my suggestions...
First of all you most definitely need to vary your workout, and start doing weight training, which boosts the metabolism more than anything.
Try this- 24hr fitness offers coupons (website/news ads) that provide a free fitness consultation with a personal trainer. I've never worked with one before and they ask you your goals, one of which was to lose some body fat. He told me that in order to do so you need to strength train once a week to burn fat (as well as weight lift which i do anyway). During this session I did super heavy weights at 1set/15 reps using a variety of body parts & using the stairmaster in between (2x's) at 7 min's @ lev. 7. He suggested that you start yr weight training w/ cardio for 5-7min's (i like to start with the stairmaster), then do weights (full body) ending w/cardio for another 15-20min. (elliptical or treadmill.) On in between days, do yr reg. cardio training or try yoga and pilates. Kick-boxing or tae-bo are good alternatives to cardio training. 24hr fitness is great cuz they have all sorts of classes. However, sometimes i feel those classes are not high enough in intensity at where I like to be, and do them at home with yoga/pilates video's or dvd's. you can find discounted ones at bookstores or half price books (bookstores). Also if you have cable there’s a great station called fittv. (fittv.com) that do a variety of workouts oh and go to Shape.com and read about their fitness articles and workouts. Subscribe to this or Self, or Fitness, they’re only $10-12 for 1yr subscriptions.
2nd- it might help you to start counting your calorie intake. I know it's tedious but you get to know what your consuming. Basically you have to burn more calories than you are consuming to lose weight. But if you don't know how many calories you are consuming you won't know how to cut back. And it's easier to count calories consumed than calories burned. Calorieking.com can help answer questions. Keep a food journal! (with calories, carbs, fat, protein and fiber, i can fwd you my spreadsheet)
Also, watch out when it comes to eating nuts. they are highly caloric! the healthiest are almonds, walnuts and macadamia nuts. a couple of handfuls ends up being 400-500 calories! more than 2 sandwiches! your best bet is to portion them out into little saran wraps, or ziplock snack bags. Invest in a measuring cup and measuring spoons. For ex. 1/4cup of almonds is 170 calories, 14 mac nuts (dry roasted) is 200cal. that way you know exactly how much you're eating. if they don't fill you up- snack em w/baby carrots and celery or broccolli- (which i love and eat every day, twice a day even sometimes- it's super nutritious and high in fiber.) if you like to use dip there are some low fat/low carb options out there. some of them are super nasty but one that i like is Kraft- (Carbwell) Buttermilk Ranch Lite, 2tbs=60 calories, 0 carbs, 6grams of fat. don't try the cucumber one it's nasty! i add grated peppercorn, garlic powder, scallions and (soy) bacon bits in my dip sometimes to add flavor, or i use that mixture as a dressing in a wrap.
Try switching breads there are many reduced cal/carb options. Pepperidge Farms "CarbStyle" has only 60cal/slice, & 5 net carbs. Go w/ the 7 grain or wheat as they are more nutritious. To combat the chewiness of the bread i leave a few slices sitting out over night. When you toast it, toast it at low temp, 2-3 times. If you toast it high, it burns the bread but it's still chewy. Seek out low-carb wraps. There are many out there, but the lowest carb count i could find is by La Tortilla Factory @ only 50cal/wrap, 3 net carbs, 2g fat, and a whopping 8 grams of fiber (which by the way you should also try and increase in your diet.) wraps are quick n' easy to make especially w/canned tuna,salmon or chicken. my fav one right now i use either of the above meat options, or even turkey or chicken deli meat, chopped red cabbage (super-nutritious), chopped spinach (or kale or chard- both are super nutritious), scallions, cilantro, and squeeze 1/2 of a lime on top of the meat of choice, wrap and eat!
If you like to have a heartier bread try a sprouted grain bread (more nutrients in sprouted grains) EZEKIEL “Sprouted Grains” (found @ Whole Foods or Wild Oats, or in the health food section of your local grocer) contains 80-90 calories/slice, is high in fiber and has naturally less net carbs than regular bread which may contain between 20-30 grams of net cbs/slice. Ezekiel bread has 12-13 net carbs. I switch between it & the carb-style bread. Since it has more carbs I'll eat it earlier in the day since you burn more calories in the morning.
Speaking of morning, what kind of eggs to you eat? Try switching to Egglands Best which is pumped with Omega-3, has 25% less saturated fat than other eggs, as well as Egg Beaters w/NO fat, @ 30 calories per ¼ serving (= to 1 egg)- cuz it’s just egg whites. I mix 1 Egglands Best egg with ½ cup (or 2 eggs) of the Egg Beaters for a total of 130 calories, and 18 grams of protein & a total of 4 grams of fat. I made up this wrap once with egg and garlic/or cucumber flavored hummus w/ red bell pepper, red cabbage,alfalfa, red onion, spinach and scallions...yum!
Increase your fiber intake as it takes longer to digest and makes you feel fuller longer. High-fiber diets are healthier for you in the long run, and have many heart-disease, and cancer preventative benefits. Along with your eggs in the morning try a high-fiber cereal. I switch between (Post) Fiber One cereal and Kellogg’s Bran Buds (which contain Psyllium Husk). F1 contains only 60 calories per ½ cup serving, with a whopping 14grams of fiber, KBB’s contains 70 calories per 1/3 cup serving, and 13 grams of fiber. They will be incredibly bland to you at first most likely- so you can mix it with a (low sugar) granola cereal at first until you can eat it alone. I like to mix mine with 1tbs of cinnamon or pumpkin spice, and splenda. Instead of milk choose soymilk (soy isoflavanoids are very heart healthy.) I use either WestSoy unsweetened vanilla (1 cup=100 calories, 1 net carb, 4.5g fat, 9g protein) or SoySlender unsweetened vanilla soy (70 calories, 1 net carb, 4g fat, 6g protein) I also add 2 tbs of ground flaxseed meal (found @ wholefoods/wildoats/yr local grocer) flaxseeds contain a slew of health benefits you can google.com...@ 60 calories in 2 tbs, it contains another added 4g's of fiber. This is pretty much my breakfast everyday….along with ¼ or ½ a grapefruit that i portion out through the remainer of the day.
Overall you should turn your weight loss goals, or maintenance into a healthy eating life style. Cuz if you deprive yourself or use stimulants to alter your body’s natural course it will backfire once you get off of a nutrient or calorie deprived diet. Up your fiber and protein intake (also try asian pears- they are highly fibrous n' super tasty). Drink lots of green tea throughout the day (decaf at night). And if you are going to take a supplement- take a daily vitamin with EGCG (from Green Tea Leaf Extract) which assists your metabolism in a safer way than stackers. Try One a Day Weight Smart or Once Source.
If you’re on the go or are looking for good snacks, try Keto (low carb) Protein Powder Shakes, or Keto low carb bars- these bars aren’t as high in fat as most other low carb bars out there (6-8g’s) , both containing Glutamine Peptides which claim to help fight carb/sweet cravings, w/heart healthy high oleic monounsaturates with EFA’s which help optimize fat burning and naturally trigger the “I’m full now” CCK hormone. Both contain 20grams of protein and 200cal's (bars=230) For the shakes I like to premake them over night and chill them in the fridge. You can also buy vanilla soy protein powder in bulk at (wholefoods, wildoats,…) it’s super cheap, and 2tbs=70 calories, 1 net carb/14g protein= you can use this to make your own fruit smoothies, preferably w/berries- high in antioxidants, low cal/carb & taste great in a smoothy. You can also add it to the Keto shake to make a 270 calorie shake with 34g's of protein. Use these in between meals, and I definitely suggest eating 5-6 small meals a day. For breakfast b/w 300-400, & 200-300 calories every 2-3hrs, w/protein in each meal especially if you consume something that contains carbohydrates.
If you are looking to buy nutrient or protein bars make sure you look at the vitamin percentage as well as fat content. A lot of them are high in fat, but once you start eating these you can substitute them for your sweet cravings. Slim Fast makes some good low carb “candy bars” if you need something to satisfy your sweet craving. But I stopped eating those (as well as other high fat/low-carb candy bars) and switched to protein/vitamin packed bars that fulfill my sweet craving as well. As these have expiration dates, they can be incredibly marked down at Wal-Mart or GNC if you check up at these places every so often, and can be lowered from $2-$3/bar down to $0.50! If you have a craving but aren’t actually hungry cut them up into squares and eat a couple pieces and save the rest for the next time you have a sweet craving.
Also try and incorporate as many vegetables in your diet as possible, in salads, steaming them and discovering new recipes to use them in because you can turn healthful dieting/eating into something fun! Hit me up if you need ideas.
Anyway that’s my spiel, hope it helps!
~Nina
