The Secret of the 100 Calorie Snack

There is only one golden rule of weight loss - you eat fewer calories each day than your body burns - then you burn fat and you lose weight. But unless you have the secret of the 100 calorie snack, the chances are that you are going to fall off that low calorie wagon pretty quickly...

You have decided to lose weight. Ignore exercise for now, our daily goal is to #1 - get your metabolism firing strongly and #2 - reduce your calorie intake to as low as sensibly possible. This opens up the biggest possible "calorie gap", so your body burns as much fat as possible.

One key to keeping your metabolism going is to feed it regularly and in small amounts. If you have ever been in charge of a campfire - putting too much fuel on, smothers the fire. Too little, and it cannot burn for long. If you keep adding small amounts of fuel regularly, the fire stays burning hot and steady. Your metabolic fire is just the same!

Make yourself a daily plan. Get detailed! If you do not have a plan to run the day, then the day will run you and eating will be the first casualty! So schedule your day - when you will eat and what you will eat. You should aim to eat something about every 3-4 hours - and this is where that 100 calorie snack comes in!

Assume 3 main meals in the day, plus 3 snacks. If you eat 400 calories per meal, that's 1200 calories. Then just pick a healthy, low calorie food for your snacks - but this is where many people (me included!) fall down!! A 100 calorie snack is not always easy to find!

Take nuts for example - uncooked, unsalted, high protein healthy nuts. Did you realise that just one bag could contain over 500 calories?? That's more than breakfast - some snack!

The average adult needs around 2,000 calories to stay at the same weight. To lose a couple of pounds per week, you should eat about 1,500 calories per day - this is a good rule of thumb. With about 400 calories per meal, that leaves three 100 calorie snacks.

So here's my "top ten" 100 calorie snack ideas - there are lots more, but this should get you started:

1. One apple, raw with skin
2. Either six saltine crackers or two graham cracker squares with 2 teaspoons of peanut or other nut butter.
3. Spoon 3 tablespoons of non-fat sour cream over a small baked potato.
4. 1/2 cup of applesauce and 1 piece of toast cut into four sticks for dunking.
5. 25-30 grapes
6. One hard boiled egg
7. One 1/2 cup of fat-free ice cream
8. A half sandwich made of 1 slice reduced-calorie bread, a thin layer of mustard, 2 teaspoons of apple sauce and 1 slice of deli-style thin-sliced turkey
9. An 8 oz. low-fat yogurt or a small container of low-fat pudding
10. A cup of coffee and a small biscotti

Experiment with flavours and you will be amazed at how many 100 calorie snack ideas you can come up with! Remember, dieting doesn't mean depriving yourself - it just means being smart about what and when you eat!

Gary J Bailey - keeping the weight off and feeling great! With personal experience of what works (and what doesn't!) to lose 50lbs and keep it off, Gary is committed to sharing the tips and secrets he has learned! Learn more about 100 calorie snacks and get FREE weight loss updates today! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_J_Bailey

The Isometric Program For Muscle And Weight Management - You Have To Read This

Isometrics. What is it…and why should I care?

Well, if you already have the optimal health, body weight, and muscle tone…all you need is a definition before going on your merry way:

ISOMETRICS…according to Wikipedia: a type of strength training in which the joint angle and muscle length do not change during contraction (compared to concentric or eccentric contractions, called isotonic movements). Isometrics are done in static positions, rather than being dynamic through a range of motion. The joint and muscle are either worked against an immovable force (overcoming isometric) or are held in a static position while opposed by resistance (yielding isometric).

ISOMETRICS…according to Merriam-Webster: exercise or a system of exercises in which opposing muscles are so contracted that there is little shortening but a great increase in tone of muscle fibers involved.

And, thanks for stopping by. Need more info to satisfy your curiosity? A quick “google” for the term isometrics will yield a little over four million results.

Now, for the 98% of the rest of us who aren’t yet blessed with your physical attributes; we need a lot more info; but we need the more practical, applicable kind.

For a quick example: Put your palms together in front of your body at chest height. Push together with as much force as is comfortable…now just a little bit harder…and hold it to the count of seven. Little is gained by holding for more than the seven seconds, so resist the temptation…especially at the beginning.

Congratulations. You have just completed the “intro to isometrics” course. Feel the warmth coming from the muscles you just tensed? Forearms, biceps, shoulders? That indicates that those muscles are aware of the attention they have received. The warmth is due to the increased blood flow and the metabolism boost.

Repeat that simple exercise daily for a month. Your two plus minutes of “exercise” will yield some pretty dramatic results. Can’t, Don’t, Won’t believe it? Then prove it to yourself.

Take the one month, seven seconds a day challenge. You will be very, very glad that you did.

OK, so it’s not your upper body parts that are of immediate concern. Want to work on that belly? Substitute, or better yet, include in your daily routine, the following: Start with a deep breath and then exhale completely while bending forward from the waist. Don’t feel bad if you are unable to reach those toes—very few of us can.(I hadn’t even been able to see mine for years) When the exhalation is complete, hold your breath and stand up straight; but pull in those belly muscles as far as possible…and hold for that seven second count.

Now you have committed fourteen seconds a day to a powerful upper and middle body workout.
You say you could find an additional fourteen seconds a day?

Wherever you are sitting, push back, extend your legs and cross your feet. Keep them crossed as you try to pull them apart. Now, alternate feet and do again. No need to suffer, but you will want to go just a bit past casual and comfortable. Very soon you can feel free to really put some power in these exercises; especially since you will already have more power. This one is particularly fun because you can place your hands on top of your legs and actually feel what is going on.

These three simple exercises should provide you with all the proof you need. Isometrics is working for thousands of people…even those of you who have avoided exercise saying that you just don’t have even a minute to spare. How about 28 seconds?

Just take the 30 day challenge–at either the seven, fourteen, or 28 second a day pace.No matter, the results will astound you. There’s only one way to find out.

Take a look here: http://agingparentsauthority.com/2009/01/04/the-isometric-program-for-muscle-and-weight-management/ for more info

Cleansing your system

If you are anything like me - the last month or so has seen a lot of rich, great tasting food in your diet - it wouldn't be the holiday season without it! The problem is - all that rich food tends to be the same stuff that builds up in your system...

Now - when it comes time for New Year's resolutions, and to start your weight loss program for 2009, one of the first barriers is going to be clearing your system of all the junk that has accumulated - after all, you cannot expect your metabolism to run properly if it is clogged up with debris! The hard way to do this is simply to start eating right and wait for your body to cleanse itself naturally. That works - but you will have some detox to work through on the way, which can last quite some time.

A faster route to your healthy digestion is using a cleansing program - now these can be very effective, but they can also be quite dangerous as they tend to be aggressive on your system to achieve results. Make sure that you are using a reputable, established program - the one I like is the Master Cleanser - this program has been around for years in various forms, and shows great results.

Start the year clean - see those pounds roll off!

Chicken & Spring Vegetable Stir-Fry

Stir fried chicken with fresh spring vegetables cooked in Sharwood's Black Bean Sauce - served with noodles. Quick and extremely easy... Plus one serving provides a portion of your 5-a-day fruit and veg quota!

Nutrition Information Per Serving

| 400 calories
| 6.2g fat
| 27.9g protein
| 58.4g carb
| 3.8g fibre
| 1.0 fruit/veg

Ingredients

100g Broccoli
100g Baby Sweetcorn
2 Chicken Breast Fillets (approx 150g each)
1 Bunch Spring Onions
2 Medium Carrots
1 tbsp Olive Oil
34g Ginger
4 Blocks Medium Egg Noodles, Sharwood's
(65g each )
1 Jar Black Bean Stir-Fry Sauce, Sharwood's

Method

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, add the noodles, return to the boil and simmer for 4 minutes (or per pack instructions). Drain and keep warm.
Meanwhile :
- Slice the chicken breasts into 1" chunks;
- Cut the broccoli into florets;
- Peel the ginger and cut into matchsticks;
- Trim and diagonally slice the spring onions;
- Peel the carrots and cut into matchsticks.
Bring a second pan of water to the boil and blanch the broccoli and sweetcorn in the water for 2 minutes. Drain well.
Heat ½ tbsp oil in the wok until smoking then add the chicken and stir-fry for 7-8 minutes (or until golden. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
Heat the remaining oil in pan and add the ginger, spring onions and carrots and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Stir in the broccoli and sweetcorn and stir-fry for a further 2 minutes.
Return the chicken to the pan, add the noodles and black bean sauce. Stir to coat and heat through.
Serve immediately!
Alternatives
Try other sauces from the Sharwoods Stir Fry range - such as Yellow Bean or Hoi Sin with Spring Onion - for a tasty alternative.

Reduce the preparation time by buying ready-prepared vegetables.

Equipment Required

Sharp knife
Chopping board
Colander
2 saucepans
Wok

Recipe thanks to weightlossresources.co.uk

Work out and keep warm!

So here we go into those winter months - the clocks just turned back, the nights are getting darker and colder, and we're getting all set for major feasting and general weight gain with the holiday season! But rather than just giving up on weight loss for the next few months - what about an exercise solution you can do at home, with your kids and have fun??

I am of course talking about the remarkable Wii Fit - I have heard from many people that even 2 year olds can get involved and enjoy some of the games on there, yet they are addictive and involving enough for adults too. Has the video game finally managed to start uniting families again?? I don't know - but it certainly makes working out a LOT more entertaining. And if it's fun - we're more likely to do it, right? What's even better is that, if you DO manage to get bored with this gadget, there are a whole range of other games and accessories that you can get too. This is one that will keep you losing weight and entertained right through the winter!

You can get Wii Fit and accessories here... Happy gaming!

Healthy Egg and Chips

One that Dad's will love! A fry up without the guilt, this is a great any-time meal that is perfect with a helping of baked beans

Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Tip the potatoes and shallots into a large, non-stick roasting tin, drizzle with the oil, sprinkle over the oregano, then mix everything together well. Bake for 15 mins, add the mushrooms, then cook for a further 10 mins until the potatoes are browned and tender.
Make four gaps in the vegetables and crack an egg into each space. Return to the oven for 3-4 mins or until the eggs are cooked to your liking.

Nutritional Info Per Serving (serves 4)
218 kcalories, protein 11g, carbohydrate 22g, fat 10 g, saturated fat 2g, fibre 2g, salt 0.24 g

Quick result!

This one shows that we are just as human as anyone - and that this system works! I've been doing a lot of travelling recently, which plays havoc with any kind of schedule. So I was having a challenge getting back into the pants I was wearing - no problem - just one week recommitted to my TurboWeightLoss regime and I'm back in those pants!

It's exciting to feel this in control of your weight!