Sunshine Leaves the Biggest Loser Ranch

Well, I was sad to see Sunshine go
but she was doing so well in the game
and I feel sure she can do it all well
at home.

Let's Talk Turkey

Pretty much anyone who is on a
healthy diet knows that eating
leaner meats such as chicken, fish
and turkey can not only help you
to lose weight, but can also help
decrease your overall fat intake.

Ground Turkey has become very popular
for making Burgers, Chili and Spaghetti
Sauce. And it's delicious!

But did you know that not all ground
turkey is created equal?

Some ground turkey contains the skin
and the dark meat! Always check the
label to find out the fat content of
the turkey you intend to put in a dish.

Many ground turkeys are only 85% Fat
Free!!! You would be better off using
90% Fat Free ground beef! There's less
Fat in it.

Try to always find the packaged ground
turkey that is 93/7. That's 93% fat
free and the best for you.

There are many great recipes on the
internet that use ground turkey in
it. You can also be creative and
make up your own Turkey recipes!

One of my favorites when I'm feeling
like I need a meaty meal is ground
turkey nachos!

Use Baked Tortilla Chips

Spread a little Vegetarian Refried
beans on the chips and place them
all together in the middle of a cookie
sheet.

Now take browned and seasoned ground
turkey and spread it around on the
chips. It doesn't take a ton of it.

You can add Jalepenos, onions, chopped
bell pepper, or any healthful topping
you like.

Sprinkly Fat Free Shredded Cheddar
Cheese all over the nachos and sit
the pan on the center shelf in the
oven on Broil.

Keep and eye on these and when the
cheese is nice and bubbly and starting
to brown just slightly, remove them
from the oven.

Feel free to use Fat Free Sour Cream
and some home made Guacamole and fresh
home made salsa! SO Delicious!

Remember, even though avocado does have
a rather high fat content, it is a GOOD
fat that helps to lower bad cholesterol.

Make a ton of them for football games
and share with your friends. You'll be
surprised just how much they like them!

New Season of Biggest Loser

It's so exciting for me to have
the new season of Biggest Loser
starting.

That show has been the biggest
inspiration for me in this weight
loss journey.

It's never happened before that I
had a favorite contestant right from
the first episode, but this year I
do.

In case you didn't catch the show
last night, here's my girl Abby!

Diet Motivation

Motivation is different for everyone.

Originally, mine was to lower my cholesterol
and Triglycerides.

Once the first 10 pounds came off, I was
still motivated by the fact that I had
some serious health issues related to
being overweight.

As my heart rate, blood pressure, glucose
levels and cholesterol and Triglyceride
levels started to normalize, I got excited!
That became an even bigger motivation, I
could get healthy with diet and exercise.

Now I've lost 57 pounds with 36 to go.

My clothes hang on me. My seat belt seems
much longer than it used to. Even my
shoes are a little loose on me! Who would
have thought my feet had fat on them?

And when people see me who haven't seen
me in a while, the look on their faces
is priceless.

I had begun thinking that I would never
lose the weight. It's a shame it took
health problems to motivate me.

But now it's the "I know I can do this"
that keeps me going.

What motivates you?

Irresponsible Article by Time Magazine Outrages Fitness Industry

Recently Time Magazine published an
article by writer John Cloud that
has the Fitness Industry up in arms.

And for good reason I might ad.

Basically the article stated that
exercise makes him hungry, can make
YOU hungry, therefore exercising will
keep you from losing weight, perhaps
even gain a few pounds.

This was in TIME Magazine!?!

This is an insane and irresponsible
article in the face of an ongoing
Obesity Crisis here in the United
States as well as many other parts of
the world.

You can read that article HERE

Exercise is the best way to burn
calories! And if you do get hungry,
THEN EAT RESPONSIBLY! It's a good
idea to eat something after a good
workout. Have a piece of fruit, or
a protein shake or perhaps some lean
protein like fish or chicken.

John Cloud, you can't stuff your face
with cookies and donuts after a workout
and expect to lose weight! Just because
you choose to exercise UNhealthy habits
after a workout doesn't mean that
the rest of the world is full of morons
like you! Think about what you're doing
and then give a little thought to what
you're going to write.

Word is that Time Magazine has been
bombarded with rebuttals from the
Fitness Industry since the article
appeared. I'm hoping to see him
recant the whole thing.

BTW: At this writing I am down 54 pounds!

Cool Salad for Hot Summer Days

It's HOT!

And it's hard to get motivated
sometimes to prepare a meal that
is healthful and nutritious.

Who wants to be stirring a pot
over a hot stove or have the
oven on competing with the air
conditioning to see which one
can run your electric bill up
the highest?

Chilled foods can not only
be great for you, they can help
cool you down. And they won't
destroy your diet!

Here's one of my favorites:

Tomato and Avocado Salad

Ingredients:

1 Large Avocado

Large ripe tomato or
Two ripe Italian (plum) tomatoes

Fresh Raw Corn cut from the cob or
small can of Shoe peg corn drained
and rinsed

Red Onion

Fresh Lime

Fresh Cilanto (optional)

Ground Cumin (optional)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Dice the Avocado and Tomato
and place in a small bowl

Mince the red onion fairly
small and add to the mix.

Add in the Shoe Peg corn
or fresh corn and a little
salt and pepper.

Drizzle about half a teaspoon
of Olive Oil over the veggies.

Sprinkle half a teaspoon of
Ground Cumin over the mix.
(Optional)

Add a handful of finely chopped
Cilantro. (Optional)

Squeeze the juice from half a
lime and gently mix all of it
trying not to mash up the
avocado too much.

Chill for 30 minutes

This is a great heart healthy
alternative to the boring salads
we're all used to.

It can be added to some many
dishes as an edible garnish
or eaten as a stand alone salad.

One of my favorites is to warm
a Whole Grain Flour tortilla.
Add a few slices of grilled
chicken breast and a big plop
of Avocado/Tomato salad and maybe
even a dollop of fat free sour
cream.

Wrap it up like a burrito and
DIG IN!

It's amazingly delicious and again,
a heart healthy alternative to high
fat Mexican dishes.

Time Away from the Diet - Fruit Salad Recipe

I took a month to not diet quite
so hard and just maintain my loss.

Generally, I stick like glue to the
diet, but I was feeling burned out.
I was missing foods that I love!

So for the past month, I mainly just
kept to calorie counting and not
eating as healthfully as I should.

I ended up losing 3 pounds anyway.

But a recent knee injury and shoulder
injury kept me down for about a week
and preparing good food was just not
a viable option.

The result? I gained 4 pounds!

I was down 45 pounds from where I
started, and now I'm only down 41.

Not to be discouraged, I am hopping
back on the healthier choices.

So, I'm about to make this amazing
Fruit Salad. It's great, give it a
try. Very easy to prepare. And fruits
are abundant right now.

Simply chop the following
Fresh Fruits:


Pineapple

Banana

Apple

Peach

Strawberries

Orange or Tangerine

Grapes (I prefer the red seedless)

Just chop these into a size
that suits you and place in
a large container. A plastic
container with a lid works best
for storing.

Now, you can squeeze a little lime
juice in the mix to keep the
bananas from turning brown. Or,
if you and your family are going
to eat it all now, put in a container
of Fat Free Vanilla Yogurt!

Chill before serving for a
cool Summer treat that beats
the heat!

THIS IS SO YUMMY!

And it's good for you.

If you're going to need to store
some of it a day or two, just go
with the lime juice and add the
yogurt when you're ready to eat.

You can add just about any fruit
you like. I have made it with
mangoes, green grapes, kiwi, pears,
and a few others. Just add what you
like in the way of fresh fruit.

You can also use Mandarin Oranges
if you can find them. Even the
canned ones are good as long as
they are packed in JUICE only.
No syrup.

I'm drooling just thinking about it.