Ways To Fight Holiday Weight Gain

1. Practice Portion Control

If I have one mantra for the holiday season, it would have to be: All things in moderation. Keep your serving sizes in check at all times and you really can enjoy your favorite holiday treats without gaining weight.

2. Take a Walk

Stay active during the holidays and those extra pounds won't creep up on you. A 30-minute brisk walk most days of the week can do wonders for maintaining your waistline. Get outside if the weather permits or hit the mall before it opens for a workout while window-shopping.

3. Plan Smarter Meals

Try some new ways to make your holiday meals healthier. Small changes can add up to a big difference. This can be as simple as serving steamed vegetables instead of casseroles or removing skin from the turkey. Just choosing fruit instead of a desserts can save hundreds of calories.

4. Cope with Cravings

Food cravings are a part of life, but they can be especially daunting during the holidays. You seem to smell or see tempting food nearly everywhere you go. If you can't avoid food cravings, the best way to fight back is to be prepared with a plan for an alternative activity to eating.

5. Don't Give Up!

The worst thing you can do when it comes to weight management during the holidays? Give into all-or-nothing thinking and keep making bad choices once you've made a mistake or two. Never throw in the towel just because of a few slip-ups!

Facts On Fish

Are you confused about the benefits and risks of eating fish? Sometimes it can be difficult to keep all the recommendations straight. Here’s what you need to know to incorporate these healthy foods into your diet:

Two Potential Benefits

Eating fish may protect against stroke: A study published in the journal Stroke found that people who ate fish at least once a week were 13 percent less likely to suffer from a blockage of the blood supply to the brain (ischemic stroke) than those who did not eat fish that often. Now the American Heart Association recommends eating fish at least two times a week because the omega-3 fatty acids help protect the heart.

Eating fish may help fight disease: Fatty fish are the richest source of omega-3 fats. Omega-3s are critical for cardiovascular health and may also help protect against arthritis, diabetes, depression, and some cancers. Omega-3s are most concentrated in cold-water fatty fish such as sardines, herring, salmon, mackerel, and trout.

Two Potential Risks

Eating fish can be dangerous during pregnancy: Pregnant women, nursing mothers, and women considering pregnancy should limit exposure to fish containing methylmercury — the form of mercury that is found in fish. This industrial pollutant can impede the development of the nervous system in fetuses, babies, and young children. Since methylmercury tends to accumulate over time, it is most concentrated in larger fish with longer life spans, such as shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish, and albacore tuna.

Farmed fish may contain contaminants: Farmed salmon may contain high levels of pesticides and other toxins. To avoid any negative effects of this contamination, make it a point to buy wild salmon instead of farmed salmon. When grocery shopping, look for the labels on salmon to identify the fish as either farmed or wild.

A Little Planning Can Lead to Big Weight Loss

The problem: You're busy. You have to work, organize family activities, run errands, and make time for exercise. When do you decide what to eat? If you're like many people, you don't think about your next meal until you're starving. And then you might be tempted to hit the fast food drive-through or the office vending machine for a quick fix. But if you're trying to lose weight, you know this isn't a good diet strategy. The solution: Plan ahead. If weight loss is your goal, you should never be caught off guard and hungry. A little forethought is all it takes to create meals that will keep you satisfied and your hunger at bay. It doesn't have to be difficult or time-consuming either.
Here are a few reasons that planning your meals in advance can help you lose weight more easily:
• Keeps your hunger under control. Fuel your body at regular intervals to tame your appetite and make it easier to stick to your diet. When you're not starving, you'll be able to resist the office candy jar or the coffeehouse muffin.
• Easier to monitor your calorie intake. Advance planning means you can decide how many calories to eat at each meal, then prepare food that meets your goals. It's easier than trying to add up calories throughout the day.
• You'll be less likely to binge. When you plan your meals in advance, you can add in your favorite treats or schedule a special cheat meal and still meet your calorie requirements. You'll stay in control of your choices and be able to enjoy your food without guilt or anxiety.
If you're following a Elite Fitness program and meal plan, you're probably trying to eat more often throughout the day to keep your metabolism up and your blood sugar stable. This might seem overwhelming at first, but all you really need is enough tasty food to meet your calorie requirements and stay full until the next time you eat. Here are five tips for planning your meals in advance to keep your energy up and your hunger at bay:
1. Cook in bulk. When you prepare meals, make double and freeze half in individual containers. Use the weekends (or any free time during the week) to plan your meals with your family. Decide what you're going to eat, then shop accordingly so healthy food is always on hand. As you prep for one meal, cook more vegetables and meat than you'll need, and use the leftovers in the next day's food plan. You can also chop extra vegetables and store them raw in the refrigerator for a quick salad later.
2. Portion food into single servings. Measure out cereal, nuts, Whey Protein Powder, vegetables, and fruit into bags or containers. When you're in a rush to leave the house, just toss what you need into your bag or car. You can also keep protein bars on hand for a convenient on-the-go snack.
3. Bring one container; eat twice. If you're going to be at work all day, bring one large container of food and eat half at lunch and the other half later in the day. It's one less meal to plan.
4. Keep it simple. You don't have to prepare a multicourse feast five times a day to eat well. When you're on the go, choose things that are portable and don't require a lot of fuss, like:
o hard-boiled eggs and whole-grain toast
o oatmeal with berries and nuts
o grilled chicken and a salad
o canned tuna or chicken and brown rice
o sandwiches on whole-grain bread or wraps
o nuts and dried fruit
o string cheese and whole-grain crackers
o yogurt and fruit
o Whey Protein Powder
o vegetables and hummus
5. Anticipate busy days. If you know your kids have soccer practice every Tuesday evening, then make that night's dinner quick and easy. Perhaps that becomes your cheat meal and you order pizza (better yet, have the ingredients on hand to make your own healthy version. The kids will love creating their own pizzas). Or you can simply defrost a meal you've frozen ahead of time, so it's ready to throw in the oven when you get home. Plan ahead so your busy schedule doesn't get in the way of your weight loss.

Sure-Fire Tips for Healty Weight Loss

* Eat a variety of foods - lean protein; complex carbohydrates such as whole-grains, fruits and vegetables; and "good" fats, like omega-3 fats from fish and monounsaturated fats from avocados, nuts, and olives or olive oil.
* Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Chose different colors of fruits and vegetables to ensure optimal nutrition.
* Say NO to bad fats, like saturated fats from animal sources and trans fats from fried foods, and snack and fast-food products.
* Be careful about portion sizes. If you must have seconds, serve yourself vegetables.
* Exercise at least 60 minutes every day.
* Clean out the kitchen and eliminate all junk food. Toss out high-calorie, high-fat foods that will tempt you to overeat -- chips, cookies, crackers, ice cream, candy bars, etc.
* Fill your kitchen with lean protein, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, good fats, and low-fat dairy products.
* Eat smaller meals more frequently. Five to six per day may be best. Space your meals every three to four hours throughout your day. Try taking low-fat cheese and whole-grain crackers to school for a snack, or eat a tablespoon of peanut butter with 1 slice of whole-grain bread after school. Find foods that are healthy and that keep you full.
* If you like lots of food on your plate, fill up with a large salad and a super serving of green beans, broccoli, cabbage, kale, or other low-calorie vegetable.
* Snack on berries. Dark berries (blueberries, blackberries, cherries, and raspberries) help strengthen the immune system and keep you well. They are also low in calories and fat, and high in fiber.
* Avoid "empty calories" including sugar containing sodas and fruit drinks

If you need more information on weight loss and dieting, contact one of the Elite Fitness Trainers at Elitefitness@redventuresinc.com or talk to your primary health care practitioner. Also, ask friends, family, or coworkers to join you as you work to change your eating habits and pare down your weight. Sticking to a weight loss plan is much easier when you have someone to support you.

Recipe: Balsamic roast chicken

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, about 4 pounds
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Rinse the chicken inside and out with cold running water. Pat it dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, mince together the rosemary and garlic. Loosen the chicken skin from the flesh, and rub the flesh with olive oil and then the herb mixture. Sprinkle with black pepper. Put 2 rosemary sprigs into the cavity of the chicken. Truss the chicken. Place the chicken into a roasting pan and roast for 20 to 25 minutes per pound, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Whole chicken should cook to an internal temperature of 180 F. Baste frequently with pan juices. When browned and juices run clear, transfer the chicken to a serving platter. In a small saucepan, combine the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. Heat until warmed but don't boil.Carve the chicken and remove the skin. Top the pieces with the vinegar mixture. Garnish with the remaining rosemary sprigs and serve immediately.

Nutritional Analysis

(per serving)
Calories 290 Cholesterol 127 mg
Protein 44 g Sodium 108 mg
Carbohydrate 4 g Fiber 0 g
Total fat 11 g Potassium 625 mg
Saturated fat 3 g Calcium 80 mg
Monounsaturated fat 5 g

4 Simple Metabolism Boosters

The word metabolism is thrown around a lot when it comes to weight loss—so much so that most of us don’t even know what it means anymore. Simply put, metabolism is the process of converting calories from food into fuel. Your body is always burning calories—when you’re eating, walking, working out or just sitting around breathing. Want to get more calorie-zapping power from all of these activities, 24/7? Here’s how!

Eat Several Times a Day

Your metabolism is your body’s furnace. Let it go too long without fuel and the fire will start dying down: You’ll burn fewer calories all day long. Stoke it regularly with the right food, though, and it will burn happily away. British researchers learned that women who ate the same amount of food as usual but divided it into six mini meals got a small but notable metabolic boost compared to those who ate more irregularly. Why? Metabolism climbs during digestion, explains Roberta Anding, R.D., director of sports nutrition for Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston.

Munch on Protein

You may be able to maximize the calorie burn you get during digestion by eating proteins like lean meat, cottage cheese or eggs with each meal. A study of college women found that their metabolism jumped twice as high after eating a high-protein meal than one packed with carbs.

Strength-train

“Lean muscle tissue uses up more calories than fat tissue—even when you’re just sitting around,” says Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., fitness research director at the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts. “So the more muscle you have, the more you’ll burn.” The average woman can replace two to three pounds of fat with the same amount of muscle in just two months by lifting weights twice a week, research has shown. “That increases metabolism by 6 to 8 percent, which translates to burning about 100 extra calories a day,” says Westcott. Nutritionist Anding is proof: She had her resting metabolic rate (the number of calories you burn in a day doing absolutely nothing) measured before and after she started strength-training two to three times a week. It jumped from 1,200 calories a day to 1,600 a day over the course of one year.

Rev Up Your Cardio

The more intensely you exercise, the higher your metabolism climbs during your workout—and afterward, says Westcott. Since most of us would keel over if we sprinted for an entire 30- to 45-minute cardio session, your best bet is intervals: alternating one to two minutes of as-fast-as-you-can-go activity with three to four minutes at a more moderate pace. Work out like that and your body will continue to burn calories at a higher level for well over an hour after you finish, says Westcott. A Canadian study found that intervals helped women burn 36 percent more fat during their workouts compared with less intense sessions

Don't Drink Your Calories

Hello all! I came across this article and wanted to share it with you all. I think it is very important to know how alcohol effects your body and your weight loss goals.

http://swc.osu.edu/posts/documents/drinking-your-calories-with-alcohol-read-only.pdf