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Open-faced sandwiches are great for cutting out extra calories while trying to lose weight. This recipe calls for sprouted grain bread, which is flourless bread that is densely packed with nutrients. Store your sprouted grain bread in the freezer, since it is made without preservatives or chemicals to promote shelf life.Yield: 2 servings

Here’s what you need:

• 1 sprouted grain bun
• 2 Tablespoons hummus
• 1/2 cup arugula
• Half of an avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced
• 6 oz smoked salmon
• 2 thin slices of onion
• 4 slices of heirloom tomato
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Spread each piece of the bun with 1 Tablespoon of hummus. Top each with half the arugula, avocado, salmon, onions, and tomato.
2. Season with freshly ground sea salt and pepper.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 267 calories, 9g fat, 25g carbohydrate, 6g fiber, and 22g protein.

I am often asked how to lose weight quickly and easily.

Of course no one wants to listen to a lecture on the importance of healthy eating coupled with a solid exercise routine. That would preclude the quick and easy part.

So in a world where two thirds of all adults are overweight or obese, and some doctors predict that we will soon see a generation with a lower life expectancy than their parents due to obesity related diseases, I’ve come up with a solution that is both quick and easy. (Drum roll, please.)

Stop eating fried foods. (Gasp!)

Fried foods, despite having little to no nutritional value and being loaded with fat and calories, have become an accepted indulgence in our society. So accepted that many restaurants serve fries or chips alongside every meal.

It’s no wonder that fried foods are the number one thing that most people crave – they are salty, addictive and plentiful.

Are Fried Foods Really That Bad?

In a nutshell, yes, fried foods really are that bad for you.

Take an average potato, bake it and you have 110 calories and 0 grams of fat. Take that same potato, turn it into French fries and you have 380 calories and 18 grams of fat.

Frying food is the easiest way to dramatically increase the calorie and fat content. And you know that extra calories and fat end up as extra body fat.

Other disasters that fried foods put you at risk for include:

• Heart Disease
• Diabetes
• Clogged Arteries
• High Blood Pressure
• Obesity
• Acne

Fried foods have also been known to trigger Acid Reflux and IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome).

Need I say more?

Going Fried-Free

Giving up fried food may not be easy, though it will arguably be one of the best things you do for your health and appearance. You will lose weight and improve your health by eliminating fried food from your life.

Keep in mind that, like all habits, the first thirty days will be the toughest. Make things easier by staying away from situations that place you in front of a big basket of fries or plate of doughnuts.

New Foods to Love

Instead of fried foods, enjoy the following:

• Substitute a salad or fruit instead of fries
• Baked potato – but pass on the butter and sour cream
• Baked chicken instead of fried chicken
• Baked chips instead of fried chips
• Raw veggie pieces

You may be surprised how delicious these healthier options taste.

Help, I’m addicted!

If your diet has consistently included fried foods - multiple times a day or several times each week, then giving it up may take more work than simply trying healthier options.

You’ll need to use some mental strategies as well.

To do this focus on all the negative things about eating fried foods:

• Think of how bloated and heavy you feel afterward
• Remember the heart burn you’ve experienced
• Focus on the extra pounds you want to lose – imagine doughnuts and French fries sticking to your belly and thighs
• Look at your acne
• Feel the discomfort of being out of breath doing normal activities

You didn’t think I was really going to skip telling you how beneficial exercise is to achieving your health and weight loss goals did you?

The bottom line is that exercise plus healthy eating will give you the body that you want.

What are you waiting for? Drop that bag of chips and call me for a workout that will change your life!

There’s nothing worse than getting ripped off.

To invest your hard earned money on a product that promises results that aren’t delivered.

That’s how millions of new Wii Fit owners are feeling right now, and I don’t blame them.

The Wii Fit is marketed as the latest and greatest way to lose weight and be fit. The specialized Nintendo is supposed to do the job of your gym, your treadmill and even your personal trainer.

That’s a lot of pressure for a video game.

With all the buzz surrounding the Wii Fit, I decided that some research was in order. What is this Wii Fit, and how is it qualified to get you into the best shape of your life?

The Wii uses television and a wireless “balance board” that is about two feet wide and half as deep. The board is basically a fancy scale, which measures your weight and detects your equilibrium. To play Wii Fit, you stand on the board and do a series of games that fall into one of four categories: aerobics, balance, strength, and yoga.

My research did turn up some cases of documented weight loss as a result of Wii Fit play time. In each case the person went from a sedentary lifestyle (basically a couch potato) and saw weight loss after doing the Wii Fit for 30-60 minutes per day.

Walking for 30-60 minutes per day will give the same results.

To really understand the purpose of this product I did a search on Shigeru Miyamoto, he’s the creator of the Wii Fit.

What he said may shock you.

“I don’t think Wii Fit’s purpose is to make you fit; what it’s actually aiming to do is make you aware of your body,” he said. “That’s why we wanted people to talk with their families about Wii Fit, and become aware of these things together as a group.”

The purpose of the Wii Fit is not to make you fit?!

But what about the marketing pieces that are telling you to use the Wii Fit as your one-stop shop for fitness and weight loss?

What about the people who purchased a Wii Fit with the hopes of losing 30 lbs?

It’s time to call the Wii Fit what it really is: a video game…entertainment, and that’s it.

Don’t get me wrong, the Wii Fit is a fun, interactive game that gets you to burn more calories than you would just sitting on the couch. People enjoy playing it with their kids and it sure beats lounging on the couch watching T.V.

But it’s just like the creator of the product said; it’s not intended to make you fit. Sure, it may be marketed that way but that’s not what it’s for and that’s not what it does.

Don’t sell yourself on the idea that a video game will get you into great shape.

Play the Wii Fit. Enjoy the Wii Fit. Burn a few calories with the Wii Fit.

And then contact me for a workout that will truly change your life and get you the body that you want, because all of my programs were created with the purpose of getting YOU fit.

You can quote me on it.

Whose fault is it that you’re out of shape?

If you go by what you hear in diet ads then you believe that it’s anyone’s fault but yours.

The big diet companies think that if they put the blame on you, then you wouldn’t buy their bogus pills. So they put the blame on your cortisol levels, your modern diet (ie fast food), or your busy schedule instead of where it belongs - which is squarely on your shoulders.

Sure, you have obstacles that get in your way - your schedule, your job, your kids, the weather, your knee injury from college…but ultimately you have the body that you accept.

I’m going to repeat that so it will really sink in.

You have the body that you accept.

Embracing the blame for your current weight is not a bad thing - it’s empowering. Think about it. If it really wasn’t your fault, if it really was due to a long list of variables that you have zero control over, then you’d be stuck. You’d have no way to change.

The Secret Behind ‘Before and After’ Pictures

Allow me to pull back the curtain for you on something that the diet industry doesn’t want you to know. You’ve seen countless before and after pictures documenting weight loss as a result of a diet product. Well, there is more involved than just the diet product, and it’s the same across the board.

Look into the eyes of any person in their before picture and you’ll see that they are disturbed. The body they have is no longer in sync with the body they can accept.

They changed the body that they accept.

Now look into their eyes in the after picture - see the sweet satisfaction? They now own the body that they decided they could accept. And what a great feeling that is.

Your Time To Transform

Whether you realize it or not, you already posses everything you need to transform your body, but it all starts with taking responsibility for the body that you have today. You have your current body because until this moment you’ve been OK with it.

Oh sure, you aren’t thrilled with it, and you even talk about losing weight and getting fit, but you haven’t changed what you’ll accept. Here’s how to transform your body in 3 steps:

Step One: Get Disturbed

You’ve heard it said that emotion creates motion. This is essential when it comes to losing weight. Just like those folks in the before pictures, to transform your body you must first decide that you can’t live another day in the body you currently have.

It’s time to get your emotions stirred up. Make a list of all the reasons that you must lose weight and get fit. Get disturbed!

Step Two: Get Focused

Without clarity it’s very hard to get where you want to go. Now that you’re disturbed with the body you have, it’s time to decide what the body you can accept looks like.

I want you to think in concrete and specific terms. Just like the captions under those before and after pictures - “Suzy lost 25 lbs”, “Mike lost 8 inches from his waist”, “Jenny went from a size 18 to a size 6″ .

Get a clear picture in your mind of what you’ll look like in your after picture and visualize what the caption will read.

Step Three: Get Moving

The time spent between your inspiration (now) and your action determines whether you will succeed or fail. Don’t allow yourself to get stuck between inspiration and action - there is always something that you can do right now.

Don’t you agree that you’ll be happier living life in a fit, healthy and attractive body, rather than the body you have today? Of course you’ll be happier.

I’ve helped scores of clients just like you finally lose their unwanted weight.

I am here to take you from your before picture to your after picture, however, you need to bring something to the table - you need to make up your mind about what you’ll accept of yourself.

What will you accept?

Do you know the absolute BEST way to GAIN weight? Not eating. Does that come as a surprise? Fasting for extended periods of time actually slows your metabolism (your body’s rate of calorie burning). Add to that the fact that you will lose muscle and energy by not supplying your body with proper nutrients. Instead eat small healthy meals every 4 hours.

The next time that you plan a night out, take your time when choosing the restaurant. Steer clear of buffet style restaurants that encourage overeating or fast food restaurants that don’t offer healthy choices. Pick a restaurant that caters to your healthy side.

These days you can’t go anywhere without hearing about a new weight loss breakthrough. A pill, a cream, or a new fad diet - you name it and it’s going to solve all of your weight loss problems in 30 days or less. Or not.

The truth is that most of the things you hear about weight loss are hype. Plain and simple.

Here are the top 5 myths about weight loss:

Myth #1: You can spot reduce fat from specific areas of your body

This myth is as old as the hills, yet it persists. It must be that the thought of melting fat from any desired part of the body is so appealing, however untrue it may be.

In reality your body will lose weight wherever it wants to. It’s safe to assume that you’ll lose fat ‘last place on, first place off’. So if you put on weight first in your thighs and then on your waist, then expect it to come off your waist first and then your thighs.

Myth #2: You have to count calories for weight loss

There are so many fad diets out there that paint the picture that weight loss is a complicated process. You have to eat certain foods at certain times and avoid other foods at all costs. Of course all of these popular diets conflict over which foods you should or shouldn’t eat.

The truth is that you don’t have to make weight loss such a science. Simply eat healthy fresh foods that haven’t been processed, and eat smaller amounts than you’re eating today.

No brain science there, just results.

Myth #3: You will bulk up with resistance training

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard women tell me that they won’t do resistance training because they don’t want to bulk up. Each time I have to hide my smile.

You see, the process of bulking your muscles takes a lot of hard work. You have to consume high amounts of protein and you have to consistently tax your muscles to fatigue. And you have to have the male hormone testosterone coursing through your body. In short, there is no way to accidentally bulk up.

Myth #4: You can get a six pack from crunches

Just focusing on crunches will not make your midsection chiseled. Hey, ab crunches are great, and you should do them, but don’t rely on them to get into great shape.

A trim midsection will only come as a result of proper nutrition, effective cardio and consistent resistance training.

Myth #5: Cardio is the most important exercise for fat loss

Most people think of cardiovascular activities when they think of working out. Going for a run, riding a stationary bike, or taking an aerobics class. Well, times have changed and so should your workout.

The benefits of resistance training now trump straight cardiovascular training. Resistance training strengthens your heart while toning muscles and increasing bone density.

Cardio workouts are not completely a thing of the past, they should fit into your overall plan for health and wellness. The benefits of resistance training, especially in fat loss, are astounding.

Do you have other weight loss beliefs that simply aren’t delivering results? Call or email me today and I’ll help you bust the myths, discover the truth, and create a fitness and fat loss program that will give you the body that you deserve.

Losing weight may seem anything but simple. With all of the trendy diet plans and new workout fads-it is easy to become confused. The good news is that the basics of weight loss have not changed over the years. It all boils down to Calories In versus Calories Out. Too many Calories In, and you will gain weight. Extra Calories Out and you will lose it. Keep in mind that 3,500 calories equals one pound and every single calorie counts!

It never fails. As spring approaches people start thinking about getting in shape for summer. And every year the number one thing I’m asked is “How can I get great abs?”

You’ve probably pondered that question at some time or another and you’re likely frustrated with your waistline. Maybe you’ve given up on your abs after doing dozens of crunches only to see zero results. I don’t blame you.

Forget everything you’ve heard about how to sculpt your abs. Crunches simply won’t give you a six pack.

You see, to do crunches with the hope that it will turn your midsection into a washboard is to operate under one of the most widely held fitness myths. I’m talking about spot reducing. Simply put, training one area of your body will not specifically burn fat from that area.

You’ve probably heard that spot reducing is a myth, but most people still train as if it is true. Doing crunches will not magically make your waist shrink, it will not cause your muffin top to disappear, and it will not give you washboard abs.

Only a drop in body fat will do that for you.

So what is the secret to great abs? Instead of endless crunches, the secret is a winning combination of fat burning cardio, resistance training, and proper eating.

It is absolutely possible for you to dramatically shape up your waistline before summer hits this year. Yes, Y-O-U. Weight loss is not reserved only for the people you’ve seen on the Biggest Loser or on diet pill infomercials. You can do it too.

Answer the following two questions to see how your routine measures up:

How often do you exercise? If your answer was anything less than 4 times a week, then that’s the first thing getting between you and streamline abs. How do you define a fat burning workout? A routine including intense cardiovascular training coupled with effective resistance training. Do you do this?

I’m sorry to be the one to break this to you, but walking on the treadmill for 30 minutes isn’t a fat blasting routine. Neither is a leisurely 20 minutes on the elliptical machine. The truth is that you can dramatically increase your results while investing less time when you exercise right.

Cardio exercise is all about maintaining an effective level of intensity. This doesn’t mean that you should be out of breath or gasping for air. It does mean that you need to push yourself.

Resistance training is the second key part of a fat burning workout. This means working your major muscle groups against resistance in a way that stimulates your metabolism. Again the key here is to find the right intensity and to keep each muscle group guessing.

What kind of shape is your diet in? Diet is a big stumbling block for most people-especially as it relates to their midsection. Here’s a fact: If your diet is out of control then your abs will be too. You can’t trim your waist without trimming the junk out of your diet, regardless of how hard you exercise.

• Keep calories in check. Do you know how many calories you eat? The best way to find out is to record everything you eat for a few days. Tally the number of calories that you eat each day and do an evaluation-feel free to recruit me to help out with this part. Together we’ll chart improvements for your diet and adjust your calories for maximum results.
• Just say “No” to junk food. While this may seem obvious, your definition of “junk food” may need an alteration. Refined sugar is one of the biggest culprits in the junk food world-it is found in soft drinks, blended coffee drinks, cookies, cakes, packaged snacks, and other sinfully sweet treats. Processed fat is another monster. As a rule of thumb you can safely view all processed or refined items as junk food.
• Eat more frequently. The key here is to never let your metabolism “crash” by going hours without eating. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to skip breakfast-as this is the meal that ‘breaks the fast’ that your body goes into each night. Stick with eating small meals every few hours and always avoid stuffing yourself.

You should now understand why you are better off not wasting time on crunches-while it is important to exercise your abs a couple of times a week, you won’t expect fat to fall of that area after 100’s of crunches.

So you’re ready to start a healthy diet. The first time you bite into a protein bar instead of a cookie your taste buds may protest, but hang on! Give yourself time to adjust to your new healthy lifestyle and the new foods that you will discover. It won’t take long for your taste buds to adjust and for your waist to shrink.

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