Halt The Salt

Are you watching The Doctors?

If not YOU SHOULD BE!! This show is a great resource!! You can DVR it! ABC 4 at 9AM every week day! If you don't DVR it please visit the website and at least read what they discuss! It's extremely informative!

I just finished watching Fridays episode (yes, I do know that it originally aired back in Dec) where they talked about Halt the Salt...it was extremely eye opening! Basically it was a warning that Americans are consuming WAY too much salt (it's recommended we consume 1500mg a day on average most Americans are eating upwards of 3400mg a day!!). Sodium increases blood pressure which is a MAJOR cause of death in the US!

So far today I had eaten my healthy breakfast and Lunch and I estimated that I had already consumed 1355mg!!! Almost all of my daily recommended intake!

Anyway EXTREMELY interesting! I recommend watching this episode and then joining the Halt the Salt Movement. They also provided this Quick Reference Label Guide for shopping!

I hope you watch or read it! :)

What's Cookin This Week

Okay Here is the menu for next week. I'm still waiting for some of you to send me your recipes.

BREAKFAST

Same old same old!

WW Waffles w/Strawberry Cream Cheese

Egg & Bagel Thins

Warm Granola

(If you haven't tried this you need to! SO filling and comforting)

LUNCH

Crispy Chicken Tostadas

(I found that this is really yummy if you make it more of a salad)

Turkey Sandwich (on Bagel Thins) & Tomato Soup

DINNER

Shepherd's Pie (with a twist-sweet potatoes)

Loaded Twice Baked Potato

(I didn't get a chance to make these last week)

Chicken Quesidillas

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

(I tried this recipe with Beef and it was great, I thought I would try it with Chicken)

Chicken Cordon Bleu-Yeah we like it that much!

Dessert

Chewy Chocolate Brownies (We'll see how these taste)

Pina Colada Frozen Dessert

What's Cookin This Week-Snacks and Dessert

Here are some healthy snack & desserts I'll be enjoying this week!

SNACKS

Fruits and Veggies (DUH)

Yoplait Light

String Cheese

Dessert

Strawberries and Angel Food Cake

(you can add some whipped cream if you'd like)

What's Cookin This Week

Alrighty you know the drill. Here is what's cooking this week. Remember some of these recipes I haven't tried yet. Others I have already posted but it just means they were THAT good! :)

BREAKFAST

Warm Granola

WW Waffles with Cream Cheese

Bagel Thins and Egg

LUNCH

Tuscan White Bean Soup (This was SOOOOO YUMMY!!!!)

Bagel Thin Turkey Sandwich and Tomato Soup

DINNER

Meatloaf

Chicken Piccata

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Stuffed Twice Baked Potato

Crispy Chicken Tostada

Chicken Cordon Bleu (This was STELLAR!!)

So there you have it! That is what is cooking at my house! If you try these recipes and like em (or don't like em) let me know! Enjoy!

Tips and Tricks

Here are a few tips that can help you stick to your weight loss plan.

Planning on eating out for dinner?

Take a few minutes to plan ahead. Decide where you are going ahead of time and be sure to look up their nutrition facts. A lot of chain restraunts include their nutrition information directly on their website. You can also use websites like facsecret.com to find out nutritional information. Taking a few minutes to plan can save you feeling guilty later. Even if you are splurging on your calories its good to know how much you went over.

Can't afford a gym membership?

You don't have to have fancy gym equipment to shed the lbs. Using your own body weight is the perfect way to build lean muscle. Grab your favorite DVD and getting going. Don't have workout DVDs? Try these websites MyTrainerBob.com, Sparkpeople.com (you may have to login to your sparkpeople account to connect to this link), or Shape.com. No more excuses!

Meal Planning

It is no secret that by preparing your own meals it is much easier to control your calorie intake. Meal Planning is KEY to living a healthier lifestyle. I take a day (today) and find recipes at fatsecret.com, sparkrecipes.com, eatingwell.com, eatbetteramerica.com, my cook books, etc. I write my grocery list and I'm set for the week! It's that easy! :) (or you can just use my mealplans :) )

Have a great weekend!

Coming up...

Ground turkey vs ground beef-what is the difference?

Whole Wheat vs white?

What are your reasons for working out?

We all have reasons why we wake up early or stay up late to get our burn on but are your reasons the RIGHT reasons? If any of the following are included in your reasons you should definitely check out this article on SparkPeoplpe.com!

Do you exercise because...

You feel fat

You want to eat whatever you want

You want to run away from your problems

You want to energize when you're lacking sleep

You want to get skinny

Apparently these are the Top 5 Worst Reasons to Workout. You may not even realize these are on your list. Read the entire article to find out if you are doing this absentmindedly and learn how to make your reasons positive and motivating!

Where to Start?

So have you been wanting to change your lifestyle and become healthier but you don't know where to start? Here are some things that can get you started. Now I am not a doctor this is just what I did.

1st-If you have health issues be sure to consult your doctor before you make changes to your diet and exercise. (I'm still nursing so my dr. reminded me that I still need an extra 300 calories to maintain my milk supply)

2nd Find support. I've found websites that I think are fantastic for support. Sparkpeople.com, Caloriecount.com, Fatsecret.com, etc. All of these are FREE! And you can sign up for challenges, track your calories & exercise, find recipes, etc. etc. ! :) They offer a TON of things! Also feel free to share your progress here. I'd LOVE to hear about your journey!

3rd Figure out your BMI & Caloric Intake. I did this through one of my apps but you can do it at freedieting.com-the reason I chose this site is because it calculates how much fat, protein, and carbs you should be eating everyday AS WELL as your calories.

4th Set a Goal! And be sure to make it realistic for example my goal has been to lose one pound a week.

5th Get tracking! Track the calories you eat and the calories you burn. And don't be too hard on yourself. You have to remember that you are make a HUGE change and it may take some getting use to so cut yourself some slack!

Once you've taken the time to do this you are ready to go. My challenge for you this week is to work out for 30 mins 3 times a week this week. Also find at least one healthy recipe and cook it this week! I few of my favorite recipe sites are Eatingwell.com, EatbetterAmerica.com, and Sparkrecipes.com. There is my challenge! :)

Oops!

Do NOT exercise on an empty stomach. The theory that you burn more fat with no available blood sugar is a myth. In fact, it can result in the loss of muscle tissue. So, make sure to get a healthy snack in you about 45 minutes before you train.-JM

So this is something I struggle with, especially since I've been waking up at 6:30 am. BUT it is VERY important to eat before you workout. I am going to better about this. Grab a handful of almonds, a banana, or toast. Something is better than nothing.

I just wanted to make a couple of corrections

1st -Last week I told you to try scrambling your eggs with water-a tablespoon of water. My bad that was a typo I meant a teaspoon. :) Sorry for the watery eggs.

2nd- Some of the recipes I list are recipes I haven't tried yet. So I am sorry if some of them don't turn out. Last night I made the Mediterranean Chicken with Orzo and am sad to say that it was NOT very yummy! It may just be me but if you ever try a recipe I list and you don't like it PLEASE comment or email me. I want to know what you think. Now that may not have been my favorite but did you try the Healthified Cinnamon Rolls? YUMMY! (tip: I added a little bit of coconut extract to the frosting).

What's Cookin This Week

So Last week I stuck to my meal plan pretty well. So I thought I would try it again. Here is What's Cookin This Week. :)

BREAKFAST

Bagel Thins w/ Low-fat Cream Cheese

Eggs

Honey Nut Cheerios

LUNCH

Bagel Thin Turkey Sandwiches

Tuscan White Bean Soup

(I plan on making a big pot of this and eating it over the next couple days)

DINNER

Mediterranean Chicken with Orzo

Chicken Broccoli Parmesan

Pineapple Glazed Chicken

Dessert

I didn't get to try the Wonton Fruit Cups so I am going to try to do those this week!

Healthified Cinnamon Rolls

That's what's cookin this week.

Favorites from last week

WW Waffle with Strawberry Cream Cheese

Beef & Bean Chili Verde (I used ground turkey) YUM!

Quick Chicken Cordon Bleu (DOUBLE YUM!)

Pina Colada Parfait

Click HERE see what was cookin last week!

Got a recipe that we have to try? Email me @ suziqabeyta@hotmail.com!

Oh Dear!

So this weekend was WoNderFulL!!! I got to spend basically ALL weekend with my family! I love them and they are so much fun! The only problem I have when I am with my family is that I lose some of my self control. We grew up socially eating so this weekend was a test and if I had to grade myself I would have to give myself...hmm...a C-. I didn't binge like I normally would have but I ate more crap (mini cupcakes and candy) than I have in a long time! I think it's something about the presentation that made it hard to resist.

No this isn't a picture of some posh candy store, this is the dessert table. Doesn't look beautiful? It's so fun or at least it was. By the time I got home I didn't really feel great. I was reminded why I stopped eating stuff like that this. It takes a major toll on my body. Anyway this morning I worked out for 45 mins (thanks JM) and ate a healthy breakfast. I'm off to a great start. I guess these are the moment that we grow.

PS-Tomorrow I am going to try JM's Yoga Meltdown!! I am SO excited! I will alternate between doing JM's Banish Fat Boost Metabolism one day and 20 mins eliptical and Yoga Meltdown the next. We'll see how it works out. :)

PPS- I finish my first fatsecret.com challenge. Yeah it was easy (I wanted to start off easy) but it was fun. I will let you know which one I choose to do next!

PPS :) I am kinda sad that I've had this blog up for over a month and I don't have A SINGLE follower yet :( Is there anyone out there? Am I writing this blog in vain?

Banish Fat Boost Metabolism

Okay I just got this DVD and have done it twice.Here is what I think:

First lets go over the design of this DVD. There are two options you can run through the entire workout (warm-up, 7 circuits, cool-down) or you can break it down into individual circuits. You don't need weights for this workout it is all you.

So the first time I did this workout I tried option 1.

Even though this workout says its only a 40 minute workout it's actually 50 minutes. I got half way through circuit six and almost puked (literally). I ended up skipping to the cool-down. It took me about a half hour to recover. YIKES!!

Today I chose option two. I did the warm up and circuits 1-5.

I LOVED it. It is the same workout only I got about 5 seconds to breath in between circuits. I could have done all 7 circuits but my daughter woke up. It's amazing what that few seconds of breathing can do for you.

Overall I LOVE IT! I will continue to do this workout DVD for the next month and let you know what I think. :) My advice is to start slow and work up to doing the entire workout. I think you will still get the results you want.

GASP!!!!

They've arrived! My new JM Videos are here! I can't decide which one to try this week!!! I'll keep you posted!!