Gut buster #5 - turn off the tube

"People who eat in front of the tv consume an average of 300 more calories a meal than those who do not. Enjoy your friends, partner, children, pets and focus on relationships while trimming your waistline." ~ MH

Gut buster #4 - chew on this

"Chew your food, taste your food, chew slowly, ENJOY!  You'll take in 12% fewer calories than if you scarf down your food." ~MH

For your body to fully and properly digest the food you are eating and to absorb all the nutrition, let your teeth do their JOB!  Your food should be the consistency of applesauce before it is allowed to pass on through to your stomach.  Otherwise, you are asking your stomach and bowels to process food that is too large and may lead to GI discomfort (bloating, gas, etc).  So do your body a favor and chew chew chew!!

Gut buster #3 - Log it

"People who wrote down everything (yes EVERYTHING) they ate for three weeks lost 3 1/2 pounds more than those who did not." ~MH

So I guess those four dark chocolate peanut butter numbers from Trader Joe's count...and the glass of vino...and the...well you get the idea.

Write it all down!

I, for one, greatly underestimate the amount of food that I consume on a daily basis.  Yes you will burn x number of calories by mere existence but there is no way to accurately assess how many calories you need to burn to lose weight until you know how many calories you are actually intaking daily.

And remember - use a tool that is easy to log what you eat. It may be a notebook, or an app in your smartphone or on your tablet, or maybe even taking a picture with your smartphone of your lunch and snacks during the day.

Don't forget beverages - those tasty little drinks at your favorite coffee shop are loaded with hidden sugars and calories!!

New Year - cheers to healthy living!

As the first week of the new year comes to an end, we all attempt to stay true to our New Year's resolutions.  Many people desire to have better health, lose weight, live better, etc etc this year.  The gyms are packed and people are trying desperately to find the magic cure to rid themselves of those extra pounds.  Reading through a friend's Men's Health magazine I stumbled across a few tips that may aid you on your journey. These are small tips that can easily be incorporated into every day.  I call them 'Gut Busters' and I'll post the first one later today.  Enjoy and good luck - YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

Gut buster #2 - STAND UP!

Stand up when you are reading, talking on the phone, texting.
Even while you are at your desk at work.
Standing burns 1 1/2 times as many calories as sitting.

I'm standing up right now while blogging :-)

Gut buster #1 - Eggs for breakfast

"People who eat eggs for breakfast consume fewer total calories the rest of the day" ~ MH

I am following this rule today with one eyes!  They are quick, easy and tasty.  I use GF bread, my new favorite is Schar multigrain bread.

Simply heat a griddle pan over medium heat.  Spray oil or butter the bread (my favorite), cut a round hole in the center of the bread and place on the warm griddle.  Crack one egg (organic is best) into each hole, sprinkle with salt, pepper and I love to use garlic powder as well.  Flip after a few minutes and allow the other side to cook.  If you like running yokes, remove from the heat after a minute or two.  If you like firm yokes, allow to cook longer.  I like Frank's or jam on the extra bread or use to soak up the yummy runny yokes. ENJOY!!