Happy Weight Loss Wednesday!
HELLO FEBRUARY! Can you believe January has come and gone? For those of you who have remained true to your goals (and there are sooooo many of you) I am beyond thrilled and excited for you. It’s a tough time of year but it’s also the most important when it comes to weight loss. In a blink, February has arrived and what a short month it is. With Valentine’s Day around the corner and only 23 days left in the month I can assure you March will arrive even faster than February, and for those of you who have not stayed true will say “What was I thinking?” and “How did this happen?” I think it’s fair to say – life has proved that it can happen so quickly and if you are not moving and thinking and planning, it will pass you by and you won’t even know what you did in the time it was passing.
Whether you are a football fan or not, this Sunday is one of the biggest sporting events of the year. It has something for everyone – the biggest game of the year, popular musical performances, and entertaining commercials all wrapped into one afternoon that is celebrated at the Super Bowl Party. Infamous for its notoriously unhealthy finger foods, Super Bowl parties can be hard to navigate when you are trying to eat healthy. Even if you couldn’t care less about the game, when we are faced with tantalizing treats and junk food, we can’t help but be tempted. If you find yourself hosting or attending a Super Bowl party this weekend, you will find yourself faced with difficult decisions. Here are two ways to handle it:
1) Make it your Cheat Day! Kick back and enjoy the game, the party, the food and your loved ones. But remember to get right back on program 110% on Monday. No eating leftovers!
OR
2) Stay clean! It may seem easy now, but things can quickly fall to pieces when you are wrapped up in the excitement of the game, or bored by the sport and looking for food to entertain you. If you make the decision to eat healthy tomorrow, stick to it and plan now.
Here are some healthy game time tips for this weekend:
1) Whether you are watching the game or more interested in the commercials, take some time to get up and move when there is a pause in the game or you want a break from the television. Get up and make your way around the party to socialize or just go for a good stretch.
2) Avoid eating absentmindedly. Whether you are eating clean or cheating, eat with intention. Beware not to eat out of boredom or because food is just sitting right in front of you. Try and find a place to watch from that isn’t within arms reach of any food if possible.
3) Start small. You’re going to be there a while, so there’s no reason to get ahead of yourself and load up on food and drink right away. If you are cheating, eat what you want to eat – don’t stuff yourself until you are sick just because it is there. If you are eating clean – stick to your meal and snack plan like any other day. Remember: it doesn’t always have to be about the food. The same goes for drinks: take it slow with alcohol and be sure to hydrate with water.
4) The best way to ensure that there will be a healthy option available to you is to provide one yourself. You can reach for your favorite Innovation meals and snacks such as Chicken Wings, Turkey Taco, Beef Stew, Turkey Chili, Pizza and more to nosh on during the game. Or, you can try one of these healthy swaps for some Super Bowl favorites:
Veggie Chips, instead of potato chips
1. Select your vegetable of choice, such as zucchini or beets, or even broccoli or green beans – anything that can be baked to be crispy and crunchy. Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Clean and chop or slice the veggies into bite sized pieces. Use a paper towel to blot the veggies to be as dry as possible.
3. Place veggies in a bowl with a drizzle of oil, salt, pepper and any other dry seasonings of your choice such as garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, etc. Toss the veggies to coat them.
4. Spray baking pan with cooking spray and lay out the veggies in one layer.
5. Bake for 10-15 minutes then rotate the pan and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until edges start to brown. Remove from oven and let them cool before enjoying. Have them plain or you can dip in hummus or guacamole.
Sweet Potato Skins, instead of loaded potato skins
1. Position oven rack in the top of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Bake sweet potatoes (number of potatoes depends on your needs) until fork tender, about 40-50 minutes. Let them cool completely.
2. Cut the potatoes lengthwise and scoop out some of the flesh. Cut each piece in half.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Arrange potato skins (skin side down) on the baking sheet. Brush with oil and bake for about 20-30 minutes (until potatoes are slightly browned).
4. Remove pan from oven. (Optional: sprinkle skins with light cheese and put back in the oven for a few minutes to melt cheese)
5. Let cool. Serve with toppings such as chives, onions, tomato, peppers, salsa, cilantro, and/or other dry seasonings.
Buffalo Cauliflower, instead of fried chicken wings
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Mix 2 tsps garlic powder, a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, 1 tbsp oil, and 3/4 cup hot sauce in a small bowl.
3. Add 6 cups fresh cauliflower into a large gallon-sized bag, pour the sauce into the bag. Shake until the cauliflower florets are fully coated. Spread on a baking sheet.
4. Bake for 20 minutes.
Flavored Popcorn, instead of party mix
1. Microwave a bag of low fat popcorn, or use a bag of Skinny Pop Sea Salt Popcorn. Place in a bowl and top with dry seasoning of your choice such as:
~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick
Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness
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I wanted to start you on the right path the week with some Motivation and Inspiration. Look at Susan Golden’s before and after and listen to her podcast. Susan is just another example that when you follow the Innovation Weight Loss Program you will lose weight and feel great. In fact, Susan tells you in the podcast how she was once a person who worked out all the time and could never lose a pound. It was only after she could no longer work out that she joined the Innovation program because she was afraid of gaining weight and what happened to her was beyond her expectation. Susan lost 20 pounds and changed her life.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS: The holidays are here and many are getting ready to celebrate and others vacate. Whatever you are doing or where you are going, I want you to keep in mind some very important things. As you know I always say planning is a big part of your success. The best way to plan is to do it the day before so you know what you are doing and/or where you are eating the day of. If you know that your lunch and dinner will be too far apart make sure to have a snack in between. In order to have a snack you need to have access to one. You don’t want to get to the point of being over hungry because then you will lose control and not be able to come back from it. This is a very difficult time of year for weight loss and you can make it less difficult if you plan accordingly.
LOSE WEIGHT: You can stay on your course of eating clean 6 days and save everything you see on vacation throughout the week for your Cheat Day. If you do this try and save the Cheat Day for the last day you are there – this way you look and feel amazing all week and you can see the things throughout the week that you would like to have on your Cheat Day.
MAINTAIN: Have a Cheat meal, a dessert or drinks each day. You can’t do all three, it has to be one of the three if you are having a Cheat everyday. This will help you maintain. It teaches you that you can enjoy but you just can’t treat everyday like a full Cheat Day.
LOSE WEIGHT: With two back to back holidays in one week [Christmas eve – Christmas Day] and [New Years Eve – New Years Day], you have the choice of picking one each week and having your one Cheat Day a week. If you do that you will continue to stay on your path and lose weight. Sometimes it’s easier to continue what you know and what you feel comfortable with. For those who do not celebrate both it’s an easier decision, but for those who do celebrate both you should think about maintaining…
Are you ready for one of the biggest Holiday Weekends of the year? Did you know that a majority of people who do not watch what they are eating – or those who do not plan for this weekend – will gain anywhere from 7-10lbs. Sounds unbelievable but I have seen it first hand and it’s all too true. What is even worse is it’s on foods that they claim to not even like or need. Here are some tips so that doesn’t happen to you:
We are now on UBER EATS 7 days a week for your convenience