Is Getting Enough Protein the Key to Weight Loss?

After three incredibly indulgent days in New Orleans, I am focused on temperance and moderation.  I might have had about a dozen souffle potatoes from Antoine's on Sunday.  Might.  

Antoine's Souffle Potatoes

As I plan my meals for the week, protein and greens are a key component of them.   Apparently, not enough protein could be one of they key reasons why we overeat. 

An Australian study found that the instinctive appetite for protein in humans is so strong that people will keep eating until their bodies tell them they have had enough of it.  The problem tends to be in that we eat too much crap before we will fill up on protein. 

The University of Sydney's Charles Perkins Centre determined that as we eat foods high in carbohydrates, fats and sugar, we reduce the amount of protein we consume.  The New Zealand Herald examines the findings published in Obesity Reviews. 

Courtesy: Beck's Prime

"We found that regardless of your age or body mass index, your appetite for protein is so strong that you will keep eating until you get enough protein, which could mean eating much more than you should,' said lead author Dr Alison Gosby.

When you consume things like soft drinks, which are fairly low in proportion of protein but high in calories, your energy intake will increase because you'll need to keep eating to get the protein you need,' Dr Gosby said."

Think about it, when you eat a lunch full of starches and sugars featuring potatoes, bread and cookies, you're not fully satiated.  You're likely to be reaching for that mid-afternoon snack.  

Worried about the expense of proteins like meat, fish or poultry?  Try less expensive sources such as beans, eggs, nut butters and tofu. 

Lentil, kale & sweet potato soup

It's easy to get protein at every meal.  Consider this: 

• An egg or two at breakfast.  Worried about fat and cholesterol?  Try egg whites.  Short on time, hard boil a batch of eggs on Sunday to last you throughout the week.  Out on eggs?  Try some Greek yogurt. 
• Add a tablespoon of peanut butter to your apple for a snack or pair that apple with a piece of string cheese. 
• Have a veggie burger or put a protein like chicken, turkey, lean steak, canned tuna or salmon on your lunchtime salad. 
• For dinner, make a big pot of veggie soup featuring lentils.  I'm partial to my lentil, kale and sweet potato soup.  Prepare a batch of chicken breasts for the week to have for dinner every night.   

Getting enough protein doesn't have to be expensive or time-consuming.  It's really quite simple and worth the effort when you consider the payoff. 

Diet Tricks You SHOULDN'T Do

There are all sorts of diet tricks out there.   I shared 25 of the best diet tricks of all time last year plus a few of my own faves:

• Putting your fork down between bites.  It works, promise.
• Leaving two bites on every plate when you dine in a restaurant.  Another winner.

What about so-called diet tricks that don't work?  The Huffington Post's Anna Almendrala offers "7 Diet Habits You Should Drop Now" and the suggestions are pretty logical:

• Don't skip breakfast - good advice but if you're not hungry, don't stress over it.  Do what works for you.  I love breakfast.  If I'm not hungry, I will at least try to get something in my system like my green smoothie. 
• Cutting out entire food groups - I mean really.  Who can live without bread or cheese fries the rest of their lives?  It's ridiculous.  It's about moderation and occasional indulgences. 
• Filling up on diet soda drinks - this is a game changer.  From a pure hydration standpoint, you will feel so much better if you avoid diet soda (as well as regular) and quench your thirst with plain water, sparkling water, water infused with fresh fruit or cucumber slices or iced tea.  
• Thinking about it as a "diet" in the first place - TRUTH!  

Your "diet" is your overall approach to eating.  If you think about a "quick fix" it won't work.  You will fall right back into those bad habits once your calorie-reduced diet ends.  Sure, you can jumpstart your weight loss by restricting calories and dropping a few pounds quickly but you must consider how you will MAINTAIN that weight loss once you resume "normal" eating.

The "Diet" That Works For Me

I've said it repeatedly and will say it again: that Mediterranean "diet" is the BOMB.  Fish, veggies, fruits, nuts, olive oil, feta cheese, red wine and chocolate.  There is nothing "diet" or restrictive about it.  It's abundant in its bounties.

The Great Green Smoothie Recipe

Looking for a great way to get some fruit and veggies in your system first thing in the morning?  Try my great green smoothie.  This one features Almond Breeze almond milk, a banana, frozen berries, spinach and chia seeds.

Kids love it, too.  You can hear my daughter, Jordan, saying "Yummy! Smoothie!" in this video.  Or at least a 2-year old's version of those words. 

  

Is Eating a Low-Fat Diet Making You Fat?

When it comes to dieting to lose weight, I believe you ultimately have to experiment to find what's right for you.  Not every diet works for every person. 

Remember these?

Trust me, when I was 50 pounds heavier, I tried the then-popular Atkins diet only feel lethargic, constipated (sorry) and just blech.  Following a fake-food, low-fat diet full of sugar made me hungrier for more crappy low-fat food.

Staples of the Mediterranean Diet

What Helped Me Drop 50 Pounds
Ultimately, no magic diet works for me.  I do enjoy the Mediterranean approach to eating but I try to eat real food, most of the time.  I focus on fruits, vegetables and avoid saturated fats.  I love fish, dark chocolate and wine.  I have a sweet tooth that I am always battling and I enjoy indulging in what I love.  I had my once-a-year basket of Snuffer's Cheese Fries  Sunday after the TX/OU game and loved every calorie of the fat-bomb without an ounce of guilt. 

There.  That's it.  

Snuffer's Cheese Fries

If I want to drop weight quickly or balance out an indulgent weekend, I might juice for a few days or live on watermelon and vegetables.  That is NOT a good way to sustain weight loss but it's a quick fix which I sometimes, yet rarely, incorporate into my regime.  

Does Low-Fat Make You Fat? 
There's an interesting article in Britain's Daily Mail that bucks the theory that all calories are created equal. 

Diet or Exercise? What's More Effective When It Comes to Weight Loss?

Should I diet or exercise to lose weight?  Which one is more effective?

It's a constant discussion whether either you're trying to drop just a few pounds or 30.  Ultimately, it's a combination of the two that work.

But when trying to drop a large amount of weight the challenge can be daunting.  It's usually a basic premise of move more, eat less crap and more of the good, real stuff that works.

I am a big believer that 30 minutes of exercise a day will change your life.  Dramatically.  I also subscribe to the Mediterranean diet philosophy that focuses on produce, olive oil, fish and wine.   I lost 50+ pounds more than a decade ago and have kept it off even after having a baby.


Yet you see studies and those motivational pictures on Instagram that scream "A FLAT STOMACH STARTS IN THE KITCHEN" or "YOU CAN'T OUT-EXERCISE A BAD DIET."

All of that is true but nothing gives you the immediate satisfaction and endorphin rush of a nice, 30-minute workout to get the blood flowing.

A new study proves that.

It's a big, scientific-jargon-filled piece outlined in the October's Annals of Behavioral Medicine but the results are clear: it's best to diet and exercise at the same time but you might see results if you start with exercise first.  Once you see the benefit of a few weeks at the gym and you start seeing changes in your body, improving your diet might be the next natural step.

Just try moving for 30 minutes.  It will make you feel like a new person.  Promise.

Looking for some great exercise options?  Here are a few of my favorites:

• Walking or running - being outside in the fresh air does WONDERS
• Pilates - great for the core
• A workout from the Nike Training Club app - they don't pay me to endorse it....it's just that awesome
• Hula hooping - it's like a natural corset for your core
• My full-body toning routine that can be done anywhere and requires no equipment.  Perfect for the gym-averse.

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Coming Out of the Fitness Closet: Yes, I am a Hula Hooper

I love this hoop!

I posted this picture of me hula hooping with a weighted hula hoop to my Facebook page and Instagram feed.

You laughed, you snarked and, as a dear friend from high school, said "You really want the guys at The Ticket to see this?"
 
I don't care.  

Why?  

Because I am convinced hula hooping is a fun, low impact way to tone your core and legs. 

Tuesday morning, I was pressed for time but still wanted to get my blood pumping before an 11:30am meeting.  The babysitter didn't come until 10am.  I didn't want to pack up everything and run to the gym, blah blah blah.  So I decided to break out the weighted hoop that had been collecting dust underneath my bed. 

Using a weighted hula hoop, think two pounds, I worked the green monster for about 35 minutes.  It was an outstanding, low-impact option that had me sweating.  I wasn't able to do it nonstop, as I kept messing up.  I also performed the gyrations both clockwise and counterclockwise and found out I am much more adept at doing it clockwise than "to the left." 

This was a great "do what you can" exercise option.  I was able to squeeze in a solid workout while watching TV at the house.  I didn't even have to brush my teeth.  My 21-month old daughter, Jordan, got a kick out of watching me gyrate like a crazy lady.  I like that she sees exercise as a fun, playful thing.  She's already into doing downward dog with me when I practice yoga.

Beyond that, it was a WORKOUT.  Twenty-four hours later, my obliques and quads are sore.  The good sore which is a testament to a workout done well.

Don't believe me about the benefits of hula hooping?  Check out this recent review of it in Health Magazine: 

Start with the basic moves until you feel comfortable, then step up to more advanced ones, mixing and matching for your own personal head-to-toe tone-up. Do any combination of moves for 30 minutes (you’ll burn 150 to 250 calories per workout) three times a week for four weeks and you’ll lose 3 to 6 inches all over your body.

Here are the specifics: 

• I used the Empower Cardio Core Fitness Hoop.  It's a two-pound weighted hoop that I bought at Target for $29.99. 
• There is some super-easy assembly required and it also comes with workout suggestions.  
• Learn how to get started with your weighted hoop here.  
• Still struggling?  Watch this video. 
• I did a few of the suggested "toning exercises" such as the "Windshield Wiper" and "Cross Chop with Lunge". 

If you're looking for a fun, alternative workout, this is a great one to incorporate into your overall routine.  

And just because I'm all for self-deprecating humor....here's another pic: 

 
There are some different versions of weighted hoops.  Here are three that I have tried, including the one I own:

When it Comes to Exercise What the Heck Should You Do?

The Seven Minute Workout stole headlines last month.  (It is kind of awesome)

Courtesy: Wallsave.com

Then this Sunday's New York Times said it's all about four minutes.

Here's a quick excerpt from the story: 

Half began a supervised exercise program that reiterated the Norwegian researchers’ former routine. After briefly warming up, these volunteers ran on a treadmill at 90 percent of their maximal heart rate — a tiring pace, says Dr. Tjonna, at which “you cannot talk in full sentences, but can use single words” — for four four-minute intervals, with three minutes of slow walking between, followed by a brief cool-down. The entire session was repeated three times a week for 10 weeks.

The second group, however, completed only one four-minute strenuous run. They, too, exercised three times a week for 10 weeks.

At the end of the program, the men had increased their maximal oxygen uptake, or endurance capacity, by an average of 10 percent or more, with no significant differences in the gains between the two groups.

What about 30 minutes of exercise a day most days of the week?  Isn't that what doctors tell you to do?

 
Crossfit gyms and spinning studios are the 2013 version of the cupcake craze.  They're popping up everywhere from urban street corners to the burbs.

There's pilates, barre burn classes and boxing studios.  The options are endless.  Suggestions as to how much and when you should exercise are more confusing than a Kardashian family tree. 

So what should you do?  Here's my take culled over 25 years of exercising, playing sports, gaining weight, losing weight and keeping it off for more than a decade.

How to Win the Weight Loss Game by Focusing on What You CAN Eat vs What You Can't

A debate with a friend turned heated recently.  He is trying to lose weight and get in "fighting shape".  He is incorporating a low calorie weight loss plan that is, frankly, bland and boring.  He also laments the fact that he can't have beer, breads, ice cream, the chips he loves, blah blah blah blah. 

Ice cream chocolate chip sandwich/Courtesy: Bon Appetite

I countered with two points: First, you CAN have those things once in a while as a part of a well-balanced diet.  He thought he had to eliminate them completely.  Wrong.  Think once a week, not twice a day.

Then I presented him with this: "look at the great food you CAN have.  Think fish, chicken, lean steak, sweet potatoes, greens of all sorts, peppers, fresh berries, red wine (HELLO), dark chocolate, blah blah blah blah." 

He couldn't get over the fact that he CAN'T have certain food items.  I maintain that if you focus on what you CAN have while you're trying to drop weight or stay within a healthy range, it will make the sometimes taxing mental process of trying to win the weight loss game more bearable.

Does this sound familiar: "Crap, no 4pm cookie, no afterwork beers, no pretzels during the Rangers game!  This sucks!!!!"

Yeah, it does suck.  The thought of what you can't consume can consume you so much so that you end stuffing your face with all the stuff you swore off eating.

The best, healthiest smoothie ever.

Instead, approach your day this way:

• "This oatmeal with apples and peanut butter for breakfast is so much food!"  
• "Spinach and raspberries are so fresh right now they will go well with the chicken/tuna/ I am having for lunch."  
• "This smoothie full of bananas, berries and kale tastes like fresh gelato!" (it really does) 
• "This corn is so ripe, it's going to be a perfect side dish for my Mediterranean halibut recipe."

That's not some pollyanna way of thinking.  It works.  Succeeding at eating a healthy diet is as much about mental execution as it is the physical.  We know the right foods to eat.  It's just hard to do it.  Get your mind focused on what you CAN eat instead of what you CAN'T and you WILL succeed.

Promise. 

Looking for a great way to eat a bounty of fresh produce, wine, chocolate, nuts and more, try the Mediterranean "diet".  I hate using the word "diet" because it's much more of an approach to eating that is wonderfully balanced and so inclusive you won't feel like you're depriving yourself of anything.

A Weight Loss Guide: It's About Calorie Intake, Right? Sorta

It's simple: burn more calories than you consume.  This is a tried and true formula, yes?

Yes, but.....

Many times those calorie estimates are inaccurate.  You could also miscalculate the serving size you consume (I only had one handful of M&M's, okay three).   Basically calories in vs calories out is akin to being good on paper but bad in bed.

courtesy: mass.gov

The Mayo Clinic has an OUTSTANDING website that tackles all sorts of health issues, including the calorie conundrum.  Read this excerpt from their Nutrition Wise blog in a post titled "Calories Reconsidered: Old Assumptions Questioned":

Food As Medicine? It's Definitely a Form of Prevention.

"Our food should be our medicine and our medicine should be our food." -Hippocrates.

From acai to mangosteen you have probably seen superfood claims.  The LA Times had an interesting examination in the theory of food as medicine recently.

A Delicious Baked Apple Dessert in a Snap

Actually, it's faster than a snap.  This apple dessert recipe took about seven minutes from conception to completion.

After the delicious (really!) kale, lentil and sweet potato soup I made for the main course, I wanted something sweet but not a sugar overload.

We had a bunch of apples in the house, so I pulled this recipe out of my you-know-where.  It turned out to be a winner.

Gina's Delicious Kale, Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup

Will she like it? 

While looking for easy ways to use some vegetables I had on hand, I found a recipe for kale, lentil and sweet potato soup on the blog Eat Live Run.  While her version is great, I have formulated my own adaptation that I think is fabulous.

Gina's Kale, Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup

• 1/2 cup red lentils
• 10 diced baby carrots, peeled and small diced
• 3/4 large onion, diced
• 1 tsp garlic (garlic powder is fine in a pinch)
• 4 stalks celery, diced
• 1 bunch lacinato kale, torn
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped into small 1/4-1/2″ cubes 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock 
• Mrs. Bragg's Organic Sprinkle Seasoning to taste 
• red pepper flakes to taste

Directions:
Heat the oil in a saute pan.  Once hot add the onion, celery, carrot and sweet potato and cook until softened.  Add the garlic and kale and continue cooking until kale wilts.

Transfer vegetables to a soup pot.  Add the lentils, seasoning and stock.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until lentils and sweet potatoes are tender and have absorbed most of the liquid.

I served this with a warmed baguette and bit of brie.  The sweet potatoes and lentils provide a hint of sweet, the kale provides texture and the red peppers add some heat.  This soup didn't need any salt or pepper.  It's a substantial dish.

But does the kid like it?  That's the million dollar question.

Call her Mikey....she likes it! 

She dug it!  She would pull a piece of onion or kale out of her mouth if it was too large.  Otherwise, she loved it, particularly the lentils and sweet potatoes.

This recipe took about 45 minutes to make, start to finish taking into account my remedial knife skills.  It freezes beautifully.

 

Fall off the Weight Loss Resolution Bandwagon? Here's a Great Meal Plan from Eating Well Magazine to Help You Get Back on Track

How are those 2013 weight loss resolutions going?  With March more than halfway over, this is a great time to reassess your goals.  If you're struggling to stick with a program of eating real food, squeezing in five to six hours a week of exercise and taking time for yourself, then let's REFOCUS.

Today we're focusing on eating well, courtesy of Eating Well magazine.  Its print edition offers outstanding recipes that are practical, affordable and easy to make.  Recently it posted online a 7-day meal plan based on your caloric intake, ranging from 1200 to 2000 calories.  It's an idiot-proof method to help you achieve your weight loss goal.

First, determine the number of calories you need to consume to lose weight.  I always go with the method of multiplying your desired weight by 10.  Want to weigh 130 pounds?  10 x 130 = 1300.  That is the number of calories you can eat to help you reach that goal.  Exercise moderately for an hour?  Okay, a based on a conservative estimate, you can have between 350-500 additional calories on that day you do the exercise.  This is just one method.  It has worked for me whenever I need to drop a few pounds, including the 50+ I lost more than a decade ago.

Courtesy Eating Well Magazine

Look at what Eating Well offers for a middle of the road, 1600 calorie-plan for Tuesday:

• Breakfast

  • 1 Whole Grain Oat Bran Bagel
  • 1 Cup Skim Milk
  • 1/2 Cup Blueberries
  • 1 Tablespoon Creamy Peanut Butter, unsalted

• Morning Snack

  • 1 Apple, small

• Lunch

  • 1 Cup Tossed Salad Mix
  • 1 Tablespoon Vinegar & Oil Salad Dressing
  • Green Eggs & Ham Frittata
  • 1/2 Cup Cooked Brown Rice
  • 1/2 Cup Fresh Pineapple

• Afternoon Snack

  • 6 Ounces Nonfat Vanilla or Lemon Yogurt, Sweetened with Low-Calorie Sweetener

• Dinner

  • 3/4 Cup Steamed Carrots
  • 1 Cup Skim Milk
  • Cornmeal-Crusted Chicken Nuggets with Blackberry Mustard
  • Spiced Corn & Rice Pilaf
  • 1 Nectarine, medium

This is a satiating, diverse meal plan that won't have you hungry.  It offers real food options with recipes to help you stay on track. 

Interested in more ways to rock your 2013 weight loss resolution?  Here are a few more tips that work for me:

• Three ridiculously simple calorie cutting tricks.
• Don't get fat eating salads!  Trust me, you can.
• Great fitness apps and gadgets to help you tame your waistline. 
• Best diet around?  The Med!  Try it.  Today.

A Great Green Juice From Whole Foods That Will Appeal To All Palates

For those of you who just can't stomach a truly green, grassy juice, I've got something for you.

Whole Foods has become a big player in the pre-bottled, unpasteurized juice game.  They offer everything from green lemonades to watermelon juices and more.   I stumbled across a new green concoction at the Highland Park store that is amazing called Happy Trails.

It is a blend of kale, melon, cucumber, celery and orange juices that is simply delicious.  The primary flavor is fresh-squeezed orange juice with a hint of celery and cucumber.  The kale cuts the overly sweet taste many fresh squeezed orange juices have.

If you're looking to get some liquid greens in your diet, this one is a winner.  Double bonus?  It only costs a wallet friendly $2.89.

Like this?  You might like these:

• One of my favorite homemade green juice recipes.

• Curious about my lifechanging smoothie recipe that blends kale, almond milk and berries.

The Mediterranean Diet: Possibly the Tastiest and Healthiest Diet Ever (Wine and Chocolate Included!)

This is a diet you have heard about time and again. It's nothing new. In fact, it's thousands of years old. 

IT is the Mediterranean diet. A simple approach to eating that has been for millenia. It also recently landed on top of U.S. News and World Report's "Best Diets of 2019" list as the Best Diet Overall.

A recent study conducted by researchers at Spain's University of Barcelona examined the diet's effect on heart disease. The New England Journal of Medicine determined "the Mediterranean diet as the most likely dietary model to provide protection against coronary heart disease." The study says eating this way reduces risk of cardiovascular disease up to 30%.

The results were so overwhelmingly positive that the study ended early because, according to the New York Times, "it was considered unethical to continue."

Good News: Less May Be More When It Comes To Exercise

At least that's what a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham determined.  According to the results published in Exercise & Science in Sports & Medicine, four workouts a week might be the sweet spot.

The New York Times puts the findings in layman's terms.

        "We think that the women in the twice-a-week and four-times-a-week groups felt more energized and physically capable" after several months of training than they had at the start of the study, says Gary Hunter, a U.A.B. professor who led the experiment. Based on conversations with the women, he says he thinks they began opting for stairs over escalators and walking for pleasure. 

       The women working out six times a week, though, reacted very differently. "They complained to us that working out six times a week took too much time," Dr. Hunter says. 
       
       Rather, they felt pressed for time and reacted, it seems, by making choices like driving instead of walking and impatiently avoiding the stairs" 

Just from my experience, I've found the less is more approach to be more effective.  When I was training for marathons, I gained weight because I ate more and was so tired that I was pretty much a sloth the rest of the day.  When I exercise too much during the week, say six times, the workouts aren't the highest quality.  There's can be a "going through the motions" aspect to them.

My sweet spot is around five workouts a week with one of those five being a simple power walk with the family.  That's something any of us can do.  The workouts don't have to be long ones either.  30-45 minutes of quality exercise.  I did just that this Friday morning with one Texas Rangers executive before our day began at spring training. 

Workout Wednesday: Getting Workouts Done on the Road, Even at Spring Training

It's happened.  I'm multitasking way too much.  I'm writing this blog post as I log an interview with Rangers starting pitcher Yu Darvish following his first workout of the season in Surprise, Arizona.  His is an interview that has a bit of "downtime" because he still uses a Japanese interpreter and answers his question in his native tongue.

But the whole multitasking thing is good when you're trying to squeeze in a workout.  This actually came up in a conversation with Elf & Slater on the 105.3 the Fan Radio this morning from Surprise.  These days at spring training are packed.  We must be at the Rangers clubhouse at 8am to get pre-workout interviews.  We don't wrap up until around 930pm in the evenings.   There is little downtime but that doesn't mean I have to forgo exercise.  It's all about fitting it in when I can.  These are lessons you can incorporate into your busy day, too.

One thing I make sure to do is walk everywhere, even if it's inefficient.  I take the long way to get places just so I am moving.  I also squeeze in pushups, situps, dips and squats.  Wednesday morning, I did 100 ab exercises and 50 pushups.  Tonight I will do some squats, dips and lunges.  This is a segmented version of my Quickie Workout that you can do anywhere at any time.

I also use my iPad and do a yoga or pilates workout that's been downloaded.  If I get a free hour at night or at crackthirty in the morning, I will hit the hotel gym.  They key, to paraphrase Nike, is to just do it. 

Getting in some exercise is a vital to our mental health as it is to our physical wellbeing.  In fact, I find it MOST important to stick to an exercise regime particularly when I am super-busy.  I'm more focused and do a better job when I've had that chance to decompress and get the blood flowing. 

Workouts are particularly important when the famous Cookie Lady is here with her wonderful treats.  This morning I sampled Mench's Munchie's named after former Ranger Kevin Mench.  These are Ritz crackers filled with peanut butter and covered in chocolate almond bark.  Very good. 

The Desk Diet: thinkThin Divine Bars Do NOT Disappoint

Need a great staple to help you stay on track when you're stuck all day at your desk?  Grab these little goodies and stock your drawers because they will become your new best friend.

I seriously had to do a double take when I first tried a thinkThin Divine Dark Chocolate Coconut bar. 

It was....you know it's coming.....divine!

It tasted so much like an Almond Joy candy bar that I had to examine the nutrition information more closely.

This little nugget is 1.48 ounces of dark chocolate and coconut deliciousness.  It contains 170 calories, 19 grams of fat, 6 grams of protein, 8 grams of fiber and 10 grams of sugar.  That is a good option for a sweet afternoon snack (something that is my weakness).

In contrast, an Almond Joy has 220 calories per packet, 13 grams of fat, 20 (!) grams of sugar and 2 grams of both fiber and protein.

No contest. 

The thinkThin bar is awesome.  It's not as syrupy sweet as Almond Joy yet tastes almost similar to it but better.  It's a more mature flavor profile, like adult candy.  The dark chocolate and real coconut add depth to the bar.  Perhaps the best thing is that it's pretty filling.  

An excellent choice if you're looking for that 4pm pick-me-up at work.   Stock your desk with these bars.  They're genius and so awesome that my friend, Tracy Kornet, and I rave about it (and more) in our Wonderful Wednesday edition of the Real Botox Diaries.

Rock Your Resolution: Tips to Get Lean, Fit & in Fighting Shape in 2013

One month into 2013, are you sticking with them?  Not the extra pounds you (and me) want to lose but the resolutions to drop them?

Many people abandon their New Year's resolutions in just a couple of weeks.   Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project, reports that of the 45% of Americans who make resolutions every year, 24% of them fail.  Take all that with a grain of salt but resolutions are a tough thing to maintain, no question. 

For those of us hoping for a leaner version of ourselves in a few months, here are reminders on how to rock your 2013 weight loss resolution with some easy tips:

• Three Calorie Cutting Tricks: it's as simple as putting your fork down between bites.  Check out the other two here.
• Dancing with your kids counts as exercise.  Really.  Here are some other workout options.
• Don't get fat eating salads!  Here's how to avoid that.
• Here is a great, quick workout you can do anywhere without any equipment when you're pressed for time.
• How about some healthy snack options so you can fight back when the urge to visit the vending machine attacks while you're at work.  This is my personal 2013 resolution - avoid the vend-o-matic! 

Whatever happened to this!?!?!?!?

How to Stay in Shape While Pregnant

At 34 weeks

For this Workout Wednesday, we'll revisit something I chat about with friends almost daily: staying fit and healthy while pregnant.  I posted this on another blog in 2011 right after Jordan was born.  

DISCLAIMER TIME: check with a doctor before you being an exercise program, especially if you're expecting. 

From December 2011: 
Staying in shape while I was going through my first pregnancy wasn’t easy but it was certainly worth it with the payoff being a relatively easy delivery. The lessons I learned while pregnant can certainly carry over to life without a bowling ball in your stomach.

I experienced only two solid months of morning sickness, so bad at one point I had to stop an interview with a Texas Rangers outfielder and run to the restroom thinking I was going to hurl. The final seven to eight months were relatively pain-free. I worked and exercised up until October 23rd, the day before I gave birth to Jordan.

Juicing in 2013: From the BluePrint Cleanse to Home Juicing, What Works & What Doesn't

You can't swing a celery stalk without discovering a new juice bar on a Dallas corner.  Magazines and websites are extolling the virtues of juicing throughout their pages, particularly this January.

I've been a juicer, not of the Lance Armstrong variety, for years and have chronicled my juicing endeavors on this blog.  I did a spin on the grandma of the cleansing craze, the BluePrint Cleanse, in 2010.  In short, I'm a fan of their system but fandom doesn't come cheap.

Here's a link to one of my old standby, homemade green juice recipes made of kale, celery, cucumber and apples.   It looks sort of like the remnants of a bad hangover in a toilet bowl but it's tastes good.

I even tried to soak cashews to mimic the BluePrint Cleanse's famed Cashew Milk.  That didn't turn out so well.  You can become so your own personal juice mixologist.  It's easy to get wrapped up in creating new recipes.  The Wall Street Journal tackles home juicing Wednesday morning and a simple Google search yields millions of results.