People often think that when they’re trying to drop extra pounds they’re limited to what they can eat, and that’s true to a degree. But, there’s no need to starve yourself or eat nothing but rice cakes. You can have snacks which are healthy and taste great so you won’t have to suffer while you’re slimming down.

Advertisements on television and in magazines state each person needs a certain number of dairy servings a day. The ads claim you can actually lose weight by consuming dairy products. Well, why not eat low-fat yogurt as a snack. Add fresh fruit to the yogurt and you’ve taken care of one serving of dairy and one serving of fruit for the day. You’ll also have the benefit of the vitamins and minerals from both foods which are necessary for health.

What do you do if you don’t like yogurt that much? You can get dairy servings in other ways, too; try a low-fat milkshake or smoothie. Using skim or low-fat milk, ice, and either fresh or frozen fruit, you can make a great milkshake to enjoy for breakfast or at any other time of the day.

If you’d like to try something different, why not simply try a green smoothie? You use water, 100% fruit juice, water, fruit, and then add raw spinach or another green leafy vegetable. It may take a bit to get used to, but once you’ve had this type of drink you’ll soon learn to love them. This will be very low fat, as you’re not adding anything to the fruit, vegetables and water, and will be full of health-giving vitamins and minerals.

Make muffins using applesauce in place of the fat (margarine or butter). This will make the muffins lower fat than traditional recipes and you may not even recognize the difference as far as taste. Add shredded carrots to the muffins to give you more nutrients. Use other fruits or vegetables such as bananas and zucchini to make the muffins moist and delicious.

Popcorn is a great healthy snack idea as long as you don’t smother it in butter. Air-popped popcorn has no fat, is healthy, and can be filling. Instead of using salt and melted butter to flavor the popcorn, try adding onion powder, garlic powder, or nutritional yeast instead. Be adventurous and try to find a combination that you’ll enjoy. If you feel you must use fat to help flavor the popcorn, use a spray of olive oil which is a good fat.

When choosing healthy snacks that help you lose weight, remember to choose foods which are low-fat. You also want to limit the amount you eat at one sitting. Even snacks which are healthy can cause you to gain weight rather than lose it if you eat too much.

Rome wasn’t built in a day and your fat loss won’t happen that way either. Don’t expect to start eating perfectly and exercising religiously tomorrow. Instead set yourself up for success by implementing at least one supportive habit per week. Make an effort to adopt the premise of “progress, not perfection.” By developing awareness that improvement is measured by your daily progress, you can save yourself a lot of grief and frustration from the beginning. Focusing on small, positive steps in everything you do is a vital component to change. It starts you moving in the right direction and the momentum of your amazing, transforming results will soon follow. With time, commitment and a willingness to continue to take those small steps, failure is not an option.

How to do it: Be mindful of the fact that you didn’t gain it overnight so you’re not going to lose it overnight. A safe and effective fat loss program will yield 1 to 2 pounds of fat loss a week, not 10. As you begin your weight loss journey, aim for 2-3 small improvements each week. Build up to eating more supportively and moving a little more than yesterday. These small changes will add up to big improvements over time.

Beware of supplements and “quick fixes” that promise accelerated fat loss. Instead, plan on losing fat weight slowly. Sure we all want instant results, but it’s impossible to undo a years of inactivity and poor nutrition overnight.

Instead of only looking at the big picture, try to break it down into smaller bites. Set one-month goals, three-month goals, six-month goals and even yearly goals. Carry over each previous goal to make sure that you aren’t stopping one to achieve another. Make sure goals are achievable and realistic and what you truly want. A half-hearted desire will produce half-hearted results.

Remember, life happens and we must face the challenges. Sometimes that means not getting to exercise or eat properly. The difference is we get it. We make it a point to view each situation, each setback as an opportunity to LEARN and ASK, “What could I do differently next time?” Then it becomes a matter of getting back on track as soon as possible. Leave the excuses and blame behind and forget about beating ourselves up – we’re only human. Strive to do a little better today than you did the day before. The key is to stay consistent, focused and take daily action. Make goals meaningful. Our minds cannot differentiate between achieving an enormous goal or a miniscule goal it only perceives success or failure. If you set a goal that is impossible to fail you’ll only be setting yourself up for tremendous victory.

Don’t be too rigid. Telling your self that you HAVE to workout for a set time to feel a sense of completion is ill fated. If you set out to workout for 30 minutes and you only get in 20, you’ll more apt to be disappointed regardless of how hard you worked. If you simply set a goal to go to the gym at least 2-3 days a week and complete your resistance training and cardio you’ll perceive yourself as a winner.

An additional goal idea: Have you ever wanted to participate in a race or sport that you’ve never had the endurance for? Then use that as a goal! When the end justifies the means it’s easier to make it through the rough spots. It’s a win-win situation if you are able to achieve a want and a need simultaneously!

About the Author

Holly Rigsby is a nationally recognized women’s fitness coach, certified personal trainer (CPT) and the author of the internationally popular e-book – Fit Yummy Mummy – Burn Your Baby Fat & Get Your Body Back. Go to http://www.fityummymummy.com to get your FREE copy of her special report: “The Five Ways To Boost Your Metabolism.”

Don’t give up! Achieving your weight loss goals might be easier than you think!

Small Changes = Big Results

As you’ve no doubt noticed, weight loss isn’t a quick fix. You can’t go on a two-week diet, lose the weight, and then think that the weight will stay off for good. Even if you’re really good about following a diet at first, you’ll more than likely gain the weight back.

Why?

It’s because a two-week diet does nothing to alter your lifestyle. The best results come from changes that you incorporate into your daily life, and many of these changes aren’t drastically different from what you do now.

You can even continue to enjoy the foods you love as long as you do so with a wise plan!

If you make a series of small changes, one at a time, you’ll give yourself a chance to get used to them. It won’t seem like such a shock to your system when you introduce the changes gradually. Sooner than you think, you’ll lose the weight and gain the healthy body and lifestyle that you desire!

Here are some weight loss tips to implement into your new lifestyle:

1. Use low fat milk. When you use low fat milk, you’ll still get the nutritious benefits of milk, but without all the fat grams. Try substituting skim, 1%, or soy milk in your cereal, coffee, and cooking.

2. Cut out soda. Soda is a big offender when it comes to empty calories. The best thing you can do for your body is to replace the soda you’re drinking with water. Water is critical to your good health. It also helps fill you up and has zero calories, no matter how much you drink!

• If you’re having trouble kicking the soda habit, try alternating soda and water each time you go to get a drink. This will gradually get you used to less soda and increase your water intake.

3. Start walking. If a regular exercise routine is difficult for you, strive to walk more often. Walking doesn’t feel so much like true exercise, but it is and you’ll be rewarded for it.

• Park farther from the store so you have to walk a little distance.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Go for an enjoyable walk with your neighbor. You can visit, catch up, and exercise all at the same time!

4. Watch your portion sizes. Portion sizes just keep getting larger and larger. You may not even realize that you’re consuming a portion that’s much too large for you. Look up what a healthy portion size really is for the meal you’ve chosen. You might be surprised at the results!

• Start your meals with a full glass of water.
• Combat oversized portions by using smaller plates.
• Half your plate should be vegetables, a quarter should be protein, and the other quarter should be carbohydrates.
• Give yourself the correct amount of food and then refrain from seconds.

5. Have desserts sparingly. Save desserts for special occasions or times when you deserve a nice treat. Avoid eating them every day, or you’ll be adding massive amounts of calories to your daily intake.

• It’s a good idea to plan ahead for occasional desserts and only buy them for those certain meals. That way, they aren’t there tempting you the rest of the time.

• Have plenty of healthy snacks available to curb hunger or cravings in between meals.

You can easily turn these tips into healthy habits by incorporating them into your lifestyle one at a time. Get used to one tip before you add another one. Most of them involve only small changes. However, these small changes will enable you to achieve your weight loss goals!

This lifestyle program for busy moms is a comprehensive guide to what’s arguably the most widespread, challenging and frustrating issue faced by moms today: how to get their pre-baby body back. For almost all mothers the changes their bodies incur during pregnancy coupled with the countless responsibilities that motherhood bring spell trouble for regaining their pre-pregnancy figure.

There is no shortage of fitness, diet and fat loss products on the market today. You can find a veritable library of conflicting arguments almost anywhere you choose to seek information on the subject of fitness for women, whether it’s online, at your local library, through contact with personal trainers, or through the (less reputable but nevertheless very common) ranks of wannabe experts: aka, those frustrating people with no qualifications and no practical experience but are self professed experts because they ready the last issue of Shape magazine.

What Sets This Product Apart?

After months of frustration spent trawling through the mass of conflicting information on fitness and fat loss, it was with a mixture of joy and near-tearful relief that I stumbled across “Fit Yummy Mummy”, by Holly Rigsby. As the title suggests, this product is specifically for moms wanting to get fit. Literally all aspects of losing fat and getting fit are covered – and the best part is that it is written specifically for busy moms. The material is presented in a manner both chatty and educational – it’s kind of like having a friendly conversation with a close friend that happens to be a fitness expert (with the added benefit of being able to refresh your understanding of the matter at any given time, simply by scrolling back to the relevant section!)

The tone of the book presents a welcome contrast to the other fitness products so freely available elsewhere on the Net: it’s friendly, understanding of the unique situations moms face, informative, and above all, commonsensical. No unrealistic recommendations, 2 hour workouts, or zero-carb diets here: it doesn’t take long to see that this lady knows what she’s talking about when it comes to mom’s lifestyles (and did I mention she’s a mom too?)

What’s Actually Included?

There’s a quick section on getting started and goal setting along with some morale-boosting advice on how to stay on track throughout the program, and then it’s straight into an action plan to get you started on the path to burning baby fat and getting your body back.

The Supportive Nutrition Plan is next – this is particularly helpful! Every conceivable nutrition issue is covered, from how often you should eat to what you should keep in your pantry. And on top of that, it includes a ‘Create a Menu Planner’ to guide you in creating every meal to support your success.

Next, the Fit Yummy Mummy fat loss workouts are covered, but not without easy to follow explanations of the why’s and the how’s for every part of the workout program. The workout plan even offers four different formats that you can plug into your lifestyle, something not found in any of the cookie cutter fat loss programs on the market. My favorite part of the workout section is that regardless of your exercise (or lack of exercise) background, there is a workout designed specifically for you. And no matter what you fitness level is, none of the workout programs require more than 90 minutes a week.

Finally, there’s a section called the Busy Mom’s Fat Loss Companion crammed with easy to use tools and resources like a goal setting sheet, fitness journal, exercise descriptions and even a ready made grocery list. The author has figured out every excuse and obstacle busy moms have and addressed them all.

Just Because It’s Detailed Doesn’t Mean It’s Confusing

Sound overwhelming? It’s actually very user-friendly. Not only is this e-book packed with sound practical advice and the whole thing is laid out in a very logical and easy-to-understand format, but it comes with a Quick Start Guide to make sure you start acting (and seeing results) fast. The tone of Fit Yummy Mummy light and non-threatening (no scientific terminology here!) and it proceeds in a logical manner from step to step, with plenty of photos and descriptions to ensure that you are doing everything right.

Troubleshooting

In my opinion, one of the best parts: a follow up e-mail coaching series from the author that keeps you on track, gives you daily fitness tips and even healthy recipes. While most moms have the best of intentions, staying on track is tough. This follow up e-mail coaching series is the perfect solution.
The Verdict

Regaining their pre-pregnancy body is a daunting task for most moms, but the author’s personal experience and hands on work with over 250 moms is pretty reassuring; and she certainly knows how to break it down for even the most exercise illiterate. In addition to the main features detailed above, there are plenty of valuable extras included to make getting your pre-baby body back as easy as possible: checklists, do’s and don’ts, printable workout sheets, even ready to follow meal plans!

All in all, two thumbs up from me: when the information on hand is as detailed, easy to absorb, and – above all – reliable as Fit Yummy Mummy, you really can’t go wrong.

Click Here! for more information.

Everyone anticipates putting on a few pounds around the holidays. There are just too many good things to eat. At the office, at school, at parties – there are always sweet treats and rich food to nibble on.

When you nibble, think of the extra calories you are consuming. Because you don’t normally eat that way, it will seem like you have gotten bloated overnight. But, before you start feeling bad (unless it was something you ate), here are some ideas to burn off those calories before they get too comfortable on your body.

1. Continue your exercise routine. If you attend the gym on a regular basis, don’t stop just because the holidays roll around. Visit each day that it is open around the holiday. You may not have the same amount of time to spend there because of other commitments, but try to get at least 30 minutes of cardio work to kick your metabolism into high gear.

2. Take a brisk walk. After meals, invite the family to take a walk around the neighborhood. Everyone will get a bit of fresh air and exercise. The walk keeps your metabolism high and also prevents everyone from falling asleep on the couch after such a heavy meal.

3. Participate in family sporting events. If the clan heads off to the ice skating rink or outside for a spirited snowball fight, go with them. Exercise is cumulative, meaning that each little bit you do every day adds up. Besides, snowball fights are fun and you won’t even think of it as a calorie-burning activity.

4. Handle some of the chores. The idea is to keep moving to burn any calories that you can. Take up the mantle of shoveling the walkway, taking out the trash and salting the steps when ice forms. Shoveling alone will burn hundreds of calories.

5. Get a good night’s rest. When the body is well rested, it is also less prone to stress. The brain is getting enough oxygen and the body has time to repair itself. When you are stressed, you usually eat more and you also are more prone to storing fat instead of burning it due to the secretion of the hormone, cortisol. Sleeping well can help you to avoid overeating and gaining weight.

The holidays are meant to be fun so by all means indulge, but indulge with caution. All the while, keep your activity levels high so that any extra calories don’t produce a weight gain. If they do, they won’t be allowed to stay for long with these five tips above.

Many of us see the holidays as the perfect time to cut loose. Since family and friends are here, we feel free to eat cakes, cookies, sweet desserts and all the decadent food we can shove into our bodies. At the time it feels okay but when we try to fit into our clothing after it is all said and done, we realize we may have overdone it a little bit.

You can potentially avoid the weight gain that everyone complains about at holiday time with a few pointers. There is no substitute for having a plan going in, rather than planning for a ton of fitness classes coming out.

1. Create your holiday meal with health in mind. The best way to avoid the grease is for it not to be there in the first place. Roast your meats instead of frying. Drain off any excess grease and transfer to a serving platter instead of leaving it in the roasting pan. Use canned gravy instead of making your own. There is less fat and calories per serving.

2. Don’t graze while you cook. Eat a meal or an adequate snack before you begin cooking for the day so you can more easily resist the urge to taste everything as you are fixing it.

3. Avoid drinking sodas and too much alcohol. We don’t realize that calories add up quickly when we drink indiscriminately. If you don’t want to be on bottled water all day, grab some of those drink mix packets from the store and flavor your water for a sweeter taste with fewer calories.

4. Lighten your dessert recipes. When it calls for oil, add less oil and some applesauce to maintain the moistness in cakes but not the fat content. Toppings can cut down on the calories also. Take a smaller piece of cake and top with lots of whipped cream and fresh cut fruit.

5. Watch the bread. We love to eat bread during meals. To cut down on the calories, eat a slice or two of wheat bread with your meal instead of the more traditional dinner rolls. If you must have the rolls, substitute wheat for white.

No one wants to count calories during the holidays. Give yourself the illusion of freedom (for the sake of your waist); decide to make healthy substitutions to your meal preparation so that you can eat and be merry without the guilt.