Did You Eat Your Veggies?

 How do you eat more while losing more weight at the same time? One of the best answers is to eat "negative-calorie" foods, meaning that these foods actually take more energy to digest than they deliver to your body. While these foods may be an important source of phytonutrients, they are not sources of fat-packing calories.

Because of their surprising lack of calories, these foods can essentially be consumed in unlimited quantities without you gaining weight (body fat). That works because your stomach senses when it is physically full, and it will trigger your brain to stop eating when you can't handle more food. You know that "I feel stuffed" feeling? That's your stomach (which has its own complex nervous system, by the way), telling your brain to tell you to stop eating.

This is why, believe it or not, the simple act of drinking a glass of water before each meal is a proven weight loss strategy. It fills your belly with water, thereby reducing the amount of space left for other foods. So your stomach gets full more quickly, triggering the "stop eating" signals in your brain.

Eating an apple before each meal also works in much the same way. This is true even though apples are not negative-calorie foods. But they are rich in water, and water takes up space in your stomach.

Below is a list of negative calorie foods...Eat up!!!

Need A Bootylicious Booty Stat!

My sisters and I are going to Vegas in June to see the one and only...Beyonce!!! I couldn't be more excited!  However, I need to get this "jelly" ready to shake at her concert, and thought I would share a fab "bootylicious" workout today!

25 squats (Add weight if you need more of a challenge, and really want to work that booty!)
10 burpees
10 reverse lunges (Per leg)
10 burpees
10 curtsy lunges (Per leg)
10 burpees
20 donkey kicks (Per leg)
Repeat 3 times

If you are a beginner, try doing one round, and then build on that as you get stronger.  Another alternative is to cut down on the reps.  For example, 15 squats, 5 burpees, 5 reverse lunges, and so on.  You can always incorporate weights into your sets too, if you feel like it's too easy.

 Here's a little music/video to have fun and motivate us ladies to get "bootylicious"! :)

Control Blood Sugar...Lose the Weight

A friend of mine shared an article with me about how our blood sugar can effect our weight loss, so I thought I would share!

 When we think about cutting back on what we eat, we tend to cut the calories, and not so much on our sugar intake.  Your blood sugar level has a direct effect on how hungry you are as well as how sluggish you may feel.  More importantly, it determines whether your body is burning fat or storing it.

Whenever you eat, your body converts the carbohydrates in your food to glucose.  The more carbs in your food (particularly refined or simple carbs), the higher your blood sugar levels.  As your blood sugar increases, your pancreas creates insulin that transports the glucose out of your blood into your cells where it will be used for energy.

The problem comes when you eat too many simple carbs.  Simple carbs break down into glucose very rapidly, causing a rapid rise in blood sugar, which triggers a massive release of insulin.  When that much insulin is released, weight loss becomes nearly impossible.  The more insulin your body produces, the more fat is stored in your body.

Your body needs carbs. Natural carbohydrate-rich foods contain important vitamins, minerals, and fiber.  Carbohydrates are what provide energy for your muscles, making carbs essential to support a healthy exercise routine.  When you eat too few carbs, your blood sugar drops.  As a result, you feel irritable, you crave sweets, and your energy level plummets! 

Here are four ways to help balance your blood sugar...

1)  Eat less, more often
     Eat 5-6 small meals per day.  This allows you to eat something every few hours, which helps normalize blood sugar levels rather than produce 3 large spikes. (From only having 3 meals.)  However, make sure you do not increase your calorie intake.

2)  Drink more water
      Try to drink the number of ounces equal to half of your body weight. (If you're 120 lbs., aim for 60 oz. daily.)

3)  Fill up on fiber
     Fiber helps keep cravings at bay.  Fiber also helps slow down glucose absorption, so you're less likely to have a blood sugar spike and crash.

4)  Exercise
     Exercising 45 minutes a day has been shown to have a significant blood sugar balancing effect.  With continued moderate exercise, your muscles take up glucose at almost 20 times the normal rate and insulin levels drop.

Take the challenge, cut back on your sugar intake, and I promise you'll see results and feel great!!!