Posts Tagged ‘drinks’
5 Easy Ways to Drop 5 Pounds
I’d like to share five simple strategies with you for shedding five pounds of fat before the holidays.
But first let me clear something up.
Weight loss can be put into two categories.
- The first is a fully concentrated effort. This is where you dedicate yourself to counting every calorie and slaving away in the gym. The pounds come off, but once you relax the regimen your weight goes right back to where it was.
- The second is a combination of simple lifestyle changes. This is where you change a few key factors about what you eat and how you exercise, without making it a fulltime job. This type of weight loss is gradual and permanent, since you are able to maintain it long term.
The five simple strategies below all fall into the lifestyle change category. These strategies may seem ridiculously simple, but do them over an extended period of time and you will see amazing, permanent results.
Strategy #1: Ditch Your Diet Soda
Studies are coming out that link diet soda to weight gain.
Researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio concluded that those who drank two or more diet soft drinks a day had the largest waistline increases—about five times more than that of non-drinkers. They stated, “Data from this and other prospective studies suggest that the promotion of diet sodas as healthy alternatives may be ill-advised: they may be free of calories, but not of consequences.”
Bottom line: Artificial sweeteners are addictive, lead to waistline increases, and cause you to crave sugary foods. By cutting diet soda out of your daily routine, and replacing it with water, you will lose inches and pounds—effortlessly.
Strategy #2: Swap Sandwich Bread for Lettuce
Move over bread, lettuce is better.
It’s time to re-define your sandwich. While bread has tradition on its side, lettuce wraps offer you weight loss and increased energy. Try my Tasty Tuna Lettuce Wraps recipe below.
Bottom line: Eating bread and other starchy foods always leads to extra pounds, so change your ways. Swap your sandwich bread for lettuce for 30 days and see how much you will effortlessly lose. I bet you’ll feel more energetic after lunch too.
Strategy #3: Trade Slow Cardio for Intense Intervals (more…)
Healthy Chocolate Shake
What is better than a creamy chocolate shake? A creamy chocolate shake without the guilt! You won’t miss the fat and refined sugar as you slurp up this tasty treat.
Servings: 2 
Here’s what you need:
- 2 bananas, frozen
- 1/2 cup nonfat milk
- 2 scoops chocolate whey protein
- 2 Tablespoons raw almond butter
- dash of ground cinnamon
- 2 cups ice
- Throw everything into a high speed blender, blend until smooth and creamy.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 292 calories, 7g fat, 33g carbohydrate, 7g fiber, and 25g protein.
Smartsize Your Weight Loss
Lisa R. Young, Ph.D., R.D. shared her favorite food fact in her book, The Portion Teller Plan. “You can lose 10lbs a year by cutting back on 100 calories a day.” To do this simply trim your portions:
- Choose a 12oz beverage instead of a 20oz.
- Eat only half of an energy bar.
- Use 1 Tablespoon of salad dressing instead of 2 Tablespoons.
- Eat half of a sandwich instead of a full one.
- Eat prepackaged bag of pretzels instead of eating out of a large bag.
- Order a tall drink instead of a grande at your next Starbucks visit.
Drink This Not That
Changing what you drink just may be the magic weight loss bullet you’ve been looking for.
David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding sure think so. But then they did write the book on it: Drink This Not That. They’ve even gone so far as to claim that you could lose up to 32 pounds in a year just by changing what you drink.
What most people don’t know is that it’s a lot easier to drink extra calories than to eat it. So you really need to pay attention to what you’re sipping on. (more…)
Nature’s Perfect Thirst-Quencher
The best drink for both weight loss and health is…water. Here are 4 great reasons to fill your glass to the brim with crystal clear water:
- Staying hydrated enhances weight loss.
- Drinking water prevents dehydration.
- Filling your stomach with water before meals prevents overeating.
- Quenching your thirst with water hydrates your skin, giving it a more youthful glow.
