Under 300 Calorie Breakfast that's QUICK and HEALTHY

Spinach & Bacon Omelet

Ingredients
1 egg
2 egg whites
2 slices cooked turkey bacon, crumbled
1 cup baby spinach
1 slice whole-grain toast
1 teaspoon butter
cooking spray

Directions
Whisk together eggs, bacon and spinach. Coat a skillet with cooking spray; cook egg mixture and serve with toast and butter. Serves 1.

Here's the deal on BREAKFAST...

If you're not a breakfast eater....change it.  Especially if you want to lose weight and have energy for the day. 

Here's the deal on LOSING WEIGHT...

If you want to lose weight and NOT GAIN WEIGHT, it's how you eat.  Calories DO MATTER.  Counting calories IS IMPORTANT....I don't care what any goofball says...  IF YOU WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT, KNOW THAT YOU'RE CALORIES ARE AT A DEFICIT TO WHAT YOU BURN. 

Energy in, energy out....
That's why I thought I'd give you an idea of a very balanced, real food breakfast for under 300 calories.  Furthermore, there's lots of studies out there that are valid that shows if you don't eat enough for breakfast you'll be more inclined to binge during the day or in the evening.  (hey, I fight this daily, I know binging)

If you want to eat processed foods and manmade everything instead of using fresh real foods, as long as
you stay within your calorie range, most likely you'll still lose weight.  Will you be eating nutritionally dense food and healing your body? No.  Furthermore, you can really damage your digestive system as well over time.  Why go there.

The holidays are here, that's for sure.  This is the time you want to enjoy and NOT get any FATTER, HEAVIER, or the like.  Watch your food intake, count your calories, and journal them.  Food journals whether recorded on your phone, computer, or handwritten will make you call attention to your actions.  Honestly, it's much easier to lose weight when you journal.

If you're not sure how many calories you should be consuming, get tested.  A RESTING METABOLIC RATE TEST is a specialized test that is simple.  However, you must find a professional who has the equipment and the experience to administer the test.  It is generally a breathing testing that takes between 10-20 min. 

You will then have the numbers needed to manage your intake, weight loss, or even weight gain if that's your need. 

If you live in the Las Vegas or St. George, UT area, you may schedule your RMR with me by emailing me at Patti@PattiGoewey.com.  Not only will you receive your test results, I will also do an individualized Nutritional Plan for you detailing how you should "fuel" to meet your needs and REACH YOUR GOALS!

ARE YOU INSULIN RESISTANT?

It was originally call “Syndrome X”. More recently, this syndrome has been renamed as “Metabolic Disease”, and yes, is indeed a disease of insulin resistance. Some characteristics of this disease are:


• High blood sugar (glucose) levels; a signal that the body may be having trouble processing carbs.
• High insulin levels; usually go hand in hand with high fasting blood sugar.
• You’re eating too many carbs, particularly high-glycemic carbs; stimulates the secretion of insulin.


You can HELP YOURSELF…The best way to control both blood sugar and insulin levels is to control carb intake.


Could it really be that simple? Yes, it is. The insulin resistance of metabolic syndrome is characterized by intolerance to carbohydrate. If you have lactose intolerance, you avoid lactose. If you have gluten intolerance, you avoid gluten. You get the idea.


Not surprising, many studies of low-carb diets have shown that glucose levels improve significantly in subjects who follow them. Insulin levels also decrease, regardless of whether or not a person has a glucose metabolism disorder and even whether he has lost any weight. Reducing insulin levels throughout the day, even after meals, is crucial to enable fat burning.


In this way, controlling carbs has an important effect on the way the body handles fat, and in turn positively affects cholesterol and triglyceride levels.


Insulin


It’s a hormone made and released by the pancreas, an organ or gland that is part of your endocrine system.


Your blood sugar (glucose) level needs to remain within a relatively narrow range to avoid an overload. When it rises as a result of consuming foods full of sugar, white flour and other quickly metabolized carbohydrates, the pancreas receives a signal to produce insulin to carry glucose to the cells. There glucose is at the ready to provide energy as needed.


Too much Glucose means more body fat


When you consume more carbs than necessary to meet energy requirements, the excess glucose has to be transported and stored somewhere. Insulin helps convert the excess carbohydrate foods you eat into either glycogen (the storage form of carbohydrate in the muscles) or into fat stored in fat cells.


Insulin promotes the storage of nutrients and simultaneously blocks the breakdown (metabolism) of protein, fat and carbohydrate in the body. When the insulin level rises, it puts the brakes on burning fat for fuel and simultaneously encourages fat storage.


How can you avoid storing fat?


When you limit your carb consumption, you stimulate increased fat burning and decreased fat storage. In fact, fat breakdown and fat burning are exquisitely sensitive to changes in the amount of insulin released in response to dietary carbohydrate. Small decreases in insulin can almost immediately significantly increase fat burning. Insulin also increases glucose uptake and activates key enzymes that transform glucose into fat.


How does that reduce your risk for metabolic syndrome?


Following a lower carb diet, (which means remove processed flours and high glycemic foods) blunts insulin levels throughout the day so you burn significantly more—and store less—body fat. This metabolic change contributes to improvement in all markers of the metabolic syndrome and also reduces the risk for heart disease and diabetes.

Grilled Pepper Salad

GRILLED PEPPER SALAD

Toss a colorful mix of grilled bell peppers with briny olives, sweet sun-dried tomatoes and balsamic vinaigrette for a lovely side dish. Or spread crostini with goat cheese and top it with this salad for an easy summer appetizer.
Servings: 4 servings, about 1 cup each      Total: 20 mins

Ingredients

4 bell peppers, (mixed colors), halved, seeded and stemmed
1/4 cup halved and pitted oil-cured black olives
1/4 cup rinsed and chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Grill peppers on medium-high, turning once, until soft and charred in spots, about 5 minutes per side. When cool enough to handle, chop the peppers; toss with olives, sun-dried tomatoes, oil, vinegar and salt in a large bowl.

Tip:

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.


Nutrition Facts
Calories 107, Total Fat 7 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Monounsaturated Fat 3 g, Sodium 330 mg, Carbohydrate 10 g, Fiber 2 g, Protein 1 g, Potassium 331 mg. Daily Values: Vitamin C 200%. Exchanges: Vegetable 1,Fat 1.5.
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Michael Jordan, a Calendar Girl, and One of MY SECRETS...

"I have missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot... and missed. And I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

---Michael Jordan, Former NBA Superstar                                                       

When I read this, I felt like it was a wake up call by saying, "hey, it may not go exactly how you planned but it is going the way its suppose to....so don't lose sight of your goals!"

Ladies, don't lose sight of your goals either.  If today wasn't perfect, you had a feel sorry for yourself food binge, or made every justification as to why you didn't exercise..OK, you can't undo your past BUT you can move on. 

Be a CALENDAR GIRL...
Start by creating a plan for tomorrow, for the week, and then for the month.  I use a wall calendar.  I write exercise type (run/walk, bike, weights, DVD), each day on the calendar.  I mix it up with cardio and resistance styles so I don't get bored.  (I'm the queen of creative workouts:) As I complete the day, I check it off, on the calendar.  That way I can see the task and get the pleasure of "seeing" the task marked off! 

Food...I'm an emotional eater, just like you...
The only way is to be organized and again, visual.  i find that I crave and binge the most when I don't get enough water to drink.  Yep, that's right.  Our bodies are so amazing that they will do anything to get us to drink water....even eat more food! 

So here's one of my secrets.  I keep a 20 oz. plastic glass on the counter and lemons cut in the fridge, and straws ready.  That's my little fun for getting enough water in throughout the day.  It's easy and effective! 

Skinny Jeans are Your Choice!

"Only one of every eight adult Americans knows
how many calories he should consume in a day." 

That’s according to a survey conducted by the Washington-based International Food Information Council Foundation.  The survey of 1,024 consumers over the age of 18, was conducted from April 30 to May 17 by Cogent Research of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Ladies, this is not where we want to be in our jeans! Getting a Resting Metabolic Rate Test by a skilled fitness professional is essential in assisting you with proper calorie intake and nutrition design to AVOID THIS LITTLE PROBLEM!
(pick me pick me!)

DON'T EAT MORE THAN YOU CAN LIFT!

Do you eat healthy, exercise regularly and yet haven't been able to achieve your goal weight? You're not alone.

You've fallen into the healthy food trap. This is the faulty belief that as long as the food you're eating is healthy then you don't have to worry about portion size.

Weight loss always has and always will be a numbers game. If you eat more calories than you burn, you'll gain weight - even if those calories are healthy.

Reduce the size of your portions and watch as the weight falls off.