Substitutes

Okay, many of you know by now my rule about the extras (ranch, salad dressing, mayo, sour cream, cream cheese, etc).  The less you partake, the less you will crave them.  So I want you all to try some new ways to substitute fattening foods for healthy foods.  Here's a list. Let me know what you love.
Non fat plain yogurt
Neufchatel or "light" cream cheese or fat-free cream cheese
Lemon or Lime Juice
Garlic
Salt and pepper (watch the salt if you have high blood pressure)
Basil
Cilantro
Peppers
EVOO mixed with lemon juice and spices
Salsa
Cottage Cheese (low fat)
Applesauce

Good luck!

Portions, people, Portions!

One thing I really want each of you to understand is portions.  This is a great way to help you understand what I mean...

I like to move it move it

Okay, I think I have stated this before but I will state it again.  You will see the most results if you allow fitness to become your life.  The more you move it, the more calories you burn, the more fat you burn, the better body fat you will achieve.  I'm not looking for the obsession some of us fitness gurus have but I need everyone to INCREASE your physical activity.  Find three ways EVERY single day to increase your P.A. without stepping foot in the gym. I still want you to come to the gym, but I'm looking for a change in lifestyle.
If I don't motivate you enough, this video will :)

Good luck. I love you all.

Some ideas with fruit...

I found some great recipes containing fruit. So, here are a few....

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Almond-Strawberry-Salad/Detail.aspx

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Tangy-Poppy-Seed-Fruit-Salad/Detail.aspx

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Juicy-Fruit-Salad/Detail.aspx

If you have to make a dessert for something..use this recipe..it's not fat free by any means but it has a lot of good things on it and its DELICIOUS! I don't like cream cheese so I use whipped cream. It's also better for you that way!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fancy-Fruit-Pizza/Detail.aspx

Breakfast Ideas

Quite a few of you are having a hard time with breakfast.  It's easy to mess up on breakfasts because a) we are so tired and don't want to put a lot of effort into what we are eating and b) it seems like most breakfast food is carbs, so we get hungry super fast after we eat.  I am going to give you some ideas and I want everyone to work on breakfast in the next week. PERFECT breakfast every day! You can do it!

Option 1: 

1 whole wheat tortillia

3 egg whites and 1 whole egg

1/4 c. low fat cheese

Grapefruit

Apple Juice (real kind, not sugar kind :))

Option 2: 

1 piece of whole wheat toast

2 turkey sausage patties. 

Apple

Orange Juice

Option 3:

Low fat high protein fruit breakfast smoothie

Example: 1 cup of yogurt. 1 tbsp. peanut butter. 1 cup strawberries. 1 banana, ice.  

Option 4: 

1 cup of oatmeal

1/2 tablespoon brown sugar

Cinnamon

1/4 cup chopped almonds and Raisin mixture. 

Apple

Milk

The most important part of the day in breakfast and there MUST be protein in breakfast or our cravings will be out of control by lunch which screws up our whole day!   

PiZzA!!!

There is something about the word "pizza" that can really trigger our mouth to water and begin to crave the delicious taste of cheese and sauce in our mouth.  Unfortunately, as your trainer I must highly recommend you to avoid 90% of the pizzas out there. However, there are some that can be delicious and healthy! Malawi's Pizza in the Riverwoods has healthy choices for pizza, but I am also going to give you a recipe of a delicious healthy pizza!

You can either buy a whole wheat pizza crust or make the recipe

After having the crust use the following toppings to put on top. 

Real tomato marinara sauce

Low fat skim milk cheese

Roasted chicken

Sliced tomatoes

Baby spinach

Basil

This pizza is so delicious! It has two and half servings of veggies on it, one serving of dairy, one serving of protein and two grains.  Try it! You will not regret it!

New Year's Resolutions

I hope each of you have taken time to think of what you would like to improve this year for your New Year's Resolutions.  I am hoping there has been some renewal of motivation as well.  I haven't seen too many of you this week, so I'm hoping over the next couple weeks that increases and I see each of you come in and start the new year off well. As far as this blog goes..I need more participation from you, my clients, for me to want to continue to put effort in.  I need you guys to pay attention to what you eat and be honest with me and what I can do to help.  Does it help for me to put recipe ideas up? What helps you the most for nutrition that I have done? Or is there something I have not done that would be helpful? Give me some feedback so I can know what would be most beneficial for all of y'all!!
I am going to work on some new recipes and hopefully in the next couple days I can have some posted.  Please come in and sign up with me.

Yay for new goals! We can decide this year what we want to be like next year.  It starts with so many little choices we make every day.  Please let me know what I can do for you!