1.   EAT ENOUGH PROTEIN. How much is “enough”?  Aim for at least 15 grams at breakfast and 25 grams at lunch and dinner.  Eating enough protein will help keep you fuller longer, and resist the temptation to snack excessively in between meals. Including high-quality sources like lean pork tenderloin, chicken breast, and fish, lentils, beans, quinoa or protein-packed Greek yogurt are all great options!

2.  STAY HYDRATED. Dehydration has been known to be the underlying cause of food cravings, so this one is an easy fix – drink enough water!  Water also helps to keep you full and is one of the keys to detoxing your body. As I tweeted, you can flavor plain water with fruit or veggie slices for a fun twist.

3.  MORE VEGGIES, PLEASE! Eating more vegetables can help you meet weight loss goals in so many ways!  Vegetables are loaded with vitamins, minerals and fibre, and can be one of your biggest assets for getting back in shape quickly.  Adding in more vegetables increases the volume of your food, which allows you to eat more of nutrient-dense foods for less calories.  Try incorporating them into salads, pasta, omelettes, soups or a stir fry.

4.  AVOID AFTER DINNER EATING. Late-night snacking can be an issue for many of us, especially if its done mindlessly while watching television or browsing the internet, since we can forget how much we’re actually eating.  Avoid eating after dinner so you can look fabulous in your bikini on the beach!

5.  STRENGTH TRAIN FOR LASTING RESULTS. Many of us stick to the cardio so much that we may forget about the weight training side of the gym.  Strength training, whether on your own, with a personal trainer or part of a group exercise class, can help you define and shape your muscles to help you get toned and also boost your metabolism for a vacation-ready physique!  If you’re really short on time, focus on your upper body – arms can show definition faster than larger muscle groups.  Try lifting weights 3-4 times per week for at least 30 minutes to see results.

What are your favorite get-in-shape-fast tricks?

Written by Mitzi Dulan with research assistance from Megan Skinner

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1. Greek yogurt, or strained yogurt, is a thicker, creamier version of traditional yogurt, and is known for having significantly higher protein.  It’s also lower in sugar/carbohydrates  as well as sodium (as much as fifty percent less!)  Its thick texture means that its often better than traditional yogurt for making dips, sauces or baked goods.  Try it for your morning fruit and yogurt parfait for a delish creamy alternative.

2. Beans and lentils are no longer thought of as just for vegetarians and vegans, they are a great protein choice as an alternative to the standard meat choice at meals.  Black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas and lentils can be added to most soups, pastas, salads, and even mashed for a quesadilla filling!

3. Quinoa is perhaps one of the most popular “super foods” as of late, and for good reason!  This delightfully chewy grain is touted for being a complete protein source with all of the essential amino acids.  Swap it for rice under a stir-fry, or just enjoy some roasted vegetables on top!

Check out my previous blog post #9. Top Ways to Lose Weight- Eat your protein at every meal!

What about you?  Have you tried any of these?  What are your favourite sources of protein for meals and snacks?

By Mitzi Dulan with research assistance from Megan Skinner.

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Do you want to lose weight? If so, I’m here to help you too! Below are my top 10 ways I have successfully helped my clients to lose weight over the past 14 years.

1. STOP eating after dinner. This one is HUGE and helped me the most to lose weight after giving birth to my second child. I stopped eating a bowl of cereal before bed and shed the weight instead of feeding my body an extra 400 calories right before bed.

2. Avoid drinking any calories. Calories from juice, soda, high calorie Starbuck’s drinks don’t make you feel satisfied but do add significant calories to your day.. Did you know drinking an extra 150 calories a day can pack on an extra 15 pounds per year?

3. Avoid the clean plate syndrome:  I’m giving you permission to leave food on your plate, in fact, I’m encouraging it! Unfortunately, you aren’t helping the starving children of the world by stuffing yourself at mealtime. Please stop eating when you feel satisfied; not full, stuffed or sick.

4. Start lifting. I’m definitely an advocate of weight training and that is for all the ladies, too! Aim to do about 10-30 minutes of weight training 3 times per week. You can buy some inexpensive dumbbells at Wal-Mart or Target.

5. Eat real foods. Avoid artificial ingredients in your food. Aim to eat clean, real foods with simple ingredients that are easy to pronounce. Reading an ingredient label shouldn’t feel like taking a science test. I promise you will notice a difference and start feeler leaner by putting clean foods in your fuel tank. I recently developed 2-week weight loss meal plans if you want to know exactly what to eat to get you jumpstarted for permanent weight loss!

6. Avoid ALL alcohol for two weeks! Yes, that’s right- NO ALCOHOL for the next two weeks! I know you can do it and it will help to jumpstart your weight loss.

7. Get moving! Alternate jogging and walking with a goal of up to 30 minutes 5-6 days per week. (Always talk to your doctor first prior to starting an exercise program)

8. Record Your Food Intake Daily. Research shows that people who lose weight and maintain the weight loss are more likely to log their food intake. Food logging keeps them accountable. If you have an iPhone check out the Lose It application which allows you to log your food intake and track your weight loss.

9. Eat protein at every meal. Protein keeps you satisfied and prevents those food cravings from sabotaging your diet. Aim to get at least 20 grams at breakfast and 30 grams at lunch and dinner. An easy guide: 1 oz equals about 7 grams of protein.

10. Remove 5 highly processed foods from your diet. You want to eat fewer packaged and processed foods so write down your top 5 processed foods that you are throwing out of the refrigerator and pantry RIGHT NOW!

If you want an economical way to get exactly what I tell my weight loss clients to eat- check this out! My 2-week weight loss meal plans for your jumpstart towards weight loss that lasts!

Tell me what works best for you to drop weight!

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1. Crunches will reduce my belly fat
We all wish this were true, but in reality no amount of crunches can guarantee loss of belly fat. Spot reduction, or reduction of fat in a certain body part through targeted exercise, has not been proven.
If you want to lose fat, you must implement cardiovascular activity into your workout regimen and cut calories. Only after burning more calories than you consume does your body begin to use fat for fuel! Genetics also plays a role, so instead of targeting one body part, aim for overall fitness.

2. No pain, no gain
If it doesn’t hurt, you’re not working hard enough, right? Don’t believe it! While soreness is a definite indicator that your body is being worked, you should never feel excessive pain during or after a workout. I ran 20- 40 yard timed sprints with a friend who plays in the NFL and was preparing for his initial training camp conditioning test. Let’s just say I could barely walk for a few days after that challenging workout. Keep in mind that pain is your body’s way of telling you that you are overexerting it, or that you may be doing an exercise incorrectly. When lifting weight, some amount of delayed onset muscle soreness withing 12-48 hours after exercise is normal and means your muscle is recovering and building new muscle (hypertrophy). Give your body proper recovery between workouts. It’s a general rule of thumb to rest a particular muscle group for 48 hours before working it out again.

3. Don’t lift weights if you want to lose weight
You’ll just get bulky, people say. However, fitness professionals advocate cardiovascular activity as well as strength training. Lifting weights strengthens bone density and also increases muscle tone. More muscle helps reduce the risk of bone injury and increases the body’s metabolic rate. Strength training is also used to improve balance in seniors. Just by lifting 5, 7 1/2 or 10-pound weights a few times a week, you’re doing your body a great benefit.

4. Exercising is enough to lose weight
Come on, when is it ever an all or nothing deal? It sounds so tempting to be able to eat whatever you want if you work out frequently, but in reality your body needs regular exercise AND proper nutrition to lose weight and stay healthy. And if you are already at an ideal weight, remember that exercise is not solely for the looking-good factor; regular activity has been shown to reduce many health related risks.

5. Muscle weighs more than fat
This myth is frequently perpetuated, often as an excuse not to work out more. In reality, muscle is denser than fat, i.e. 10 pounds of muscle actually take up less space than 10 pounds of fat. So if you lose fat and replace it with the same weight in muscle, you’ll actually look slimmer!

Myths are common in the fitness world for a reason—staying in good physical shape is hard and requires a long-term approach! What fitness myths have you found that have held you back?

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