Make Over Your Drinks

I don’t eat much in the way of sweets — store-bought cookies are not at all tempting, and whenever we make a homemade dessert like cake or brownies, my husband and I tend to eat one serving and let the rest go stale. But drinks are my downfall. I just love Pepsi, extra-sweet iced tea, lemonade, hot cocoa, and sweet milky chai — not to mention sugar in my tea and coffee. Even healthy-seeming orange juice packs in a lot of calories.

And guess what else? I don’t like water. So replacing all the baddies with H2O isn’t going to cut it for me.

So what’s good (besides plain water?). Well, seltzer water, unsweetened teas and coffees (preferably black or with low-fat or non-fat milk), water or seltzer with a splash of juice or a slice of lemon or lime, and low-fat protein drinks all make the cut. (Protein drinks have calories, but they’re functional drinks: You need the calories to get you through a workout and the protein to boost your results. They also serve as meal- and snack-replacements, while most people drink Coke and other sweet beverages in addition to a full day’s worth of food calories.)

To make over my drink profile, I started by cutting the sugar out of my tea and coffee. It’s a small change that has big impact, since I tended to pile three teaspoons of sugar into each cup of coffee or tea. It took a few days, but now the sweet stuff tastes strange to me and the healthier options taste better!

I then replaced Pepsi at restaurants with unsweetened iced tea. I don’t love iced tea without sugar, but it still beats water. I save the soda for a rare treat, just as if it were dessert (and it kind of is dessert when you think about how much sugar is in there!).

Then there are the lemonade, chai, hot cocoa, and Thai iced tea (which has sugar and half-and-half). I don’t want to deprive myself of everything I love, so I try to keep it to one sweetened beverage per day. The rest of the time, I drink unsweetened tea, iced tea, and coffee.

Can these small changes really work? Here’s how it plays out. Say you used to have one can of Coke and three cups of coffee or tea with two teaspoons sugar each every day. There are 155 calories in a 12-ounce can of Coke. One teaspoon of sugar has 16 calories. One can of Coke and six teaspoons of sugar add up to 203 calories per day through beverages. That’s 74,095 calories in a year. It takes 3,500 calories to make a pound, so if you cut out those beverages and do nothing else, you’ll lose 21 pounds in a year. That’s no small potatoes (or should I say small Coke)!

Do you drink your calories? Have you done anything to move towards less caloriffic choices such as water or unsweetened beverages? I’d love to know. Please post in the Comments below!

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   Being afraid comes natural and sometimes unexpected and unwanted. As a fitness professional I have come to the conclusion that we all get afraid no matter what your fitness level is. I’m in training right now for the Tournament of Champions Figure Competition  coming up September 12th and the Border State Classics Figure Competition  coming in Oct. I’ll go on stage and be judged and critized on my body and presentation…but that’s not what is bothering me at this point. It’s swallowing my pride and getting some help on my workouts. I know what I’m doing but I just need a little spotting and extra support.

    I’m wondering if everyone feels like this… afraid or even embarassed I must say. But I know even Lance Armstrong has a coach so why can’t I or why can’t anybody?

   I went through my very first personal training session and it was so hard for me not to control what I was going to be doing. I had to give it all to my trainer and just focus on building my muscles and connecting my mind and body into the workout. Much harder than I thought but nice to not have to think about it.  I must say though I worked really hard and have been hungry all day and I mean ALL DAY! I searched all day for that comfort food because I’ve had nerves going all day about this sessions and start drinking on my Designer Whey drinks. Talk about a new comfort food… who would have thought a protein drink to comfort me AND to fuel my body for tomorrows TWO A DAY workout? I know I can’t do it without my drinks and I just want to say that having all these emotions going through me today my protein has relieved some of my tension and anxiety. It’s strange how this protein has helped me in so many ways. It’s multifunctional!!!!!!!

Trainer Becs

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Hello from Ali Vincent! She just got back from representing DESIGNER WHEY and Biggest Loser Protein at the GNC show in Las Vegas

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Biggest Loser Protein Blue Blueberry Protein2Go

Attention All Parents!
First of all I give props to you that have kids…what a hard job. I do have a niece and nephew though and that is who my story is about!
 
I was recently visiting my nephew who is 8 and my niece who is 5. I’m never around kids for longer than a few hours so I have no idea how hard it is to feed kids this age the right things until I was with my family for a week. Wow…kids are picky and especially when it comes to getting protein in there diets.
When I travel I always take along my Designer Whey protein to go packs and this trip I took the Biggest Loser Blue Blueberry and Red Raspberry. I drank my protein every morning and one morning I put it in a clear cup (Blue Blueberry) and my nephew asked if he could have some of my Kool-Aid…Hmmmmmm I’m thinking…he has no idea what is in my cup. I go along with it and give him some of my “Kool-Aid”. HE LIKED IT!!!!! The taste was so great that he actually finished my drink! I couldn’t believe it…after 3 days of consuming hardly any protein he just got in 12grams of protein (I mix two 2-go in one cup). My niece then noticed that he was drinking it and of course she wants to do what ever big brother does and so I give her some Raspberry and sure enough she liked it too!!
 
So, if your having a hard time giving your children the protein they need, try this…I couldn’t believe it and neither could my sister. We were so happy and she is now giving them the Biggest Loser Protein 2go Paks to help with their diets! TRY IT, it just might work for your kids as well!
 
Trainer Becs

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In reality it’s my fault. I have been way off, weddings, graduations, eating out lots, not following my plan, not documenting what I eat, and not eating enough of the right foods… which still blows my mine…the concept of having to eat to lose weight. When I do not including my Designer Whey Protein powders every day I eat more junk…I know this yet I neglect myself. Then on the other hand I am like…do people who are a healthy weight have to do what I have to do to be healthy? I wish I could observe a week in the life of a healthy happy person. What they eat, how much do they exercise, how do they deal with stress, just to see how it’s done.

On the good side; we bought a camper this week and are heading out to Vermont for a weeks vacation. We really need some R & R…it’s been a tough, busy and stressful few months. I am so ready to just be with my family and enjoy the scenery.

Ok Friends, I will check in after we get back, hopefully I do not gain any more weight…some times I just want to give up and say screw it when it comes to weight loss but I can’t give up, I have to continue the quest.

Take Care,

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For the longest time, I was a breakfast person: Every morning I would make whole wheat toast with peanut butter and berries, scrambled eggs, whole wheat French toast, or multigrain blueberry-walnut pancakes.

Then, one day, I suddenly couldn’t stomach the idea of eating in the morning. And I was also too busy for lunch, so I would get up every day, skip breakfast and lunch, and not eat until around 4 pm — and then pig out on fatty foods because I was ravenous.

You’d think my weight would go down from eating one meal per day, but if anything, it went up. That’s because when we don’t eat, our body thinks it’s fasting and slows down your metabolism, so we’re burning fewer calories than usual. In addition, we tend to make up for skipping meals by overeating later in the day (like I did).

In a National Weight Control Registry study of people who have successfully lost weight and kept it off, 78% are regular breakfast eaters — so breakfast is clearly important. But what you eat is also important: According to an article in the Washington Post, recent research found that sedentary, obese women lost almost five times as much weight when they ate a big breakfast with carbs and lean protein as they did when eating a restrictive low-carbohydrate diet. The “big breakfast” included milk, three ounces of lean meat, two slices of cheese, two whole grain servings, one fat serving and one ounce of milk chocolate or candy (to help reduce cravings for sweets later in the day).

And in a study in the International Journal of Obesity, one group noshed on a bagel every morning for eight weeks while a second group had two eggs every morning for eight weeks. At the end of the study, the egg group showed a 61% greater reduction in BMI, a 65% greater weight loss, a 34% greater reduction in waist circumference, and a 16% greater reduction in percent body fat.

It’s clear from these studies that a healthy breakfast needs to have enough lean protein, fiber, and fat to keep us full until lunchtime — but all of this information isn’t much help when the thought of food in the morning makes your stomach turn. Why do some of us just not want to eat in the morning? My life coach theorized that I might be too stressed in the morning to be hungry, and the Washington Post article states that we may not feel like eating because our levels of the brain chemical serotonin are highest in the morning, which means our craving levels are at their lowest. (When serotonin levels dip during the day, cravings start.)

But whatever the reason for not wanting to eat, it’s important to have something to start off the day. I developed this recipe for an easy-to-digest smoothie that has enough protein, fat, and fiber to get me through to lunch:

Linda’s PB&J Smoothie (Makes 2 smoothies)

Add to the blender:

1 banana
2 heaping tablespoons natural peanut butter
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons ground flax seed
1 1/4 cups frozen blueberries (frozen cherries also work well if you can find them)
3 cups 1% lowfat milk (or more depending on how thick you like your smoothie)

Blend on High for 1 – 2 minutes, pour, and drink!

Are you a breakfast person? What’s your favorite healthy breakfast? If you’re one of those can’t-eat-in-the-morning people, what do you do to keep your energy up until lunchtime? Please add your opinions and experiences to the Comments below!

Stay healthy,

Linda

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Trainer Becs here reporting in!
I finally made the decision to train for another figure competition coming up in Sept. and one in Oct. This where I’ll be competing with other girls my height judged on my body’s symmetry, skin tone, muscle definition, leanness (but not too lean) and stage presentation. Doing these contests is quit difficult because 75% of my training is based on DIET! I have a weakness for sweets and have to fight through the cravings that can last for more than one day.( is this because I’m a chick? ) I get really irritable but every time I fight through a craving I know it just makes me stronger and makes me feel really good about myself. Which is one of the reasons I do this. I learn a lot about my body and what I can do! It’s also a goal and I need goals constantly or else I would be lazy and out of shape!

Since the beginning of the year I have just been training for half marathons and been drinking my Designer Whey protein to help me though my long runs and getting in my protein  for the day. Now I’m switching over to do figure competitions and for the past two weeks have been focusing on dieting and for the past two weeks have been craving SWEETS. So my option has been the Designer Whey Protein Waters…WOW what I huge help this has been for me! I didn’t think that I could fight through these intense cravings. When I was running I was eating what ever I wanted but now it’s controlled. So my body is going through withdrawals right now and has been very intense for me….does anyone else feel like this I’m wondering?  Is this what people feel like when they try to stop drinking caffeine? I have no idea but this week I have gotten headaches and my only SAVIOR has been my protein water!!! Now I know that I can do this and for the next 12 or so weeks I’m going to rely on my protein waters (Cranapple is really good) to get me through this and I’m very excited about it!!!

So my reason for writing is to let everyone know that if cravings are getting you…this stuff works…no joke…seriously I can’t do this without the Designer Whey Protein Waters!!!!!!!!!

Becs

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I always try to get six days in every week because it allows a full week’s workout cycle and one full day of full body muscle recovery. I typically like to schedule this workout cycle from Monday to Sat with Sun off or Sunday to Fri with Sat off. In theory both of these workout cycles sound great and both of these schedules on paper look solid but in reality they are both flawed because they rely on me making into the gym on Sat or Sun. On Friday when I’m leaving the gym I’m thinking to myself, “alright man tomorrow when you wake up, just throw back some protein water, hit the gym first thing and enjoy the rest of the day.” But when I wake up on Saturday I think to myself, “I’m already sweating tequila and I haven’t even started working out” or I think “man I just worked a 55 hour week; I can do my sixth day tomorrow on Sun and then start the six day cycle going form Sun to Fri.” And if I think the later I will wake up on Sunday and think to myself “Ah man I have a full week of work starting tomorrow I should either have a crazy wild extended weekend and suffer through Monday or I should sit on my butt and do nothing for a change and truly enjoy the day.” Both of these scenarios are killers of my 6 day cycles, which ultimately makes me disappointed and angry with myself. But they only become killers if I let them.

Now, I am fully aware that not everyone spends there weekends boozing and being counter productive like I find myself doing every so often, but I am also aware that both Saturday and Sunday are the weekend days, and no matter how you look at them, you don’t want to be doing work. You deserve that time off, truly you do, but you also know how mad you are going to be with yourself if you break your routine cycles for reasons that are trite and mundane. Lately I haven’t missed a cycle, but it’s not because I stopped getting Mexican food at 3 am on a Fri/Sat Night/Morning or that I started writing my congressmen on ways they could improve the country in my spare time. I am still that same unproductive wreck from 6 pm on Friday to 7 am on Monday morning, the only difference is that I actually stepped foot into the gym. I know this sounds like the dumbest thing ever but it is truly the only way for me to get into the gym on the weekends. I can sit there and come up with a million and two excuses as to why I shouldn’t work out on my days off, but if I set foot in the actual gym its like any other day. For example I was, for a lack of better words, hung over about five Saturdays ago, when I woke up. My head was pounding and my stomach was more than edgy and I told myself just go up to the gym and try to at least get half a work out in. The first two sets were like kicking bricks, they just plain hurt. But after that I felt a whole lot better. My body began to detoxify and my morale jumped up several levels. Not only did I complete my cycle and my workout but I had a great rest of the day because I didn’t feel like such a pile. The same thing happened to me last week, but I wasn’t hung over. Last Saturday morning I woke up, dead sober from not drinking the night before, and I just went to the gym before I could convince myself otherwise. Ever since that Saturday morning five weeks back I have yet to miss a cycle, because the first thing I do when I wake up is go straight to the gym and if once I am in the gym I don’t feel like I can do a whole work out, I don’t. And I am perfectly ok with that, because I physically didn’t have the strength not because I was just being a lazy oaf. So if you struggle with these weekend work outs, just don’t let time kill you, get up get into the gym and get on with your day…you will feel a lot better unless you really did drink too much the night before and in that case…well I’m sorry and you should seek counseling…j/k but seriously).

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TBL Winner Helen

Alright, I am going to start right off with the winners…Helen won the Biggest Loser Competition and $250,000. Who knew!!!! Her final weigh in was 117 pounds. Tara came so darn close and as most people expected her to win. And the winner of the $100,000 was Jerry. He was booted off in the second week and the oldest contestant TBL has ever had. He lost 177 pounds! That is true motivation that you can do this at home.

The Biggest Loser Protein by DESIGNER WHEY

The public also got to vote in either Amanda or Erin to next seasons TBL. Amanda won and we wish her luck. To everyone who is going for health we wish you much success in your endeavors and don’t forget to include Designer Whey Protein in your meal plans.

See you next season!

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Hey Friends!

I hope this finds you well.

One more pound off. I was trying to figure out why my weight loss slowed whey down. The only thing I can think of was I was trying to get my protein in by adding more powders and that added more calories. I have to make adjustments to get enough protein but not the extra calories. I will cut out the cheese for snack. 2 pounds to my below 270 mark… I can do it!

Got to watch the live finally tomorrow on the Biggest Loser! I will write more after the show.

I’ll talk again soon.
 

Camille

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