{Doutzen Kroes looking strong and healthy}

- Lose 10lbs by Snacking; Eat more healthy and lose weight! I like the eat more part of it a lot because I actually get variety in my diet now and it’s all thanks to snacking. -D

- Satisfy your Cravings; The nutrition expert said “The best thing for you is, you know yourself. You know your triggers, you know what you need to do.” Whether you’re good at controlling your cravings or not, only you know what will really work for you to overcome your weakness. Going cold turkey works for me!

- 10 Ways to Go from Tired to Terrific; Good tips but too tired to try. =/

- 3 ways to make eating out a healthy experience;

1. Keep it simple … for the most part. The simpler your order is, the less likely it is to harbor hidden fats and calories.

2. Make special requests. If you’re watching your waistline, you’ll likely need to tweak certain menu items to make them fit within your calorie budget. (I hate it when there’s sauce dripping all over anyways so I have been asking for it on the side…and eating less of it by doing so, yes!)

3. Eliminate the extras…bread, dessert, beverages. (Portion control people! =d The only thing that I might indulge in is the bread, if it’s really good that is and omgah….so far, soooo good.) =/

- Fix Your Worst Diet Habits; My worst habit use to be skipping meals but now I eat/snack healthier and regularly and I don’t have agonizing hunger pains at nighttime like I use to. I’m also getting Babes to do the same; it’s not fair if only one of us looks good you know. muahah!

- Gross Yourself Out To Lose Weight ; The author of the post said “This diet tactic may verge on insane; however, it might just be crazy enough to work! Never underestimate the power of conditioning. The best way to keep you on track is with constant reminders. I think it might be cute to have a pet fat … I’m going to name mine Bertha. ” =D

- Healthy Supermarket Swaps; I always make a list to take to the supermarket so I know exactly what I need; it helps me to make healthier choices, not to mention I also save on time and money that way.

Here is a delicious snack I made today with ingredients I found in the fridge.

Preheat oven to 450ºF. Cut chicken breast into smaller pieces (about 6-8 depending on size of breast). Season the chicken with garlic salt. Put the jalapeno and meat into the oven. While broiling, bast lightly with a splash of lime and olive oil. Cook chicken pieces thoroughly (8-10 min). Remove from oven and cover lightly with tinfoil for a few minutes afterward to keep warm and seal in juices.

While chicken is cooking, rinse the parsley and green leaf lettuce. You can halve the bigger pieces. When chicken is ready and you have diced the jalapeno, place in this order: green leaf lettuce, one piece of chicken, chunks of jalapeno, shredded carrot, and parsley. Wrap the lettuce around the chicken and veggies and secure with a toothpick and you’re ready to serve! It came out to be a total of 6 wraps.

They were so tasty -which is saying a lot since I’m not known for my cooking abilities. mm mmm good!

Ingredients

* garlic salt, dried basil, lime, olive oil

* 1 skinned, boneless chicken breast

* 1 head of green leaf lettuce

* 1 jalapeno

* shredded carrot

* parsley

Ingredients

* Pita, 1 (54 grams)

* Canned tomatoes, whole peeled, no added salt, 1/4 cup (54 grams)

* Parmesan cheese, grated and shaved, 1 TB (15 mL)

* Arugula, 1 cup (12 grams)

* Extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) -optional

* Pepper, freshly ground, pinch

- Read Full recipe! Which was inspired by this recipe in Everyday Food:

{ Kelly Brook looking healthy and fit }

Last week I decided I needed to make a few changes in my eating habits so I started a food journal. It was in the One Small Change article; a must read for those of us who can’t fully commit to healthy eating yet but would like to get started…one small step at a time.

I’ve realized in starting a food journal that I’m more aware of what I should eat (being that it will be written in my journal as a setback) rather than just ordering/cooking what I want to eat. I am all for indulging once in a while and rewarding myself for taking care of my body but I am hoping that, in time, I won’t even crave my favorite fatty foods anymore. Also, now that I have begun tracking all my food intake, I have introduced into my life a somewhat neurotic nutritionist – who lives in my conscience and is quite obnoxious but I know she’s only doing it for my own good. =p

Here are a few sites I looked at which help calculate your calories, have food logs, blogging options, and diet/nutrition/fitness information. I am currently using these two sites and will decide which I like better at the end of the week:

- nutrimirror.com

- livestrong.com

The National Institute of Health (click link to check yours!) says you’re at a healthy weight if your BMI falls between 18.5 – 24.9. My BMI is at 18.8 which is ok but I should gain a few pounds – as you all can see. =/

I want to get fit/toned and healthy, NOT lose weight so Don’t Hate! =)

Here’s some serious slimspiration for you: Doing only one thing differently can be all it takes to lose weight and improve your life in surprising, healthy ways. We found six women who each flipped a simple dietary switch that set off a chain reaction of positive effects, from getting glowing skin to losing 130 pounds. See which idea will ignite your personal success story.

1. Mapping out meals (I’ve been meaning to do this, I have a fondness (also known as OCD) for making lists so keeping a journal would be in that same ballpark.)

2. Eliminating white carbs (This one will be a toughy. I love me some good ole spaghetti, but the texture and taste of whole grain pasta just doesn’t stimulate my taste buds. I would be ok to compromise and alternate between the two though.)

3. Giving high-fructose corn syrup the slip; To avoid an afternoon energy crisis, swap packaged foods with sucrose or HFCS for those high in healthful fats and fiber, such as crudités with hummus, tuna salad on whole-wheat crackers or raisins mixed with sunflower seeds. Also replace reduced-fat foods you nosh on with small portions of the real thing. You’ll feel satisfied by less and skip the artificial stuff, too!

4. Eating greens for dinner instead of greasy takeout; Avoid green fatigue by experimenting. “Repeating meals can put you in a rut, which could lead you to abandon your plan, so mix things up,” says Keri Gans, R.D., a spokeswoman in New York City for the American Dietetic Association. For a filling, flavorful salad, include healthy fat such as pine nuts and a serving of protein such as lean sirloin or salmon, Gans says. And ditch fat-free dressing in favor of a tablespoon of olive oil or full-fat dressing; a little fat helps your body absorb more cancer-fighting antioxidants from the veggies.

5. Eating less, more often (I tried this and it worked for me. Ordering from the kid’s menu when we go out helped to save on cost and calories.)

6. Nixing packaged foods; “Women who got most of their calcium from their diet have a higher bone-mass density than those who got calcium mostly from supplements,” says lead researcher Reina Armamento-Villareal, M.D.

- Read Full Article!

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I will be trying to fulfill some of those healthy options above for sure and hopefully get a few friends and family to do the same. Here are a few things I have improved on recently:

- I am doing TaeBo Live at least 3 times a week. I love the Basic video routine but if you’re trying it for the first time make sure to watch the instructional video to help you do the techniques correctly so you don’t hurt yourself, k. K. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. =) I love doing this exercise video and would recommend it to others; the reviews were on the positive side for other users as well!

- I’m snacking more, mostly fruits. Normally I don’t snack at all which leaves me doing midnight runs to the fridge. =/

- Which leads me to my late night snacking habit…it has subsided for the most part! I’m trying to eat more during dinner (around 7pm) and have a little snack (yogurt or fruit) an hour later and it’s helped curb my midnight hunger pains.

Read the article and get motivated, let’s get healthy together! =)