It’s kinda hard to stay away from these places all the time! And dining out is fun—even if you are counting calories. The Biggest Loser trainer Bob Harper weighs in on how you can dine at restaurants and fast food joints without shattering your diet.

These days every diner and fast food place has a salad on the menu, so here’s what to do:

• Order a salad. If you’re really hungry, order two. Then get your favorite burger or sandwich without the bun. At that point, create your own chicken, steak or burger atop a salad. It’s creative and delicious. Try to use only 2 Tbs. of dressing.
• Grilled chicken is readily available on any fast food or diner menu. Substitute the French fries for grilled veggies, non cream-based soup or a tossed salad.
• Chinese food: Try to order food of the steamed variety. Also ask for sauces on the side, as most of them are high in fat. This way, you’ll get the taste you’re looking for but have control over the quantity of sauce. Stay away from stir-fried or egg rolls—and no fried rice.
• Italian: Although pizza and pasta are most tempting, they’re also laced with bad carbs. Go for the entrees and stick with protein such as fish, chicken or red meat. Again, ask for the sauce on the side. You can probably substitute marinara for alfredo, pesto or creamy sauces.
• Mexican: Tell the waiter not to bring the chips to the table, if at all possible. Instead, order corn tortillas (which are not fried) and dip those into your salsa. No flour tortillas, no sour cream or guacamole. Fajitas are a great choice since the meat is grilled and the veggies are included. You can also make a taco salad with fillings and lettuce (without the taco bowl). Salsa makes tasty low-fat dressing.

Then you can go back to a healthy high-protein diet (like Focus28.) Check out OUR MENU. And you haven’t sacrificed a social night out or a favorite family restaurant.

With summer vacation behind us and Fall around the bend, now is the perfect time to re-commit to your weight loss goal. A new season can inspire you to recharge that battery and get full-force back into healthier diet and exercise practices. Remember- feeling confident in your own skin exudes outwardly making you feel happy & optimistic.

Research shows the average woman goes on 15 diets in her lifetime and loses about 100 lbs. It also shows that many put the weight back on. The good news is that there are a growing number of dieters who are finding success losing weight and maintaining that weight loss for 6 years or more. Dieting For Dummies encourages dieters to try, try and try again! Eventually, with enough commitment, author Jane Kirby, RD, believes you can get it right and keep the weight off—even after years of yo-yo dieting.

Research concludes the following myths about yo-yo dieting  are NOT true:

• Increases body fat
• Makes future weight loss more difficult
• Increases preference for fatty foods
• Changes blood pressure or cholesterol
• Changes insulin or glucose metabolism

The moral here? Don’t worry if you’ve dieted before and put weight back on. Today is a new day and this time, you can succeed! Get started today with Focus28 Women’s Plans and Men’s Plans.

She’s the richest woman in entertainment and considered the most powerful woman in America, so why can’t Oprah Winfrey get her weight under control? It seems like an obvious question. After all, she’s got the world at her disposal- from personal trainers and personal chefs to hypnotherapists. Doesn’t anybody have the silver bullet? Even if one doctor modified her diet & exercise routine, it seems like that could change everything.

But according to Bob Greene, (Oprah’s personal trainer) it’s a lot deeper than that. He says Oprah’s weight is not a cosmetic issue—it is an emotional issue. And Oprah admits that food is her drug of choice. She says, “My drug of choice used to be potato chips. It changed to organic multigrain blue chips…but a bag of them. When you eat a bag of those a day, see what happens if you’re not working out.” Oprah has also determined that she has a thyroid problem. When she learned about her hypothyroidism and its effect on her metabolism, she fell off the weight loss wagon. She felt defeated and again turned to food for comfort.

Bob Greene confides that even with all of her success and fame, Oprah has never really learned how to be happy. Oprah vows that she will triumph over her weight again. Now her weekly meal plan consists of small, healthy, satisfying meals. Don’t give up on your weight loss dreams…even the rich and famous can lose their way! For satisfying meal plans that will help you lose weight, check out our Focus28 Women’s Plans and Men’s Plans.

You can get started today!

Mine was.  Post-pregnancy pounds and a crying baby were enough to make me turn to food! Constant eating and snacking seemed to provide comfort, distraction and basically a crutch. Sleep deprivation didn’t help to thwart my hunger, either. Without the time or budget for a personal trainer (Hollywood style), I just accepted the extra 40 lbs.  Until a year later, when I realized how much of my food relationship was psychological. I loved food—sitting down to large, elaborate meals and savoring every morsel!

But then, I changed my relationship with food and lost the 40 lbs. (albeit it took over 1 ½ years.) And this is how it totally worked for me…Instead of day-dreaming about every meal hours before I ate it, I only allowed myself to really look forward to 1 meal per day. The others I considered, “filler.” All I really needed (or anyone, for that matter) was to feel satiated. So, protein & fiber were my go-to foods for breakfast and lunch. I spent less time at the table and just ate to feel sufficiently full- not stuffed! My philosophy is: if you’re full, you’re not thinking about food. What difference does it make whether you have lean turkey or cheesy bread sticks for lunch- if you feel full afterward?

Besides, you still have a meal to plan for—dinner! That’s when you can look forward to meal prep, using spices and fresh herbs to jazz up entrees; a hearty salad and maybe even good carbs (whole wheat pasta, beans or legumes or long-grain rice.) Soup with a small amount of starch is always a good lunch choice, and Focus28 soups are high in protein.  Shakes are a treat that provide you with the protein and fiber “filler” during the day. Changing the way you think about food is the first step to sustained weight loss. There really are things to love in life besides food. Try out my food philosophy and see if it helps you, too! Once you’ve established a new relationship with food, don’t let anything sabotage it- including yourself. It’s not fair to the part of you that really wants to achieve your weight goals. And I believe in that part of you!

Is it possible to burn calories when you sleep? Yes.

As dieters, we’re all trying to increase our metabolism and burn more calories, so why not do it in our sleep? While dreaming about exercise might help us psychologically, that’s not what we’re talking about. You can effectively make your workouts and protein diet go the distance while you’re fast asleep.

Here are some pointers for daytime rituals that will help you burn calories at midnight:

1. Utilize the Focus28  Iso-Towel Workout to build your muscles. Basic muscle isolation techniques are used to engage a muscle with your own strength & body weight. Get the same workout you would in a gym without the heavy weights. Strengthen your core muscles and create new lean muscle tissue. One pound of muscle burns on average about 50 calories per one day/night, while one pound of fat burns only nine calories.
2. Workout before bed. The average metabolic rate naturally decreases by about 15% when we sleep, but an end-of-day workout makes the drop closer to 5%. Every little bit counts!
3. Avoid carbohydrates for at least 4 hours before bed. When the body is low on carbs, it uses calories to burn fat for energy. If you don’t have carbs in your system at bedtime, your body will burn more calories & fat for energy.
4. Drink green tea before “lights out.” Green tea is known to increase metabolism, which helps burn more calories.
5. Make sure to meditate or relax before you sleep. Relaxing causes cortisol levels to drop, which leads to an increase in calorie-burning.
6. Keep a glass of water at your bedside. When you wake up in the morning, water will wash away any toxins left in your body and start you off “fresh” for the day.

A great breakfast from the Focus28 menu will energize your body for the day ahead. Be sure to check out all of your hot cake, omelet, oatmeal and crunchy cereal options!

Healthy Tailgating Ideas

Despite pocketed heat waves across the country, you can feel it right?  It’s football season!  Whether you’re glued to the tube all weekend for collegiate and pro games or become a pigskin widow — there’s the food.  And man, tailgating food can really be the devil of your diet.  But, if you plan ahead and prepare  healthy  options you can stick with your diet when you bring healthy dishes to your next tailgate.

And really, tailgating is more about socializing than it is the food.  Or is it?  Sure.  No need to eat a whole pan of brownies just because they are there.  Grab some will power, remember WHY you’re on a fitness plan and bring these great ideas this weekend.

First, let’s chat about the main dish.  Typically we’d grill some burgers and hot dogs.  Well, your tastes have grown just as much as you have.  Let’s swap out those greasy burgers for some healthier options:

Main Dish Swap

- Instead of a greasy burger, have a grilled chicken breast.  Season with spices as you like.
- Have a turkey brat.  These can still be boiled in beer ahead of time and drizzled with mustard and grilled veggies.
- Create a hearty vegetable soup instead of chili.

When choosing a bun for your sandwich choose a whole wheat bun over traditional white buns.  Another great idea is the sandwich thins which come in both round – for burgers and deli sandwiches and a hot dog / brat version.

Now, if you’re bringing sides, you can stay away from the chips and heavy dips and mayo-based salads.  Despite how we were brought up there is no rule that says mayonnaise needs to be apart of a tailgate.  So what can you do?

Healthy Tailgate Side Dish Ideas
- Make some salsa – all those fresh veggies dipped in a baked corn chip is delish!
- Hummus with pita chips for some extra crunch.
- Tomato Cucumber Salad in a vinaigrette dressing
- Grilled Pineapple will go amazingly with the chicken you’ll prepare.
- Grilled Veggies or Veggie Tray

Have you seen your tailgate in a whole new light?  What will you bring to your next tailgate?

Let’s see where you fit in.  You’ve recently started your fitness and weight loss program, you’ve hit a plateau or you’re having a bad day.  Amazing how those are the times when motivation seems to slip past you like sand between your fingers.  And isn’t that exactly when you NEED the motivation to push you forward?

So you slack off or give up all together.  You forget to work out or eat that left over piece of birthday cake in the work lunchroom.  And POOF your jeans a little tighter and it’s a little more difficult to climb the two flights of stairs to accounting.  And all of a sudden you’re back to thinking about weight loss again.  The tight pants are motivation to eat more veggies tonight or choose lean meat over the pasta dish.

Let’s talk about some tips to keep you motivated before you get to the tight jeans stage.

Why
Why do you want to take off the pounds?  I’m sure there is more than one reason – but maybe there is one BIG reason.  Write down your reasons.  Put them somewhere you will read them often – bathroom mirror, work office drawer maybe your wallet.

Schedule
When weight loss isn’t a priority it often gets placed at the bottom of your to-do list.  Schedule your workouts.  Plan your meals.  Create an environment where weight loss takes center stage.

Do It When You Don’t Want To
Let’s face it, there will be days when you just aren’t feeling it.  Now, if you’re sick, that’s a different story.  But when you’re feeling sluggish that’s exactly the time you need to take a brisk walk or other workout.  You’ll feel amazingly different post workout.

Think these tips will help you?  What do you do to stay on track?

Are you like most Americans?  You just want to surround yourself with convenience.  From drive-up windows at your local pharmacy to your diet, you just want to make it fast and convenient.  You may even be one of those people who have bought into energy bars.  But what are you really getting?

Energy bars have promised to give you energy, build muscle, fight sleep and even lose weight and they’re selling like hotcakes. According to Dietitian’s Edge sales of Energy Bars have enjoyed a $700 million sales success.  Does that success translate to your smaller waist line?

Outside of the flashy packaging and the great marketing hype what ARE you eating?  Have you read the label?  Or did you get caught up in the commericals like a kid before Christmas?  Have you SEEN the sugar and oil in these bars?

And, have you read the ingredients?  What is behind the ingredients like: gelatin, hydrolyzed collagen or hydrolyzed gelatin?  These are not complete proteins as they lack essential amino acids.  Products containing these ingredients are inferior to products that do not have these ingredients.
 

If you’re looking for the best kind of bar – look for energy bars and protein bars that contain whey or casein protein or even a blend of both.  These proteins contain the essential amino acids your muscles need.  

As you read that label be wary of “health” bars containing high fructose corn syrup.  While high fructose corn syrup can immediately satisfy an energy depletion, unfortunately it is quickly metabolized and you end up being hungry again quickly possibily forcing you to consume more calories.

When you do choose a bar look for ingredients that contain ingredients you can pronounce and know what they are and that have no more than five ingredients.  Stay healthy and natural!

Did you grab an energy bar today?  And did read the label after reading this.  Are you surprised?  Tell us.

5 Best Summer Foods for Weight Loss

It”s hot out.  The dog days of summer.  But don’t slack off on your weight loss goals.  Here are some great ideas for foods you can eat this summer.

1.  Soups
Soups are great and you can fill them full of the summers best fresh veggies!

2. Watermelon
Sweet, juicy summer time treat.  Zaps thirst and man-handles those sweet cravings.

3. Grilled Veggies
Don’t cut up too small but oh so delicious!  Have with some hummus tonight.

4.  Salads
Salads are great, especially in the summer.  But beware the dressings you use.  A particular fast food restaurant serves a dressing that has 250 calories, 24 fat grams and 9 carbs!  That doesn’t even include the salad yet!  Also be  wary of low fat varieties as they often substitute sugars to compensate for the loss of fat.

5. Low Calorie Drinks
Don’t be fooled by all the new smoothies popping up out there. Sure they have fruit.  Sure they may contain some yogurt.  But have you seen the  labels on them?  Sugary!  Instead go for sugar-free ice cold drinks.

These are five easy ways to reshape your food this summer while re-shaping you.

Have a good grilled veggie recipe or a low-cal drink.  Share with us!  We want to hear from you!