"The Skinny"
on Weight Loss!

May 2009

Welcome to the third issue of our monthly newsletter, which will focus on summer weight loss! We received excellent feedback about our first two issues and hope you continue to enjoy our monthly e-zine! Our goal is to provide you with tips, tricks, and techniques you can use to help you achieve your wellness goals!

If you like this e-zine, please do a friend (and me) a big favor and share! If a friend did forward this to you, and if you like what you read, please subscribe.

If you have comments, ideas for future issues, or any kind of feedback, I'd love to hear from you. Just reply to this e-zine and tell me what you think! You can also reach me through my contact page.

• Take advantage of the abundance of seasonal fresh fruits available! Drinking a smoothie for breakfast can knock out most of your fruit and low-fat dairy recommendations for the whole day! Enjoy these easy and scrumptious weight loss shake recipes that can be made in your blender at home!

• Dark mornings and cold temperatures can no longer be used as excuses for inactivity. Make a commitment to start being active today--come on...you know the hardest part is getting out the door that very first time. Start small and build up gradually. Small weight losses can mean huge rewards for your overall health. Still having trouble getting started? Recruit a friend. Research shows that people who exercise with a buddy stick to their programs longer than those who exercise alone!

• Make a commitment to drink more water. Even if you don't need as much water as the experts once thought, it helps you feel full and it helps to flush out your system! How can that be a bad thing? New research also indicates that hydrated cells function better, so reach for your (reusable) water bottle often!

• As much as possible, try to eat foods in their natural state, without excessive additives. That's easier to do this time of year with so much fresh produce available!

Are you tired of spending big bucks on fresh fruits and vegetables, only to have them spoil before you finish eating them? More and more products are coming out to help prevent this problem, but one of the most promising is simply called E.G.G., which stands for Ethylene Gas Guardian. Read this PDF Brochure and see if you aren’t convinced that you need to drop a few of these in your refrigerator bins.

The E.G.G.

Meet Daljit at Yoga for Beginners: A Practical Guide

Yoga is one of the least expensive and most effective methods of getting and staying fit. Daljit, who lives in India, has created this wonderful site specifically for the beginner yogi. Learn practical ways to incorporate this practice into your lifestyle so that you can experience the many health benefits starting today!

The study, conducted at the University of Yaounde in Cameroon, involved 102 overweight individuals. These study participants were given the extract or a placebo twice a day for ten weeks. No other dietary or activity changes were made. By the end of the study, the group receiving the fruit extract lost an average of 28 pounds, while the group taking the placebo showed no change. The group that experienced weight loss also lowered their LDL (bad) cholesterol as well as their blood sugar levels. The group that experienced weight loss reported some minor side effects, including headaches, sleep problems, and gas. All in all, a promising study, I’d say…

Striped Bass in a Pouch
(4 servings)
(Substitute your favorite fish!)

4 pieces of parchment or aluminum foil, 18x18
4-1/2 pound fish fillets
8 cloves of garlic,crushed; salt and pepper to taste
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
3 lemons
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
1 basket of heirloom cherry tomatoes
1 can drained artichoke hearts, quartered
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 bunch of chopped Italian parsely
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Fold the paper or foil in half and open it up like a book. Place the fish in the center of the right side and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place 2 garlic cloves, a thyme sprig, and lemon slices on each fish. Top each with olives, tomatoes, artichokes, and fennel. Drizzle with white wine and close the pouch by folding like a book. Pinch and roll the edges until the calzone-shaped parchment or foil is sealed. Bake for 20 minutes. In a small bowl, add the lemon juice and parsely. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and add salt and pepper. Once the fish is plated, drizzle the fish with the oil-lemon mixture.

Editor's Note:

One of the easiest and most delicious ways to consume plenty of vegetables this summer is to keep a big bowl of gazpacho in the fridge. It's a healthy option when you want to just reach in and start eating. I cut squash, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, cucumbers, and carrots into small chunks. After putting them together in a large bowl, I add a couple of cans of petite diced tomatoes or fresh tomatoes cut up. I then add one to two cans of V-8 juice, depending on how thick I want it. I add about a tablespoon of olive oil, a couple of tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, 1/3 cup of red wine vinegar, a few shakes of Tabasco, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and toss together. At this point I taste it and adjust the vinegar and Tabasco. I prefer mine tangy and spicy. Usually I'll leave it as is and enjoy it "chunky", but other times I'll use a hand blender to puree about half of it. Experiment until you find what you like the best. You can't get much easier or healthier than this!

Check out the article, Achieve Maximum Weight Loss by Eating Soup!

Easy Lifestyle Changes for Summer!

Jim's Story

1. I started doing cardio (bike riding) 5 times a week for 20-50 minutes each day.

2. I did low impact weight training focusing on high reps and low weight. My intent was not to add bulk muscle but to increase my general fitness level.

After one year of these changes, I had lost only 4-6 pounds and my cholesterol had lowered but still wasn't good at around 275.

This prompted the additional changes which I refer to as second year changes. They include:

1. Increase cardio from 5 days a week to 6 days a week at 45 minutes to one hour.
2. Calorie counting not to exceed 2500 calories per day on weekdays and 3500 calories on weekends.
3. Started eating 5 smaller meals a day instead of 3 larger ones.
4. Focused on portion control which is easy with a food scale.
5. Generally lowered carb intake and increased protein intake.
6. Completely cut out junk food like chips and candy bars, and the vending machine at work.
7. Started taking my lunch to work. No lunches out.
8. Added flax seed to my diet per my wife's recommendation.
9. Eliminated soda.
10. Reduced alcohol intake.
11. Switched from 2% milk to skim milk.
12. Eliminated sugar in coffee on weekdays.

At the end of year 2, my weight had dropped to 160 lbs. and my cholesterol reading was 183.

I'm now in the middle of year three where I'm focusing on building muscle mass and tuning my diet to increase "good" calories. I've recently discovered American Whey which is a company that makes wonderful, all natural cholesterol free Whey Protein isolate. I eat lots of fruit and lean meats and am still lowering the carbs. Instead of chips or candy bars, I go for yogurt or nuts or trail mix or peanut butter on celery.

I've noticed after the weight loss that my metabolism seems to be much higher. I am now up to 3250 calories daily and am slowly gaining weight hopefully in the form of lean muscle. I've also hired a personal trainer who's got me in a fairly intense weight training program 3 times per week. I've also cut the cardio down to 3 times weekly and 20m focusing mostly on heart health.

The entire process has been a good learning experience. I now feel totally comfortable with weight control, food choices, and incorporating exercise into busy lives.
Tips:
1. Count calories for at least 6 months, not forever, but it's important to know this stuff. After you do it for six months you'll have a "feel" for almost any food.

2. Buy a food scale. Use it for 6 months. Very eye opening.

3. Buy a piece of cardio gear for your house. No workout excuses.

Jim and his beautiful family!

Thank you, Jim! Your story is very inspirational!
I know your family must be very happy with your new, healthy lifestyle too! Jim's story is a testament to making lifestyle changes as opposed to dieting! We can all learn something from this approach.

I would love to include a "Subscriber's Success Story" each month. If you would like to be featured here or if you know someone who would, please reply to this email or use my contact page. Pictures aren't imperative, but they sure are inspiring!

• The difference between losing (or gaining) weight and maintaining weight can be as little as 200 calories a day? Resist the urge to graze! Those little tastes, bites, and licks add up quickly!
  
  
• Keeping a food and exercise journal may actually double the number of pounds that a dieter loses according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine. If writing down every calorie you eat is too labor-intensive, don't despair! Recording your food and the approximate amounts is just as effective as long as you record everything you eat. It's no surprise that those tastes and bites add up! For a convenient way to record this information, see our Easy Weight Loss Tips' 30-Day Food & Exercise Log!

Thank you for subscribing, and I hope you enjoyed the summer weight loss issue of "The Skinny" on Weight Loss! Stay tuned next month when our June issue will focus on Motivation for Weight Loss!

Remember, if you have comments, ideas for future issues, or any kind of feedback, I'd love to hear from you. Just reply to this e-zine and tell me what you think! You can also reach me through my contact page.

For comprehensive information about weight loss and wellness, please visit, Easy Weight Loss Tips!