Serving Size:
Serving sizes are based on the amount of food people typically eat, which makes them realistic and easy to compare to similar foods. This may or may not be the serving amount you normally eat. It is important that you pay attention to the serving size, including the number of servings in the package and compare it to how much you actually eat. The size of the serving on the food package influences all the nutrient amounts listed on the top part of the label. For example, if a package has 4 servings and you eat the entire package, you quadruple the calories, fat, etc. that you have eaten.

Calories:
The number of calories and grams of nutrients are provided for the stated serving size.

Calories From Fat:
This is the part of the food label where you will find the amount of fat calories per serving.

Nutrients:
This section lists the amount of each nutrient in the food package. These daily values are the reference numbers that are set by the government and are based on current nutrition recommendations. Some labels list daily values for both 2,000 and 2,500 calorie diets.

% Daily Value:
Shows how a food fits into a 2,000 calorie/day diet. For diets other than 2,000 calories, divide by 2,000 to determine the % Daily Value for nutrients. For example, if you are following a 1,500 calorie diet, your % Daily Value goal will be based on 75% for each nutrient, not 100%.

For fat, saturated fat and cholesterol, choose foods with a low % Daily Value.

For total carbohydrates, dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals, try to reach your goal for each nutrient.

Calories Per Gram:
This information shows the number of calories in a gram of fat, carbohydrate and protein.

1g Carbohydrate = 4 Calories
1g Protein = 4 Calories
1g Fat = 9 Calories

Ingredients:
Each product should list the ingredients on the label. They are listed from largest to smallest amount (by weight). This means a food contains the largest amount of the first ingredient and the smallest amount of the last ingredient.

Label Claim:
Another aspect of food labeling is label claims. Some food labels make claims such as "low cholesterol" or "low fat." These claims can only be used if a food meets strict government definitions. Here are some of the meanings.

Label Claim	DEFINITION (per standard serving size)
Fat-free* or sugar-free Low fat	Less than 0.5 gram (g.) of fat or sugar 3 g. of fat or less
Reduced fat or reduced sugar	At least 25% less fat or sugar
Cholesterol free	Less than 2 milligrams (mg.) cholesterol and 2 g. or less of saturated fat
Reduced cholesterol	At least 25% less cholesterol and 2 g. or less of saturated fat
Calorie free	Less than 5 calories
Low calorie	40 calories or less
Light or lite	1/3 fewer calories or 50% less fat; if more than half the calories come from fat, fat content must be reduced by 50% or more

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Creamy Italian Panna Cota

Note: 6 4-oz servings. Total Carbohydrates: 57

Panna cotta is a creamy Italian dessert. Perfect with fresh berries or with the Balsamic Strawberry.

The vanilla bean gives this dessert a wonderful flavor, but you can use 2 tsp. pure
vanilla extract instead. The recipe can be easily halved or doubled and can be made the day before.

Ingredients:
4 Tbsp. water
2 1/2 tsp. gelatin
3 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup Splenda
1/2 vanilla bean, slit lengthwise

Place the water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Let stand until
softened. Combine half of the cream and the vanilla bean in a pot. Bring to a boil, add the gelatin and remove from the heat. Stir until the gelatin dissolves. Remove the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the mixture with the tip of a small knife. Stir in the Splenda and the remaining cream.

Pour evenly into 6 4-5 oz ramekins. Place in the fridge and chill until set, approximately 2 hours. To serve, place the ramekins in hot water for 30 seconds. Run a knife around the inside of each and place a plate over the top. Turn upside down and vigorously shake the ramekin while holding the plate securely. The panna cotta will fall out onto the plate. Remove the ramekin and spoon the berries over the top. Serve immediately.

Need to lose weight? Lose 10 lbs in 5 weeks

Bread Pudding

Ingredients:
3 oz bag plain pork rinds, lightly crushed
2 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup splenda or AS
1 t vanilla
1 t cinnamon

Mix cream, eggs, water, sweetener, vanilla and cinnamon. Butter 1 or 1 1/2 qt.
Casserole dish. Put lightly crushed pork rinds in dish and pour liquid over. Preheat oven to 350 and let casserole sit while it preheats so pork rinds can absorb some liquid. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake 30-40 min until top lightly browned. Tests best warm.

Total 13 carb (12 NET carbs).
Serves 3 @ 4 carbs

Brownies

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 c butter, softened
1 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 T water
2 T whey protein powder
10 pkts AS
1 oz walnuts, chopped
3 T Davinci's SF chocolate syrup

Preheat oven to 350F. Cream butter, add eggs one at a time, beating well. Melt
chocolate with extract and water (microwave or double boiler). Add melted chocolate,
and other ingredients to butter. Mix well. Taste for sweetness and add more sweetener
if desired. Grease 9x9" baking pan. Pour batter into pan and bake 15 minutes.

Total 19 carb (13 NET carbs).
Serves 9 @ 1.5 carbs.

Lemon Mousse

Ingredients:
2 oz soft cream cheese
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 packs of Equal
1 c heavy cream
1 t lemon extract

Beat cream cheese and sweetener with mixer until smooth. Slowly add lemon juice and
mix until smooth and creamy. Add heavy cream and lemon extract. Beat until fluffy and
heavy cream will hold "soft peaks." Refrigerate.

Total: 16 carbs.
Serves 4 @ 4 carbs.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Parfaits

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups + 2 T heavy cream
1 cup water
2 T sugar free chunky peanut butter
1 sm. pkg sugar free Chocolate pudding mix

Add 2 T of cream to peanut butter and stir until blended. Whip 1/2 cup heavy cream,
then fold it into the peanut butter. Pour the remaining 1 cup cream and 1 cup water into
a mixing bowl. Add pudding mix and beat with wire whisk 2 min. Spoon half the pudding
mix into 6 parfait glasses. Cover with whipped cream/peanut butter mixture, top with
remaining pudding mix. Refrigerate.

Total 49 carb (46 NET carbs). Serves 6 @ 7 CARB.

This is rich so you could probably put it into 8 parfait cups

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These days it seams that everyone is an expert. Maybe it’s your next door neighbor trying to sell you some new cure all or maybe it’s your sister-n-law giving you advice on how to lose 10 lbs in 2 days with some secret diet used by natives in the Amazon jungle. We are bombarded with these wild and exaggerated claims on a daily basis. Discarding some of these common misconceptions will help you drop those unwanted pounds.

So let’s break down some of these weight loss claims and see what’s real and what’s myth.

1. Carbs are bad

There has been an explosion of low carb diets over the last several years. What many people don’t understand is that not all carbs are bad. Carbohydrates are an essential source of fuel for your body. The types of carbs you eat are what’s important. You want to stay away from products high in refined sugar and most starchy foods. For more information on which carbs to eat read my article Glycemic Index: Which foods are best?


2. Cut out the fat

Again a distinction needs to be made about good and bad fats. You should be trying to eat lean meats to help keep the amount of saturated fats and cholesterol down in your diet. With that said, fatty fish like salmon and mackerel are excellent sources of omega 3 fatty acids which play a very important role in your diet.


3. Cut those calories

While it is true that cutting calories is very important to losing weight it is only one aspect of a good weight loss program. When you start a diet you need to be careful not to cut too many calories. Your body, if deprived of too many calories, will slow down its metabolism and go into a conservation mode and will start storing more fat. That’s why it is never a good idea to starve yourself.


4. Hardcore dieting

We live in a drive thru world and everyone expects immediate gratification with very little effort. Doing extreme diets will cause you to lose weight fairly quickly but most people will just gain it right back once they stop. Dieting should not be about losing weight but about making changes to your eating habits that can be maintained for the long term.


5. No more deserts

You don’t have to give up all of your favorite foods while trying to lose weight. In fact it becomes counterproductive psychologically and will likely cause you to fail. The key is moderation. Use your favorite foods and deserts as a motivation for eating well for the week. Have a day where you can eat the foods that you love but remember to eat it in moderation and not gorge yourself with it.


6. Put down those snacks

Yes do put down those brownies and ho-ho’s and instead pick up some fruit or veggies. What many people don’t understand is that eating the right snacks can actually speed up your metabolism. The longer you go between meals the more likely you will slow down your metabolism and cause your body to retain more fat. It falls into the same category as cutting too many calories. If your body knows that it will have a steady stream of fuel it won’t be worried about storing up fuel in the way of fat to use at a later time. This is genetically hard wired into us from hundreds of thousands of years of evolution.


7. I overeat because I am hungry

Unless you have a genetic problem with the hormone that tells you that you are full then chances are it’s not because you are hungry. People overeat because of emotional problems and stress. Think about it when you are depressed or stressed out which foods to you go for? You go for the comfort foods like chocolate, cookies, pizza, fill in the blank. Then what happens is you eat a lot of high density caloric foods quickly before your body has time to tell you that you are full. Simple solution is to find something that will keep you busy during those times.


8. You have to do cardio

This is a common misunderstanding for people. Yes it is true that doing cardio will help you burn calories but you have to be exercising at a certain rate for an extended period of time before you even go into fat burning mode. Remember though that once you stop so does the calorie burning. Weight lifting on the other hand will help you to burn calories over the long haul. The higher your muscle density the more calories your body requires to burn to sustain itself. In effect you have raised your BMR (basal metabolic rate). It’s like cutting calories out of your diet without reducing the amount of food you eat. At any rate doing any exercise will help you drop those unwanted pounds.

The key to losing weight is not about which fad diet or miracle supplement you are on, it’s about having the perseverance to follow through and make the necessary life changes. You need to find ways to stay motivated and stay on track.

Introducing The Glycemic Impact Diet. Lose 10 Pounds in 5 weeks


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We’ve all seen the celebrities with their perfect bodies strutting around on the beach with their six pack abs.

So how do they get such perfect bodies?

First it’s time for a little myth busting.

Myth #1: Celebrities have better genes

Now I want you to stop and think of all the times you were in line at the grocery store and you see the enquirer sitting there with pictures of celebrities in bathing suits on the cover with close ups of their cellulite.

That’s right celebrities don’t look so hot when they are off camera.

Myth #2: If I do enough sit-ups I can have 6 pack abs

Wrong. Doing crunches and sit-ups will not give you those abs. You can do them till you are blue in the face. The reality is, is that 95% of us are probably never going to have six pack abs because we are not part of the genetically blessed.

Now wait I thought this was an article on how to get those six pack abs. It is but first you need to have a reality check and realize that unless you do have the genetics for it you will probably struggle more than it is worth to get six pack abs.

So how do I get 6 pack abs?

It really comes down to genetics, becoming a body builder, or having a good plastic surgeon. If you’ve had 6 pack abs in the past then chances are a few diet changes and exercising will make them pop right out again. Now don't confuse this with having a flat stomach. Having a flat stomach is much easier then getting 6-pack abs.

For the rest of us it requires an enormous amount of effort to get a 6 pack. Now a flat stomach is an easily attainable goal. Granted everyone’s situation will be a little different but the bottom line is you will have to do some dieting and exercise if you do want a flat stomach. You need to make a goal and stick with it whether it be having 6 pack abs or a flat stomach.

If you want to read more about it then take a look at these two free ebooks.

Truth About Burning Fat
Free e-report on working out

I also want you to check out these pages:

Flat Stomach for Women
6-Pack Abs for Men


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It’s that time of year again when we start making our New Year’s resolutions. Now is the time to start planning on how you are going to get that body in shape by summer.

Here are some simple tips to make sure that you don’t fall off the wagon starting in ’09:

1. Stop looking for a diet and change your eating habits.

2. Start a food diary to track the foods you eat everyday.

3. Create a weekly or monthly menu of easy meals to prepare.

4. Find a workout buddy and join a gym together.

5. Set achievable daily, monthly, and yearly goals and write them down.

6. Take baby steps and don’t go overboard.

7. Reward yourself for good behavior.

Remember this is not a race. The slow and steady turtle wins race. Just as there is no true get rich quick scheme out there, the same thing goes for getting in shape.

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BMR - Basal Metabolic Rate

In order to determine how many calories to cut from your diet you first need to know what your baseline calorie burning rate is. This is where your BMR comes in. The BMR calculator will calculate how many calories you typically burn in a day based on your height, weight, and activity levels. To find out your BMR enter in your information below in the calculator.

Once you have calculated your BMR you can use this number as your baseline and reduce your calorie intake accordingly.

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Part 3: The Sugar Busters Diet

The Sugar Busters Diet book was written by three medical doctors and went on to sell over 100,000 copies by word of mouth alone. The diet essentially is a take off of several other low carb diets that came before it. The idea is to eliminate sources of high glycemic index carbohydrates in order to lower insulin in the blood. For more information about the effects of insulin as it relates to fat storage, read my article Insulin: The Fat Hormone to understand how insulin affects fat storage.

The one good thing about the Sugar Busters Diet is that unlike other low carb diets there are less restrictions. You are not required to completely restrict carbs like the atkins diet and the diet can be fairly high in carbohydrates, depending on which foods you choose. According to the authors the diet consists of about 40% carbohydrates but you are not restricted to eating that amount.

The diet does not follow a detailed structure of how to eat but instead offers guidelines for meals in regards to portion size, food composition, and times you should eat. The downside is that there is very little information on how to tailor the diet to your own needs.

Is the Sugar Busters Diet legitimate?

Short answer: Yes

What I like most about this book is it is a good primer to understanding which foods you should and should not eat. If you are thinking about learning how to eat healthier carbs and want some basic information then the Sugar Busters Diet is a decent place to start.

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To understand more about the Glycemic Index read my article Insulin: The Fat Hormone.

A breakdown of some common foods and their Glycemic Index (GI) categories:

Low GI Foods:
Most fruit and vegetables (except potatoes, watermelon), bran, grainy breads, pasta, legumes/pulses, milk, fish, eggs, meat, nuts, oils

Medium GI Foods
whole wheat products, brown rice, basmati rice, orange sweet potato, table sugar

High GI Foods
corn flakes, baked potato, watermelon, some white rices (e.g. jasmine), croissant, white bread, candy, cereal, soda


The Glycemic Impact Diet. Lose 10 Pounds in 5 weeks
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Insulin is a very important hormone found in the body that deals with the uptake of sugar in the blood. For those of you who don’t understand the concept of insulin and how it relates to low carb diets I will break it down into simple terms.

When you digest carbohydrates (everything from sugar to starchy foods) your body breaks down these carbohydrates into simple sugars. The release of these sugars causes the body to release insulin as a means to lower the blood sugar. From that point depending on how much sugar is being released into the blood your body decides to do one of three things. Use the sugar as a source of energy or to store the sugar as a quick source of energy in the form of glycogen in muscles and the liver or store it as fat.

So what is this glycemic index thing I've heard about?

• First let’s take a look at what carbohydrates are. Carbohydrate is a fancy word for sugar molecules. They encompass everything from glucose to long chain carbohydrates which you would classify as starches.

So how does this relate to the glycemic index?

• The glycemic index is a method of determining how fast carbohydrates are broken down into sugar and released into the blood stream. To break this down into simple terms. The higher the glycemic index the faster sugar enters the blood stream. The lower the glycemic index the slower the sugar enters the blood stream.

So how does that relate to insulin and fat?

• The body releases insulin as a means of controlling the sugar in the blood stream. If your sugar levels stay high for to long you will eventually have side effects. This condition is called Diabetes. If the sugar levels spike in the blood, your body will raise insulin levels which will then attempt to store the sugar. Typically unless you are actively exercising the sugar will be converted into fat and stored for later use.

Now hopefully you understand why there has been such a craze over low carb diets.

The Glycemic Impact Diet. Lose 10 Pounds in 5 weeks

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Omega 3 Fatty Acids: α-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)

Many people have the common misconception that all fats are bad. It is true that some fats have a deleterious effect on the body but several studies have now shown that low fat diets are not very effective when it comes to losing weight.

The Mayo Clinic wrote an article grading the effects of Omega 3 fatty acids on several different health conditions. I highly recommend reading the article for a detailed insight to all of the health benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids.

Where do we get Omega 3 fatty acids?

There are many natural sources of Omega 3 fatty acids.

Fish:
The most widely available source of Omega 3 fatty acids comes from fish. Typically found in highest concentrations in cold water fish like salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, and sardines.

Seeds:
Chia, Kiwifruit, Perilla, Flax, Lingonberry, Camelina, Purslane, Black Raspberry

Nuts:
Flaxseed, Butternuts, Walnuts, Pecans, Hazel nuts

Eggs:
Naturally fed chickens produce higher levels of Omega 3 fatty acids than chickens fed corn or soybeans.

Meat:
Grass fed cows produce almost twice as much Omega 3 fatty acids compared to grain fed.

Lamb typically is a better source of Omega 3 fatty acids when compared to other common meat sources.

Chickens that are fed grains such as flax, chia, and canola will produce higher levels of Omega 3 fatty acids.

Dairy:
Milk and cheese produced from grass fed cows will typically have a greater amount of Omega 3 fatty acids compared to grain fed cows.

Fruits and Vegetables:
Strawberries and broccoli

Supplemental Sources of Omega 3 fatty acids:
Pretty much every grocery store and pharmacy sell supplements these days. The problem is the purity and concentration levels produced by many manufactures are not accurate. If you find your diet lacking in Omega 3 fatty acids, I would highly recommend supplementing it even if it is a generic store bought brand.

If you aren't taking Omega 3's you can follow the link below and get a free 30 day supply to try it.

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Part 2: The South Beach Diet


The South Beach Diet was created by Dr. Arthur Agatston, director of the Mount Sinai Cardiac Prevention Center in Miami Beach, Fla. Unless you have been living on a deserted island most of you are familiar with this best selling book. At first glance there are a lot of similarities between the Atkins diet and the South Beach Diet.

There are two major differences between the Atkins diet and The South Beach Diet. The Atkins diet tends not to distinguish as much between the good and bad fats, whereas The South Beach Diet encourages you to only eat healthy fats. The other major difference is with carbohydrates. The South Beach Diet focuses more on low glycemic carbs instead of an extreme restriction of carbs like the Atkins diet.


Is The South Beach Diet legitimate?


Short answer: Absolutely.

This is one of the better dieting methods out there. Not because it was designed by an MD or that it will make you drop 10 lbs in one day (it doesn’t). The great thing about this diet is that it teaches you how to eat right.

Bottom line:

If you are willing to put in the effort to make significant long term changes this is probably one of the best diets to get you started. You aren’t going to lose several pounds in a short period of time but then again you will be more likely to keep the weight off instead of having the yo-yo effect which is all to common with most other diets.

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Part 1: The Atkins Diet

The Atkins diet is based around the idea of low carbohydrate consumption with higher fat and protein consumption. The theory behind it is that with a lack of carbohydrates for fuel the body will be forced to break down fats in the body as a source of fuel.

Is the Atkins diet legitimate?

Simple answer is yes it does help you to lose weight and burn fat.

The problem lies in the long term use of this diet. The body was not designed to starve itself of carbohydrates for long periods. Fighting the bodies need for carbohydrates will ultimately lead to other health issues. The positive side about this diet is that it helps people to understand the profound effect that refined sugars have on the body. People often times don’t realize that sugar is the major culprit when it comes to being fat.

Bottom line:

If you want to drop some weight fairly quickly this is one of the better ways you can do it. With that said I would not recommend this diet for the long term but if you want a short term solution then this diet will help you drop those unwanted pounds.

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