A few healthy tips!!

If you already didn't know some of these, then you certainly will now

I did some study years ago, doing a degree in nutritional medicine (nutrition) and so i know a few ins and outs about nutrition etc (pity i can't apply them to myself, im always good at giving advice but never the less, bad at doing them for my own good, that will change very quickly)

Stay away from anything with 'diet' in the title, as generally these things have nasty sweeteners such as aspartame & phenylalanine, both which are found in your generic artificial sweetners such as equal etc. they basically are a neurotoxin (toxic to the brain and also cells) and your body converts them into formaldehyde (an enbalming agent), and this is just to name a few!!
things that contain them are 'sugar free' gum, a lot of diet products such as diet yoghurts, diet drinks such as redbull, diet coke, diet cordials. im sure you catch my drift.

also, if you have something that is 'sugar free' (artificially sweetened) its been known that you put on more weight as you are getting the 'treat' you desired, but because it is low in calories, your body still craves food and then you end up binging on other unhealthy foods.

a much healthier sweetener alternative is a product called stevia which is derived from a plant, nothing more and 100% natural. another fantastic sweetner alternative is a product called xylitol (pronounced zylitol) which is derived from corn birch and has the equivalent of 1calorie per teaspoon, looks like sugar but infact its far from, and has a couple of added benefits (these have not been proven though) of preventing dental cavities. you can buy this from Mrs Flannerys (there is one in taringa) and also another store which you can go to is Wrays organics (which is located in indoorpilly behind indooro train station)
if you cant get to these two stores, coles sell a product called nativa which is in a green packet and even though it may be a couple of dollars more, is certainly more body and health friendly then our nasty friend 'equal'

a great supplementation to rice in meals is a food called quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) and its great as it has the added benefits of amino acids which are the building blocks of protein. this can be purchased from coles and all your other health food stores as i have listed above. once again, a few dollars more but still worth it in the end as you are investing in your health which is a number 1 priority (this is why we are here!!)

cacao powder (this is the raw version of coco poweder in its purest form, and unprocessed, sugar free) can be used in shakes to make them chocolatey and is packed full of goodness such as minerals which is great for the body! eating dark chocolate (the higher coco content the better) has its benefits too! and is proven to be good for you (in moderation of course) there is the organic green and blacks chocolate which is great for a treat and also lindt 85% dark chocolate.
normal milk chocolate is full of sugars and is highly processed- basically full of fat.

opting for mineral or sparkling water over your normal juice or soft drink so you still get that 'fizz' but you arent consuming empty calories which are basically foods that are high in sugar, and so therefore does not feel like you are 'missing out' on anything. also, drinking juices which are off a supermarket shelf are high in sugars in comparison to if you were to juice your own fruit and veg, that would have more nutritional benefits!
drinking a min of 2L of pure (filtered) water per day will help keep your body at its optimum and help flush out any nasties!!

and finally, fat doesnt make you fat, its the sugar!
eating whole high in fats (good fats) such as avocado and also raw unprocessed, unroasted nuts are great for your body and also your brain. they are high in omega fatty acids which is what the body loves.
also with olive oils, make sure you get cold pressed olive oil and use these for your salads.
coconut oil (pure and cold pressed) for your heat cooking. this is because coconut oil has a higher heating rate then olive oil when heated, basically turning a healthy oil into a bad oil as it turns it into a transfat.
the same when you buy olive oil that is not cold pressed! it has changed its molecular structure using heat as to retrieve more oil and therefore is bad.
opt for butter over margarine (margarine is actually 1 molecule away from being plastic, contains absolutely zero nutrients and also is dyed yellow as the orginal colour is grey)
butter may be higher in fat and may not have all these so called awesome benefits of these lower fat, lower cholesterol margarines, but these 'fake' butters actually have way more side effects for health then butter does!

Any questions, let me know!

Good tips awesome..

Awesome!! I love it!! Very good info

Getting off track is easy! You've been clean for a few weeks and aren't losing weight like you thought you would.

It may be because you're consuming more calories than you think.

Keep reading to discover seven sneaky habits that may be sabotaging your weight loss efforts.

Mistake #1: Forgetting Liquid Calories
It's easy to forget that the things you drink have calories - some more than you'd think. In fact, some beverages have more calories than an entire plate of food.

It is estimated that around 20 precent of your daily calories come from what you drink. So as you drink your juice with breakfast, rehydrate with a sports drink at the gym, or drink a glass of wine at dinner, think about the calories you're adding.

For calories' sake, it's best to avoid all sweetened sodas, sweetened or flavoured coffee drinks, sweetened tea, and smoothies. Replace these high-calorie drinks with water, skim milk, and unsweetened herbal tea. Because while they taste great, liquids generally don't satisfy hunger, so they are just empty calories.

Mistake #2 Meal Skipping
Many dieters think they'll cut their calorie intake by skipping a meal, usually breakfast.

But this is a mistake.

Research has shown that those who skip breakfast actually weigh more than those who eat three meals a day. Skipping a meal usually causes you to eat more calories during the day because you will end up eating even more food later in the day because you're so hungry.

So aim to eat three meals MINIMUM and aim to get 6 in- smaller regular meals increase your metabolism burning more calories at rest! A healthy breakfast that will keep you feeling full all morning contains protein and fiber. An example would be whole-grain toast and an egg.

Mistake #3: Oversized Portions
Just because restaurants load your plate with a mountain of food doesn't mean you should eat that much at home for a normal meal.

Remember that your stomach, like your heart, is the size of your fist. Don't think you could fit much food into your fist? You're right. And contrary to what mama taught you as a child, you don't have to eat all the food in front of you.

To eat a little less, use smaller plates and eat slower so you know when you're full- if your like me and pummel down food you have to get the amount right instead of going off 'feeling' full because if you eat until you get this feeling you'll be so far gone by the time the 20 minutes has caught up to you - you've completely over eaten and can't move from the couch. Also, remember that portion control also applies to healthy foods, as they, too, contain calories.

Mistake #4: Too Many Extras
A salad is a healthy, low calorie option. At least until you add dressing, bacon, cheese, and croutons.

These add extra calories fast.

One tablespoon of dressing contains 75 to 100 calories. With that in mind, it's no wonder grilled-chicken salads at a fast-food restaurant can have more calories than a hamburger.

Mistake #5: Slacking on your protein
If your looking to tone up and lose weight protein is super essential! You need a hit straight after training but also another 2-3 serves a day -cottage cheese at morning tea, can of tuna at lunch and half chicken breast are some examples! WHY?- proteins are the building blocks of our bodies. They are what your muscles are made of and if you're doing intense training and not supplying your body with the correct foods to generate muscle production you will not get toned and lean!- remember the photo of the 'diet' 'exercise and diet' bum I posted on facebook? That's what will happen! When you've generated some more muscle your body burns more calories just existing as well! WINNING!

Mistake #6: Eating Without Thinking
It happens to everyone. You're tired after a long day and you just want to veg in front of the television or read a good book. Unfortunately, mindlessly eating is often involved. You may think that since it's not on a plate it doesn't matter, but every bite you take counts.

When it comes to a successful diet, make rules for appropriate times to eat. And don't always feel the need to eat when relaxing. Try sipping on water or tea, chewing gum, or simply don't put anything in your mouth.

Mistake #7: Eliminating All Treats
Dieters often become overzealous in their plan and completely rid the house of all the food they enjoy, whether chips, sweets, snacks, or any high calorie food.

This commitment may last a few days until you can't tolerate it any longer and you overindulge on what you deprived yourself of.

A better plan is to allow yourself a treat every once in a while. TREAT not binge!

Remember that everyone makes mistakes, but be smart and don't let these common pitfalls keep your from meeting your weight loss goal!

Reach your fitness potential faster by coupling your good diet with a challenging exercise program. I'm here to motivate, instruct and encourage you to reach your goal.

Aim To ADD
It's easy to only focus on the foods that you're not supposed to eat when on a diet, but by changing your focus to all the foods that you are able to freely eat you'll stay motivated and stick with it.
Pack as many non-starchy vegetables as you'd like into your daily diet as well as fresh, seasonal fruits. Experiment with different methods of preparation for exciting variety.

SUGAR IS THE DEVIL HAHAHA!!

There's one food out there that is just completely sabotaging your fitness goals.
I'm not only talking about adding tons of extra pounds to you each year. This food decreases your overall health, disrupts normal brain functions, and even makes you age quicker! Yikes.

The worst part? It's in so much of our food, we often don't even realize it's there!
So what's the one food that causes so much health damage to our bodies?

One word: Sugar.

Now, this shocks a lot of people.
"How does sugar make me fat if there is no fat in it?"
Let's be clear, processed sugar DOES make you fat and fat-free foods are loaded with sugar. Therefore fat-free foods are fattening. The joke is on us, or at least those of us who are uneducated about this.
First of all, you should know that sugar isn't inherently evil.
Our bodies use sugar for survival, and they burn sugar to provide us with the energy that is necessary for life.

Many whole, natural, and healthy foods are actually broken down to sugar in the body- through the conversion of long and complex sugars called polysaccharides into simple sugars called monosaccharide's, such as glucose. In addition to the breakdown products of fat and protein, glucose is a great energy source for your body.
This means that your body needs a balance of fat, protein, and glucose to function optimally.
However, sugar can and WILL sabotage your body if you misunderstand it.

If you eat too much sugar:
1) You will immediately become hungry again, because that is the natural response to low blood sugar. So this will most likely cause you to eat more.
2) It will cause the production of a stress hormone called Cortisol.
Cortisol triggers the release of stored sugar from the liver to bring blood sugar levels back up, which when combined with the meal extra meals you're downing, begins the entire "fat storage, metabolic decrease" process over again.
It's better to stick with fresh foods, but if you DO eat packaged foods...
Here's a simple trick you can use to calculate how much sugar is in a package of food.
Look at the nutrition facts.

Divide the number of grams of sugar by 4, and you will know how many teaspoons of straight up SUGAR you're consuming by having that little snack in a pack.
Scary isn't it? Would you actually take 4 teaspoons of sugar by themselves and eat them?
So if you're keen on shedding some pounds, one of my biggest tips is to just cut out processed sugar from your diet.

You'll be amazed how incredible you'll look - and feel - when you do!
Listen, I know it can be hard to cut sugar out of your diet.
In fact, research shows that people who ate lots of sugar then stopped experienced intense cravings and withdrawal symptoms!
So if you eat a lot of sugar, cut yourself some slack. Don't worry about your past - it's all about making lifestyle choices in a way that's healthy and good for you starting now.
Here's a fantastic article with thee steps to help you cut sweets out of your life - click here to check it out.