Brown Bag Your Lunch

Packing a lunch and a great way to loose weight and save in your wallet. A simple whole wheat bread with turkey sandwich is a easy 280 calories but if you cut that in half and add a vege sticks or a piece of fruit, it will come to 200 calories. And for the 80 calories left, well, you can have a Quaker Chewy granola bar at 3:00pm to avoid the candy or sugar pop/soda machines. If you do get hunger at 3:00pm have a piece of sugarless gum or almonds which is a great source to kill your hunger and keeps you occupy from having bad foods.

Fruit is a great sweet food to cut the cravings. But if it is a must have, sweet tooth craving, have the 100 calories cookie bags or jello. Don't prive from all the sugar from your body and mind. Like people say, you only have one body and one lifetime to live, just don't go over board. Treat yourself once in a while, but not too much. Enjoy life.

Here is some good packing lunches...
• Tuna sandwich wrap with light mayonnaise, lettuce and tomatoes
• Egg salad sandwich on whole grain bread
• Peanut butter with a banana on whole grain bread
• Sliced turkey with light mayonnaise, mustard, lettuce and a slice of cheese - wrap sandwich

Side items or 10am or 3pm snacks...
• Cheese sticks (good source of calcium)
• Whole grain snack crackers
• Make a fruit salad with grapes, melons chunks, and blueberries
• Dried fruit, like raisins, dried cranberries or banana chips
• Nuts like almonds, cashews, or walnuts
• Pack a cold pasta salad, cole slaw, or potato salad
• Baby carrots with a small container of vegetable dip
• Crunchy raw green beans with a small container of ranch or french onion dip
• Prepackaged, flavored low-fat yogurt

Beyond the bread...
• Beef and vegetable stew with wheat crackers
• Chicken noodle soup and whole grain crackers
• Vegetable Lasagna with a salad
• Chicken casserole with carrots and vegetable dip
• Chili with whole grain crackers or bread
• Left over stir-fry or sautéed vegetables with whole wheat or wild rice
• Salad greens with tomatoes and grilled chicken, tuna or turkey with parma cheese and fat-free dressing

Here are some web links for healthy lunches recipes...
• Eating Well
• Kaboose
• About.com

Reminder Before You Grab a Donut

OMG! Here is a reminder before you grab the last donut at the office. (Sponsor by Yahoo.)

DONUTDunkin Donuts Chocolate Frosted Donut (230 calories)
59 minutes of walking (3 mph).


BREAKFAST SANDWICHMcDonald's Egg McMuffin (300 calories)
32 minutes of running (5 mph).

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIEPanera Chocolate Chipper (440 calories)
62 minutes of biking (10-11.9 mph).

PIZZAPizza Hut Large Hand-Tossed Style Cheese Pizza (1 slice; 320 calories)
39 minutes of swimming (slow to moderate laps).


CINNAMON ROLLStarbucks Cinnamon Roll (500 calories, varies by location)
85 minutes of dancing.


HAMBURGERBurger King Original Whopper With Cheese (770 calories)
94 minutes of swimming (slow to moderate laps).


BROWNIEAu Bon Pain Chocolate Chip Brownie (380 calories).
129 minutes of yoga (Hatha style).


FRIESWendy's Large French Fries (540 calories)
77 minutes of biking (10-11.9 mph).

ICE CREAMHäagen-Dazs Vanilla Ice Cream (0.5 cup; 270 calories)
29 minutes of running (5 mph).


BURRITOTaco Bell Burrito Supreme, Beef (410 calories)
70 minutes of dancing.

Free Diet Plans at SparkPeople.com

At SparkPeople.com, you can join FREE to get help and support by people who are in the same boat that you are in - loosing weight, feeling healthier and most of all, live again younger. This wonderful FREE join in community is great for people who you can write to people and get support from people around the world. Great tips and how you can reach your goal. You can create your own blog page and track your fitness and food tracks calories and so on. Check it out. Its a lot of fun and the encourage words from strangers who are also on the wagon as you are, its inspirational to stay on the diet. CLick Here.

EA Sports Active

More and more technology is taking over and making fitness fun. I saw on TV commerical on the EA Sports Active. It looks fun and easy, plus a great work out. Developed in collaboration with fitness expert Bob Greene, best known as Oprah's personal trainer. Engage in fitness made easy through 20 minute circuits feature a variety of familiar activities that target upper body, lower body as well as cardio. They have a '30 day challenge' of tailor made 20 minute workouts, that change as you progress each day, and track calories, intensity and progress. Here is some more information and videos about the EA Sports Active (there is a clip on Alison Sweeney from Days of our Live and the Biggest Loser) - chick here. Here is the website for the product. Coming out May 19, 2009.

Secret Truth About Restauants

I came across with this article on yahoo.com and can't believe the truth about these restaurants. Applebee's graded F, I always thought that there food is supposedly be health - Shocker. Check out the list of your favorite resaurant and see what grade they got. Click here.

Exersice TV website

ExerciseTV is a free, video-on-demand network dedicated to the hottest workouts, fitness trends and sports training from top instructors and trainers. With ExerciseTV users can workout on their schedule to hundreds of fat burning workouts like cardio, abs, yoga, dance and more!

ExerciseTV is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on demand with digital cable and online at www.exercisetv.tv.

March Resolution - Saving Energy

For my March Resolution month, I thought I would save some energy and put up some green light bulbs in my house. It's a world of difference in lighting that I can see again. My other light bulbs were 75 watt but putting in 120 watt (25 watt), WOW its great. Also, its a good work out, balancing myself on the latter and stretching to reach the light bulb. My legs and thighs are little sore.

Top Healthiest Fast-Food Restaurants 2009

I was very surprise on the list of fast-food restaurants top healthiest list. Check out if any of these restaurants live by your home and check out their menu.

#1 Panera Bread
#2 Jason’s Deli
#3 Au Bon Pain
#4 Noodles and Company
#5 Corner Bakery Cafe
#6 Chipotle
#7 Atlanta Bread
#8 McDonald’s
#9 Einstein Bros. Bagels
#10 Taco Del Mar

If you want to the read the article about each of these restaurants on why they are health and what food to eat and to avoid. Click here.

French Toast in Oven

Boy...I miss french toast, do you? Even the smell of the frying of butter on the skillet with the soaks egg-vanilla bread on the pan. Ohhh...my. You can still have it but in a different healthier way.

You can still have the egg and vanilla soak with your whole grain bread but instead of frying butter in the pan, you spray 0 calories cooking spray and spray it on a cookie sheet. Set you oven at 500 degrees and put you french toast in for 10 minutes and turning once to golden brown. And Well-A, delicious french toast. Put a little of lite or sugar free syrup or fruit or jam. Mmmm.

* If you have corn flakes in the cupboard, crush the corn flake (just a little bit, if they are big flakes), soak your bread in the egg-vanilla and put on the corn flake on both sides and put in the oven.

G2 : Only 25 Calories and 7g Sugar per 8oz.

Do you know that Gatorade G2 has half the calories from the original? Check it out for yourself on their cool website. By the way for you diabetes people, G2 is also half the sugar. G2 has 25 calories and 7 g sugar. Awesome!

Calorie FORMULA

I found this Calorie FORMULA from someone video youtube.com. I thought is was very interesting and informative. This formula of math (my favorite subject in school) is the calulation for how many calories you should intake everyday and still loose weight. (Round you figure of answers.)

— Take your current weight in pounds multiple by 4.38 = A
— Add your height in inches multiple by 4.38 = B
— Add answer A and B and add that answer sum to 661 = C
— Take you age multiple by 4.7 = D
— Take C minus round figure D = E
— Take answer E minus 500
= The total about of calories you can eat while loosing weight and to eventually maintain your goal weight.

For example:
315 lbs. X 4.38 = 1379
68" height X 4.38 = 298
1379 + 298 = 1677
1677 + 661 = 2338
37 age X 4.7 = 173.9
2338 — 174 = 2164
2164 - 500 = 1664

1,664 Calories is the max to can a day while loosing weight.

if you want to the see the video on youtube.com - click here.

Dance

You see on TV these info commercials on dancing the weight off and they charge you lots of money. Get real. That all you have to do and put on the radio or put in a CD of your favorite song and just move your body to the beat. Even if you don’t know how to dance, who cares, its all what you feel of your new style. Dancing is therapy…you focus on the movement or beat and you get a positive hormone flowing through you body. Get up and move those hips and feet, swing your arms, enjoy the moment of happiness for once. Go crazy. Enjoy and release the anger and sadness of problems for one moment of joy. Breath. Oh, by the way, if you dance for half-hour, you can loose about 100 to 150 calories.

February Resolution 2009

I have been so busy with the super bowl weekend (GO Steelers), I forgot to put up my new resolution for February 2009. I'm going green this month and I will be bringing my bought bags to go shopping instead of using brown or plastic bags. I'm saving the environment and its a good work out too, by lifting the bags like weights. Try it for yourself and save the trees.

Never Say Diet

I love this website, "Never Say Diet", just the title alone is great. The website has great tips on health and video to loose those pounds with fitness. Jillian Michaels, from the Biggest Lose show, has few tips on fitness to target your shape. Check it out. Its a great bookmark on your favorite browser to motivate you to succeed your goals.

Discovery Health

Discovery Channel has health tips on gaining your life back and loosing weight. Great tips on dieting and fitness. They have professional doctors give your tips on a lot of categories of dieting. Plus, they discuss diseases and condition on how to prevent it and maintain it. Discovery Health, also, has tools to check on your health. Join their FREE National Body Challenge for 2009. Its still not too late to get on board. Start now. Click Here.

5 Things to Check to Prevent Heart Disease

1. Check your Blood Pressure
Normal blood pressure is 119/79. Prehypertension is 120 - 139/80 - 89. Anything above that range is considered high.

2. Check you Cholesterol
High cholesterol can lead to heart disease, heart attack and stroke. Cholesterol is considered abnormal when: Total cholesterol is 200 or higher. HDL (good cholesterol) is less than 40. LDL (bad cholesterol is more than 160.

3. Check your Body Mass Index (BMI)
This is quick way to measure body fat. Use Web MD's BMI calculator to see where you stand. A BMI of 18.5-24.9 is ideal, 25-29.9 is overweight, 30-39 indicates obesity and 40 or more indicates morbid obesity. You can change this by starting NOW, its not too late.

4. Check you Blood Sugar
If you are overweight and under-active, you may be at risk for type 2 diabetes which increases numerous health risks including heart disease. A fasting blood sugar test is the most common way to diagnose diabetes. A normal fasting blood sugar is less than 100. Pre-diabetes is 100-125 and 126 or greater indicates diabetes.

5. Check your Activity Level
Are you a couch potato? Doctors recommend you get 30 minutes of exercise a day. That can be anything from walking to swimming to biking - Whatever. Don't have 30 minutes at a time? Take 3 ten-minute walks during the day. Anything is better than nothing.

Dietribe - MyLifeTime TV

"DietTribe" is Lifetime's new reality series that follows the emotional journey of five friends as they attempt to go from "fat" to "fit." These women have made a commitment to lose their unwanted pounds together.

Close friends Anna Lloyd (30, Pasadena, California), Lydia Moody (26, Los Angeles),Megan Stewart (29, Anaheim, California), Shawna McClellan (27, Anaheim, California) and Morgan Lancaster (31, Monrovia, California) have stuck together through thick and thin, sharing a strong bond that has lasted for many years.

Over the course of 90 days, Anna, Lydia, Megan, Shawna and Morgan will try to turn their poor habits into healthy choices by attempting to lose 30 pounds or more with the help of their trainer and therapist.

Oprah - Live Your Best Life

Oprah is have this week (Jan. 5-9, 2009) a few serious about to Live Your Best Life. - Topics of Falling off the wagon, Dr. Oz, Spiritual, Money and Sex 101. Check it out for yourself - Click Here. I got to watch Dr. Oz on Tuesday and I was a lot of information on feel health again beside of loosing weight. On the website, Oprah and Dr. Oz will be having a live chat online on January 13 to answer question that you might have about health and loosing weight. Register and ask a question. Also, get Dr. Oz workout check list in getting health and loosing weight.

Here is Dr. Oz check list:

1. Find a doctor and schedule a check up. During you first visit at the doctors look around and see if the staff get along from one another, are they board certified and so on. When I see my doctor I always have a list of questions on a piece of paper so I don't forget to him/her. Tell the doctor everything even its sore tooth.

2. Know the five ingredients to avoid. High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sugar, Enriched, Trans Fat and Saturated Fats.

3. the healthy foods to add to your diet. Antioxidants (tomatoes, broccoli, kidney beans, blueberries, artichokes and prunes), Omega-3 Fats (Increase your intake of omega-3 fats to 3 grams a day - ground flaxseeds, walnuts, salmon, scallops, soybeans and squash), Fiber (Oatmeal, 100 percent whole grain bread, lentils, pine nuts, peas and raspberries), Olive Oil (about a tablespoon every day).

4. Take a multivitamin every single day. premenopausal woman (multivitamin that contains iron) and postmenopausal woman or a man (multivitamin without iron and no more than 2,500 units of vitamin A).

5. Know your numbers. Waist Size (about 40 inches for men, 37 inches for women), Cholesterol (LDL, or lousy cholesterol, to be less than 100 and HDL, or healthy cholesterol, to be greater than 40), Resting Heart Rate (close to 60), Blood Surgar, Vitamin D (bones), C-Reactive Protein (This is a way to tell if your body is full of inflammation and irritation), Thyroid Stimulating Hormone TSH (Oprah learned the hard way confession - a simple blood test).

6. Find a health advocate. When you are under stress from doctors' diagnoses or are too sick to speak up for yourself, it's crucial to have someone helping you. Get someone who you trust and make them your partner in this process.

7. Organize your medical records. Get an updated copy of your medical file before you leave the doctor's office, just in case you need to see another physician.

8. Get the medical tests you need. Human Papilloma Virus, Oral exam, Cervical, Weight Waist Height BMI, Tetanus, Whooping cough, Physical Exam, Blood pressure, Influenza, Sking cancer, Eye exam, Thyroid, Prostate, Cholesterol, Pneumovax, Breast, Colon, Shingles, Echocardiagram and Stress test, Bone Mineral Density and Hearing exam.

9. Start exercising. Start Walking 10,000 steps a day, Get your heart rate up, Flexibility (Dr. Oz Yoga Lesson) and Strength Training (Dr. Oz Workout).

10. Get seven to eight hours of sleep a night.

The Biggest Loser - Season 7

The Biggest Loser is on tonight, NBC. Don't miss it. There have a 19-year old who is the biggest weight that they ever had, 471 lbs. See how he changes his life from the beginning.

Happy New Resolution 2009

It's back to the drawling board. I did a few things on my list of resolution last year, 2008. I made a blog of movies and weight loss. I bought my canon camera and took a lot of photos of nature. I actually finished a my book which I don't like to read fiction books - I mostly like to read from the internet. But there is one honest thing that I did gave up on and it was to loose weight. I did accomplish to loose some weight but I gain it all back. My starting weight for January 5 of 2009 is 316 lbs. UGH!

For my new resolution for 2009, I going to accomplish to make small goals for each month and keep it with it. For example, the month of January, I only taking in 1600 calories a day and exercise twice a week for an hour.

I think that making small goals to accomplish something big, is the right way to do. Wish me good luck and I hope you all join with me in loosing weight and achieving my and your goals for 2009.