The Numbers On The Scale...

Okay, so I know some of you must be going, "What is up with this girl?!? It's been over a month!" I know, I know, it's been awhile... but I'M BACK! :) April was kinda' hectic for me, with work, appointments, meetings, not to mention multiple birthdays (including my own - I turned 31 this year, whoo-hoo!)... it's been kinda' crazy, but I'm still here. I post more often on the Succeed At Fitness Facebook page - I'm on there everyday, so if you're on Facebook and haven't liked the page yet, you should check it out!

But anyway, let's get to the subject of this post, which is about an old frenemy of mine and I'm sure yours, too (not sure what frenemy I'm talking about or even what a "frenemy" is, check out an old post I did a couple of years ago titled "My Frenemy"). The big S.C.A.L.E, that's right, the scale. I've tried to like her, I really have. She'll get me all hyped up and ready to be on her team and then she'll disappoint me all over again. But I've finally come to the conclusion that the problem really isn't the scale, it's ME! Or maybe I should say my old mindset about the scale? Let me explain...


Heavy But Fit
That's right I said it. Contrary to popular belief, the scale isn't the problem. But maybe "problem" is actually the wrong word and that's the problem. You see, we tend to let that number on the scale define us. We have in our head a certain number that we want to see, and after eating healthy (and/or "dieting"), working out, and still not seeing the number we want - in fact the numbers may have even went UP rather than down - we get frustrated, sad, depressed and ready to throw our old frenemy out the window. But hold on! It's actually not the her fault! All the scale does is weigh us on how HEAVY we are - that number tells us nothing about how much of that weight is muscle, bone, fat, water... etc. I'll take myself as an example. To this day, my smallest weight ever has been 124lbs. Sounds great, right? Right. However, I now weigh 134 but am smaller, toner and more fit than I ever was at 124. I've gained muscle but have lost inches, and now, at 134, I can slide out of my size 4 jeans without unbuttoning my pants! I'm heavier but more fit. I've gained MUSCLE - NOT FAT. So who cares what the scale says?

All of these women weigh 150lbs - different heights and different sizes but the weight is
the same. Check out the last pic! 5FT.5, A SIZE 2 and 150LBS! If that doesn't prove that
the scale isn't the best determinant of fitness I don't know what does!

Question: Is The Scale Even Necessary?
Good question! And a tricky one, too! My answer would be yes and no. Let me explain. If you are obese or overweight, yes, I do think you need to pay some attention to the scale. Now do I think you should try and fit into a certain BMI range? No. Most people know by now that the whole BMI concept is bogus for exactly some of the reasons I mentioned above. But I do think that if you're 5ft.3 and weigh 229 lbs that that weight is way too much for your size and you do need to lose weight! And that's using my own height and old weight as an example. At that height and weight, I had way too much fat around my heart and other internal organs, making that weight very unhealthy for me. So yes, in the beginning of your journey, the scale should, in my opinion, be used.

But once you get to level where you are fit - meaning not overweight, lower percentage of body fat (i.e - more muscle than fat on your body)... etc., the scale ceases to be of any importance in my opinion. If you are going to continue down the this road of eating healthy and exercising regularly, as long as all of your clothes continue to fit, you're good! I know that sounds incredibly simple but it really is that simple and it took me a long time to get that through my thick head! If you can continue to wear the same size clothes with no bulges or lumps, and you're going shopping and can still easily buy the same size, you're still on the right track and there's no need to worry or pull out the scale. I know from personal experience getting on the scale can just be a frustrating annoyance with daily weight fluctuations, water weight, added weight from muscle soreness... etc. And if you're like me, and you have gotten to the point where you WANT to build muscle, getting on the scale is totally pointless, especially if you're getting on it with the expectations of losing weight because if you're gaining muscle, the scale is going to go UP - NOT DOWN.


So, in conclusion, my opinion is, take those numbers on the scale with a grain of salt. Do I feel like the scale is your enemy? No. But I do think her truth is a little warped. Eat healthy, exercise, make good choices and you WILL see results  - no matter what that scale says.

Do Sore Muscles Retain Water?

Hey fitness friends! How's everything going? Eating and living healthy? Exercising regularly? Me? I'm doing great! I'm not sure how many of you knew this, but for the last 6 months I'd been studying for my personal trainer certification. I finally took the exam on March 2nd, and guess what? I PASSED! :) I am now officially a certified fitness professional! :) It wasn't easy trying to fit in studying with a full time job and all the other things going on in my life (I don't know how you moms & dads with kids do it!) but I got it done and I'm happy about it! Not sure what the future holds for me as far as that's concerned but I've finally got some fitness credentials and now know a lot more than I knew before about health & fitness so it was all worth it. When you've got a passion, you owe it to yourself to pursue it! I've found that if it's in God's plans, all you've got to do it go after it and He'll take care of the rest. :) By the way, if you'd like to learn more about what it takes to become a certified personal trainer, check out the Succeed At Fitness.com article I recently wrote, "How To Become A Certified Personal Trainer".

I have another announcement as well. Succeed At Fitness has become the official fitness contributor for Naturally Hair Magazine! My first article, "Exercise Your Right To A Fabulous Body" can be seen in NHH's premiere March 2013 issue. I'm excited to join forces with such an uplifting, positive resource such as Naturally Happy Hair, helping to inform naturals on the importance of taking care of their bodies as well as their hair. If you'd like to learn more about Naturally Happy Hair, check out the article on NHH at Succeed At Fitness.com.


With all of that being said, as you can guess, I've been a very busy chica, but a happy one. As I stated before, not sure what the future holds, all I know is that I'm hopeful and excited about it! And continuously thankful for the opportunities God is blessing me with as I continue along this journey. :)


So back to business with a new blog post/1st blog post for the month of March. The subject? Sore muscles. The question? Do sore muscles retain water? In other words, can you gain pounds from having sore muscles? This has been a concern of mine for awhile now since I am one of those people who is constantly sore. Every time I do something new, you can bet your life that I'm going to be sore from it! And contrary to popular belief, muscle soreness has very little to do with how well you worked your muscles or how "good of a workout you got". It's an individual thing and varies from person to person. Don't get me wrong, chances are if you work a group of muscles you've never worked before or haven't worked in awhile, that there will be some soreness, but some people hardly ever get sore and some people, like me, are continuously sore. Luck of the draw and heredity are the determining factors. But I bet some of you didn't know that muscle soreness actually can affect your weight. To answer the question posed above, yes, muscles do retain water. Let me explain...

 

 

Check out the following scenario: 

A woman/man starts some exercise regimen with the hope of losing weight. The initial days are full of intense workouts, driven by a motivation to lose weight. The poor person endures all the soreness in muscles and body ache, hoping to see at least a pound or two less on the scale. Surprisingly, the pounds are still very much there, rather added by a couple more! This situation is bound to frustrate anyone and discouraged, they could decide to give up their workout routine. 

Sound familiar? The good news is that, the pounds gained come from water retention in muscles and nothing else. You can happily go back to working out and experience real weight loss a week or two after that!

 

How do Sore Muscles Retain Water?
When you work your muscles, microscopic tears appear in muscle fibers. When you rest these muscles after a workout, muscle recovery begins. The repaired muscles are thicker and tougher than the torn muscle fibers. As a result, you see an increase in muscle mass, as well as a visible bulge on the muscles that you work out. Eventually, the muscles become toned and stronger, due to recurrent tear and repair process. However, when you start with a workout regimen, you may experience soreness in the muscles that have been worked upon during the first few days. This soreness results from inflammation of torn muscle fibers. Another byproduct of this condition is water retention.

The microscopic tears in muscle fibers render them the property of sponges. The muscle fibers absorb water in the body, just like a sponge does. As a result, you see a weight gain on the scale. The muscles hold water only for a few days. Once, your workout routine sets in and your body gets used to it, water retention disappears automatically. The water retained in the body is directly proportional to glycogen content in the body. For every 1 gm glycogen, there is 4 gm of water retention in the body. Thus, if you have more glycogen content in the muscles, you will have more weight gain from water.

Water retention in sore muscles is mostly caused due to an intense workout such as weightlifting, running,... etc. Sometimes, you may experience sore muscles for no reason at all. Even a household activity such as cleaning or washing may trigger soreness in muscles. The soreness that you experience after workout stays for about 24-48 hours. It is called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), as it surfaces after 12 hours of workout and not immediately. After a week of regular workout, your muscles will stop holding water and you will not experience any soreness. However, both water retention and soreness are likely to resurface, if you take a prolonged break from your workout.

 

Sore Muscle Relief
Usually, there is no need for any kind of sore muscle relief, except in cases of extreme pain and discomfort. The soreness and water retention subside on their own after 24 to 48 hours. If you exert the muscles again the next day, you are likely to have soreness for another day or two. However, within a week, the soreness should completely subside and you shouldn't experience any muscle pain. However, if the soreness interferes with your ability to work out, you can certainly take some measures to minimize the pain. Cold compresses, hot showers, steam, etc. work wonders for sore muscles. Massages can also help relax the sore muscles and reduce soreness. If the pain is still unbearable, you may try taking an aspirin or ibuprofen.
 

 

So to sum it all up, water retention due to sore muscles is an absolutely normal phenomenon. Do not get discouraged upon seeing the initial weight gain and prevent yourself from working out in the direction of your weight loss goal.

The Top 7 Diets Explained

Hey healthy people! How's it going? :) Since I'm sure I won't be writing another post before then, I just want to wish everyone an early Happy Valentine's Day! Can you believe we're almost halfway into the month February already?!? Time sure moves fast! I'm not mad about it, though, Winter is not my favorite season! Not sure how the weather is in your part of the world but here in Mid-West, USA, it's COLD! And I mean windy, snowy, icy kinda' cold! I can't wait until Spring! The way this year is moving, my favorite season will be here before you know it! :)

"Diet" - a : food and drink regularly provided or consumed;
b : habitual nourishment (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).

So, let's get to the matter at hand, meaning the subject of the post: "The Top 7 Diets Explained". Now as you know, I'm not a big fan of using the word "diet", but in this case, it applies. Although the four letter word has   come to have a negative condensation in our society, and understandably so with the hundreds of quick-fix, fad diets that exist, the word diet is actually defined  as " a : food and drink regularly provided or consumed; b : habitual nourishment" (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). All the word simply means is the daily nutrition we feed our bodies - it actually has nothing to do with weight loss! Now there are some diets out there that are good for weight loss but no matter what your diet, the only true way to achieve weight loss is to burn more calories than you consume - point, blank, period.

There are many types of diets out there, some good, some bad, some in between. I personally subscribe to a Vegetarian Diet, I became a Vegetarian a little over a year ago and love it! I find that it works well for my body and lifestyle. But my way isn't the only way, and as I've stated before here on this blog as well as to anyone who asks, I chose this diet because I felt that it was a healthier way of eating, not for any religious or moral reasons - so no worries, I still have much love for my carnivores out there! :)  In this blog post, I want to dig into the current top 7 diets out. If you're in search for a healthier diet, this may just be the information you've been looking for. Or maybe you're just curious. Either way, you're welcome to keep reading! Some of the diets mentioned I personally would classify as fads, meaning they are only popular at the moment and I personally can't see them sticking around, while there are a couple I find could do more harm than good in the long run and don't  agree with it. But I'll leave my opinions to myself and let you decide...

 Gluten-Free? Paleo? Vegan?
The Top 7 Diets Explained

The Green Smoothie Diet

Being on this diet means consuming concentrated blends of fruits and veggies throughout the day and the benefit is that you can get all five of your daily-recommended servings of fruits and vegetables in just one of these smoothies. People like this trend because chewing your way through all that spinach and peppers is too much work, and liquefying veggies is a surefire way to get it all in. Typically almond or coconut milk is added for sweetness, so the smoothies are not bitter.

What The Experts Say
The phytonutrients in fruits and vegetables can help you lower your risk of diseases. This diet claims to boost energy but there is no hard evidence of that, so experts recommend adding nuts, flax seed or other seeds for protein and necessary fats. It is not recommended to use these smoothies as a meal replacement, but rather as a way to get your 5 servings of fruits and vegetables. So fit them in by cutting out other calories where you can, but do not try to subsist on these smoothies as you can experience energy loss and nutrient deficiency. Learn more here.

The Gluten-Free Diet
About 18 million Americans have sensitivity to gluten, a component found in wheat, rye, barley and oats. Those with sensitivity to it can experience digestive issues and weight gain. The best way to see if you’re gluten intolerant is to eliminate gluten from your life entirely for a few weeks and see if bloating, constipation or other digestive issues go down.

What The Experts Say

No one, other than those diagnosed with celiac disease—a severe reaction to gluten that harms the immune system—need to completely eliminate gluten from their diet. But there’s no harm in the diet, and it’s a great option for those trying to lose weight since gluten foods are usually high in calories, and their substitutes—like quinoa and potatoes—are not. Learn more here.

Adding Probiotics
Probiotics are healthy bacteria living in cultured foods like yogurt and kefir, as well as fermented products (think anything pickled like kimchi or sauerkraut). When ingested, they remain in your intestinal tract and work to fortify your immune system. They are usually consumed in capsule or liquid form.

What The Experts Say

If you are healthy overall, probiotics are not essential, but they are a smart supplement to your diet in cold and flu season, and for anyone with digestive issues or high risk of yeast infections. There’s no found harm in consuming daily probiotics. Learn more here.

Genetic Diet Testing
This trend comes to us from a field called nutrigenomics, which essentially researches how the foods we eat can alter disease-causing genes. Genetic diet testing can determine whether you have certain genes that could be increasing your risk for weight gain. Many companies test your saliva for certain genes and then recommend a diet for your genetic “type.” The test is as simple as spitting into a tube and sending it in for results and recommendations. However it’s pricey at around $400. If you’re up for it, coaches are available to you to help you through your new way of eating.

What The Experts Say
The connection between one’s diet and one’s genes is very complex and this type of testing is not advanced enough to accurately determine if cutting out or adding some type of food based on your “ genetic type” will actually affect your weight. Doctors advise that, if you’re interested in the test and have the money, it could be fun to see your results. But no matter what your “type” is, the key to losing weight is simply eating less of whatever you eat. Learn more here.

The Paleo Diet

There’s a belief amongst nutrition experts that conditions like type 2 diabetes and obesity arose because our bodies were not built to process the typical modern day diet, filled with sugar, refined carbs and processed foods. Their solution: eating like cavemen. Or, essentially, like the first humans ever did, eating only that which can be hunted or gathered. Naturally, the diet is heavy in fish, meats, veggies, fruits, and nuts. Dairy and most grains are eliminated, since there was no way for our ancestors to have harvested and obtained these.

What The Experts Say

Essentially the “Paleo” diet is a glorified name for what is otherwise a well-respected and highly recommended type of diet by almost any nutritionist. Cutting out refined carbs and sugars is always a sound plan, and will result in rapid weight loss. But having ice cream or bread every so often isn’t poisonous to you. Learn more here.

The Vegan Diet
Vegans run on the principle that nothing that is or comes from an animal is to be consumed. There are multiple reasons for this, including environmental: vegan items require significantly less water and energy to grow; ethical: vegans believe animals should exist without human interference; and of course health: cutting out animal fats and proteins has been shown to reduce one’s risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and various other health problems.

What The Experts Say

Getting the recommended daily intake of calcium and vitamin D is difficult when you eliminate calcium. But vegans can get their fill of those nutrients by eating plenty of dark green leafy vegetables like broccoli, kale and Brussels sprouts. There is no evidence that proves density loss is any more prevalent in vegans than in non-vegans. However, a major concern for vegans is a Vitamin B12 deficiency, which can carry serious risks such as early dementia, nerve dysfunction, memory loss and difficulty with balance. Experts highly encourage vegans to drink beverages fortified with B12 such as soy and rice beverages. Learn more here.

The Fruitarian Diet

The Fruitarian diet is like the Vegan diet, on steroids. Fruitarians consume only fruits and plant related bi-products. Grains are out of the picture. However nuts, seeds, capsicums and some vegetables can be eaten.

What The Experts Say
The diet is said to “detoxify the body of its acidic chemical imbalance” by dislodging stored wastes within the body. The diet can also help eliminate certain allergies, improve energy, eyesight and concentration, and strengthen hair and nails. However, Vitamin B12 simply cannot be found in these foods so those with gastrointestinal diseases or anemia are warned against this diet. Those that do try the diet are advised to take a daily Vitamin B12 supplement. Learn more here.





So that's it! I'm sure you've heard the names of some, if not all, of these diets before and maybe have wondered, "what's the deal?" Well, now ya' know! :)  

Until next time my fitness friends... 

Source: http://madamenoire.com

Recipe Favs! A List of My Favorite Recipes

Hello healthy ones! How's it going? Feeling great and living the healthy life I hope! :) As part of my continued effort to live a healthy life, I've been making an effort to eliminate processed foods ( i.e - any food that comes out of a box) out of my diet. While I'm not totally process food free yet, I've made a great strides! As a result, I've been one cooking little woman over here! Lol! It's funny to me because I was never the type who liked to cook, I avoided it while living at home because ironically I have a mother who has always loved to cook, and when I got out on my own, I made my cooking as easy as possible - 30 minutes or under, nothing fancy. But lately I've been cooking, baking, and trying new recipe after new recipe! I've discovered that I actually LOVE cooking! It's relaxing yet educational and the rewards are delicious!

As some of you may know, I'm a vegetarian, it's been around 14 months for me at this point and I love it! I honestly don't think I'll ever return back to eating meat. I mention this because I think me becoming a vegetarian is what got me into cooking. It gets kind of boring eating salad and soups all the time, and nutritionally, it's just not balanced. As an ovo-lacto vegetarian, eggs and dairy aren't cut out of my diet, so I could possibly eat a lot of things that aren't good for me, but the whole reason I became a vegetarian is to eat healthier, so eating a lot of junk and/or processed vegetarian food wasn't an option - this is when I started searching for recipes and seeing how I could add some life to my vegetarian diet. Well, 14 months later and I think I've officially got the hang of it! I'm loving all the different meals I've discovered! So I thought I would share. While all of the recipes I'm about to share with you are meat free that doesn't take away from their taste! These recipes are delicious! So I urge you, whether vegetarian or not, to give them a try!

January 2013 Recipe Favs

1. Vegetarian Black Bean Burger
   Recipe from About.com
   
   

   

   Vegetarian Black Bean Burger w/ Cornmeal

   When I first became a vegetarian, I ate a lot of name brand vegetarian burgers like (i.e - BOCA, Morningstar Farms, ... etc.). In my attempt to eliminate process foods I came across a couple of vegetarian bean burger recipes and this has to be my favorite! I was never a black bean fan, but these burgers are delicious and super simple to make! They've definitely become a staple in my kitchen! I find that by making my own veggie burgers, I'm not only keeping it healthier, but it saves me a lot of money as well! Can't beat that! Check this recipe out!

   Ingredients

   	30 oz canned black beans, rinse and drained
   	1/2 cup(s) white all-purpose flour
   	1/4 cup(s) yellow cornmeal
   	1/2 cup(s) fat free salsa
   	2 tsp ground cumin
   	1 tsp table salt
   	1/2 tsp garlic powder

   Instructions

   Place beans in food processor; process until fairly smooth. Add flour, cornmeal, salsa, cumin, garlic powder and salt. Process until well combined. Spoon mixture into 6 balls on a large plate and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours before cooking. Heat barbecue grill or ridged grill pan over medium heat. Coat grill or pan lightly with oil. Form each ball into a 4-inch patty about 1/2-inch thick. Place the patties on the grill or in pan and cook until browned and heated through, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Serve your black bean cornmeal patties on hamburger buns with your favorite toppings.

   Makes 6 servings

   
   FIT GIRL TIP: I make large batches of the burgers at one time to freeze and take out when ready. Saves time! All you have to do is thaw out the burger before cooking and you're set!

2. Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
   Recipe from Weelicious.com

   

   Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

   I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THESE LITTLE COOKIES! My boss brought these to work one day and I fell in love! It's through this recipe that I actually discovered Catherine McCord and Weelicious.com - if you're looking for some great, healthy recipes (vegetarian or not), I definitely recommend checking her site out! Just pop 1 or 2 of these cookies in your mouth for a great dessert or snack! Another Fit Girl staple! And one great thing about them is they stay in the refrigerator, so you don't have to worry about them getting too stiff or stale like you would with other cookies that sit out on the counter!
   
   Ingredients
   

   	3 medium banana(s), preferably ripe or spotty
   	2 cup(s) uncooked old fashioned oats
   	1 cup(s) raisins
   	1/4 cup(s) vegetable oil
   	1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
   	1/2 cup(s) milk chocolate chips
   	1/4 tsp table salt

   Instructions

   Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mash bananas in a bowl, and mix in the remaining ingredients. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes. Using a mini ice cream scoop or tablespoon, place the batter onto a Silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 25 Minutes. Cool and serve.
   
   To Freeze: Allow cookies to cool after baking then place in a Ziploc bag, label and freeze for up to 3 months.
   
   Makes 30 servings (depending on how big you make the cookies you may not get this many)
   
   
   
   
3. Banana Ice Cream
   Recipe from Clean and Delcious.com

   

   Banana "Ice Cream"

   Speaking of bananas... I just discovered this recipe and if you love bananas as much as I do you've definitely gotta' try this one! It's super yummy! 

   Ingredients

   	2 frozen bananas
   	About a ½ cup unsweetened vanilla soymilk (or any kind of milk you choose)

   Instructions

   Pop bananas into a blender or food processor and blend until the bananas have a smooth and creamy consistency (just like ice-cream). Depending on how powerful your blender or processor is, your bananas may clunk around a bit at the beginning but  just give them a minute. Once they start to break down they turn into this lovely, creamy treat.
   
   If you want, you can skip the milk addition all together, but I like to add a little in.  Start with about a quarter cup and then blend.  If you want it a little thinner add a little more milk, if not - skip it!
   Top with whatever you’ve got on hand or nothing at all and enjoy!
   
   Makes 2 servings
   
   

   FIT GIRL TIP: Add a little protein powder to your banana/milk mixture when blending, that way you can counteract the carbs from the bananas with protein and keep your glucose levels down (which when high can turn into fat). Depending on how much powder you add it, this shouldn't really change the taste that much, but if you use a vanilla protein powder (like I do) it may actually give it an even sweeter, yummier taste! Sweet!!!

   
   


4. Cauliflower "Mashed Potatoes"
   An original recipe

   

   Cauliflower "Mashed Potatoes"

   If you Google "cauliflower mashed potatoes" you will find a ton of recipes out there, so I'm not the first and won't be the last to come up with a variation of this dish, but this is my own original recipe that I created using tips I found from various other recipes. Now if you're not a cauliflower fan, this probably won't be for you because while it's not completely potato free, there's more cauliflower than potato and you definitely get that strong taste of cauliflower, but it tastes great in my opinion as well as others I've had try it. It's a super healthy, tasty side to go with any meal!

   Ingredients

   	4 cup(s) frozen cauliflower florets
   	1/4 cup(s) reduced-fat sour cream
   	2 oz low fat cream cheese, softened
   	1/4 tsp onion powder
   	1/4 tsp garlic powder
   	1/4 tsp table salt, salt to taste
   	1/4 tsp black pepper, pepper to taste
   	1 potato Premium Potatoes, Russet

   Instructions

   Cut up russet potato in chunks. Steam or boil, along with cauliflower florets until soft. Drain and put into baking casserole dish/pan. Mash well and stir in the sour cream, cream cheese, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. 

   
   Makes 8 servings, 1/2 cup each
   
   
   
5. Butter Bean Burger
   Recipe from AllRecipes.com
   
   

   

   Butter Bean Burger

   Another awesome bean burger for ya'! I love butter beans so when I found this recipe I knew that I had to try it! It's a small burger that packs a mean punch! If you like spicy, you'll like this! 
   

   Ingredients

   	1 serving(s) S&W Butter Beans
   	1 Tbsp jalapeño pepper(s)
   	1 serving(s) / 5 Premium Crackers, Saltine, Unsalted Tops
   	1 serving(s) Egg Beaters Egg Product, Original*
   	1/2 cup(s) low-fat, shredded Cheddar cheese
   	1 tsp table salt
   	1 tsp black pepper
   	1 small uncooked onion(s)
   	1 tsp garlic powder

   Instructions

   In a medium bowl, mash butter beans. Mix in onion, jalapeno pepper, crushed crackers, egg, cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Divide into 4 equal parts, and shape into patties.
   
   Fry patties in a large skillet over medium-high heat, until golden, about 5 minutes on each side. 

   
   Makes 4 servings

   
   *I don't eat regular eggs so this is what I use but feel free to just use 1 egg if you don't like Egg Beaters/egg substitutes.
   
   
   
6. Vegetarian Vegetable Soup
   Recipe from Mandula's Kitchen.com

   

   Indian Vegetarian Vegetable Soup

   Saving the best for last! I just made this vegetable soup and I LOVED IT! It's Indian Vegetarian Vegetable Soup and it's delicious! If you're interested in eating meat free you should definitely check out Mandula's Kitchen.com. The site is full of vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free recipes that carry out the authenticity of Indian vegetarian cooking. This recipe tastes great and was super simple to make! Check it out!

   Ingredients

   	2 Tbsp vegetable oil
   	1/2 tsp cumin seeds
   	1 leaf/leaves bay leaf
   	1/2 tsp ground cloves
   	1 tsp table salt
   	1/2 cup(s) frozen sliced carrots, peeled and chopped into rounds
   	1 small uncooked potato(es), peeled and diced
   	1/4 cup(s) uncooked celery, chopped
   	1 cup(s) uncooked green cabbage, chopped
   	1 1/2 cup(s) plum tomato(es), chopped
   	1/4 cup(s) cooked frozen yellow corn
   	3 cup(s) water
   	1/4 tsp black pepper
   	1 tsp fresh lemon juice, 1-2 tsp

   Instructions

   Heat the oil in a pot over medium high heat Once oil is hot, add the cumin, potatoes, carrots, bay leaf, cloves, ans salt, stirring occasionally, for about 2-3 minutes Add corn, cabbage, celery, tomato, and 3 cups of water, after it comes to boil turn down the heat to low medium Cover and let it cook for 25-30 mins until veggies are tender Add the pepper and lemon juice, taste and season with additional salt and pepper to taste. 

   
   Makes 4 servings

Living The Healthy Life

Happy New Year fitness fans! :) How's it going? Good I hope! This is my first real, official, blog post of 2013! Can you believe it? WE ARE IN THE YEAR 2013! Coming from this 1980s baby that sounds kinda' when spoken out loud (guess I'm showing my age, lol) but wow, what a blessing! Another year, another chance to get it right! And hey, maybe you've already got this fitness & nutrition thing down, but just remember, no one knows it all and you can never learn too much so we've got a whole new year to learn more and just keep getting better! :)

So the subject: "Living The Healthy Life", now what do I mean by that? As I said before, we're at the start of a new year. While the media and most people are preaching to you on how to lose weight by trying to sell you the latest diet, piece of exercise equipment or at-home DVD fitness program, I'm not here for that. Don't get me wrong, all those things are well & good and have their place, none of them will be effective if you don't change your mindset first.

When I say "change your mindset", I mean that you have to stop thinking of diets or even exercise as being "the answer". They're a huge part of the answer but by themselves they won't work. The key is changing your mindset to stop thinking of  nutrition and fitness as "the thing you're doing right to lose weight" but as your new lifestyle. You see, the only true way for diet & exercise to be effective is to incorporate it as a LIFESTYLE CHANGE. They say it takes 21 days/3 weeks to form a habit, and I've found this to be very true. You stick to anything for 3 weeks and you can, if you truly want to, continue it for life! By 3 weeks time, your body has gotten used to the new taste of the healthier foods you're feeding it or  the feel of working out everyday. Our bodies are truly AMAZING!!! (When God made us He knew what He was doing!) It doesn't take our bodies very long to adapt at all! In 3 weeks time, whatever you're doing has become apart of your lifestyle! You are now officially LIVING THE HEALTHY LIFE!

So as a part of my new year's resolutions, I've come to the conclusion that I want to officially stop using the word "diet" because not only does it leave a bad taste in most people's mouths from years of yo-yo dieting and diets full of bad tasting pre-packaged foods, but it usually refers to something temporary - and that's exactly the mindset I want us all to get out of! Eating healthy should not be a temporary thing, but an EVERYDAY OCCURRENCE. Working out should not be something we do only when we want to lose weight, but with all of the benefits that come from exercising, fitness should be apart of our EVERYDAY LIVES. So start living the healthy life today!

Weight Loss and Wellness Summit 2013 - REGISTER NOW!

Hey Fitness Friends!

I wanted to let you know that I have been handpicked to be a guest speaker at a great upcoming event to start the New Year off!

I am able to get you FREE access to attend this weight loss summit hosted by my colleague Carol Dunlop of OptimumBodySculpting.com and Dana Dunn of Dunn Enterprises called the Weight Loss & Wellness Summit 2013.

 

Imagine looking in the mirror and seeing
YOU at YOUR GOAL WEIGHT!

What will you learn?
In this tele-summit, Carol and Dana have brought together 30 weight loss and wellness experts to explain exactly how to put their techniques into use right away so you can start losing weight now.

If you’re wondering how you’re actually going to fulfill your New Year’s resolution to lose weight while others totally blow it by the middle of January, you need to register for this tele-summit and get all the weight loss details first hand.



The experts are going to share:

• How to create meals that make your body burn fat
• When to workout for maximum fat burn
• The 5 tips to keep you on track and focused to win
• The #1 habit you have to put in place to be successful at losing weight
• How to create YOUR weight loss plan
• And more... !

To register for your place, click the following link:
http://losetheweight2013.com/?ap_id=jonelleboyd

You will finally be able to say with confidence, “My resolution is to lose weight and look and feel great in 2013!”

So even if have started yet another diet and don’t think that you can stick with it long enough to see real results, the experts on this weight loss summit are going to show you how to get on track and stay the course to lose ALL the weight you want.

Stay Fit!
Jonelle

PS: Registration is limited, so register TODAY for your free place!

Commerical Diet Programs... Do They Really Work?

Hey fitness peeps! Only 6 more days 'till Christmas! Can ya' believe it?!? Since I'm sure this will be my last post before then, I want to say a big MERRY CHRISTMAS to all those who celebrate! And no matter what holiday you celebrate during this time, whether it be Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, ... etc., I want to wish you a HAPPY HOLIDAY! Hope yours is filled with friends, family, fun & love!


So let's get straight to the subject of the post, the question is: Commercial Diet Programs... do they really work? And my answer in one word would be: Yes. AHA! I bet you thought this was going to be a post bashing commercial diets, right? Well, think again! While you can, and I have, lost weight by simply eating heathy foods, counting calories and cutting back on portion sizes, there's nothing wrong with giving a commercial diet program a try if you choose to. As some of you may know, I lost my initial big chunk of weight (72 lbs to be exact) using NutriSystem, and earlier this year, after gaining some weight, I tried Weight Watchers Online and was able to lose the weight that I had gained, plus more!

The reason I write this post today is because I'm sure with the new year right around the corner, your tv and inboxes are probably already beginning to get bombarded by a number of ads for different weight loss programs... NutriSystem, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, South Beach Diet, Medifast... the list goes on and on. With so many to choose from, it kinda' makes you question whether any of them really work? My answer to that would be: ALL of them work if YOU do! You wanna' know the real reason why I had success with both NutriSystem and Weight Watchers? What was the common denominator? Me! It was my decision to truly stick to the program that made all the difference in the world! It's your dedication & commitment to the program that does the real work! Now don't get me wrong, there's a science behind all of the different programs - for example, NutriSystem follows a low glycemic diet plan, while Weight Watchers has developed their own Points Plus Plan based off monitoring protein, carb, fiber and fat intake - but if you stay faithful to either one of them, you're going to lose weight! They all work if you work! 

I don't want to leave you with the feeling that this blog has been one giant post promoting commercial diet programs. That's actually not the case at all. As I mentioned above, none of them are necessary, but I believe that they can be beneficial for those who either don't cook or want to cook, or for those who don't know yet how to develop a healthy diet of their own. I know this was the case for me with NutriSystem - I was at a point where I didn't know what to do, so I left all the guess work to them. And when I decided to try Weight Watchers, after maintaining my initial weight loss for years, I had gotten lazy; I had stopped counting calories and my portions had gotten bigger and bigger - I had lost control. Weight Watchers helped me get back on track. Jenny Craig, South Beach and others I'm sure help with those same areas. It's all about choosing what works for you and sticking with it, dedication is key!

I wrote this post for a variety of reasons. One being that I wanted to stress that no matter what, when comes to losing weight and developing a healthier lifestyle, dedication is key! Also, I feel that the subject of commercial diet programs and the decision to join one of them is often shunned in the fitness community, which I honestly don't think is fair. From my experience, they work if you do. My only fair warning would be that you take the time while you are on one to actually research healthy living & eating, and make a plan on how you are going to maintain your weight loss once out of the program. Unfortunately, repeat customers are how most of these diet programs survive (if everyone was a success story, there would be no need for the vast amount of them to exist, now would there?).

So to sum it all up...

1. Commercial diet programs... do they really work? Yes. They work if you do.
2. Are they necessary? No. 
3. Are they convenient? At times. 
4. Do I recommend them? Yes and No. If you have the extra money and are committed, I say, why not give it a try? If you're not going to be committed, they're a waste of money and time. 

Until next time, fitness friends! And once again, HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

What Inspires YOU? Giveaway

Hey fitness friends! As promised, as a thank you for the OVER 4,100 LIKES of my Succeed At Fitness Facebook page, I'm holding a giveaway! I truly appreciate all the love & support that has been shown in the short time (just 2 years) that the page has existed. As I've said before, I remember when the page only had one like: me! Facebook reaches a lot of people and I'm happy to be able to have the opportunity to spread encouragement & motivation about health & fitness to so many people! I want to thank all of you for making my vision of helping others on a large scale come true! And it's not over, the best is yet to come!

The Giveaway Prize ("What do I win?")

There will be 3 lucky winners! The prize is a FREE copy of my (PDF) eBook, "Confessions Of A Fit Girl... How I Lost Over 90 Pounds and Kept It Off!"  This book is filled with encouragement, motivation, fitness & nutrition tips... and more! This book does not disappoint!

Click the following link below to read reviews from others who have bought and enjoyed the book so far: Confessions Of A Fit Girl eBook Reviews
   

The Rules ("What do I have to do to win?")

1. Make sure that you are a fan of the Facebook page - which means, if you're on Facebook and haven't "liked" the page yet, go ahead and push that like button.
   
2. Leave a comment on this blog post telling me and others WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO LIVE A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE? And if you're just starting your health/weight loss journey, let me know what inspires you to want to live a healthy lifestyle. It can be a person, place or thing, but I want to know what's your inspiration.

Please leave one comment only! The giveaway will last for one week - the last day to leave a comment will be December 17, 2012. After that, I will count all the comments and using random.org, I will randomly select 3 comments. (If you're comment number is one of the numbers chosen, you win! It's that easy!)  I will contact the winners, asking for their email addresses, and I will email them the book. All I ask is that after reading the book, you contact me and let me know what you think of the book because I would love to use your reviews on the book's website page.

So... what are you waiting for? Leave a comment below letting me know...