Blog – Page 11 – Elevation Medical Weight Loss

Posted on August 13, 2016February 23, 2019 by ElevationWeightLoss

Keeping It Simple: What to Count to Make Your Diet Work For You

If you’ve come in and received nutritional counseling at Elevation Medical Weight Loss, you probably noticed that we take a more relaxed approach to dieting than many would expect. As a result, this leads to several frequent followup questions. Before we continue let us be clear, healthier and more nutritious food choices are always preferred for general health and wellness. What we want to address today are the nuts and bolts of our dietary recommendations, and what matters on a daily basis so you can make more informed decisions when circumstances limit your food options.

In the strange and surprisingly vast world of online bodybuilding forums you will frequently run across the acronym, IIFYM (if it fits your macros). “If It Fits Your Macros” is a school of thought that so long as you eat the appropriate amount of macronutrients (carbohydrates, fat, and protein) you will get the results you want. When you come in for a consultation with myself or Dr. Cooper, we will typically give you two numbers; a calorie goal and a carbohydrate goal. We focus on these two numbers because when it comes to fat loss, these are what you need to get right in order to get results.

Calorie counting is important, since you can physically only lose as much weight as the amount of fat you burn for fuel. There are, of course, other factors that impact weight loss. But when it comes down to it, the single most important factor is whether or not you consume fewer calories than you expend. Calories will also tend to control your food choices a bit, since fat has more calories per gram than carbohydrates or protein, you can only eat so much fat while staying within your targeted calorie range.

When we provide nutritional counseling, we spend a significant amount of time discussing the importance of reducing or (nearly) eliminating carbohydrates from the diet. The reason for this is two fold:

Firstly, consuming carbohydrates can cause insulin spikes, and since insulin is an anabolic hormone this is the last thing you want while attempting to lose weight. (anabolic hormones essentially tell your body to grow with no concern for how, and in most cases make you grow wider)
Secondly, your body prefers to burn glucose (carbohydrates) because it is easier than burning fat. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but when you are constantly fighting your appetite the last thing you want to do is to put off burning fat for later. Basically, the fewer carbs you consume, the more time you will spend burning body fat as your primary fuel source and the time your body spends adjusting to a constantly changing diet.

While there is always more to learn, especially about nutrition and health, if you remember to focus on these two elements of your diet you should see the progress you want. By keeping your calories low and largely avoiding carbohydrates, you can put you body in the best position to burn fat and when it comes to losing weight, every little bit of help is welcome.

Posted on August 9, 2016February 23, 2019 by ElevationWeightLoss

How to Start a Strength Training Program

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As a primer ahead of my upcoming strength training series of articles, I want to spend some time on the fundamentals of creating workout plan so that you can get the results you want regardless of the specific exercises you choose. While I will encourage everyone to pick up a barbell or dumbbell from time to time, I care less about what you do than how you do it. I will focus on strength training in this article since it is the more effective for our goals than cardio, however if you are limited to typically “endurance” activities we can discuss you options on an individual basis.

A routine consisting simply of pushups, situps, and squats, or really any movement that requires you to move your body or move an object around your body, can be used to develop strength if done properly. When planning your workouts, there are 3 main components that you want to adjust to achieve your desired strength training goals: repetitions, sets, and exertion,

Reps

Repetitions, or reps, are a major factor in the results you get from your workout. Generally speaking, lower reps lead to more strength while higher reps nurture increased endurance. Of course it’s more complicated than that, but for our purposes we want to stick with weights that are difficult to perform for 3-12 reps. By staying within this rep range you can gains strength while staying safe. Remember though, repetitions only matter when you use the right weight, sets should be difficult but manageable with good technique.

Sets

Sets are groupings of reps, so if you do 3 sets of 10 reps of pushups, that would mean that you did 10 pushups, rested, did 10 more pushups, rested again, and then did 10 more pushups. Generally doing anywhere from 3 to 6 sets (excluding warm ups) will get the results you want. You should also consider your reps when deciding how many sets to perform; the fewer reps you perform, the more sets you can do and vice versa. This ensures that you are exercising in sufficient volume to stimulate muscle growth.

Exertion

Perceived exertion is just a fancy way to describing how hard you think something is. This may seem fairly straightforward, however I want to make it clear that the weight, reps, and sets that you perform are based entirely on you. I want you to feel like you are putting in a 8/10 effort with every exercise, hard enough to strain you but easier enough to control.
So that’s it, with these three concepts together with a fitness goal in mind you can start to put together you own workout routine. If you are now sitting there confidant that you understand the how of working out but are still lost on the “what”, browse around the internet, or ask a trainer at your gym, or just hold tight because my next few articles will try to give you some easy to do exercises to choose from.

Posted on August 4, 2016February 25, 2019 by ElevationWeightLoss — 1 Comment

Meals without Cooking – Part II

In the 2nd installment of our “no-cooking required” meals series, we will look at a recipe that is not only tasty and easy but also can easily be prepared in bulk for future meals. When you find that your schedule suddenly overwhelmed, or that your kids become more demanding and eat up most your free time, you can grab some already-prepared food from the grocery store and take a couple of minutes to assemble meals for a couple of days.

elevation-no-cooking-meals — This may look like a lot of food, but there’s actually only 4-5 servings

Chicken Salad is an easy meal for when you’re undecided

INGREDIENT	Calories	Carb
Chicken breast, skinless, 6 oz	276 cal	0
Baby spring mix, 3 oz	20 calories	2 gram
Bell peppers, 1 oz	9 calories	2 gram
Balsamic vinaigrette, 1 tbsp	15 calories	2 gram
TOTAL	320 calories	6 gram

3 oz of shredded Rotisserie Chicken on the food scale, and another 3 oz in the background (in a full cup loosely measured)

So what does 6 oz of chicken breast look like? A good rule of thumb is roughly twice the size of the palm of your hand. Also 6 oz of chicken will roughly fit loosely into 2 cups, when shredded or chopped. Alternatively, you can pick up a food scale and get a more exact measurement. One of the benefits of weighing out your food is you can much more accurately track how much you are eating to consistently lose the same amount of weight week-to-week.

You may be surprised to know that 3 oz of baby spring mix (1 serving) can fill up about half a gallon of space. It’s helpful to fill up your stomach with lots of green, leafy vegetables that are low in calories as well as in carbs. Green, leafy vegetables are great resources for the necessary vitamins such as Vitamin K, magnesium and potassium. Eat a lot of greens to fill up space in your stomach to stay satisfied longer.

Combine the chicken with the baby green mix, then add some chopped bell peppers. Stir in 1 tsp of a low calorie, low carb dressing of your choice (we used a Balsamic Vinaigrette).

Serve the chicken salad in a very large bowl. Drink 32 oz of water with your meal.

There are so many creative ways to eat healthier even when your time is limited, or you just don’t have the desire to cook. You just have to WANT to do what it takes to live a healthier lifestyle, and of course we are here to help if needed.

Posted on July 31, 2016February 23, 2019 by ElevationWeightLoss

Let’s Talk About Poop

Growing up we are taught that everybody poops, however if you are new to a low calorie/low carbohydrate diet you may find this isn’t always case. In addition to the effect of diet on your “movements”, one of the most common side effects of phentermine, or Adipex, is constipation. Since roughly 1 in 3 of our clients will experience this issue, We want to take some time to address what can be done to keep things “going”.

When you begin to eat lower calorie meals and consisting of healthier foods, you’ll likely be consuming far less volume than you normally would. As a result, you may produce less waste, and that translates to less quality bathroom time. For those adhering to our diet program, it is relatively common to go to the bathroom as little as once every 2-3 days, instead of every day like you are used to. For the individuals on the HCG diet, your calories are much more limited, so you may use the bathroom every 3-4 days and still produce normal stools.

Let’s discuss some things you can do you can maximize your chances of going to the bathroom:

Component	Action
At least 1 gallon of water a day	Drink enough water
Don’t wait to use the bathroom	Go as soon as you have the urge
Obtain enough non-soluble fiber	Eat green, leafy vegetables (low-carb)
Increase physical activity	Get some exercise. Move around

mailan-walking-firestation — Walking after meals helps with digestion and going

When you are dehydrated, your body absorbs water from the intestines, making your stool firm and hard to pass. Essentially, you need enough water to soften the stool for a bowel movement. Also, you need enough bulk, easily supplemented with additional insoluble fiber, so there is volume to pass. It is important to note that you should always try go to the bathroom as soon as you have the urge, rather than waiting for a ‘more convenient’ time to avoid exacerbating the issue. Lastly, getting some post-meal exercise by taking a 30 minute walk down the block can really help the body process your food and more readily eliminate the waste. It’s nice outside and there are a few PokeStop down the road, “gotta pass’em all” right?

Finally, if after all that effort you still can’t go, we suggest picking up some Magnesium Oxide tablets from any pharmacy or grocery store. Magnesium is a naturally occurring element that is very poorly absorbed when taken by mouth, which means it doesn’t spend much time in your gut and helps carry stuck waste out with it. One of the actions of magnesium is to keep water in your intestines to soften the stool, and it does a very good job of that. It is one of the safest remedies for constipation and is non-habit forming since is it an osmotic laxative. Osmotic laxatives retain water in the bowels without stimulating the intestines to contract, so there are no long term health consequences. These type of laxatives do not get absorbed into your body, but instead exert its actions on the bowels and then moves on during your next bathroom stop.

Treatment for Constipation	Treatment Rating	Directions
Magnesium oxide, 400 mg or 500 mg tablets		Take 2-3 tabs daily for 3 days, then 1-2 tabs daily after
Miralax (generic version is fine)		Take 2 scoops dissolved in water daily for 3 days, then 1 scoop daily after (flavor your water to hide the powdery taste)
Fleet enema		Take as directed on the bottle for instant relief.
Magnesium citrate		Drink 1 bottle once. Does not taste good. This will most likely cause abdominal cramping before a movement.
Milk of Magnesia, Cherry or Lemon Flavor ONLY		Follow dosing instructions according to the bottle. One of the worst tasting medications out there. However, very effective.

We don’t really recommend taking Benefiber because it does not seem to work that consistently compared to the listed options, and also it has unnecessary calories and the taste was not worth it. We hope this article will help to clear you out.

Posted on July 24, 2016February 23, 2019 by ElevationWeightLoss

How to Eat Healthier Without Cooking :D

We have had a couple of questions regarding just how to eat healthier to lose weight when:

You don’t like to cook
You travel a lot
You have a hectic schedule

So we will dedicate this week’s posts to the road warriors out there, or for those who simply do not enjoy cooking. This is the no effort meal plan– simply grab ingredients from the grocery store or order low calorie options when dining out.

So, in the hunt to cook as little as possible, we went to our local grocery store (Sam’s) to look for options. We picked up a fun looking salad mix and a couple pounds of salmon and tilapia with veggies in a bag from the fresh meat & seafood section. Instructions said to microwave 5 minutes for every pound, then serve.

No cooking required – Salmon with Kale & Brussel Sprouts Crunch Salad
Ingredient	Calories	Protein	Carb
6 oz salmon	241 calories	34 g
Kale & Brussel Sprouts chopped salad mix, 1 cup	45 calories	3 g	7 g
1 lemon wedge as salad dressing	5 calories		1 g
½ tsp splenda to mix with salad
2 oz broccoli	19 calories	1 g	3 g

TOTAL	310 calories	38 g protein	11 g carb

Instructions: Microwave as directed on the back of the package.

No cooking required – Tilapia with Kale & Brussels Sprouts Crunch Salad
Ingredient	Calories	Protein	Carb
Tilapia, 2 pieces or 8 oz	220 calories	45 g
Kale & brussels sprouts chopped salad mix, 1 cup	45 calories	3 g	7 g
Lemon, 1 wedge squeezed as salad dressing	5 calories		1 g
Splenda, ½ tsp to mix with salad
Asparagus, 2 oz (about 4 spears)	11 calories	1 g	3 g

TOTAL	281 calories	49 g protein	11 g carb

Instructions: Microwave.

Not too bad, right?

For the kale & brussels sprouts chopped salad, squeeze a wedge of lime and add 1/2 tsp of Splenda or use your favorite low-calorie, low-carb dressing.

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Serve the crunch salad with either salmon or tilapia. Salt and pepper to taste.

Now you can enjoy a meal with minimal prepping or cooking. Stay tune for more posts later next week to learn more about our ‘no cooking methods’.

Posted on July 21, 2016February 25, 2019 by ElevationWeightLoss

Grilled Chuck Steak

We love to cook on the grill because it is both a quick and easy way to prepare a tasty meal that any family can enjoy. You can make grilling a part of your healthier lifestyle by trying out new recipes from common food items that you like, such as the one below:

Grilled Chuck Steak

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredient	Calories	Protein	Carb
Chuck steak, 8 oz	293 calories	48 g
Romaine lettuce, ½ head	53 calories	4 g	10 g
Strawberries, 4 large	23 calories		5 g
Montreal Steak Seasoning

TOTAL	369 calories	52 g protein	15 g carb

Directions:

Turn on the grill to pre-heat.
Rub a generous amount of steak seasoning on the chuck steak. We prepared 2 large cuts of chuck steak, roughly 5 lbs total as meal prep for the week.
Grill on medium for roughly 7-10 minutes on each side, or until desired doneness.
Transfer chuck steak to a cutting board to allow to cool.
Use a fork to hold on to the steak and use a serrated knife to slice into thin cross-sectional pieces for serving.
Serve with half a head of romaine lettuce and strawberries for a low-carb, high protein meal.

Posted on July 20, 2016February 23, 2019 by ElevationWeightLoss — 1 Comment

An Intro to Strength Training: Lift Big to Lose Big

Anyone who comes into our office will hear me preach about the positive impact of strength training on fat loss, however many may not be sure where to start in pursuing a strength building routine. In this article I want to break down some of the basics that you need to proceed with a strength program, specifically the two different categories of strength building exercises that you are most likely to encounter in the gym.

2 Types

There are plenty of resistance exercises available to you, but not all exercises are created equal. When you pick up a barbell, dumbbell, or get into a machine, you will be engaging in one of two types of resistance exercise; isolation or compound.

Isolation exercises are those where the strain is localized to a single muscle group and typically require movement in only one joint at a time. An example of an isolation exercise would be a dumbbell curl, in which you merely bend the elbow and use primarily the bicep in order to lift the weight. Compound exercises on the other hand recruit more than one muscle group and involved flexion or extension in 2 or more joints. A bench press is a common example of a compound exercise, in which you use your chest, shoulders, back, and arms to move a barbell off of you chest.

While isolation exercises have their uses, in the beginning you want to focus on compound exercises, as these exercises elicit the greatest response in muscle growth, calorie burn, and hormone production.

In addition to the number of muscle groups used in an exercise, you also should considered the TOTAL muscle being used to push or pull the weight. Even among compound exercises there is a hierarchy;

Squats are the king of the weight room, since they use very large muscle groups as drivers (hamstrings, glutes, quadriceps) as well as to stabilize throughout the squat (lats, abdominals, etc). Not only will you maximize strength gains by focusing on squatting, but you will also see increased calorie burn as well as testosterone, adrenaline, and HGH production (great for stripping body fat).

The next on the list is the Deadlift. The deadlift is a move which involves picking up a weighted barbell from the ground and standing up. While this lift has a relatively short range of motion, it makes up for this in overall muscle used to execute the lift. Not only will you train all of the muscles that you hit with the squat, but you will hit the larger muscles harder and force your body to adapt to supporting an extremely large amount of weight. For all the reasons listed above, you may ask why Deadlifts fall to second behind squats but the answer is fairly simple; deadlifts are just too hard to do as often as squats and so must take a lower priority.

The last lifts I will address are the Bench Press and the Standing Press. Unlike the first two exercises, these lifts focus on the upper body (chest and shoulders respectively) but still do so in a compound way. These lifts should be attempted at least once weekly in order to maintain and improve upper body strength and composition, not to mention if you want to have toned arms and shoulders after you’ve managed to strip off the fat and show off your hard earned muscles.

I will follow up this article with individual writeups about each of the listed exercises and more, as well as include advice on how to approach your sets and reps when approaching a new routine.

-Coach Drew

Posted on July 11, 2016February 25, 2019 by ElevationWeightLoss

Grilled Salmon with Zucchini: 314 calories

Here is a quick and easy grilled salmon recipe you can have prepared and serve in about half an hour. Lemon or lime has to be one of our favorite addition to seafood because it reduces the amine compound that is responsible for the “fishy” smell in seafood.

Ingredient	Calories	Carb
Salmon, skinless 6 oz (or 4 oz w/ skin)	241 calories
Zucchini, sliced, 2 cups	38 calories	7 g carb
Strawberries, 4 medium	15 calories	3 g carb
½ tsp oil for zucchini	20 calories
TOTAL	314 calories	10 g carb

The ingredients are friendly for a gluten-free diet or just when you are trying to live healthier.

The seasonings are quite flexible. We used Montreal seasoning found in the pantry, but you can make your own by combining 2 tsp paprika, 2 tsp black pepper, 2 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp garlic, 1 tsp onion, 1 tsp red pepper flakes.

Seasoning

Lemon, 1 slice

Montreal seasoning, generous amount

Rosemary, a couple of sprigs

Thyme, a couple of sprigs

Try to keep the baby away from your ingredients

INSTRUCTIONS:

Turn on the grill for preheating.
Generously rub Montreal seasoning into all sides of the salmon. Transfer the salmon to a large piece of foil paper. Squeeze a slice of lemon on top of the salmon. Put the squeezed lemon on top of the salmon. Crush the thyme and rosemary with your fingers and put the sprigs on top. Wrap up the salmon, lemon, thyme and rosemary inside the foil to prepare for grilling. This will allow the salmon soak up the seasoning for a moist, tasty meal.
For the zucchini, drizzle 1/2 tsp of oil on top. We used canola oil, but you can use whichever oil you have in the pantry. Transfer the zucchini onto a big sheet of aluminum foil and wrap it up for grilling.
Transfer the wrapped packages to the grill.
Grill the salmon on medium heat with the lid closed for about 6-8 minutes on each side. The zucchini only needs roughly half of the time on the grill, so 2-5 minutes on each side.
Open the foil. Transfer the contents to a plate. Serve with strawberries. We hope this recipe gives you a couple of ideas for your next meal 🙂

Posted on July 9, 2016October 26, 2020 by ElevationWeightLoss — 1 Comment

5 Potential Causes for Your Diet Related Cramps and What You Can Do About Them

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When you are starting a new diet and exercise program you may find yourself having leg cramps during the first few days or weeks of your new routine. To understand why you experience this and what you can do to prevent recurrence, we have to examine the cause of muscle spasms.

Most oftenly, leg cramps are caused by some combination of the following 5 reasons:

Dehydration
Electrolyte deficiency
1. Low potassium, magnesium deficiency, calcium deficiency, and/or low sodium
Vitamin deficiency
1. Low thiamine (B1), pantothenic acid (B5), and pyridoxine (B6)
Lack of muscle flexibility
Overexertion

Let’s address each problem individually:

Dehydration

Drinking plenty of water (by plenty, we mean a gallon or more of water a day) is an important factor in keeping you feeling your best. Water is critical at the microcellular level in the Krebs Cycle to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which your body uses to do pretty much everything. Ensuring that you meet your daily water intake goals will improve your energy level, as well as provide your muscles with the resources they need to function properly. Without adequate water intake, our muscles begin to accumulate waste byproducts, commonly referred to as “toxins”, that may cause spasms or cramping.

Electrolyte deficiency

Ingesting plenty of dark green, leafy vegetables will go a long way in keeping you out of trouble and cramp-free. Even if you are limited to low-carb foods, you can still find good sources of potassium, magnesium, calcium, and sodium. Frequently, the two main electrolytes of concern that are responsible for leg cramps are potassium and magnesium.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) recommend a dietary amount of at least 320 mg of magnesium for women and 420 mg of magnesium for men, and 4.7 grams (or 4700 mg) of potassium for both men and women. You could be experiencing muscle cramps due to a deficiency in these minerals and if so adjusting your diet could be all that you need.

The chart below illustrate how much certain food contain in potassium and magnesium. If you were to eat 8 oz chicken breast with 1 head of romaine lettuce and 1 cup of beets green for lunch (497 calories, 2581 mg potassium, and 192 mg magnesium), then eat 6 oz of 90% lean beef with 1 cup of spinach, 1 cup of broccoli, 1 cup of zucchini for dinner (437 calories, 3214 mg potassium, and 237 mg magnesium, you will then consume in a total of: 934 calories, 5795 mg potassium, and 429 mg magnesium, which will exceed your requirements for the two electrolytes.

Meat/Fish	Potassium Content	Magnesium Content
8 oz chicken breast (230 calories)	359 mg	66 mg
6 oz 90% lean beef (344 calories)	618 mg	40 mg
6 oz salmon (354 calories)	618 mg	46 mg
8 oz tilapia (292 calories)	863 mg	78 mg
8 oz center cut pork chops (260 calories)	960 mg	46 mg
8 oz cooked chicken liver (263 calories)	526 mg	23 mg

Fruits & Vegetables	Potassium Content	Magnesium Content
Romaine lettuce, 1 head (108 calories)	1546 mg	88 mg
Beets green, cooked, 1 cup (30 calories)	1309 mg	38 mg
Spinach, cooked, 1 cup (44 calories)	839 mg	157 mg
Avocado, 1 cup (234 calories)	708 mg	42 mg
Edamame (soy beans), 1 cup (189 calories)	676 mg	99 mg
Zucchini, cooked, 1 cup (18 calories)	325 mg	21 mg
Cauliflower, 1 cup (27 calories)	320 mg	16 mg
Kale, cooked, 1 cup (69 calories)	296 mg	23 mg
Tomato, 1 medium ( 22 calories)	292 mg	14 mg
Broccoli, 1 cup (31 calories)	288 mg	19 mg
Strawberries, 1 cup (47 calories)	220 mg	19 mg

If you feel that you are unable to ingest the required amount of vegetables and have leg cramps that won’t go away, you may benefit from short-term supplementation with a daily magnesium and potassium tablets.

Vitamin Deficiency

Deficiencies in Vitamins B1, B5, and/or B6 may be causing you cramps. The mechanism behind this is not currently well understood, however evidence suggests that supplementing these vitamins may help treat and avoid cramps.

Thiamin (Vitamin B1) is necessary for the proper functioning of the muscles, nervous system and heart. Thiamin deficiency has been known to cause insomnia, fatigue, depression, constipation, irritability, heart problems and stomach problems. Thiamin is abundant in organ meats, soybeans, egg yolks, poultry, broccoli, and asparagus. The recommended intake is 1.5 mg of Vitamin B1 daily.

Pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5) is responsible for the production of coenzyme A that is associated with the metabolism of fats and carbohydrates as energy sources. Pantothenic acid is found in organ meats, egg yolk, and broccoli, fish, shellfish, chicken, milk, yogurt, mushrooms, and avocado. Deficiencies are rare, but pantothenic acid deficiency may result in fatigue, insomnia, depression, irritability, vomiting, abdominal and leg muscle cramps. The recommended intake is 3-7 mg of Vitamin B5 daily.

Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6) assists in the degradation and production of amino acids and in the process that converts amino acids into fats or carbohydrates. Vitamin B6 is involved in fat/carbohydrate metabolism, the removal of fluids during premenstruation, and healthy skin. It can reduce symptoms of hand numbness, leg cramps, muscle spasms. Deficiencies have been known to cause anemia, dermatitis, hair loss, anxiety, leg cramps, water retention, anemia. The recommended intake is 1.3 to 1.7 mg of Vitamin B6 daily.

Lack of muscle flexibility

Exercise consisting of particularly intense physical activity can cause your muscles to fatigue, become sore, and spasm. Take every effort to stretch the muscle to cool down shortly after you exercise, and make an effort to incorporate stretching into your routine wherever limitations appear. Post exercise stretching of the muscles helps the fibers relax, reset, and promotes good circulation for recovery after exercise.

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Overexertion

Your body needs adequate rest after a difficult workout. Any time you put yourself through high stress episodes such as exercise, you will need time to recover so you can improve your performance for next time and give your body time to catch up with all the good you’ve done. If the muscles are overworked and tired, you may get painful spasms that can in turn hinder your ability to stick with your gym routine.

Unfortunately as with any drastic lifestyle change, there will be unwanted side effects accompanying your new diet and exercise routines. However with a little planning and preparation you should be able to prevent muscle cramps from negatively impacting your progress. So eat right, rest well, exercise smart, and stay hydrated and keep up the good work.

Posted on July 4, 2016October 26, 2020 by ElevationWeightLoss

Low-Carb Beef Kabobs

Happy 4th of July. It’s a day on which we gather and celebrate the founding of this great nation, and the many freedoms we enjoy as a result. At Elevation Medical Weight Loss, we know that you probably aren’t feeling very “free” with so many traditional July 4th foods not fitting your diet goals. So in order to help you stay on track, here is one of our favorite healthy grill-out recipes: Low-Carb Beef Kabobs.

This is one of our favorite beef kabob recipes. The ingredients call for cherry tomatoes, but you can omit the tomatoes for an ultra low-carb meal, which is perfect for those who are on the HCG diet plan or who were instructed to eat low-carb for the next few weeks or months.

Recipe serves 6 (274 calories each, 10 g carb per serving) Prep time: 30 minutes Marinade time: 2 hours Cook time: 25 minutes
INGREDIENTS	CALORIES	CARB
2 lb lean beef, cut into 1-in. cubes	1352 calories
6 oz mushroom caps	44 calories	8 g carb
1 green bell pepper, cut into large chunks	33 calories	4 g carb
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into large chunks	25 calories	6 carb
1 large onion, cut into large squares	60 calories	14 g carb
30 cherry tomatoes	92 calories	20 g carb
2 cup eggplant, cubed	40 calories	9 g carb
30 Skewers
TOTAL	1646 calories	61 g carb

Don’t let the baby steal your ingredients

For the marinade: mix everything below in a bowl

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup lime or lemon juice

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp salt

Have marinade in a large bowl or gallon ziploc bag. Mix the cubed beef, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and eggplant in the marinade. Stir or flip every 30 minutes. Let sit for 2 hours.

Soak the skewers in a shallow pan of water for 10-15 minutes. This is to prevent the skewers from breaking upon grilling.

Turn on the grill.

Place beef kabobs on grill. Grill for 7-10 minutes on each side, or until desired doneness.

Recipe serves 6. Enjoy this tasty meal with your family on this wonderful 4th of July holiday!