Eat your way to slim, trim & healthy.

Already we are about six weeks in to 2015 and for some you may be well on the road to your new years fitness & health resolution, and others may have ditched it already! I came across this article that of course is very relevant if you did start 2015 off with every good intention, or not, but want to know more anyway about slimming down, weight loss and how you can help accomplish this through improved eating habits. Found at 'ezinearticles' (http://EzineArticles.com/8864831) and written by Chritsine M. Esters (http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christine_M_Esters) this is worth a quick read to ensure you are on track, or to get you back on it before the year runs away entirely.


This is the time of year where New Year's resolutions are on the tip of everyone's tongue. Of course, it is no secret that the number one New Year's resolution is to lose weight. Whether it is to drop 10 pounds, 20 pounds or 30 pounds, everyone seems to be upgrading their gym memberships, and ridding their kitchen of all their junk food. But, the truth is, no matter how much dieting and exercise you do, you still have to eat and stay healthy. So, how do you stick to your New Year's goals when your stomach is rumbling? Let me share a few tips with you that will leave your stomach full and your waist slim.

Detox - First things first, if you want to slim your middle, you need to cleanse and detox. Throughout 2014, and especially during the holidays, you probably accumulated a lot of toxins, heavy metals, and chemicals in your body that caused it to go out of whack. If you were feeling sluggish, tired, irritable or just not yourself, most likely your body was filled with toxins. So you want to cleanse your body and get rid of all those little culprits that cause you to have poor health and extra fat that you don't need.

Eat Healthier - I know this rule is simple. However, it can be hard to follow. If you are a busy gal on the go, it's very easy to grab that bag of potato chips and soda instead of reaching for celery and hummus. If you didn't raid your kitchen and rid it of all the junk food, now is the time to do so. You can replace your junk food with organic fruits, vegetables, and lean meats.

Skip Deprivation - I know it may seem counter intuitive to tell you to eat a big chunk of chocolate cake, especially since it has a load of calories in sugar, but, the truth is, you can still enjoy all your favourite foods and treats without worry. The key word here is moderation. If you want a piece of chocolate cake, by all means have a bite or two without worry or guilt. However, you should worry if you eat the whole cake by yourself. Here's a quick tip. If you really want the chocolate cake or any other sweet treat, invite a couple of your friends over and split the cake amongst you all.

Chew your food slowly - It's no secret that many people are fast eaters. And for good reason, food is so tasty! However, eating fast can wreak havoc on your digestive system as well as cause you to over eat. On average, it should take you at least 30 - 35 seconds to chew one bite of food. Your stomach needs time to send messages to your brain to let it know that you are full. However, when you chew your food quickly, you don't have time to let your stomach digest the food properly. Not to mention, you won't enjoy every morsel that enters your mouth. If you take an extra 5 - 10 minutes at the dinner table to chew your food, you will feel fuller and eat less. This can ensure you stay slim and healthy in the New Year. Try using chopsticks.

Eat Often - I know there are a lot of critics out there saying you should only eat once or twice a day if you are trying to lose weight, but, the truth is, if you are trying to lose weight, you need energy and food is energy. Think about a car, if a car doesn't have fuel, it simply won't go. If it's low on gas, it won't function properly. Your body acts the same way when you don't give it the food and energy it needs to perform at optimal health. Now, when I say eat often, I don't mean have a big feast every time you sit down to eat. You can eat about every 2 - 3 hours to boost your metabolism and give you energy. Throughout the day, you can feast on nutritious snacks like cashew nuts, Greek yogurt, and fresh vegetables and fruit. Then have a nutritious breakfast, lunch and dinner.

If you take the pressure off of losing weight, and focus on being healthy and happy, your waist will slim down in no time. However, follow these fun and simple health tips to stay healthy and slim in 2015 and beyond.

WhyWeight - don't hesitate, participate, before it's too late!

-Steve, at WhyWeight-

Seven calorie burning tips.

Having spent the last few Posts discussing calories, here is another to help you shed those unwanted calories and aid your journey to weight loss and a new healthier fitter toned you! I sourced this article from 'atriclesbase' (http://www.articlesbase.com/weight-loss-articles/7-calorie-burning-tips-44052.html) and it is written by Marjorie E. Nolan - a Registered Dietitian and Certified Personal Trainer. All good stuff that makes sense, and is worth you reading up on.


1) Move More.
Sedentary people burn about one-third less calories per day. By simply taking every opportunity to move can make quite a dramatic difference to the amount of calories you burn in one day. Small movements will add up over time to lots of calories. The trick is to keep moving throughout your day. Write the word ‘move' on post-it notes and put them in places you'll notice them when you're sitting still. Then, take every opportunity to move - here's some ideas for burning extra calories:

• Tap your feet
• Swing your legs 
• Stand up and stretch 
• Move your head from side to side 
• Change position 
• Wriggle and fidget 
• Pace up and down 
• Use the restroom upstairs
• Park in the furthest corner of the parking lot
• Stand up when you're on the phone and step from side to side
• Clench and release your muscles

2) Eat Little and Often.
Evidence suggests that eating small meals every 2-4 hours will keep your metabolism burning faster than larger, less frequent meals. When you eat small amounts often your body is constantly working to digest and absorb food which requires energy.

3) Eat Fat.
If you want feel good and keep the fat off you need to first put it in. Fat not only tastes good our bodies need it to work efficiently. By consuming several servings of ‘healthy' fats every day you will actually increase your calorie burning potential. Try incorporating fats like Flaxseed oil, hempseed oil, olive oil, avocados, salmon, albacore tuna, nuts and seeds into your diet daily.

4) Drink Cold Water.
Evidence shows that your body might expend more calories trying to raise cold water to the temperature of your body then hot beverages. And overall being well hydrated will help your body's metabolic processes burn quicker.

5) Exercise With Weights.
Training with weights boosts your metabolism in a number of ways. By lifting weights you will build muscle tissue. And muscle tissue is metabolically active, so it requires calories even when at rest and so it helps to increase fat-burning enzymes in your body.

6) Spice up.
Eating hot spices might speed up your metabolism. Just half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day can help boost metabolism and keep blood sugar levels in check. Can't stand the thought of cinnamon in your morning cup of coffee? Spice up with cayenne, crushed red pepper or wasabi.

7) Eat More Protein.
Protein requires a more complex chemical breakdown by your body in order to be digested and used as fuel. For example, 100 calories of protein may take up to 30 calories to process. Protein also takes longer to digest and helps to stabilize blood sugar for longer periods of time and this can help you to not overeat later in the day. Eat a portion of protein at every meal and as part of your snacks and you will increase the total number of calories you burn each day.

WhyWeight - don't hesitate, participate, before it's too late!

-Steve, at WhyWeight-