetite and metabolism, explains Sharon Zarabi, R.D., who works as the bariatric program director at Lenox Hill Hospital, where she counsels patients on nutrition and weight loss.

This Is Why Almonds Help You Lose Weight

                    

Check out this video about how almonds help you lose weight. 

Let me know what you think?

Related: The 5 Biggest Myths About Eating Fat.

Why You Need Sleep To Burn More Calories.

I'm sure you don't need a 10-page research paper from the journal Sleep to tell you that sleeping less leads to fatigue and a cranky attitude. (But in case you were wondering, there is one.) 

Pretty much everyone knows that lack of sleep causes fatigue and performance deficiencies, but the worst part is that you stop being aware of these ill-effects after a couple of days. You actually get used to functioning in a fatigued state, yet you don't realize that you're overtired and not performing at your best. Sleep-deprived fatigue becomes your new normal. 

Related: Tips To Improve Your Sleep and Boost Your Weight Loss

One of the biggest downsides to this fatigue is that it will make you burn fewer calories. This is because you'll tend to move less during the day and also because your body will become more conservative with the number of calories you burn overall. Both of these occurrences are a huge barrier to rapid fat loss, as they are the total opposite of what you need to happen. You need greater energy output, and you need your body to become more frivolous, not conservative, with the amount of calories that it burns each day.

Carb Cycling: A Beginners Guide

Nutrition trends come and go in waves. First, we were scared of eating too much fat. Then the conversation started to shift, and we started demonizing carbs.

In a way, our fear of carbs makes sense. Carbohydrates make up a large portion of your daily calories, and eating too much of the not-so-great kind, like sugary drinks, white bread, and cookies, can be problematic if you’re looking to lose weight or just get healthier.

So you might choose to cut out carbs altogether, but that type of restriction isn’t entirely necessary. Eating the right kind of carbs, like oats and brown rice, provides your body with the fuel you need to not only get through your workouts, but also your day in general. That’s why some people opt for a strategy called carb cycling, meaning they alternate between high carb days and low carb days.

“Carb cycling is a way to help dieters periodically feel like they’re not dieting and in some cases actually indulging,“ says nutrition advisor Alan Aragon, M.S.. This doesn't mean you'll get a special fat-burning effect by going low carb, but it might help you stick with your diet in the long run, he adds.

 Related: Could taking Breaks While Dieting Be The Key To Losing Weight

But does this approach do anything for your weight for the long haul? Even more importantly, is it any better than simply cutting calories overall? Here’s your beginner’s guide to carb cycling and how to figure out if it’s a fit for you.

Negative Self Talk? How it is Hijacking Your Weight Loss Plan.

This started for me when I was 13 years old. I remember standing on a scale, seeing "110" staring back at me, and thinking, "I'm so fat. I need to lose 10 pounds." For some reason I had this number in my mind: 100. And until I reached it, I wouldn't be happy. 

This internal pressure hit me at such a young age, like most girls, because of the perfectly photo-shopped bodies in magazines and on TV, but I also heard comments from my parents. "I can't believe so-and-so gained so much weight!" I knew being fat was a bad thing, so I devoted my entire life to becoming thin. I was constantly comparing myself to others and pinching and prodding at myself in the mirror, saying hurtful things.

Now at 40 years old, I realised that this trash-talk to myself hasn't stopped. If anything, it's gotten worse. While talking to my CrossFit coach before class one day, she said she too was obsessed with reaching a certain number on the scale. And she was constantly saying things to herself that she wouldn't say to her best friend. Things like:

"I feel so fat."
"I'm disgusting."
"I look horrible."
"I need to lose weight."
"My bum is too big."
"I shouldn't have eaten that."
"I need to exercise more."
"I wish my stomach was flatter."

Related: Common Things We Hear Or Say That Hijack Our Weight Loss Success

Or even things that don't have to do with weight, but about your abilities, like when you're in a fitness class:

"I suck at this."
"Everyone is better than me."

My Fitness Journey | How I lost the weight

      

Check out video about weight loss journey. Some of the experiences may relate. 

 Let me know what you think?

Drinking Black Tea May Help You Lose Weight.

You've already heard that green tea may help you shed pounds. But now, University of California, Los Angeles researchers have found that black tea might help promote weight loss, too.

For the study, which was recently published in the European Journal of Nutrition, the researchers fed four groups of mice different diets for one month:

·         Low-fat and high-sugar

·         High-fat and high-sugar

·         High-fat and high sugar with green tea extract

·         High-fat and high sugar with black tea extract

After measuring the rodents’ fat, gut bacteria, and liver tissues, they found that both of the tea groups on a high-fat diet lost a similar amount of weight compared to the mice eating less fat, or fewer calories overall.

 Related: This Tea  May Help You Lose Weight. Not Green Tea

That’s because green and black teas are abundant in polyphenols, a type of antioxidant that has been shown to improve your heart healthand play a role in weight loss. But the way these antioxidants travel through your body differs in black tea compared to green tea, the study authors note.

Tracking Your Food - How Accurate Do You Need To Be?

If you're serious about dropping some pounds (and keeping them off!), it's important to take note of what you eat. You may even consider tracking what you're eating either by counting calories or macronutrients, or keeping a food log of some sort. As you do this, you inevitably start to wonder: how accurate do you need to be to see results?

The reality is, when you want to lose weight, tracking your food helps to ensure that you're not unknowingly sneaking in extra calories, which could happen, even if you think you're following the serving size on the nutrition label to a T.

Cupboard-raiders should especially pay attention. "Being accurate is important because if you're a habitual snacker, you could easily be overeating on a daily basis and have no real awareness around it," JC Deen, a fitness coach who helps clients lose weight.

Let's say you wanted to eat a plain bagel (about 250 calories) with some peanut butter (standard serving is 190 calories). If you eyeball the serving size, it's easy to overdo it without measuring it on a kitchen scale. Since peanut butter is so calorically dense, going over a little bit every time means extra calories that add up over the long run and could stall your progress.


Related: What Are Macros? And Should You Count Them For Weight Loss

Thus, a certain level of consistent accuracy is important.

Here Is What Happens If You Lose Weight Too Fast.

Going on a diet is tough work and requires lots of motivation and effort. That being said, it's important to be careful with how much you're losing each week and what actions you're taking to get results. If you embark on an extreme diet plan, you may be putting your body at a disservice. It may even drive you to quit early, thereby gaining back whatever you lost. (And maybe more.)

Good news — we had Christopher Hollingsworth, MD, from NYC Surgical Associates explain what can happen if you see the scale dip too low, too quickly. He also provided us with a few tips for losing weight the right way — as well as keeping it off.

What's A Good Amount To Lose?

Instead of thinking about weight loss in pounds, Dr. Hollingsworth recommends looking at the percent of bodyweight lost. A safe metric to aim for is a loss of five to 10 percent of your bodyweight over a three-month period. Anything more than that puts you at "risk for having some problems associated with weight loss," he says. "Once you have lost more than 10 percent of your bodyweight within three months, you are most likely going to have significant issues."

Related: How Many Calories Should You Eat In A Day

Dr. Hollingsworth's approach is different than the popular opinion of losing up to two pounds per week. He says it's important to keep in mind that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to determine the specific number of pounds since everyone is different. For instance, when keeping bodyweight percentage in mind, the healthy weight loss range will be larger for an overweight individual than someone who is not considered overweight.

How Losing Weight Can Save You Money.

                    

Well according to this losing weight will save you money. Now what to do with some extra cash 😉.

Let me know what you think?

The Two Types of Body Fat

The Two Types of Body Fat

Just as all bodies are not created equal, not all body fats are equal, either. Pears, apples, and other shapes aside, the color and location of your body fat is probably just as important as the amount you’re packing when it comes to your health.

You’ll be pleased to know not all body fat is bad. Let’s take a closer look at the different types of body fat:

White Fat

White fat makes up the majority of fat in your body. Its primary purpose is energy storage, but white fat also pads and insulates the body, helping to protect vital organs and maintain body temperature. It also produces a form of estrogen and several appetite-regulating hormones.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, healthy body-fat percentages range from 20 to 32 percent for women and 10 to 22 percent for men.

While body-fat percentage can provide information regarding overall health and disease risk, getting an accurate reading typically requires expensive, hard-to-find equipment.

The good news is that body-mass index (BMI) and waist circumference correlate well with fat mass percentage in large populations.

5 Tips To Get Over Food Guilt.

5 Tips for Getting Over Food Guilt

Food should fuel your body and bring you pleasure. Here are few strategies to help you have a guilt-free relationship with food:

1. Don’t food-shame yourself

Stop mid-sentence when your inner critic says, “That cupcake is going to go straight to my [insert body part].” Take the cupcake or leave it, but avoid being judgmental. Watch your words or else they may tinge your buttercream frosting with regret.


Related: What To Do After A Binge To Get You Back On Track. Part 1

2. Commit to enjoying your food

Once you decide to eat a food that otherwise would make you feel guilty, start focusing on the positive. That means giving your full attention to what makes those fries so crave-worthy! Relish in the crunch of each bite. Savor your food slowly as you engage all the senses related to food (think: taste, smell, texture, color).

Food Guilt? What Is It?

What do you think of when you hear the phrase “chocolate cake?” Do the terms “bad,” “decadent,” or “sinful” come to mind? If so, you’re like the countless Americans who link this sweet treat with guilt.

A hard truth I learned as a dietitian is that knowing more about my food doesn’t mean I won’t crave (and eat) my fair share of chocolate cake. Knowledge also doesn’t spare your guilty conscience.

It’s important for us to learn how to manage our attitude toward food because it can work against our weight-loss goals.

Consider this: A study in the journal Appetite found that people who felt guilt-ridden by chocolate cake were less successful at losing weight compared to those who associated chocolate cake with celebration.


Related: 5 Easy Tricks To Outsmart Cravings

But enough about chocolate cake. Let’s dig into the guilt part so we can help you understand why having a guilt-free relationship with food can help you hit your weight-loss goals.

What is Food Guilt?

Feeling guilty about what you just ate, right? Duh! Not so fast. Feeling guilty is a symptom of a bigger root cause.

Food guilt is grounded in your beliefs of which foods you should or shouldn’t eat. Many of these beliefs take the form of “food rules.” These rules are subconsciously planted in your mind by your culture, those around you, and that very fit friend you have.