Eight months ago I started this series of "Body by Jillian Michaels, Joy Bauer, Weight Watchers, Team in Training, etc" blogs, but every week when I went to work on a new issue, other topics inspired me to go in different directions, and I never got back to the next part of the series. As a Christmas gift to all my Flabby to Flabulous readers, I have decided to share three more secrets to a healthier “you” in 2012. Here is the link to Part 1 for those of you that would like to read that one as well: Link to Part 1
People often ask me to share how I took off the weight and how I have managed to keep it off. I don’t often give advice unsolicited, but for Christmas I shared a little secret with one of my friends in the form of a present. I was shopping at Home Goods and noticed one of my weight loss tools in the form of a stylish lunch box. One very simple way to be in control of what you eat is to pack a nutritious lunch and a couple snacks into something that you can easily carry with you. I love this lunchbox because in addition to it looking more like a purse than a lunchbox (and hers really looked more like a purse than the one I bought for myself pictured above), it also came with some little food storage containers and an ice pack.
Another gift I presented her with was a cup with a lid and a straw because secret number two I would like to share with you today is that drinking water is another amazing trick to stay healthy. Water keeps you hydrated and will actually fill you up when you drink it throughout the day. When you feel like you are hungry, try drinking a glass or two of water first because you may be thirsty, not hungry. I actually don’t like plain water so I put a splash of lemonade or orange juice in mine to make it taste better. For those of you that can handle artificial sweetener, the individual serving sizes of Crystal Light or other similar drink enhancers can make drinking your water a little easier. Before I gave up all artificial sweeteners, my favorite flavor to add to my water was Ocean Spray’s White Cranberry Peach. It comes in individual serving packets, so it can easily be taken with you in your cute new lunchbox.
Now secret number three that I am gifting you on this Christmas Day is a website that will help you choose healthy food and drinks to put into your new lunchbox and drink cup. Preparing lunches and bringing beverages will not help if you are not making and bringing healthy food and drinks. I am all about eating healthy, but I also like having large portions that also feel a little like I am cheating. Lisa Lillian, also known as Hungry Girl, does an amazing job of taking my favorite restaurant and fast food menu items and finding ways to actually make them in a healthy way. She has written amazing cookbooks to share her recipes—I own four of these very inexpensive books and my entire family loves the recipes I create for them.
Hungry Girl also has a new television show that airs on both Food Network and the Cooking Channel. Her episodes are worth watching because she shares shopping tips, delicious recipes, and she even gives advice on making good menu choices at restaurants.
My favorite resource I get from Hungry Girl is the daily emails she sends my way. Each day I get a newsletter that might share a healthy food swap recipe, where she sometimes answers readers food related questions, and where she will also send links to food items that she endorses—she will only send links to products that she actually uses in her recipes. Here is the link to her home page where you can link to her cookbooks, her television show schedules, and the place to sign up for her daily emails, which I highly suggest you subscribe to for that little daily inspiration: Hungry Girl Website
Below I will share some of my favorite issues of the Hungry Girl daily emails so you can get a feel for the kinds of resources Lisa Lillian offers her subscribers (click on link to access selected resource):
--Starbucks Survival Guide
--Official 2011 Hungry Girl Super Market List (lists of healthy products available)
--Sushi Survival Guide (my favorite kind of food)
--Top “Ate” Junk Food Swaps
--Hungry Girl’s Salute to Wonton Wrappers
--Top “Ate” Food Fakers
--Salute to Canned Pumpkin (one of my favorite secret ingredients)
--The Brunch Bunch (brunch ideas)
--Best Finds of 2011 and New Year’s Eve Party Tips
Now that the two most food-centered holidays are behind us, it is now time to begin thinking about refocusing on where we want to be in 2012. Many of us decide to wait until January 1st to make these changes, but why wait? Start planning and making your lunches and snacks so you are never left grabbing some unhealthy option in a desperate fit of hunger. If you make even just a few changes before 2012 (add an extra day or two of exercise, swap one meal a day for a healthy alternative, drink your water) you will be ahead of the game. You will be moving into the New Year with a positive attitude, a few new tricks under your belt, and you may even be a few pounds lighter as a result.
Now secret number three that I am gifting you on this Christmas Day is a website that will help you choose healthy food and drinks to put into your new lunchbox and drink cup. Preparing lunches and bringing beverages will not help if you are not making and bringing healthy food and drinks. I am all about eating healthy, but I also like having large portions that also feel a little like I am cheating. Lisa Lillian, also known as Hungry Girl, does an amazing job of taking my favorite restaurant and fast food menu items and finding ways to actually make them in a healthy way. She has written amazing cookbooks to share her recipes—I own four of these very inexpensive books and my entire family loves the recipes I create for them.
Hungry Girl also has a new television show that airs on both Food Network and the Cooking Channel. Her episodes are worth watching because she shares shopping tips, delicious recipes, and she even gives advice on making good menu choices at restaurants.
My favorite resource I get from Hungry Girl is the daily emails she sends my way. Each day I get a newsletter that might share a healthy food swap recipe, where she sometimes answers readers food related questions, and where she will also send links to food items that she endorses—she will only send links to products that she actually uses in her recipes. Here is the link to her home page where you can link to her cookbooks, her television show schedules, and the place to sign up for her daily emails, which I highly suggest you subscribe to for that little daily inspiration: Hungry Girl Website
Below I will share some of my favorite issues of the Hungry Girl daily emails so you can get a feel for the kinds of resources Lisa Lillian offers her subscribers (click on link to access selected resource):
--Starbucks Survival Guide
--Official 2011 Hungry Girl Super Market List (lists of healthy products available)
--Sushi Survival Guide (my favorite kind of food)
--Top “Ate” Junk Food Swaps
--Hungry Girl’s Salute to Wonton Wrappers
--Top “Ate” Food Fakers
--Salute to Canned Pumpkin (one of my favorite secret ingredients)
--The Brunch Bunch (brunch ideas)
--Best Finds of 2011 and New Year’s Eve Party Tips
Now that the two most food-centered holidays are behind us, it is now time to begin thinking about refocusing on where we want to be in 2012. Many of us decide to wait until January 1st to make these changes, but why wait? Start planning and making your lunches and snacks so you are never left grabbing some unhealthy option in a desperate fit of hunger. If you make even just a few changes before 2012 (add an extra day or two of exercise, swap one meal a day for a healthy alternative, drink your water) you will be ahead of the game. You will be moving into the New Year with a positive attitude, a few new tricks under your belt, and you may even be a few pounds lighter as a result.
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