Archive for the 'food' Category

Phew! Bubba pics and lots of stuff

Published on August 13, 2011 in Baby Photos, fat loss, food, photos and Recipes. 0 Comments

My little angel is 9 1/2 months old now! She is crawling, well, her version of crawling – we call it the “Kyah Shuffle”.  She’s pulling herself up on toys and furniture, and, is starting to get into everything! She has 6 teeth fully through and another couple on the way. She sleeps like  – I can’t say a baby can I? We put her to bed at 7pm and within 5 mins she’s out like a light. She’s sleeping through most nights until at least 6am now. Every now and then she will have a bit of a cry, probably because of her teeth but we just hold her for 5 minutes and put some Bonjela on and put her back to bed. Last night we went to see some friends and took Kyah with us, and her sleeping bag and gear. She went to sleep on the floor, no problem. She did wake up crying a couple of hours later but 5 mins of holding her hand and stroking her head and she was back to sleep. It’s almost like she has a bad dream or something. Then we left at 10pm, had to wake the little darling, and she just has a tiny whinge when we wake her then sits in the car on the drive home, and straight back to sleep when we put her in bed! We have a couple of baby sitters and they both say she’s so good. She’s a happy, contented little thing.

Tonight I am home alone! Hubby took her for an overnight trip and I am using the opportunity to cook lots of food up for her, and do some things around the house in readiness for our holiday next week! We are off to the Gold Coast for a week. Our first family holiday. 

So, hopefully I can sleep in tomorrow! What a novelty that would be. I had a good night’s sleep last night, but the 2 nights prior, I was up at 3am. Like, up for the day. Could blame Kyah only one of those times.

Training wise I’m going well, only doing 2 x week, but those sessions are long and tough. My strength is improving with each workout. I’m still weighing under 50kg, but have definitely a lot more shape back now. I keep getting asked if I am going to do another comp. Honestly, the idea is nice, but the reality isn’t so nice! Just don’t think I want to bad enough for a start. Plus, I have a really big project happening as well as completely revamping my www.idealbodyblueprint.com site. It’s going to be awesome when done.

The other project is www.FemaleFatFreeSolution.com – Kristin and I have been working on this for some time, but finally I now have a partner ready to lauch with me and we are doing that in February.

The other thing to throw in the mix is that I’m going to pretty much be a single mum for the next 8 months or so. :( However, it is hopefully for the best. Damo has a job traveling, and will be away for 5 weeks straight almost as soon as we return from Qld. He’s having trouble already with the thought of leaving Kyah for so long. It will be tough for me too because Damien shares a lot of the child rearing responsibilities and so I will really feel it being on my own! Even though Kyah is in care 4 x week, when you throw in laundry, dishes, groceries, cooking (I cook all bub’s food), looking after Big Pud, other appointments and domestic jobs, you really have little time left for much at all. Add exercise to that mix, and sleep if I need to catch up after a bad night…but, for some strange reason I’m looking forward to the challenge. I think I can do it!

I just cooked up a few different things for Kyah. Broccoli, spinach and apple. Apple, ricotta, sultanas and rice, with a little cinnamon. Broccoli, ricotta, parmesan. Sweet potato – which tomorrow I will cook up some pumpkin and pasta, and add a little ricotta with that. I’ve done the egg test and the peanut butter test and all appears ok there. No allergies detected so far.

For me tonight I cooked up Lemon Mustard Herb Chicken courtesy of www.idealbodiesonline.com/fitcooking – Dave Ruel has an amazing fat loss cookbook and the recipes are so tasty, but easy as pie! A couple of nights ago I did Deviled Chicken – even Damo said it was ‘awesome’. Here is a pic of it – I sent the recipe around to my subscribers, if you didn’t get it, send me an email. 

So, that’s a quick run down of what has been happening here. I’m really looking forward to some warm weather – that hot snap of 4 straight days of 27 degrees has me hanging for summer!

Hope everyone is well, it has been so long since I’ve updated!

Sue x

This controversial diet is selling like hot cakes – your questions answered

Published on May 25, 2011 in Diet, fat loss, food, Nutrition Articles and weight loss. 0 Comments

Hey guys. I’ve been inundated with questions about the Xtreme Fat Loss Diet so I thought
I would share my answers to a few of the most common ones.

Firstly, I was remiss in my email yesterday by describing this diet as ‘brand
new’. It’s NOT new – it was released last year and is the BIGGEST selling diet
on the internet. It broke all records when it was launched. Hence me letting
you know about the exciting re-launch happening right now, and for the next 2
days only!

You can still grab the full system at $30 OFF and grab your f.ree bonus
gifts for a little while longer here (bonus coaching call with 3 fat loss
experts ends at 2pm today so be quick to grab that one):

==> www.idealbodiesonline.com/xtremefatlossdiet

Is it worth getting?

In a word – absolutely.  As I have mentioned, I don’t ever recommend anything
that I don’t believe in or that doesn’t interest me in a big way.  The fact is,
you can use this program time and again too.  You can use it to kick start your
fat loss program or to finish it off – if you are a current client we can even
incorporate it into your current program if you’d like!  You will need a more
sustainable plan to follow in between time of course, as this isn’t something
you want to follow for long periods, hence it being a short 25 day program.
And as always, there is a full money back guarantee offered.  So, you can’t go
wrong.

Is this better than X,Y,Z diet that I’m doing at the moment?

There are many, many ways to diet. This diet is a short, very strict diet that should

only be used for short periods. Which is why I suggest it be used in conjunction

with something more sustainable. It will get you great results in a short time

but it’s not something you can do long term.

Is it suitable for vegetarians?

Yes, providing you eat dairy, eggs, cottage cheese, it’s perfect.  It isn’t
suitable for vegans however.

Is it just a cheat meal or a whole day, and are there any restrictions?

It’s a cheat DAY (5 of them in total, yay!), and there are no restrictions
other than you don’t stuff yourself so full that you feel sick.  It’s really
important you DO eat plenty (and in particular, carbs and fat), to make this
work.

You mention fast days, that sounds a bit scary?

Yes it does a little, but, because of the strategic make up of the program, you
will find the fasting days relatively easy.  You just need to make sure you
have had a decent cheat day the day prior, and that you drink plenty of water.
I’ve actually got a great alternative if you feel you can’t do the fast day in
its entirety. Simply email me after you’ve purchased and checked it all out.

Are there supplements involved?

Yes, there are some supplements – staples such as a good protein powder (which
you should already have in your cupboard anyway) and some BCAA’s so you don’t
lose muscle. I’ve actually typed up a list of alternative supplements that you
can buy in Australia (as the supplements recommended in XFLD are American).

If you have a different question, don’t hesitate to reply to this email and ask
me personally!

Check out this article for a further taste:

———————————

Synergistic Diet & Exercise for RIDICULOUSLY Fast Fat Loss
By Joel Marion, CISSN, NSCA-CPT

Most people treat their diet and exercise programs as two separate entities –
Totally WRONG if you’re looking to lose fat at the fastest possible rate.

You see, if you can learn how to use the most effective exercise strategies to
“mirror” the goals of your diet each day (while mixing up dietary approaches to
yield specific hormonal and metabolic benefits in the most effective manner
possible) you can literally take your results from “okay” to OUT OF THIS WORLD.

That’s what I call SYNERGY. Diet and exercise working *together* in a very
smart, strategic way to yield the fastest fat loss results possible.

Now, my above explanation may have sounded a bit complicated, so I’ll give you
a quick example. Let’s take, for instance, the day after a Cheat Day—you know,
those days where you get to eat WHATEVER you want on the Xtreme Fat Loss Diet
(which just so happen to occur every 5th day).

www.idealbodiesonline.com/xtremefatlossdiet <——- Save $30 and get your
f.ree bonus gifts

Cheat Days save your metabolism and actually allow you to lose fat faster week
after week by increasing levels of important fat burning hormones within the
body. Not to mention, they’re a heck of a lot of fun.

So, the day after a Cheat Day, the overall goals are as follows:

1. Create a large caloric deficit (to burn as many calories as possible and
take advantage of the fact that our bodies are now “primed” to burn fat as a
result of the Cheat Day)

2. Deplete maxed-out glycogen stores (carbohydrate energy stores within the
body) caused by the high carb and fat content of the Cheat Day

3. Exhaust ALL energy systems to satisfy #1 and #2 while burning additional fat
calories to boot

To accomplish these three goals, we’ll use a series of dietary and supplemental
strategies to do exactly that while using *exercise* strategies that accomplish
the SAME goals, for example:

1. Strategic lactic acid based workouts to burn massive calories and glycogen
while stimulating the release of important fat burning hormones that further
increase lipolysis (fat burning)

2. Strategic energy systems work that contain both anaerobic
“carbohydrate-burning” and aerobic “fat-burning” components.

Combining those types of exercise with dietary strategies that accomplish the
same goals leads to a ridiculous fat burning effect.

Essentially, when you set up things this way, you’re tackling your goals via
both diet AND exercise. That’s like going after your financial goals via
landing a job with a kick-butt income coupled with smart investing. One feeds
the other for synergistic results.

And you know what? The above is just ONE example. Within the Xtreme Fat Loss
Diet we have FIVE different “types” of diet days (all with slightly different
goals) and a very specific exercise strategy to use on each that has led to
some of the fastest fat loss results we’ve ever recorded to date with our
clients.

Make no mistake, working WITH your diet, hand in hand, through exercise that
*mirrors* the goals of each diet strategy can literally DOUBLE your results
beyond just “working hard” on each day.

The synergy of strategy never ceases to amaze me, and we reveal it all in the
Xtreme Fat Loss Diet. In fact, it’s the ONLY reason people have consistently
lost up to 25 pounds in just 25 days using the full-on 25 day system.

Bottom line, if you want to lose fat FAST, you’ve got to be SMART in your
approach. Enjoy!

———————————

So, when you start combining smart, specific strategies like that, rapid fat
loss starts to sound a LOT more realistic! And it IS. In fact, those are the
REAL results from real users of the program, not some hyped up marketing claim.

You can check out the testimonials and get $30 OFF but the promo ends very
soon so make your way over to the below link now:

==> www.idealbodiesonline.com/xtremefatlossdiet

And get ready to lose some serious fat…very, very fast!

Talk soon,

Sue

PS – Don’t forget – as a valued subscriber, you receive an EXTRA SPECIAL BONUS
from me and Ideal Bodies Online.

If you order the Xtreme Fat Loss Diet through any link in this email, we will
give you absolutely f.ree, your choice of our 200 page recipe book, the Lean
Body Gourmet Cookbook or, a 6 week workout, the Dumbbell Power Workout for Fast
Fat Loss. This e-cookbook has a retail value of $29.95 and the workout is not
usually for sale but as my valued subscriber, if you purchase the Xtreme Fat
Loss Diet system through any of the links in this email, it’s yours, f.ree.

Here’s what to do to claim your f.ree gift:

• Purchase Xtreme Fat Loss diet below or at any of the links in this email (if
you purchase via anyone else’s email you will not be eligible!)

www.idealbodiesonline.com/xtremefatlossdiet

• Wait for your Clickbank email receipt
• Email your receipt immediately to sue @ idealbodiesonline.com (remove the
spaces in the email address before sending!) and note your choice of f.ree gift
• Wait for your gift! (Please allow 48 hours)

LATE MAIL: New bonus added!

Joel is giving everyone who purchases XFLD, The Fastest Fat Loss Week EVER, a 1-week program strategically designed to have you shed as much body fat as humanly possible in just 7 days (of course while still being safe and without the pointless rebound weight gain).

Yes, you heard that correctly: SUSTAINABLE results of up to 10+ lbs in a single week.

Bonuses galore. What are you waiting for!!!

Is a low carb diet sustainable?

Published on May 18, 2011 in Articles, food, Nutrition Articles and weight loss. 2 Comments

With the low carb diet craze all the rage these days, one important question to ask is: “Is a low carb diet sustainable?” Can you lose weight and keep it off once you go off a low carb diet?

The quick answer to this question is no. However, don’t stop reading now. As with any successful diet out there, the idea is to turn the diet into a lifestyle of healthy eating. So, as with low calorie or low fat diets, in order to sustain the amazing weight loss achieved on a low carb diet, the dieter must turn the diet into a lifestyle once the excess weight is gone. So, the long answer is yes, a relatively low carb diet is sustainable – and desirable, for long term leanness.

Let’s explore this thought further by examining what happens to the body on a very low carb diet. When you stop ingesting carbs your body enters what is called ketosis. Ketosis is when your body is actually using fat for fuel instead of sugar. This state is the very reason why you have rapid weight loss on a very low carb diet. It’s also the reason why your brain gets fuzzy – glucose (what carbs are broken down to in the blood stream) is the preferred fuel source for your brain!

The other benefit to a low carb diet is the fact that the body isn’t losing muscle providing you are getting enough protein and overall calories - and that you are lifting weights/doing some form of challenging resistance training. Protein is essential for building and maintaining muscle tone and so is exercise, which is why a low carb diet is great for burning fat and keeping muscle. If you do reduce your carbs you may need to increase your good fats (omega 3, 6, 9) intake to boost your overall calories.

As with any diet, it’s very important to not deprive yourself of essential nutrients like calcium, fibre and protein. Calcium is pretty easy to get on a low carb diet through cheese, cottage cheese and canned sardines or salmon. Protein is also very easy to get from lean meats, eggs, cottage cheese and whey protein. Fibre is probably the most difficult nutrient to obtain from a low carb diet, but you can incorporate some carbs such as brown rice, oatmeal, berries and legumes.

If your diet is low in carbs and calories it is really important you do include a carbohydrate ‘refeed’ as such, so your body does not adapt to the very low carb regime, and, so that the carbs you do ingest are used to refill muscle glycogen stores, meaning faster muscle recovery and growth and more energy. Besides, a very low carb diet can get mighty boring in a hurry and a refeed is something to really look forward to!

Once you reach your desired leanness and you’re ready to begin increasing your carb intake, it’s important to do so slowly. The day you hit your goal, you don’t want to run out for a big bowl of pasta and a tub of ice cream. However, you can allow yourself some treats once in a while, but as with any diet, if you want to maintain your new weight, you must continue to eat healthily and exercise regularly.

Body Blitz Blueprint for Fat Loss is a nutrition plan that is low enough in carbs to achieve fat loss, but contains some carbs to facilitate brain energy, faster muscle recovery and growth, and very importantly, to make your diet interesting! The timing of your carbohydrates is equally as important as is how much and what type you eat too. And, remember how I wrote about the importance of refeeding – Body Blitz Blueprint for Fat Loss also teaches you why it’s important to your fat loss results that you do have treats occasionally!  

If you haven’t seen it yet, you can have a look here:

Body Blitz Blueprint for Fat Loss <— Transform Your Body in 12 Weeks!

24 weeks

Published on July 3, 2010 in food, photos and Pregnancy. 4 Comments

Hi all, things are ticking along ok, though it seems to be slow, when I think I’m not far off 6 months pregnant it gets a little more real.

I’ve recently rediscovered a breakfast that I used to have many years ago, before I became so carb conscious.  Weetbix, crumbled, soaked in prune juice to soften a bit, topped with half cup cottage cheese, low fat natural yoghurt, some walnuts and a chopped fresh medjool date.  Yummo.  Sometimes I put a few slices of banana in too, and top with some crunchy bran cereal or rice flakes.  It’s a bit of a carb hit but it’s so good. 

Since being pregnant, my body so far, has reacted pretty much how I thought it would.  I knew I would put on a reasonable amount of weight, for a number of reasons. 

  1. I was so active prior to getting pregnant
  2. I was dieting when I got pregnant
  3. I was quite lean and light when I got pregnant
  4. I had morning sickness, insomnia and ‘run over by a truck’ exhaustion for the first 14 weeks
  5. I had to eat to stop myself feeling sick
  6. I was constantly hungry
  7. My baby didn’t like chicken and vegetables anymore – he/she much preferred lots of fruit, bread, potatoes, avocado and cheese kind of things
  8. I was unable to keep up any sort of regular exercise program due to the exhaustion and insomnia 

I’m think that no matter how good a shape you are to start with, your body will do what it needs to, to ‘catch up’.  ie to lay down the fat it needs for pregnancy. 

I think it’s important to be fit, active, eating a good diet, and be in good shape well before you get pregnant if you want the best chance of returning to something similar to what you were prior.  But being in that shape prior has no bearing on how much or how little weight you will gain during pregnancy. 

I haven’t had any heartburn yet, and I feel quite good, but just starting to feel a bit on the uncomfortable side.  I have these boots I wear out and you should see me trying to get them on.  I have to lay back on the bed and pull down because bending over my belly in jeans gets me too short of breath – and hot!  I’m still tired a lot, for instance yesterday I was up at 4.30am, went back to bed for an hour before getting up to do a pilates class.  I then went back to bed around midday for an hour and a half.  I was zonked again by 5ish, and was in bed by 9.30pm, and slept through until 7.30am.  I have had a bad cough however, and that wakes me numerous times during the night.  I thought it was getting better, but last night was pretty bad again – barking like a dog.  I also keep waking up dripping in sweat.  I have a towel by the bed to wipe myself down.  I’ve noticed the bottoms of my feet and half way up my heels are bright red now, palmar erythema I believe,  just another symptom of pregnancy.

Pilates has been good, I’m going to go twice a week once I get back from Adelaide.  Just walking, stairs and some bodyweight lunges and squats, and incline push ups for other exercise.  I’ll be off for a walk soon. 

The little tacker has been very active – apparently space is starting to get a bit tighter inside and my uterus is the size of a bloody soccer ball now!

Anyway here I am at 24 weeks.  I’m not going to buy anything major until I get to about 28 weeks – I’m a bit paranoid you see.

Hope you have managed to have a look at our new workout database, and the free workouts we have designed for you!

Have a great weekend everyone.  I’m off for my walk. 

Sue x

Looking for a healthy, hearty breakfast?

Published on April 12, 2010 in food, Recipes and Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Cheesy Omelet with salsa

1 whole egg, 2 egg whites, beaten

1 slice grain or wholemeal toast or ½ English muffin

30g avocado

15g tasty cheese

Moroccan Salsa (or anything similar that you fancy)

Small amount of olive oil

Salt, pepper to taste

  1. Heat olive oil over a low to medium heat.
  2. Add beaten eggs and cook as an omelet. 
  3. Cook toast, spread with avocado
  4. When omelet is cooked, fold over twice, and sit on top of toast
  5. Add cheese, then top with salsa
  6. Season with salt and pepper to taste

This is just one of the new recipes coming in our revamped recipe book – Lean Body Gourmet Cookbook.  Watch out for it in the coming weeks!

Mmmm, healthy Indian Curry

Published on February 27, 2010 in food. 2 Comments

I’ve been very productive for a weekend, let me tell you!  I’ve all but finished my work for our big project pitch.  I’ve had a redesign of my recipe e book cover and the actual book we will be working on making bigger and better and will include photos. 

As of next week my husband shall be working alongside me.  We’ve been advised we need a special relationship to be able to do such a thing :)   Damien finishes up his current work on Monday – something he really wasn’t enjoying.  It’s quite exciting really because I have a number of things on the whiteboard that I would like to get up and running – one of those is developing the men’s side of the business, and the other is bringing out an affiliate program for my programs and products.   I am revamping and redesigning my instant programs as well so will all have a fresh new design and the workouts will change as well.

On Thursday I have a photoshoot booked – I am making an exercise database for dumbbell and barbell training to include in our member area.  Additionally these images will be used for our current project – of which I hope to be able to talk about in more detail soon.   So, I have booked in for hair and makeup – tan I will just Deam tan I think – I will only have arms and back and lower leg to do.  I am not a big fan of spray tans.

Tonight are going out for dinner with Nadia and Pete at a new restaurant here.  Well, we’ve been twice already so it’s not so new to us.  I know what I’m having – an awesome seafood spaghetti dish.

I’m so excited to be heading up north in less than 2 weeks.  We have booked a week in Noosa, my favourite place of all time.   It will be a working holiday however, but that’s all good, I will enjoy the change of scenery.  I hope the rain will have finished by then though.  I plan to walk the Noosa National Park every morning, like we did last time.

A few people have asked for the recipe of our Authentic Indian Curry Sauce that I often talk about, pic above.  Please read our newsletter which will be sent out this week for the recipe! 

I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend so far!

Avoiding the chocolate gifts at Christmas

Published on December 20, 2009 in Articles, food, Nutrition Articles and weight loss. 2 Comments

There are so many Christmas gifts that contain chocolate, that things can turn into a bit of a nightmare if you are trying to cut down on your intake.

As well as the many children’s gifts that contain chocolate such as selection boxes, many of the gifts aimed at adults are also full of it. Chocolates are one of those gifts you give when you can’t think of anything else – after all, who doesn’t like chocolate?

So, how do you avoid it without coming across as some modern day Scrooge who won’t allow any chocolate in their house?

You will quite often find that it is usual at Christmas for your children to receive boxes and boxes of the stuff and they will eat it just for eating’s sake (just like the adults do!). Hence the familiar scenario of young children running around the house like mad things due to the fact that they have overdosed on their fix of sugar on Christmas Day. As far as the kids themselves are concerned, generally they will have so many things to occupy themselves you will be surprised how they won’t even miss the chocolate – so have a quiet word with your friends and family and request alternative gifts to chocolate for your children. Having said that, make sure you buy the kids some chocolate treats yourself every now and then but make sure that you are in charge of when and how much you give them.

And of course it’s not only the kids – there is so much chocolate lying around at this time of year you can’t really help over indulging and end up feeling guilty that you have given in so easily. After all, you don’t want to waste it do you!

So again, a quiet word with your loved ones should do the trick and alternative presents will get rid of this problem. It’s a similar issue at Easter time – I cannot remember the last time I was given eggs at Easter time. My family has been aware for years that I don’t care to have them around – and you know what, I don’t ever miss them! Chocolate isn’t going anywhere, it’s always around if you need it, so why gorge yourself on it at particular times of the year?

I find that the best way for the adults in the family to avoid the chocolate gifts at Christmas is to have an alternative. We have already come to the conclusion that it is a good idea to limit the amount that you have in the house but you should always ensure that you have some kind of healthy alternative which will in effect mean that you won’t really miss the chocolate at all – well not so much anyway.

Try a few bowls of fresh fruit placed around the house and try and get into the habit of picking at those whenever you have a chocolate craving. Or chop up your favourite protein bar into pieces, and have one piece whenever you feel the need. Of course, if you are eating every 3-4 hours as you should be, you should never get hungry enough to want to gorge on chocolate anyway.

If you must have chocolate, get hold of some good quality dark chocolate. It does have a little bit of an acquired taste but once you get used to it, it is absolutely gorgeous and better for you and a little goes a long way.

And of course, Christmas is all about giving, so the best idea by far is to give away your chocolate gifts to someone who will appreciate them. Try the local Salvos or a charity of some description.

Healthy Snacks at Christmas

Published on December 17, 2009 in Articles, food and Nutrition Articles. 2 Comments

Contrary to popular belief it is still possible to have a great time over Christmas with out putting on weight as a result of eating lots of unhealthy meals and snacks.

Here are ten healthy snacks which will ensure that your Christmas celebrations can be enjoyed more than ever without putting on the extra pounds or kilos (depending on what side of the world you are on!).

1. Instead of a turkey sandwich made with thick slices of bread and lashings of butter replace the normal bread with pita bread and leave out the butter. Try replacing the butter with a spread of avocado. You can get small size pitta breads for the children and they taste absolutely delicious. Garnish with a small amount of salad and they will prove to be a popular treat.

2. It is surprising how filling a bowl of salad can be. Most people just associate a salad with boring old lettuce and cucumber but it may surprise you to know that a tasty salad made with chopped up capsicum/peppers, onions, cherry tomatoes and chopped up grapes with some croutons on top make an absolutely delicious salad and completely different to the more traditional salads that most people are used to.

3. Take it easy on the salted nuts. They are very high in calories and a few small bowls of pumpkin seeds in their place will satisfy the same needs but are far less moreish.

4. Fruit. A fruit salad comprising lots of juicy grapes, cherries, berries, apple, banana, kiwi fruit and orange makes a refreshing snack which your body will thank you for.

5. Here is a snack that not many people think of but a fruit or vegeatable smoothie can easily replace a meal and is so very good for you. A smoothie is often just considered to contain fruit but that is not the case. You can extract the juice from carrots and spinach for example and then add in some fruit and you are left with a snack that is absolutely bursting with goodness. Of course you don’t want to overdo the sugar so make it a small serve particularly if using fruit juice. Of course you should try to get some protein with your meals so adding some choc or vanilla protein powder to some low fat milk, some chopped frozen banana and a bit of nutmeg will keep your muscles happy too.

6. Perhaps one of the most delicious snacks I can think of are our protein pancakes. Very simply blend together 1/3 to 1/2 cup of oats, 4 egg whites and 1/4 cup of cottage cheese to form a batter. Add a little sweetener. I like to add some berries then pour the batter into the pan and cook as you would normal pancakes. Serve these delicious pancakes with some sugar free maple syrup and I guarantee that these will be the only kind of pancakes you eat from now on!

7. A baked potato with a filling of low fat cottage cheese is another of my favourites. A mistake many people make is to include a generous helping of butter or sour cream in the potato which really defeats the purpose of a healthy snack, doesn’t it? It is quite often included out of habit and once you get used to your baked potato without the butter you will hardly notice the difference. In place of sour cream try some low fat natural yoghurt.

8. A bowl of low fat natural Greek yoghurt is absolutely sensational, especially when mixed with some berries (yes, I am a big berry fan!) and leaves a fresh taste in your mouth which assures you that you have just eaten something wonderfully healthy.

9. A bowl of muesli (untoasted of course!) or oats does not have to be only eaten at breakfast and it makes a perfect healthy snack which can be eaten at any time during the day (watch the carbs at night if you are dieting though). Feel free to chop up some fresh fruit and add that to give it your own unique twist. Add some cottage cheese for your protein serving, and top with sugar free syrup.

10. Lastly, please remember that it is Christmas and you are entitled to enjoy yourself. A little bit of what you fancy won’t do you any harm!

Baingan Bharta (Eggplant Curry)

Published on November 15, 2009 in food and Recipes. 0 Comments

Baingan Bharta - Eggplant CurryI extended myself the other evening and cooked this really yummy, healthy, vegetarian curry. You can add some chicken or lamb at the end if you are a meat eater.

BAINGAN BHARTA (EGGPLANT CURRY)

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant
2 tbsp vegetable oil (I didn’t double this, you don’t need all that oil)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1tbsp ginger garlic paste (I just used equal parts of crushed garlic and crushed ginger)
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tomato diced (I forgot the tomato, whoops)
1/2 cup plain low fat yoghurt
1 green chili pepper, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
1/4 bunch fresh coriander, finely chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F or 230 degrees C
2. Place eggplant on a medium baking sheet. Bake 20 to 30 mins in the preheated oven until tender. Remove from heat, cool, peel, and chop.
3. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Mix in cumin seeds and onion. Cook and stir until onion is tender.
4. Mix ginger garlic paste, curry powder, and tomato into the saucepan, and cook about 1 minute. Stir in yoghurt. Mix in eggplant and chili, and season with salt. Cover, and cook 10 mins over high heat. Remove cover, reduce heat to low and continue cooking about 5 mins. Garnish with coriander to serve.

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 45 mins
Servings 4 (small ones – I advise to cook double).

Introducing Maxine…

Published on September 22, 2009 in competition, food and Staff. 0 Comments

Maxine Greenwood 2Time to introduce Maxine, another of our wonderful feedback coaches.  Maxine shares some words of wisdom, and one of her favourite vegetarian recipes.

Hi, I’m Maxine, and I am a feedback coach here at IBO.  I really enjoy my work and love being part of a very special team of people who are here to help you succeed whatever your goals, big or small.

 

 

How Long is 12 Weeks?

Silly question Maxine, the answer is 12 weeks, you are quite correct!!  I could be really silly and work out how many minutes or seconds that is but I would have to use a calculator and I hate Maths!!!  If you think about it 12 weeks is like dipping the end of your big toe in the ocean of life, it isn’t a long time at all.  In that short space of time you can make some huge changes to your fitness and health. 

Anyone can make changes in 12 weeks it is just what you choose to do with that 12 weeks and also if you choose to make the most of it.  We, here at IBO ask that you do some structured exercise as well as eating lovely, healthy food 5 times a day – no, that isn’t a misprint, 5 times a day - and let’s face it most of us enjoy eating!!!    You also get to include a free choice meal at various times in your program, so you can definitely still enjoy social occasions and the like.

So never think that 12 weeks is a huge amount of time - in the grander scheme of things it isn’t, and who wouldn’t want to invest in their health for the future and be fitter and stronger than they ever have been?  

A famous Canadian athletic coach, Ace Percival says that most people are ‘holdouts’ that is to say they always keep something in reserve.  Because of that they never achieve what they are really capable of.  So don’t be a holdout, give your all to your program and as Norman Vincent Peale says “Go all out. Do this, and life will not hold out on you”.

Here is a recipe that I enjoy very much and hope you will too, it is for the vegetarians out there (like me) or meat eaters wanting to try something different.

Tofu Stir Fry

150g Firm Tofu chopped into cubes

1 cup Red Capsicum sliced

½ cup Mushrooms sliced

½ Onion sliced

1/2 Zucchini sliced thinly (I chop them Julienne style)

5 raw cashews chopped

¼-½ cup cooked brown rice

1tbsp Minced Garlic

1 tbsp Minced Ginger

½ tsp mustard

2tbsp Soy Sauce

1tbsp sugar free maple syrup (can use stevia instead)

Spray fry pan or wok with olive oil spray.  Toss all ingredients except rice into the pan.  Stir and cook briskly on medium heat until veggies are cooked to your taste (I like mine still crunchy).  Serve mixture over brown rice and enjoy!

Thanks Maxine!

Here is an Article by Tom Venuto about The Biggest Loser pros and cons.  It’s a really interesting article, thought you may enjoy it.

We’ve had some ripper transformations coming through of late, and, this coming month we have a Body Blitz winner!  I knew we couldn’t go a whole year without at least one winner :)   Congratulations to Anna.  You can see her in next month’s edition.

Just a short note about Kristin’s comp, I want to let her write about it herself but life is just a little too full on for her at the moment.  I have seen a few photos and she looked absolutely gorgeous, and towered above everyone else.  I heard she posed beautifully and looked extremely graceful and elegant and that she did herself very proud.  You will get to see photos when Kristin posts them :)