Weight A Minute Monday...The Buddy Weight Loss Plan

The past two weeks we talked about Wedding Weight Loss in the tips we gave we talked about working out with your significant other. So for those that haven't reached or have well past the wedding day; working out with a buddy whether it's your finance, spouse, best friend, family member or co-worker can keep you on track. It seems it's always easier to lose weight or stay on track when you have an accountability partner.

Dr. Oz has developed a 4-step plan that will teach you how to restock your kitchen, prepare healthful meals and snacks and start exercising - all with the support of a loved one.

So enlisted a loved one and let's get started!

Step One: Dump Day
Together clear out each other's pantry and kitchen. These 4 ingredients that must go:

1. Simple Sugars


2. Saturated Fats


3. Trans Fats


4. Enriched Flour

Step Two: Automate
It's easier to eat right when your food choices are automated. Every weekend, meet with your buddy to plan, prep, and cook your lunches for the week. For example, cook a healthy protein like chicken that you can then use to make:

1. Chicken Tortilla Wraps: Wrap grilled chicken, tomatoes, lettuce, and onion in a whole wheat wrap. Tomatoes have lycopene to fight cancers and heart disease.


2. Chicken, Spinach, Walnut and Citrus Salad: Spinach is a great source of iron, calcium and other vitamins and walnuts contain healthy fats and Omega-3s.


3. Chicken Kabobs: Chicken, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions and tomatoes provide protein, lycopene, fiber, and vitamins A and C.

Step 3: Replace Unhealthy Snacks
It's unrealistic to get rid of snacks altogether. So replace unhealthy snacks with ones that are good for you like fresh veggies, protein bars and shakes.

Step 4: Workout Together
Exercise together is more fun and creates accountability. Get moving together --30 minutes a day, 3 times a week to start. Then start to integrate strength training exercises.

Article Taken from The Dr. Oz Show website.

Weight A Minute Monday! Wedding Weight-Loss Plan: Recipes

(Last week we talked about a few wedding weight-loss exercise tips now here are a few sweet rewards you can try.)

Vow to live a long and healthy life together. Start by exercising and eating right before and after the big day. Look to each other for support. Lead by example and encourage your partner to keep his or her promise. And don't forget to reward yourselves for all the hard work!

Tone your body with these muscle-building snacks! Packed with protein and monounsaturated fats, these are desserts perfect for the post-workout treat.

Blackberry Belly Buster Parfait
Ingredients
Makes 2 servings
1 cup low-fat ricotta
1 ripe avocado
2 tsp honey
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 pint blackberries

Directions: Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Pour into a tall glass, alternating layers of blackberries and the puree. Enjoy!

Whey Protein Faux Ice Cream Sandwiches
Ingredients
1 cup fat free Greek yogurt
1 banana
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 scoop whey protein
Graham crackers (reserve)

Directions: Puree all ingredients together and freeze until semi-solid. Stir a few times while freezing. Once it has reached "ice cream" consistency, sandwich a scoop between 2 low fat graham crackers and return to freezer to firm up. Serve or keep in and air-tight container in the freezer until you're ready for your next post-workout snack.




Article Taken from The Dr. Oz Show website.

Weight A Minute Monday! Wedding Weight-Loss Plan: Exercises

Vow to live long and healthy life together. Start by exercising and eating right before and after the big day. Look to each other for support. Lead by example and encourage your partner to keep his or her promise. And don't forget to reward yourselves for all your hard work!

Engage in Exercise

Compound Exercises use more than one muscle group at a time. For those brides-to-be looking to tone their arms and back for a strapless gown, this is an excellent exercise -- and it's just as good for the grooms. Using resistance bands pull the band far apart between you to achieve an adequate amount of tension. The person holding the handles should start with a squat, pulling the bands toward you. Once you come out of the squat and end with a back row, pulling your arms back, elbows bent and close to the body. Make sure to squeeze through the shoulders, Release and repeat the combination. Make sure to switch with your partner. This exercise will work the back, biceps, and triceps.

The plank - otherwise known as the "bye-bye belly" -- is an excellent way to trim your waistline. The plank targets the core. Face each other and lower down into plank position forearms on the floor, legs fully extended, toes on the floor, heels positioned as if they were pressing up against a wall behind you; make sure you are parallel to the floor and keep your butt down, your hips straight and your abs tight. To make this exercise more advanced, give each other high fives with opposite hands (as if you were playing patty cake).

Article taken from The Dr. Oz Show website.

WEIGHT A MINUTE MONDAY: Jennifer Hudson New Spokesperson for Weight Watchers

Last week it was announced that Jennifer Hudson is now the new spokesperson for Weight Watchers. If you've seen Jennifer Hudson in the past few months it's been undeniable the changes in her weight! Now we know how she's doing it...Weight Watchers. On Good Morning America she said that she wanted to set a great example for her new baby boy by making healthier choices.


Weight Watchers has a four-way approach to healthy weight loss.

1. EAT SMARTER
2. MOVE MORE
3. HELPFUL HABITS
4. GET SUPPORT
   

A New England Journal of Medicine study finds that cutting calories --regardless of the balance of carbohydrates, proteins, or fats -- and attending group sessions helps you lose weight. The study showed that people who regularly attended group sessions or who used on-line tracking tools kept more of the weight off that those that didn't.

So basically if you have some type of regular support system you will be more like to lose and keep more of it off. Which is what everyone ultimately wants. So if it is Weight Watchers or some other type of weight loss or healthy lifestyle support group or system the battle may be better won together than alone.

Have you tried Weight Watchers or any other type of support tool or system for weight loss or healthy living?