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FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle
February 26, 2018By Josephine Fitzpatrick

BACK TO LIFE, BACK TO REALITY!!

 

Welcome Back Innovation Clients! While many were off in bliss, others were off getting bloated – or both in bliss and bloat! Wherever you were and however you came home it’s time to get back to real life – and that’s always a good thing. Listen, vacation wouldn’t be a vacation if you didn’t have real life to come back to. It’s the in between that makes the vacation so much fun! Now you are back and it’s time to get back into real life and back on program 110% because you know that’s how you feel your best. When you are eating clean and doing all the right things you feel it inside and out. Start today working back to that lighter, healthier in control feeling. No doubt today will be hard in many areas of your life. Reality is not always fun. But in one day you will feel better, in a couple of days you will feel good and by the weekend you will feel amazing and ready for your next Cheat Day!

 

KEEP IT SIMPLE 
NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE OR WHAT YOU ARE WORKING FOR
HARD WORK = RESULTS

 

Work hard, play hard: Work Hard = results & feeling good!

Think about this past week whether you were on vacation or home – how did you feel? Did you work hard to get to where you want to be and felt amazing? Or did you wish you would have been in a better place? Do you wish you would have worked harder and followed stricter? You see when it comes to weight loss, the closer you follow the more you lose. So when you do the right things that’s when good things and great changes happen.

 

THE BEST WAY TO GET RIGHT BACK ON TRACK: 

 

1) Go back to your menu! That’s right, go back to your meals and snacks and stop looking for things to be exciting. Pick one of your snacks a day that you look forward to and promise yourself that if your day is 110% then you will have that last on program snack. Whether it’s the chocolate nuts, or a glass of wine. Have something that you look forward to just like you look forward to your Cheat Day at the end of the week – look forward to a snack each day. That one thing will keep your day clean just like the Cheat Day keeps your week clean.

 

2)  From More to Less: Remember going from eating more on vacation to less than your body needs is going to feel like a little torture the first week back. This is when your mental power needs to set in and you talk to yourself everyday reminding yourself what your goal is and how good you feel when you follow and stay on program. Remind yourself that while it will feel really hard it will get easier and you will FEEL BETTER both mentally and physically by the end of the week. Remind yourself that the Cheat Day only works and is only worth it when the other 6 days are 110% on program.

 

3) Have a reason, have a goal! Why is this important to you? Is it your health – the way you feel – the way you look. It doesn’t matter as long as it’s import to you. If it’s important to you then you will do whatever you have to in order to get there. Do you have a trip for spring break? Do you want to wear a bathing suit this summer – NO COVER UPS? NO KEEPING YOUR SHIRT ON AT THE BEACH! At the end of the day, no one can do this but you. So it has to be important to you.

 

4)  Have a specific goal, long term and short term: If you are 147 and want to be 110 don’t look at the entire weight that you have to lose. It’s too over whelming. Start with the short term, that you want to get to the 130’s. It’s easier to focus on and you know while it’s not the true goal you will still be beyond thrilled when you see it. When you reach 139.9 your next goal is 120’s, and so on. It gives you realistic expectations that are very doable in a faster pace. You will feel like you are reaching your goals quicker. And at the same time it’s taking you to your long term goal which might be losing 40 lbs or being ready for an event in the Fall.

 

5) Have a Vision: Know what you want and take a few minutes everyday to visualize yourself in that position. Reminding yourself everyday and visualizing what you want and how you want to look and feel is an important part of reaching your goals. Our brains are so strong. When you keep telling yourself what you want and that you can do it – you will believe it. Visualize how you want to look and what you want to wear. Think about yourself on the beach this summer or in a specific outfit when you are attending a special event. Stay focused on anything that will keep you motivated.

 

6) Keep it Positive: I have said it over and over that you need to be positive. Don’t focus on what you don’t want – ONLY focus on what you do want and what you will look like – it’s a key to any success. Don’t follow the negative or the negative people. There are plenty of people who don’t want to put the work in and who don’t want you to either. You leave them to their own misery and don’t fall prey to misery loves company. Stay strong and stay positive and you will overcome. Positive thinking will take you twice the distance as negative thinking. “I will do this! I want this!! I can’t wait to wear that!!! When my jacket comes off this spring I will feel amazing! I love feeling healthy!! I am not afraid to go to the doctor and see my numbers, I’m actually excited to see and hear the results of my blood work!”

 

7) People don’t become successful by accident: Always remember that no one is successful by accident. 99.9 % of people who have success in their life work for it day and night. Whether that success is in your family, friends, work, weight loss, health… to have the very best and be the best – you need to work at it, think about it, plan for it and keep working at it. It takes dedication, it take perseverance and more than anything it takes want.

 

SHARKS ARE UP AT 4AM – WHILE THE SNAILS ARE WAKING UP AT 8AM – AND THE SLUGS ARE UP AT NOON.

 

FINAL THOUGHTS: It’s easy to give up, it’s easy to gain, it’s easy to blame, and it’s easy to make excuses – any one of us can do any of those things. But none will make you happy. Just because your vacation is over – your life isn’t. Keep working hard everyday for what you want because that’s how you will see continued results and that’s when you feel your best. Work hard =happy; Plan = happy; Feel amazing = happy; Clothes fit = happy; Results = happy! If you want to be happy, put the time and work in like everyone else. It all comes down to what you want and how much you want it and how hard you are willing to work for it. Always remember in order to really enjoy the playing you have to make sure you have the work in – and this goes for every area of your life not just weight loss and health. At the end of the day, we are in control of what we want and what we are willing to work for. If you want to be amazing – be amazing! If you want to feel fabulous – then work for it and feel fabulous! If you want to be happy then work hard at what will make you happy. We are all very lucky because in almost every area of our life we have the ability to work hard to get what we want. Don’t look back in a month or three months and say I should have, I could have – why didn’t I?

 

THERE ARE ONLY 24 HOURS IN A DAY
USE THEM TO WORK HARD FOR WHAT YOU WANT
MAKE SURE YOU ARE NOT WASTING ONE SECOND ON BEING ANYTHING BUT
LOVING, CARING, POSITIVE AND MOTIVATED!

 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness
8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797
211 E 43rd Street Manhattan, NY 10017
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FitnessHealthy TipsLifestylePodcast
August 14, 2017By Josephine Fitzpatrick

New Podcast Featuring Bonnie

 

Bonnie Katz Podcast Interview: Stay On Your Path In Every Season

 

When it comes to summer and weight loss – August is right up there with the most challenging months. It’s easy to want to put your weight loss on hold when there are only a couple of weeks of summer left. Whether you are getting ready for school, the last of summer vacations, or the feeling of wanting to celebrate one last time. Take a moment and think about how hard you have worked to continue to lose weight or maintain this summer. You do not want to throw it all away because of a couple of challenging weeks ahead.

 

Before you decide to put your weight loss on hold until September I want you to listen to Bonnie’s inspirational podcast. She started two summers ago and she talks about how she lives the program no matter what season it is. Her motivation just might make you realize how important it is to stay on your path.

 

Do the things in life that make you sooooo happy 
that when others look at you they become happy too

 

Like Bonnie Does!
 
Living the Innovation Program makes Bonnie happy
and it show in how she looks and how she feels!
 
We are so proud of you Bonnie.  You look absolutely amazing!!!!
 
Listen to Bonnie’s Interview by clicking HERE
 
Bonnie loves the way she lives and lives the way she loves

 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness
8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797
211 E 43rd Street Manhattan, NY 10019
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FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle
May 10, 2017By Josephine Fitzpatrick

Your Path Can Take You To Great Places

You know what the best thing is about the Innovation program? You can literally go back on and follow your menu and within a couple of days you already feel lighter and healthier. You instantly get that self control back and you know that if you stay on, then in just a couple of weeks you will lose weight and feel great again. Sometimes the problem isn’t how to lose the weight but it’s how to stop falling into the temptations of life around you and gain the weight.

 

You have insecurities and doubts on your heels at all times just ready to take you down and wipe away any success that you have worked hard for. The temptations and excuses are always there so that anytime they can sway you from doing good to bad. Your doubts and anxiety are there because life is hard and it’s just so much easier to give in then to work hard everyday and do the right thing. But you always have to remind yourself – is that what you want? Yes, it’s easy to give in – but only after you give in and you find yourself in the place of uncomfortable misery of being bloated, thick and over weight is when you realize it’s not easy anymore. In fact, now you made it harder than it was before. You see, the truth is when we are hungry we want to believe that eating more will make it better. But it does’t. It will just make you look for the next thing and the next thing. You think that you will just go off and then go right back on. But reality is there is no “off” and “on” there is only “six” and “one”. Six is to stay on program and be the best you can be. Stay mindful, make the right choices, lose weight and when temptation hits and the little devil on your shoulder tells you to do the wrong thing that is when you have to be the strongest – you need to be a SHARK. It’s at that time that you have to remind yourself that it’s not the food that you want. What you want is to fit in your bathing suit this summer and go to the beach without feeling like you wish you were someone else.

 

LIFE IS EASIER ON PROGRAM: Everyone has social lives and everyone goes out all weekend. Kids, family, friends, holidays. Everyone can come up with at least 3 different days on the weekend to Cheat. But not everyone does. The clients who are successful keep it to one day. No matter what – it’s one day off. There is no difference from you and all the clients that have had so much success. They are just like you – yet they do it. It’s that important to them. When temptation came they fought hard and got passed it.  They Cheat one day a week and do not find reasons why they deserve more. They don’t give in. They know what is important to them and it’s not the food on the table. They know eating off program is not the answer to their happiness. That doesn’t mean it’s not hard. Life is hard and success is harder. But they fight for what they want and they stick to it and stay on the healthy path. They know that if they see something they really want they will save it for their Cheat Day. They don’t think maybe – should I Cheat? They just don’t Cheat. It’s six days on program and one day off. Because they know and have learned that when they live like this and stick to it is when the cravings go away, the struggle is gone and the Innovation program has become their healthy way of life that they love to live.

 

THE EASIEST WAY TO LOSE THE WEIGHT IS TO STAY ON PROGRAM

 

YOUR PATH TO SUCCESS: You need to fight for what you want and only when you fight and you don’t let anything in your way is when you will get it. AND ALWAYS remember you are sticking to your program and doing the right things because IT MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD, IT MAKES YOU HAPPY,  AND IT MAKES YOU  LOOK AMAZING. The consistency of being on program is what gets rid of cravings, it gets rid of the struggle and life becomes easier. Living “six” on and “one” off is what makes you feel good AND it makes you happy. Why fight it. Just do it! There is no excuse you can find around you and no food on the table that is better than feeling good, being in control being happy and looking great. Walk away from temptation and stay on your path. Because staying on your path is what will lead you to success both mentally and physically. Don’t make it harder than it is. Just follow your program and you will feel great.

 

STAY ON YOUR PATH 

 IT WILL TAKE YOU TO GREAT PLACES

 

JUST LIKE ALLISON
She has reached her goal and we are super proud of her!!!!
But Allison has also made the Innovation program a way of life.
She fuels her body for health, energy and weight loss during the week and enjoys her Cheat Day

She lives Innovation Healthy everyday and it shows!!!

 

CONGRATULATIONS ALLISON
YOU LOOK ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!!
ALLISON LOVES THE LIFE SHE LIVES AND LIVES THE LIFE SHE LOVES!

 

  

 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness
8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797
211 E 43rd Street Manhattan, NY 10019
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FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle
April 24, 2017By Josephine Fitzpatrick

Monday – I’m Ready For You!

If the weekend has caught up to you and you are having a hard time facing Monday, I want you think of one thing: The faster you get your body and mind back on program, the faster you will feel human again, and the faster you will feel lighter again and the faster you will feel in control again. Weekends are hard for many reasons – but most of all you lose control of your food and your schedule. Monday put us right back to reality – but they are also amazing because it gives you a chance to get back on track and in control of everything that is important to us. Summer is around the corner so every day counts with where you want to be right now and how quickly you want to move forward. I can’t say it enough – you don’t want to waste any time doing the wrong things. Make every day count toward where you want to be this summer.

 

WHAT IS ON YOUR MENU TODAY?

 

Are you ready for a great weight loss week? Have you planned your meals and snacks? If you want to be a shark this week and get the very most out of your weight loss efforts then planning your days are #1!  Here is a great trick to help you achieve your the best numbers this week! Take a piece of paper, a small notebook or write it on your “notes” in your smart phone. Write down exactly what you plan on eating today and repeat it every morning. Or do it the night before. Here is an example:

 

Monday 4/24/17
Breakfast: Bar
Lunch: PB Bites
Dinner: Grilled chicken and 2 cups of steamed vegetables 
Snack #1 – apple
Snack #2 – skinny popcorn
Snack #3 – Innovation nuts
EXTRAS:
*Had bite of hubby’s lasagna
*1 extra cups of sautéed vegetables

 

As the day goes on cross off what you ate. If you add anything write it on the bottom of the page under “EXTRAS”. This way you know how well you stuck to your plan and if you added anything in you weren’t planning on. By the end of the day you will see if you had a Weight Loss day because you followed exactly what you planned OR a Maintain Day (added some healthy unexpected choices) OR a Weight Gain Day (added unhealthy unexpected choices in). This doesn’t only give you your own accountability each day but at the end of the week you need to look back and add up all your “extras” from each day. You might really learn more about your eating habits then you thought.

 

The reason this works so well is because it’s really important to be accountable to yourself. It’s so easy to remember ONLY what we want to remember and just like it’s easy to FORGET what we want to forget. This helps you be accountable to what you “really” ate in a day vs. what you remember you ate. Only you will know if you write it all down and if you find yourself making excuses for not writing the “extras” – you will also know that you are only hurting yourself. If you don’t write it, then you don’t own it and then you can never change it. This exercise is important because until you can be truthful with what you are doing you will never get to where you want to be. The first week might even be a little tough to handle. When you realize that you have all these little “extras” – a couple of french fries, a few olives, a couple of cookies, a few bites here and there… the list can go on and on. One week of a lot of little “extras” can make the difference between you losing and maintaining. Write it – Own it and Change it!

 

Weight loss is a game. You are either going to play it really well and win or it’s going to beat you every time.
The winners are the ones who learn that this is a game of YOU against YOU!
And you need be accountable for everything that you put in your mouth and that everything you eat really does matter.

 

.
You need to be a little hungry and you need to understand that the reason you are eating clean is so you live longer.  
The reason you are eating less during the week is so that you can enjoy your one Cheat Day once a week.
The reason that you eat less and clean for six days straight is so that you see the weight loss every week! 

 

Keep it simple – follow the rules and you will win the game.   

 

You will be able to read more about WINNING THE WEIGHT LOSS GAME
In my new book coming out this summer 2017
CHEAT DAY RULES!  
How to Win at the Weight Loss Game At Last 
A Health and Wellness Book for those who
Finally want to win the weight loss game. 

 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness
8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797
211 E 43rd Street Manhattan, NY 10019
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FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle
April 17, 2017By Josephine Fitzpatrick

Summer is Coming!

We made it through another Holiday and now our focus should be strictly on Memorial Day and the start of Summer. We have 6 WEEKS until Memorial Day and approximately 10 WEEKS until the FIRST DAY OF SUMMER. Summer shorts, bathing suits, dresses and wearing them to the beaches, BBQ and vacations. 10 Weeks is a long time and a lot can be done. But just like any other time of the year, you have to focus and decide what you want and what you will do to get there.

 

NO MORE HIDING: There is one thing about summer – regardless of how much weight you gained, you are not hiding under clothes anymore. Summer makes you put out there what you have done. Good or bad it’s for all to see. This is the time – right now – to make a difference.

 

LONG TERM: One of the things I notice so many people do is they think long term. Which is great when you are planning your savings account but not for your weight loss. It’s too overwhelming. You think – “I can’t eat like this forever” or “It will take me so long to lose the weight”. Instead you should be thinking short term and follow your menu and lose the weight. Don’t think about long term because as you lose the weight your thoughts and body change. You physically need less and will want less but right now every day is a struggle. Your body is used to doing what it wants and now you are training it to do what you say. Just take it day by day and you will see the changes and that will make you motivated to keep going. We can all do the right things to make sure we end up in the place we want. But in order to do it you have to be willing to put your words into actions. It’s easy to say it – now you have to prove it and you have 6-10 weeks to do it.

 

WHAT CAN 10 WEEKS GET YOU? A LOT!

 

You know how I love to break down the numbers because sometimes when you see what each week can get you it makes it real. What happens in our crazy life is we are so busy that the days and weeks pass by so quickly we don’t spend them as wisely as we should. It’s all about multi-tasking. While you are working at home or the office; while you are planning parties, or events; while you are taking the kids to school, sports, and end of the year celebrations; and while you are planning your next trip. Whatever you are spending your time on in the next 10 weeks you should also be eating clean, eating healthy and losing weight. It’s that simple. You need to do it – you want to do it – so stop making excuses and make it happen. If you do – this is what you can accomplish in 10 weeks:

 

1 lb a week   =   6 lbs by Memorial Day
1 lb a week   = 10 lbs by First Day of Summer

 

* This is so beyond doable.  Follow your menu with your meals and snacks and have your ONE cheat day a week and you will absolutely lose 1 lb a week resulting in 6 lbs by Memorial Day or 10 lbs by Summer! Consistency is key – if you want to get off that roller coaster ride then do it every week and it will add up.

 

2 lbs a week = 12 lbs by Memorial Day   
2 lbs a week = 20 lbs by First day of Summer

 

*Still very doable.  Follow your menu of meals and snacks and simply cut out a snack when you don’t need it. The current menu that you have that you are following, either take it back one snack a day or one less snack every other day. It’s usually that snack that you know you don’t really need but have it anyway – get rid of it and it will change the numbers. Make sure everything else is 110% to menu consistently through the week!

 

3 lbs a week =  18 lbs by Memorial Day
3 lbs a week =  30 lbs by First day of Summer 

 

*Challenging but doable. This requires your meals and one snack a day and no mistakes at any time. It requires you to follow and do the right things for the next 6 or 10 weeks without fail. You need to feel a little hungry everyday. Not starving but hungry. One Cheat Day a week and your other 6 days super super clean with no bites, sips or crumbs. You need to be mentally strong and on program and this has to be the most important thing to you at all times. If you treat the program like it’s a job that you want to be amazing at then you will see this kind of amazing loss every week.

 

I can’t say it enough that the most important thing for you to do is if you have been amazing then continue on your path and be amazing and keep making the fabulous healthy and happy changes you have been making  to your mind and body.  AND if you haven’t been great OR even a little terrible then get back on program and don’t look back. You need to get the new weight off very quickly before it becomes old weight. If you want to make serious changes it can happen in as little as 6 weeks. But it takes you being consistent every week. You have to keep doing the right things over and over again. Yes it’s easy to do the right things for a day or two but in order to see the scale move and keep moving means you have to do the right thing all the time. Doing the right things Day after Day and even having your ONE Cheat Day a week is doing the right thing. IF YOU FOLLOW YOUR PROGRAM AND STAY ON YOUR PROGRAM it will take you to awesomeness!

 

IF YOU WANT TO BE AMAZING EVERYDAY

  YOU HAVE TO ACT AMAZING EVERYDAY

 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness
8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797
211 E 43rd Street Manhattan, NY 10019
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FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle
April 15, 2017By Josephine Fitzpatrick

Easter Weekend Tips and Recipes

Easter weekend is here! Like most holidays, the celebration can last several days so make sure you are prepared. It would be easy to snack on chocolate and jelly beans all weekend but you have to stay strong and save it for just your Cheat Day. Remember – even bite sized candy counts. Even if you just have one, every piece counts. No exceptions!

 

Focus on all the fun activities you can take part in this weekend, like going to a Spring Fair. They can offer everything from Easter egg hunting to arts and crafts, games for kids, parades, petting zoos, pictures with the Easter bunny and more. Some of them in New York are hosted at museums so you can make a day of it. Even if you stay in and hunt for eggs at home it’s a great way to be active and have fun with your family. 

 

If you are about to have your Cheat Day – enjoy! If you are staying on program today or tomorrow or the whole weekend, here are some festive recipes for the holiday. 

 

Easter Vegetable Platter with Hummus

 

 

Nothing easier or safer to bring to someone’s house than a vegetable platter! These two above are adorable ones you can try and most of these vegetables you can get pre cut and washed from the supermarket.

 

Take a variety of vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, edamame and celery which are all great options! You can arrange them into a fun shape such as an Easter Egg or a Carrot as seen below. 

 

A great pairing with this would be hummus. Here is a great easy Springy take on hummus that you could try below

 

Lemon Garlic Hummus

 

 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed really well

1 small clove of garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp tahini

Juice from 1 large lemon, about 1/4 cup

3 tbsp water

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard

1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

 

Directions:

Add all ingredients, except for oil, to a food processor and blend. Slowly stream in the oil and continue to blend for 3 minutes until very smooth.

Serving size: 1 cup of vegetables with 1/4 cup hummus is 1 snack

 

Frozen Yogurt Egg Pops

 

This super easy recipe will make a yummy treat or breakfast that even your kids will love. 

You will need the following, quantities depend on how many you would like to make.

Plastic Easter Eggs

Plain, vanilla or fruit regular non fat yogurt

Fresh or frozen fruit of your choice

Plastic ziplock bag

Piping tip

Lollipop sticks

Egg carton

 

  • Start by washing the plastic eggs, then make a hole on the bottom of each egg that will fit the lollipop sticks. 
  • Cut the tip off the ziplock bag and add the piping tip, then fill the bag with your yogurt. Fill each egg with yogurt through the hole you created, or you can open the egg and fill it halfway and add a piece of fruit in the middle. 
  • Place the filled eggs in the egg carton and freeze. 2 eggs are a snack. 

 

Easter Fruit Kebabs

 

 

Ingredients:

4 large watermelon slices, 1 inch think

4 pineapple slices, 1 inch thick

strawberries

grapes

melon

wooden skewers

easter cookie cutters

Directions:

 

Cut your fruit into assorted shapes with cookie cutter. After the fruit has been cut decorate a wooden skewer with various fruits.

-These fruits are just some of our suggestions, you can use others that you like. 1 kebab is a snack. 

 

Avocado Toast

1/2 an avocado on 1 slice whole wheat toast is a great breakfast, here are some unexpected ways to mix it up for Spring.

 

Cucumber, red peppers flakes and lime juice

 

Roasted artichoke, radish, dill and lemon

 

Spice it up with Sriracha, jalapeño or chili flakes

 

Kale sprouts, sea salt and turmeric 

 

Wishing everyone a Happy Easter and we hope you enjoy the beautiful weather!

 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness

8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797

211 E 43rd Street Manhattan, NY 10019

 

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April 13, 2017By Josephine Fitzpatrick

Where Are You and What Are You Doing?

I have received many emails and text messages today from those of you who thought or hoped they would do better than they have been doing. I want you all to think for a moment about where you are right now. Are you in a good place both mentally and physically? If you have been a Shark or even a Snail this week then continue on and continue to be amazing! If you have been struggling or frustrated with what the week has become for you – stop beating yourself up and finish out the week strong.

 

Many clients have celebrated the First Seder and found themselves falling prey to temptations around the table. Other clients are away and indulging in temptations that surround the beach, some are eating Easter bunnies before their time. What you have to do is just stop for a moment. Think about what you have done and where do you want to go AND ALWAYS STAY WITH THE POSITIVE THOUGHTS:

 

Whatever has happened between Sunday and yesterday can’t be changed. What can be changed is what you do from Today until this coming Sunday – MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Whether you are home or at the beach, go right back on program. Have your clean meals and snacks. Remember that right now, today, tomorrow and the next day are about being happy! Not about what you can and can’t eat. Do what is going to make you happy.

 

Don’t throw the rest of the week away because you have Easter on Sunday or because you are going out this weekend. It’s better to salvage the next couple of days and then have a Cheat Night. You will feel so much better if you are super clean Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Cheat on Sunday – if you are really good, clean and on program – you may even make this into a maintain week!

 

OF COURSE YOU FEEL HORRIBLE, YOU JUST CHEATED FOR MORE THAN ONE DAY – If you feel horrible, bloated and heavy the very worst thing you can do is prolong getting back on. Don’t do the – “I will go back Monday!” Do it right now. Yes, it will be hard because not only do you feel bloated, heavier and horrible but now you will feel hungry on top of it.  But I can promise you that if you get through the next couple of days on program – you will FEEL AMAZING BY SUNDAY! You may not be at your lowest numbers but you won’t feel like you do today. The longer you wait to go back on program – the harder it will be. Jump right back into your meals and snacks today and by the weekend you will be so happy you did.

 

Right now you can change your week from a Weight Gain to a Maintain. You may feel like you can’t, but I promise you if you go right back on 110% you will be amazed at how fast it comes off. It’s new weight and it will come right off if you go right back on program. You won’t lose weight but you will end the week where you started.

 

Stop focusing on the WHY DID I DO THIS AGAIN! This is all part of life. We have holidays and vacations and things that we want to celebrate and enjoy. You need to realize what is important – it’s not about you going off, it is about you going right back on. That’s the key here – the faster you go back the quicker you feel better. The faster you go back on – the faster the weight comes off. The longer you wait, the harder it is. Two or three days off doesn’t mean the whole week is gone. It just simply means you stopped, you enjoyed and now you pay the price and go back on 110%. And if you finish out the week amazing and enjoy a Cheat on the Weekend –  then you may even feel that sometimes the price is worth paying.

 

THINK POSITIVE – FEEL POSITIVE
AND POSITIVE THINGS WILL HAPPEN!

 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness
8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797
211 E 43rd Street Manhattan, NY 10019

 

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April 7, 2017By Josephine Fitzpatrick

Passover Week

This Monday April 10th marks the first night of Passover. This week long holiday is a celebration of freedom in the Jewish faith, with traditions including celebratory meals and symbolic foods and restrictions. This can be a tough time for many of us, trying to navigate the dietary changes, staying on program and also being faced with huge feasts. Many of you will choose one of the days this weekend as your Cheat Day, but as usual the celebrating will probably last for more than just one day. Now is the time to plan out your week, weekend and be ready to get back on track next week. Don’t let things surprise you – you should have your family dinners and holiday celebrations planned so there is no reason for you to be unprepared.

 

Some of us may be more restricted than others for the holiday, but it’s always possible find healthy and clean alternatives that fit into your Passover plans, such as these suggestions and recipes below.

 

MAINTAIN:

 

If you want to have a Cheat Meal on any of the nights of Passover then you must stay clean all day and only go off at night. If you choose this option you will have a Maintenance Week. All other days must be clean and on program. You can only do this if you give up your Cheat Day and replace it with cheat meals for the week.

 

Remember, when you go off at night it doesn’t mean you have to eat everything in sight. In fact, a great way to enjoy is to take a large spoonful of everything you like. This way you get to taste everything but you won’t over do it. Sometimes a taste is all you need to feel satisfied and not stuffed.

 

*If you are going away on a trip during the holiday week it might be best to plan to maintain to limit your confusion and stress. Many of us start a vacation with the best intentions but when we get there we can’t stay in control. Eat clean all day then treat yourself to one off meal, dessert OR drinks. If you do this you should give up your one Cheat Day and have only cheat meals throughout the week when you need them. REMEMBER: It’s a meal, dessert or drinks each day. Not all three. Choose what works for you and stick to it. You can still enjoy everything about your trip and be able to come back and get back on track. You can even switch it up each day and choose which option to cheat with (drinks one day, meal the next, etc.).

 

WEIGHT LOSS:

 

If you decide you want to keep this Passover Holiday a Weight Loss week then you must stick to only one day cheat day. On the remaining day(s) that you celebrate Passover you can incorporate some of the suggestions below to keep you on track and stay true to your holiday traditions.

 

Green Shakshuka

 

 

Shakshuka is a middle Eastern dish traditionally made with poached eggs in tomato sauce and spices. In this clean version, it features egg whites, onion, spinach and spices. Perfect breakfast option!

 

Ingredients:

•1 onion

•1 lb bag of spinach (fresh or frozen)

•1/2 tsp paprika

•1/2 tsp cinnamon

•1/2 tsp coriander

•2 tsp cumin

•Salt to taste

•1 tbsp oil

•Egg whites (depends on size of skillet)

 

1. Dice the onion.

2. Heat skillet and add onions and spices. Cook until onion is soft.

3. Add spinach and allow all to cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Make spaces in the spinach to hold the egg whites so they don’t run all over. Cook on low-medium heat until eggs are cooked thoroughly.

5. Remove skillet from heat and serve. 4 egg white is 1 meal serving.

 

 

Root Vegetable Medley

 

Bring together traditional root vegetables in this new way for an exciting and delicious festive dish.

 

Ingredients:

•2 red onions, diced

•2 cloves of garlic, chopped

•2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

•1 lb carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces

•1 lb beets, peeled and cut into wedges

•1 lb celeriac, peeled and cubed

•Zest of 1 lemon

•Zest of 1 orange

•2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme

•2 tbsp chopped fresh savory

•1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon

•Salt and pepper

•1/2 tsp ground coriander

•Cooking spray

 

1. Heat oven to 375 F and coat large casserole dish with cooking spray.

2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, spray with cooking spray then add onions and garlic. Sauté until soft and starting to brown, about 10 minutes.

3. Transfer this mixture to a large bowl then add sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, celeriac, lemon zest, orange zest, thyme, savory and tarragon. Season with salt and pepper and toss. Spoon into casserole dish.

4. Bake for 1 hour, or until vegetables are tender. 1/2 cup serving is one side.

 

Lemon Mousse

 

Ingredients:

•One 4-serving size package of Jell-O sugar free vanilla pudding mix

•2 cups skim milk

•1 packet Crystal Light Lemonade powdered drink mix (the size that makes 1 pitcher)

•One 12 oz container of low fat Cool Whip

 

1. Add pudding mix and milk into a medium bowl and beat until smooth and thick.

2. Beat in lemonade mix until combined.

3. Fold in Cool Whip.

4. Chill before serving. 1/2 cup serving is one dessert/snack.

 

CAN I HAVE MATZAH?

Yes!

Try 1/2 sheet original Matzah with 1 tbsp peanut butter (or sun nut butter if you cannot have peanuts) with or without 1 piece or 1 cup of fruit as a meal.

 

Matzah is only once a day and remember never eat just to eat. If you don’t need it, don’t eat it. You don’t want to end the night feeling bloated and sick. Like you over did it and you regret it. Instead, you want to end the holiday feeling amazing and in control. You will enjoy the food, but also what is really important – the company and the celebration.

 

You can also check out our previous blogs for some more recipes here and here.

 

Have a Happy Passover and Safe Travels to everyone going away!

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness

8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797

211 E 43rd Street Manhattan, NY 10019

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FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle
April 3, 2017By Josephine Fitzpatrick

Upcoming Innovation Schedule

Please note our upcoming schedule:

 

The Innovation Store and Studio will close at 5pm on Monday April 10th instead of 6pm.

 

The Innovation Store and Studio will be closed April 11th through the 16th for the Passover and Easter Holidays.

 

We will re-open on Monday April 17th with normal hours.

 

Please make sure to place your food orders!

 

*For all of our Manhattan delivery clients, please send in your order by the end of the day today if you would like to receive an order with our hand delivery service this Wednesday April 5th. This will be our last delivery day before closing for the holidays.

 

If you would like to place an order to pick up or ship on Monday April 10th make sure your order is submitted by Saturday April 8th – but the sooner the better!

 

We wish you all a Happy Passover and Happy Easter!

 

The Staff at Innovation

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness
8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797
211 E 43rd Street Manhattan, NY 10019
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FitnessHealthy TipsLifestyle
March 27, 2017By Josephine Fitzpatrick

Spring Holiday Prep

HOLIDAYS…. As we head into another Monday we look ahead and see Passover / Easter and Spring Break approaching fast. It’s only 2 weeks away and will be here before you know it. Whatever you do this is not the time to “WAIT” until after the Holiday/Break to get back on program. In two weeks you could lose 5lbs instead of gaining 10lbs. In two weeks you can feel a little lighter and healthier then you do today. What you have to do is just get right back on program or continue on your path… because when the Holiday and Break arrive you don’t want to feel bloated and heavy. You want to go into the Holidays feeling like you can enjoy without guilt. You can enjoy without worrying about adding pounds onto the extra weight you put on the last two weeks. Just don’t fall into the feelings of “I will just go back on program after the holiday” – wrong attitude! The right attitude – You should always be following. Even if you are busy and you are preparing and you know you will be cooking and baking more – you have to remember your first thought in the morning is to follow your program and you do it the very best you can each day. Always remember 80-20 is better than 50-50. And 4 great days with 2 not so great days and 1 cheat day is better than 7 straight “off” days or 7 straight “cheat days”. So even in your busiest time, with holidays, kids, and preparing – you always try to do your best everyday. While some weeks will be amazing and perfect others will be “okay” and that’s always better than “horrible.”

 

SCALE – IS THIS YOU? BE AWARE – of what you are doing and how it’s affecting you. Sometimes I see that clients go on the scale and they are amazed that it either went up or they didn’t lose. They will tell me that they had a hard challenging week and it was tough to stay on course or they know they had “off” days but they did the best they could. But then they step on the scale on “weigh in” day and they are disappointed that it didn’t go down. Like how the scale is going to reflect the stress and pressure you had on you the past week but it wouldn’t count in your weight because it feels bad for you. Just so we are all clear – the scale is not magic and doesn’t have feelings. It doesn’t care whether you had the most stressful challenging week – it doesn’t give you points for being a little good or better than you could have been. If you eat too much it’s gonna show in your numbers. The scale doesn’t have a brain and it’s not going to deduct numbers because your boss was mean or your kids were driving you nuts or because you wanted to eat dinner with your husband/wife or hang out with your friends. No it’s not going to be less because you wanted it to be or because you didn’t do as terrible as you could have. The scale is going to reflect exactly how you treated yourself that week. If you were 100% on program then it will go down, and if you were not great it’s probably going to stay the same as the week before, and if you over did it – it’s going to be higher. The only time the scale shows a temporary increase that is not real is on two occasions – after a weight workout because your muscles are swollen and you have not released the lactic acid (this usually disappears within 2-3 days after the workout) OR after a Cheat day when your body is processing all the new food but in return working harder than it did the day before your Cheat Day. BOTH of these will only work in your favor and go down lower than before if you are back on program after the Cheat Day and if you do not eat more because you exercised. Keep the process simple. If you are on 110% you will lose – if you are having some good and bad days you will maintain (which is always better than a gain), and if you are cheating all the time it will go up. You know what you are doing and how well you are doing it – the choice is always yours.

 

 

Sometimes it’s really hard to stay focused all the time. That’s why we have Sharks and Snails and while you may be one or the other you can always be both – just don’t be a Slug!

 

Sharks – My Sharks are on all the time and always see results and usually make everything look effortless. While I can assure you most of them suffer and text me as much as the next person, the bottom line is they are always on. They love and embrace the six days on and one day off and they love and embrace how they feel and look. Food is fuel and Cheat Day is exciting. That’s who they are and they love being sharks.

 

Snails – Then I have my snails and they are usually on they move a little slower. Whether it’s because of social life or just because they are happy moving along slowly – they are happy and always in the right direction. It just takes them little longer to get there. They are always happy with their process. They own it if they were “off” and celebrate when they are “on.”  They live with the six days on and one day off but sometimes their six days tend to be a little more of healthy or a little extra. While every snail is different the most important thing is they are happy and embrace being a snail. They love the consistency of who they are and how they live.

 

Sharks/Snails – some of you are very good at being both. You are Sharks some days (most of the time when you have to be, like right before a vacation), and other days you are snails and you are fine with always being on and incorporating a little extra motivation and determination when you need it while living and moving at a snails pace when it suits you.

 

SLUGS – The one thing you don’t want to be is a SLUG! A slug doesn’t move it just sits there stuck getting bigger and bigger. The process of growing may be slow or fast but either way it’s happening. The slug wants to move – it even sees where it wants to go but it just doesn’t have the motivation or determination to get there. Compared to a slug the snail is a marathon runner! Why would you be a slug? Because it’s easy to be a slug. It’s easy to get stuck and just keep sitting, and talking about what you want and thinking about what you want but when it comes to putting it into motion it’s just too much effort. It’s always going to be easier to do nothing but it’s never rewarding. It will always be easier to talk about how much you want it without putting the effort and work in to get there. Once you are a slug it’s not so easy to get out of it. It takes a lot of effort to get things moving and get re-motivated. It’s so much easier to sit and watch TV and eat treats then it is to plan, prepare and do the right things for your body and mind. Simply put, it’s easy to eat and it’s hard not too. It’s easy to sit and it’s harder to keep moving.

 

If you are a Shark or a Snail be happy and own it, and if you are a Slug or turning into one – you need to get moving and have your body start catching up to what the mind wants. We all have choices in life of how we want to live and what we want out of life. At the end of the day you are the only person who can make your life amazing. You are the only person who can make yourself happy, healthy and feel good. We are here for you, will guide you and give you the tools – but it’s still up to you to stay on your path and work hard everyday to become the person you want to be and live the life you want to have.

 

Fun Fact:
Does this have any relation to how they live?
Life expectancy 
Shark – is up to 30 years
Snails – up to 10 years
Slugs – up to 7-12 months  

 

“FIND YOUR PATH AND FOLLOW IT”

 

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

 

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness
8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797
211 E 43rd Street Manhattan, NY 10019
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