As I said in my previous blog, I was very much an emotional eater! I would turn to food for comfort because it would never disappoint. As time went on, I became more and more dependent on food for comfort than anything else. If I was sad, I would eat to feel happy again. If I was hurt, I would say “Nobody cares about me anyway, so why should I care!” and eat to heal the hurt. When my husband and I would get into an argument, I would eat my anger! It just went on and on…. Until one day, I was sitting on the couch feeling sad (in reality, having a pitty party for myself) because someone I cared about was upset with me…. I felt that little voice inside telling me “It’s okay, just go get an ice cream… it will make you feel better”. Generally I would listen and get in the car and go get an ice cream, but this time I thought “Why am I going to do that when all it will do is make me feel worse (feel like I failed) only causing me to be even more depressed and wanting to eat more!? Why am allowing the way someone feels about me sabotage all my efforts and affect my goals!?”

That time I decided, I was going to stay on track and prove to myself that I don’t need food to make me feel better. I had to break the cycle! I was able to not give in, and the sense of accomplishment and growth I felt afterward cannot even be put into words! I finally recognized that eating my emotions only made things worse… I would get depressed, eat and eat and eat, then feel disgusted with myself causing an even deeper depression and making me eat more!!!! I have done a LOT of growing over the past year and a half learning how to recognize the “triggers” in my life that cause me to fall back into my old ways of thinking and doing. Although I am not perfect, I am better at recognizing these “triggers” and more capable of avoiding the temptation that comes with them. I have to keep telling myself that this is a lifestyle change and if I keep doing what I always did, I will never become the person I want to be. Food is there to fuel our bodies, NOT heal our emotions.

Sometimes we as women are literally RULED by our emotions… after all, we are emotional beings. But, we have to be able to keep our emotions in check and on a healthy level mentally. We must find out the root of the cause that caused us to gain all the weight. Doing this can be very painful as you look back on your life and remember the things that hurt you so bad you couldn’t even verbally express them so you turned to food for comfort. But it MUST be identified in order for that ugly root to be plucked up! Once the root is plucked, it can’t grow anymore and will NO LONGER have an effect on your emotions! The next time your mind is telling you to eat something to make you feel better… think of it as the little devil voice trying to sabotage all the work you have done and get you to fail! Don’t give in! You will feel so much better knowing you can slap that lying voice right in the face and prove to yourself that you are stronger than the emotions that are trying to rule you! Identify that ugly root, and PLUCK it out! Take a Stand and stay in control!

Until next time,

Tina

Before I came to see Coach Fatimat, I weighed 209 pounds. When I would weigh myself I would just cry, I couldn’t believe that I had allowed myself to get that big. I couldn’t walk up stairs without breathing hard, I couldn’t run with my kids or play ball without breathing hard, my waist was getting bigger, so that meant my clothes were getting bigger. I just wasn’t happy with myself anymore.

I called Coach Fatimat, I wanted a change. I know nothing worth having is easy, so I knew changing my lifestyle would be hard. I cried the first time I met with Coach Fatimat, I didn’t realize how much had been building up inside me, being a single mom, there is really no one to talk to. The job is all on your shoulders, bills, emotion, life is pretty much all on you. I knew I needed to take the first step to becoming a healthier me.

The first day was hard! The next day I didn’t think I could do it, I wanted to cheat so bad, and give up, but when I looked at my kids I knew I needed to live a long life. I want to run and play and dance with them, so I kept going. As the days went by it got easier, Coach Fatimat sent me texts and emails that kept pushing me and kept me going. I realized that I COULD do it!  I slowly saw the weight begin to disappear. I was getting compliments about how good I was looking. It’s hard when you have a busy schedule, but when you start being able to race your kids and climb stairs without breathing heavy and feeling like you’re going to die, its starts changing your mind set.

Changing your lifestyle is HARD, there have been times, even now, I just want to quit, but I can’t. I have a goal and I am determined to reach my goal. I have cheated and fallen for a moment, but I get back up again. It’s okay if you mess up; life is about learning and experiencing different things. What good is life if you can’t laugh and be with your loved ones? You’re not alone; someone is always there to hold your hand. Trust me, if I could do this, anyone can!!

I am PROUD to say, I have officially lost 40 lbs!!!!! I now weigh 169.5!!! I am so super close to my goal!! I really did not think I would ever weigh this much again!!! Thank you, Coach Fatimat for believing in me! If you have ever considered or thought about losing weight and you have felt that you couldn’t do it, trust me, you can!!! Please just give it a try, call Coach Fatimat, she is AWESOME. She has a great background on being fit. It’s really not about going on a diet, is about a life change!!!!

But, despite the fact that diet soda is completely devoid of calories, it contains many unnatural ingredients that are really only going to put your health at risk.

If you want to see best results from your health and fitness program, diet soda has to go.  What’s more is that many people will find that diet soda tends to make them appear rather bloated, so this can take away from how lean they look as they go about their program plan.

So all of this said, what can you turn to instead of diet drinks? What’s the best option to replace these beverages with?

Let’s give you a few ideas.

Home-Made Lemonade
The first option to replace diet drinks with is home-made lemonade.  This option is great because it’s going to also be calorie free and if you make it from Green tea, it can actually give you a slight boost to your metabolism as well.

To prepare home-made lemonade, brew up a batch of your favourite tea and then place it over ice in the fridge.  Wait a few hours for it to cool and then serve with a few slices of lemon if desired.

Seltzer Water
Moving on, the next quick beverage that you can use to replace your diet soda addiction is seltzer water. If it’s the carbonation that you crave, seltzer water is what will solve this craving in a hurry.

It’s also completely calorie free and will offer a refreshing taste as you go about your day.  Just be sure that you are purchasing a variety that doesn’t contain sugar, as that would add unwanted calories.

Water With Lemon
The next option that you can use to help say so-long to diet soda is water with a slice of lemon.  Lemon adds an instant slash of flavour to your water and will make it easier to get down.

If you want to see optimal fat loss success on your plan, you should be aiming to drink ten to twelve glasses of water per day, so this can definitely help you achieve that.

Toss the lemon in the water and allow to sit for an hour to let the flavour come out.

Milk
Finally, last but not least, consider milk.  While milk will contain some calories so it has to get worked into your total daily calorie intake, the good news is that it provides you with calcium, vitamin D, as well as protein – all important nutrients required for the development of strong muscles and bones.

Milk is a great go-to beverage for those days when you need something to satisfy your appetite and desire a creamy taste.

Just make sure you do choose skim or 1% in order to keep the total fat content down.

So there you have the main things that you need to be considering to replace your diet soda with.  If you do this, you should have no problem sticking with your diet plan.

The thought process here is that by eating before bed, you’re just going to set yourself up to experience fat gain as all the calories you consume will be directly converted into body fat stores.

This isn’t the case, however.  As long as the calories that you eat before you head off to get your beauty sleep for the evening are worked into your total daily calorie intake, they definitely do not need to cause you to gain weight.

The trick is choosing smart food choices and making sure that the calories do add up to help you meet your daily goals.  Do that and you can finally go to bed feeling satisfied and not lay in bed all night due to hunger.

Let’s have a look at three quick snacks that are ideal before you go to bed that will fuel your muscles and keep your stomach happy.

Cottage Cheese With Peanut Butter

The first pre-bed snack to consider is cottage cheese mixed with a little natural peanut butter.  This snack is one of the best options to consider as it contains a form of protein known as casein protein, which will release more slowly in the body for the coming overnight fast.

This will then ensure that your muscles have a steady supply of nutrients to feed off of throughout the night and will help to prevent you from waking up hungry.

The healthy fats that are found in peanut butter will also help to further slow the digestion process and keep hunger on the very low side.  Plus, maintaining some intake of healthy fats while dieting can help to keep your hormonal levels where they should be, assisting with the fat burning process itself.

Salmon Dip With Whole Wheat Crackers

The second pre-bed snack that you might want to think about is salmon dip with a few whole wheat crackers.  You’ll want to eat no more than a couple crackers however as it is important that your carb intake is relatively low during this time.

Mix up a bit of canned salmon with some fat-free mayonnaise and smear over the crackers for this snack. The salmon is ideal because it’ll contain protein along with essential fatty acids, making sure that you meet your nutrient needs.

Greek Yogurt With Almonds

Finally, the last snack that you can use to get you through the night is Greek yogurt with almonds.  Greek yogurt is a fantastic source of protein and contains no sugar at all, so it will not cause you to wake up at night with crashing blood glucose levels.

The almonds supply the healthy fat in this meal so that will round out your wholesome nutrition.

So there you have the three pre-bed meals that you’ll want to consider on your fat loss diet.  Make sure that you take these into account and you’ll have no problem reaching your goals.

The important thing that you must remember is that home-made smoothies are going to be the way to go because when you purchase them from a commercial smoothie bar, you’re going to be in for far more calories and fat than you bargained for.

That said, it’s vital that you learn how to prepare a well-balanced smoothie from a combination of great ingredients.

Let’s look at the main ones that you should consider.

Yogurt
The first ingredient to add into your smoothie to help enhance the thickness as well as give it a nice creamy taste is some yogurt.  Make sure that you choose a lower sugar variety, or if you would like more protein, go with Greek yogurt instead.

Add about half to one cup of this in for a decent sized smoothie.

Frozen Fruit
Next up you need your fruit.  While you always should try and get a little fresh fruit added in for maximum taste, frozen fruit tends to add texture to the smoothie and will reduce the need to add ice.

When too much ice is added it can taste rather watery when you’re drinking it, so frozen fruit tends to work better.

Frozen bananas especially will give it a very milkshake-like feel, so really consider this as you go about the prep.

Flax-seeds
To help get your healthy fats into the smoothie, flax-seeds are a terrific option.  Flax-seeds are high in essential fats and will also pack in some fiber as well.  Toss one or two tablespoons into the mix and you’ll be all set.

Just be aware that the calories from flax-seeds will add up quickly, so make sure that you are measuring them out.

Coconut Oil
Another great source for your healthy fats is coconut oil.  While coconut oil does contain saturated fat, it’s in the form of medium chain triglycerides, which can actually be used as an instant energy source in the diet.

This means that for those using lower carb approaches, this is an excellent way to meet your energy needs.

These fats will not have the negative health impacts that most saturated fats would have, so make sure you consider adding them to the smoothie.

Plus, it’ll give it a very unique taste as well.

Skim Milk
To help thin out your shake, you’ll need a liquid.  Water will dilute the taste so unless you’re on a very low calorie diet, you want to shift away from that option.

Fruit juice will add more flavour, but also really up the sugar content as well so that isn’t quite ideal either.

Instead, opt for skim milk.  It’ll help provide a bit of protein, a whole lot of calcium, and won’t impact your blood sugar levels.

It’s the perfect addition to any fruit smoothie.

Whey Protein Powder
Finally, for those who struggle to meet their protein needs, protein powder will be a must.  Half or a full scoop will instantly add more nutrition to the smoothie and make it a complete meal.

With so many flavour varieties to choose from, you’ll have no problem finding one to add in.

So there you have the top list of ingredients to consider adding into your fruit smoothie.  Get this in place and you can feel good that you’re giving your body the best nutrition possible.

Towards the end of 2012 I developed a really bad habit of snacking while watching TV late at night…. You would think that since I have been trying to get my health back for so long now, this would be a no-brainer of a no-no!!! However, no matter where you are on your journey; temptation to go back to old habits is always going to be there… We have a choice – either give in and lose the mindset and progress we have made by changing how we think or stay strong and beat it! Tell your body NO! and keep moving forward. Unfortunately, I gave in for a short period of time but then I was able to get my mindset back on track and take control! However, there were some consequences to my choice… here is what happened – I gained about 6-7 pounds over the course of 8 weeks! Part of my New Year’s resolution was to give up the snacking… although it was a BIG struggle for me (with my mind even trying to justify it by saying “I didn’t meet my caloric intake for the day so it will be alright”) I DID NOT give in to the temptation!!! I have not allowed myself to snack after dinner since January 1^st! The result….. six weeks later at my weigh in I am down SEVEN Pounds and 2.4% of body fat!!!!! I know it is hard, but DON’T allow yourself to participate in mindless eating while watching TV. You would be blown away at how many calories you consume without even realizing it! Imagine if I had not given in to the temptation at all…. I wouldn’t have had to re-lose those seven pounds! I would have been SEVEN pounds closer to my ultimate goal!!!! Don’t worry if you have fallen off the wagon on your journey…. Just re-gain your focus and start again! Today is a NEW day! Start over and rejoice in your strength to get back up on your feet!

Post your comments below…. I would love to hear you share about your journey!

Have a GREAT day!

Tina

This is a big shame because cottage cheese is loaded with protein, high in calcium, low in fat and carbs, and will make the perfect weight loss slimming snack on the go.

So how can you overcome this? With a little creativity in your preparation, you can find a way to enjoy cottage cheese and add it into your day.

Let’s look at a few serving options to consider.

Mix With Salsa And Serve With Veggies
The first way to eat your cottage cheese is to mix it together with some salsa and then use it as a dip for your veggies.  This is a perfect low-cal, low-carb snack for those who really want to kick fat loss into high gear and is ready whenever you are.

If you still can’t eat the dip, consider mixing half cottage cheese, half no-fat sour cream instead.  This way you’ll hardly notice the cottage cheese in there.

Combine With Protein Powder
If you’re someone who suffers from a sweet tooth, consider adding a scoop of your favourite protein powder into cottage cheese.

Sweeten it with some stevia  and you’ll have a delicious, very high protein snack in minutes.

If you’d like, also top with some sliced strawberries, peaches, or a banana for added carbs and fiber.

Add To A Shake
Another quick and simple way to get more cottage cheese into your day is to blend it up into a protein smoothie.  This is a very fast method and since most people are already using protein shakes during the day at some point, it’s relatively easy to incorporate into your diet plan.

Plus, the added cottage cheese in your protein shake will add a creamier taste while enhancing the thickness, making it taste more like a milkshake rather than a straight protein shake.

Make Into A Pancake
Finally, the last option to get cottage cheese into your day is to make it into a protein pancake.  When cooked with other foods you definitely won’t notice it as much as the texture will be hidden and you’ll have a mixture of tastes going on.

For this one, you’ll want to combine a quarter cup of cottage cheese with half a cup of dry oats and 2-3 egg whites.  Add in a half scoop of your favourite protein powder if desired, or consider adding a tablespoon of natural peanut butter for added flavour and healthy fats.

Pour this batter onto the grill and cook as you would a normal pancake, flipping at half-time.

This is a much healthier way to start your day than a traditional pancake and will provide you with a very good dose of protein.

So there you have the top tips to enhance the flavour of cottage cheese so that you can tolerate it on your diet plan.  Make sure that you aren’t overlooking it as it’s one food that offers too many nutrition benefits to miss out.

If you’re someone who’s hoping to shed excess weight quickly, one thing that you absolutely must make sure you’re doing is making sure that your metabolism is running along at an optimal rate.

One of the biggest mistakes that many people make as they go about their approach is constantly looking for ways that they can decrease their calorie intake.  Not only will this be unpleasant to do, but it’s also going to result in an even slower metabolism than before.

Instead, you should make it a priority to do everything you can to boost your metabolism so that you burn off more fat naturally.

Let’s look at a few of the main ways that you can increase your daily calorie burn so that you can move one step closer to success.

Eat Chili Peppers
The first thing that you can do to help boost your metabolism is to make sure that you’re including chilli peppers at some point in your diet plan.  Chili peppers contain a special compound known as capsaicin, which will help to boost your overall metabolic rate for hours after you consume the meal.

This will cause your body to expend more calories off as body heat, moving fat loss along.

Cayenne pepper works in a similar manner, so if you prefer, simply add some to the next dish you create.

Drink Green Tea
The next way to enhance your metabolic rate is to drink some green tea.  Green tea also naturally boosts the metabolism and will promote better overall health as well.

Rather than going for your morning cup of coffee, sub this in instead and you’ll definitely see faster results because of it.

Don’t Avoid All Carbs
One big mistake that some people make that will really curtail their calorie burn for the day is shunning all carbs.

While it’s true that lower carb diets can assist with the weight loss process due to the fact that they will reduce hunger and help keep your calorie intake down lower, if you take those carbs down too low, problems will occur.

The body does require so many carbs to maintain a healthy metabolic rate, so avoid going lower than 100 grams per day.  This is the bare minimum you should be taking in.

Get Your Essential Fats
Finally, last but not least, also make sure that you’re getting enough essential fatty acids as well.  Essential fats are a must-have to help promote better health, maintain good insulin sensitivity, and help to keep your metabolic rate higher.

Aim to eat at least six grams of essential fats per day, either from food sources such as salmon, flaxseeds, walnuts, or mackerel, or use supplements to ensure you reach your daily goals.

So there you have some quick and easy things that you can do to help boost your metabolic rate. Make sure you aren’t overlooking any of these so that you can see the results you’re after.

Alcohol is something that most adults do like to indulge in from time to time – some more often than others.

So what’s the real deal about alcohol and your progress? Is this something that you can make room for in your diet or is it something that you need to give the boot?

Alcohol And Calories
The very first thing that you need to take note of is how many calories are found in alcohol.  Alcohol itself contains seven calories per gram, whereas both proteins and carbs contain just four.  Fat comes in at the highest calorie value per gram at nine, which places alcohol right in the middle.

But what’s often worse is what the alcohol is mixed with.  If you’re drinking your alcohol with high calorie or fat mixers such as cream, sodas, or sugary mixers you could easily end up with a drink that packs in well over 300 calories per serving.

If you take in three or four of these over the course of the night, it’s really going to add up.

Alcohol And Fat Metabolism
The second important thing that you need to note is the impact that alcohol consumption will have on your fat metabolism.  The minute that you put alcohol into your body, all fat burning is going to come to a halt.

Your body views alcohol as a toxin and as such, as soon as it comes in, it’s going to do everything it can to rid itself of this alcohol.  No further fat will be burned off until it’s out of your system.

Only then will you start burning up body fat again.  So if you consume quite a bit of alcohol one night, you can expect to see your rate of fat loss drop off for a more significant period of time.

Alcohol And Your Recovery
Finally, the last important thing to note about alcohol consumption is the impact it will have on your recovery rates.

In addition to putting the breaks on all fat burning taking place in the body, the second thing that alcohol is going to put the breaks on is protein synthesis.

This means that no further lean muscle tissue will be built up as long as that alcohol is in the body.

Again, you can imagine what this is going to do to your workout goals.

So as you can see, if you want to be truly successful with your fat loss and workout program, it’s best if you can forgo alcohol for the time being.  One drink every now and then may not hurt all that much, but if you’re taking in any more than this, it will definitely hinder the progress that you see.

Many people are quick to jump to the conclusion that rather than hiring a trainer, they can just go about this journey on their own.  They pick up a workout they’ve found in some magazine on or the Internet and immediately get going, hoping to achieve the body of their dreams.

As they go about this though, major problems start to occur. Maybe they don’t see the progress they had hoped for or worse yet, they end up injured. To help prevent these problems along with many others, hiring a personal trainer can be a very wise move. Let’s take a quick peak at the main reasons why you should consider hiring a personal trainer so that you can decide if it’s the right decision for you.

A Personal Trainer Will Make Your Workout More Interesting
The very first reason why you should seriously consider hiring a personal trainer is because they’ll go a long way towards making your workout more interesting.  Since each time you work with them you’ll likely be doing a different workout entirely, this shakes things up and prevents you from hitting a progress plateau. More importantly it keeps you interested and makes sure that you keep coming back for more.

A Personal Trainer Will Teach You Advanced Strategies
Second, the next important reason to consider hiring a personal trainer is because they’ll teach you some advanced concepts that you might not have known before. Learning ways to accelerate your progress by taking things up a level will be imperative to success. If you aren’t adding more advanced concepts into your workout program over time, you’re going to eventually stop seeing gains in strength, endurance, and improvements in your tone and definition. Most people on their own don’t understand these advanced techniques, so a good trainer will help to introduce them to them.

A Personal Trainer Will Check Your Form
Moving right along, the third reason to hire a personal trainer is because they will also check over your form and make sure it’s as it needs to be. If you aren’t using correct form as you go about your workout session, you won’t be seeing results from that exercise anyway as you may not be targeting the muscles correctly. A good personal trainer will ensure this isn’t the case for you.

A Personal Trainer Will Serve As Motivation
Finally, last but not least, that personal trainer will serve as a clear source of motivation. When they’re standing right next to you pushing you to complete that extra rep, this can really add up to improved progress. Those who aren’t pushing their body to the limit won’t see nearly the same degree of results. A personal trainer can really help to keep you motivated and working hard.

So there you have the main reasons why you should consider hiring a personal trainer.  If you haven’t done so yet, it might just be the time to consider it.