Tag: healthy living

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Super Easy Deviled Eggs

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What to do when you have an extra dozen of eggs in the fridge and about 40 minutes? Turn them into a tasty meal by adding some spices and condiments.

Super Easy Deviled Eggs

    Prep time: 15 min          Wait Time: 20 minutes             Cook time: 10 min
Ingredient Calories Protein Carbs
12 large eggs 880 calories 76 g 5 g
1/3 cup real mayonnaise 480 1 g 1 g
1 tbsp yellow mustard
½ tsp paprika
1/3 tsp ground pepper
1/3 tsp salt
TOTAL 1360 calories 77 g protein 6 g carb

**recipe makes 24 deviled eggs.  Serves 4.   Each serving is 6 pieces, containing 340 calories, 26 g protein, 1.5 g carb.  Each deviled egg piece is 56 calories. **

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Instructions:
1. Place eggs in a large pan and cover completely with an extra inch of water on top. Turn on high heat, cover with lid.
2. Bring to a hard rolling boil.  As soon as the water looks angry, turn off the heat and let the eggs sit for 12-15 minutes with the lid on top.  This will make the perfect hard boiled eggs.
3. Carefully drain hot water down the sink.  Submerge the eggs in cold tap water to cool.  Drain, then cover the eggs with a generous amount of ice for 3-5 minutes for further  cooling. 4. Drain the ice and water.  With the lid on, roll the eggs around vigorously to crack the shells. See video.

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5. Slice the eggs in half.  Put all the egg yolk in a quart-sized ziplock bag.  Mix in mayo, mustard, paprika, salt and pepper.  Squeeze the bag to blend the mixture.

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6.  Cut a corner of the ziplock bag and squeeze the yolk mixture on the half egg.  Sprinkle on paprika/chili powder and serve.   

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9 Tips for Losing Weight from a Fit Physician

DSC_1283Throughout my  years helping thousands of clients lose literal tons of fat, I have received many questions about how I managed to stay lean & lose my baby weight just months after giving birth to my now one year old daughter.  So here are the highlights:

  1. Drink more water. A lot more,  actually. . You may have heard that you should drink 8 glasses of water a day.  I’d second that advice, so long as you use 16-oz glasses/bottles.  That’s right, I advise that you should drink about 1 gallon (128 oz) of calorie-free fluids daily to stay well-hydrated. Quite often when your body sends signals that it is thirsty, your brain will misinterpret this thirst as hunger.  Drink 16-oz of water when you first think you are getting hungry between meals and wait 30 minutes to see if you are truly hungry.  Having extra hydration is especially important when you are using an appetite suppressant (such as phentermine or Adipex) as a tool to aid in weight loss.
  2. Don’t snack, have real meals instead.   This is important when the goal is fat loss. Since you are on a calorie-restricted diet and are allowed ~1,200 calories a day, you need to have real meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) at planned times.
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  3. Keep your meal times consistent. If you must have 3 meals a day, have designated time (usually a 1 hour window) that you will eat.  If you miss this time frame, you must wait until the next meal.
  4. Delay breakfast for as long as possible. If you’re not hungry, don’t eat.  Evening times may be the worst time for snacking, so if you are still under your calorie goal by dinner, you can enjoy your dinner a bit more 😉
  5. Calorie in < calorie out. By eating a calorie deficit diet, the majority of healthy individuals WILL lose weight. That includes you.
  6. You cannot out-exercise what you eat. Well, you probably can but you don’t want to. Spending 2 hours in the gym will most likely not make up for the “cheat meal” from last night. A large amount of time is required to burn off even a paltry 100 calories, you don’t even want to imagine how long it’ll take to burn off that Tall Mocha Frappaccino from Starbucks.
  7. Track calories for consistent weight loss results.  I have used ALL of the apps out there, from Myfitnesspal to Lose It! to Fat Secret and many other ones.  My favorite is MyPlate Calorie Counter from Livestrong.  You will obtain excellent results if you track calories daily for each meal. The constant reminder of what you put into you body really makes it easy to make difficult choices when you are tempted by your favorite snacks.
  8. Abs are made in the kitchen.  Really!
  9. You do not have to exercise to lose weight. Ok, I may have already said this but it bears repeating. Exercise isn’t NECESSARY to lose fat, but exercising will help reduce stress, tone your muscles and help shape your body, while making it easier to keep your weight loss progress for the long term.

Thank you for reading.  And good luck in your journey to feeling better and improving your health!

 

 

 

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Chicken & Turkey Memorial Day Salad

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When selecting ingredients to add to your grocery list, choose low-carb fruits & vegetables, low-carb cheeses, and lean meats as demonstrated in the photo above.  This is an example of our latest shopping trip for Memorial Day.

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Salads are one of the most flexible and easiest foods you can eat.  You’re free to choose whichever ingredients you want to add to the list to make the ultimate dish. Here, we present you with one of our favorites.  This Turkey & Chicken Salad is a low calorie, high protein & low carb salad mix.

339 kcal: 55 grams of protein, 11 grams of carbsDSC_0972
Recipes makes 2 servings.  Prep time: 15 min

Ingredient kcal Protein Carbs
6 oz oven roasted sliced turkey 230 kcal 51 g  
6 oz boiled chicken breast 270 kcal 52 g  
6 cups Spring Mix Lettuce 40 kcal 4 g 6 g
2 cup red cabbage 28 kcal 1 g 6 g
½ cup chopped carrot 25 kcal 1 g 6 g
½ lime 10 kcal   3 g
2 tbsp sour cream 50 kcal 1 g 1 g

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  1. Boil 8 oz skinless, boneless chicken breast until cooked (usually 10-15 minutes). This will make 6 oz cooked chicken.  Cool & shred.
  2.  Chop or shred 2 cups of red cabbage.
  3. Mix all ingredients in an oversized bowl.  Squeeze in half a lime. Stir in 2 tbsp sour cream.  Serves 2.

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  4. Have your 12-month old toddler feed you.  This is a bonus step.  See below.

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Check One Off the Bucket List

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If there is one piece of advice that I gleaned from my experience running the Toronto Marathon, it would be to never run a marathon if you can avoid it. Of course I’m partly joking, the experience was grueling, uncomfortable, and frustrating, and this is exactly why I did it. It’s been said that no one has ever become great by being comfortable, and I have found this to be true in all areas of life including weight loss and fitness.

So many times we look at discomfort as a per se bad thing; however I see the willingness to endure discomfort for a purpose to be badge of honor, worn by those working hard to get what they want. Many times when we see a person who has made significant changes in their fitness we see only their results, but in reality what you are seeing are the culmination of hours spent in the gym, months of ignoring cravings and appetite, and a daily commitment to do whatever it takes to reach their goals.

I hope that you find something worth being uncomfortable for, and when you do that you take pride in the process of getting there. When your stomach growls and cravings hit, smile that you have made the choice to force your body to get rid of fat first. When your legs are sore and you are short of breath during exercise, imagine how your body will change to make your workouts easier. And if for some crazy reason you decide to complete a marathon, drag yourself to the finish line with the knowledge that you are tougher and more determined than all those people sitting at home on a Sunday morning. Remember that while they are being comfortable, you are becoming great.

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Under 400 kcal: Blackened Tilapia with Veggies

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Here is our very own tilapia recipe with a bunch of veggies that fits your calorie budget.  Even the photos came exclusively from our kitchen. You can also drastically reduce calories by being conservative on the oil or use cooking spray oil mix with a bit of water.

Blackened talapia with broccoli, spinach, red peppers and corn on the cob
Prep and cook time ~30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

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Item Calories Carbs Protein
2 talapia (farmed raised in the US) 220 kcal 45 g
1/2 cup brocolli 15 kcal 3 g
1 cup raw spinach 7 kcal 1 g 1 g
1/2 ear of corn 38 kcal 8 g 1 g
1/4 bell pepper 6 kcal 1 g
1 tsp oil 100 kcal
 TOTAL 386 kcal 13 g 47 g

SEASONING
Garlic
Blackened seasoning (or black pepper, white pepper, paprika, salt, garlic powder and onion powder)
1/2 tsp curry powder (optional)
Salt to taste

To thaw frozen talapia, you can either submerged it in warm water for 10 minutes or remove from packaging to microwave for about 90 seconds. Sprinkled or rub in blackened seasoning, salt, and optional curry on both sides of the talapia.

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On a medium to large pan, add 3/4 tsp of oil and 1 tsp of water on medium-high heat. Transfer the talapia to the pan to cook for about 7-9 minutes on each side. Try to flip only once so the fish will stay intact.

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While the fish is cooking, rinse the cup of spinach and shake dry.  Chop ¼ of a bell pepper into bite size pieces.  On a smaller pan, add 1/4 tsp of oil, garlic, and chopped bell pepper. Cook for about 5-7 minutes on medium heat until tender. Stir often.

Shuck the ear of corn and place 1/2 ear of corn on a microwave safe plate with the 1/2 cup of broccoli, pour about 1/4 cup of water to steam in the microwave for 4 minutes or until cooked.  No need to cover the plate.

You need a big plate for this meal. Make a bed out of the spinach and lay the fish on top. Enjoy with 32 oz glass of ice water

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