My tip for today is when you are hungry but it’s getting later in the evening and you’ve already had your calorie intake for the day, drink a glass of water! I know it’s a basic tip, but it’s a good reminder. Especially because it seems like everytime I listen to that little voice saying “go eat” and I fall into it’s temptation, I end up kicking my self the rest of the night. So, drink water!!! On a scientific note, if you don’t already know, hormones control EVERYTHING we do. I’m serious. The same hormone that tells you your hungry is also telling you your thirsty. If you start to feel thirsty it’s because your already dehydrated. So next time you are feeling hungry grab a glass of water and see if it helps. If it doesn’t (besides late at night) then you can get some food. 

5 Ways to Calm Hunger Pangs

Do you start getting hunger pangs at 11:50 a.m. in anticipation of lunch? We’ve all been there. The cause is the hormone ghrelin; released when the stomach is empty, it sets off a chain reaction in the body to make you hungry. In general, you want to keep levels of ghrelin low during the day so you can keep hunger in check. Apart from an empty stomach, there are several factors that can raise ghrelin levels, including drinking alcohol, eating too few calories, and eating greasy, fatty foods. Here are some strategies that will help you manage these triggers and keep your ghrelin levels from rising:

Have a substantial breakfast. One study showed that people who ate a higher-calorie breakfast produced 33 percent less ghrelin throughout the day and felt satisfied for a longer period of time. Try a whole-wheat English muffin with organic peanut butter, a cup of strawberries, and some low-fat yogurt.

Choose complex carbs and get more fiber. Insulin and ghrelin go hand in hand. When insulin goes up after you eat, ghrelin goes down. If you eat the wrong kind of carbohydrates — refined carbs such as white bread and pasta — your blood sugar rises dramatically. In response, your body releases a surge of insulin to clear that sugar from the bloodstream. The insulin does its job very efficiently, and the resulting low blood sugar causes hunger sooner. These constant blood sugar ups and downs can wreak havoc on your metabolism, so it’s best to eat complex carbs and fiber, which delay the release of sugar into the bloodstream so that insulin levels are kept stable and you feel full longer.

Eat on a schedule. Research has found that ghrelin levels rise and fall at your usual mealtimes, so eating on a schedule prevents spikes in ghrelin. If you’re running errands and are away from the kitchen at one of your typical mealtimes, carry a small bag of almonds or other nuts with you — you can eat a little something to keep your stomach satisfied until you can get home and have a real meal.

Emphasize high-volume, low-calorie foods. Levels of ghrelin remain high until food stretches the walls of your stomach, making you feel full. High-volume, low-calorie foods, such as salads and soups, reduce ghrelin levels long before you’ve overeaten. All green veggies and any foods with a high water content count as high-volume, low-calorie foods.

Eat protein. Protein-rich foods can also suppress ghrelin levels — they help create a long-lasting feeling of fullness. Try adding whey protein to a low-calorie smoothie. (If you’re sensitive to gluten, just be sure to check the ingredients list; some whey protein products contain gluten.) One study found that whey brought about a prolonged suppression of ghrelin.

Below is 8 different ways to help you with the your weight loss goals.

1. Watch Your Portions

Portion control is a key challenge to Americans pursuing weight loss. “The best way to control the calories is to go with portion control,” says Dr. Gerbstadt. Piling food onto your plate can make you feel pressured to eat it all. Start with small portions, and go back for (a little) more if you’re still hungry. Keep in mind that your stomach will grumble early on, until it has shrunk to adapt to the smaller meals you’re now eating.

Portion control is doubly important when eating out. “Most people are catching on to the fact that when you eat out at a restaurant, the calories are two to three times what you really need for that meal,” says Gerbstadt. “You might get a salad and an appetizer and call it a meal, rather than get a salad and an entrée.”

2. Eat Slowly

It takes a little while for your body to realize that you’ve eaten and to stop sending signals of hunger. If you slow down and savor your food, you probably will eat less before your body acknowledges that you’re full.

3. Eat Your Vegetables First

Vegetables contain plenty of fiber and bulk but few calories. By eating them first, you might eat less of any fatty or high-calorie items on your plate.

4. Don’t Skip Meals

One of my latest posts was about this alone.  Skipping meals sounds like a good idea, but it actually undermines your weight-loss plan. Your body thinks it is being starved and starts building body fat in an attempt to store energy away for later. On top of that, you’re likely to be even hungrier for your next meal and eat far more than you would have otherwise. The best course is to eat three small meals, with two or three small snacks in between. Jillian Michaels (from the biggest loser) swears by 3 regular meals, and 1 snack in the afternoon. She also says you should eat every 4 hours like clockwork. I LOVE her style, so that’s what I do.

5. Drink Plenty of Water

Water helps you feel full throughout your day, aiding your weight-loss efforts. Water also provides innumerable health benefits to your skin and your digestive and circulatory systems.

6. Switch to Healthy Snacks

Swap out the high-calorie or high-fat snacks in your diet for healthier alternatives. Fruits, low-fat string cheese, peanut butter, and whole-grain crackers are some good options. Create snacks that combine carbohydrates and proteins, like peanut butter on apple slices, as they will make you feel full longer.

7. Exercise as Often as You Can

Burning calories through physical activity is essential to weight loss. If you don’t burn more calories than you eat, you won’t lose weight. “People think they’re too busy to walk 20 minutes a day or do a little weight training or ride a bike, and then they wonder why they can’t lose weight,” Gerbstadt says. “If you try to diet without exercise, it just takes that much more effort.” Any physical activity, even long walks, will help.

8. Keep a Record

Food diaries are a proven aid to people pursing weight loss. Keep track of what you’ve eaten and how many calories the food contained. If you also keep a record of your exercise, you can compare how many calories you’re burning to how many calories you’re consuming.

Healthy and sustainable weight loss does not occur overnight, despite the promises of fad diets. Losing a pound or two a week is normal, and shows that you are adopting weight-loss habits as a part of your lifestyle. Some people like to go crazy and loose 10 pounds a week. This is called starvation folks. Not only is it bad and shocking to the body, the body after the huge drop in weight slows it’s metabolism down. So in the long run, it’s worth to loose weight at healthy weight loss levels.

Core Workout with Body Ball

Below are some different exercises you can do to target your abdomen and back. Repeat all of the exercise at least 10 times.

Arm Digs – kneeling on the floor, dig your elbows into the body ball, roll (with elbows) the ball into the body and roll it back out into a kneeling plank position.

Body Twists – laying on ball (shoulders should be only contact on ball) lift your arms in the air and press your hands together, forming a triangle shape from your shoulders to your hands.  Rotate your arms from left to right slowly.

Over Head Extensions – laying belly down on ball, roll yourself to where ball in positioned about pelvis area. Reach your out in front of you and pull back with force. This is will target your shoulders and back while your abs work as a stabilizer.

Back Extension with Ball – laying belly down on ball, roll yourself to where ball in positioned about pelvis area. With arms behind head, lift your upper body up (back extension) and down with control.

Reverse & Upper Crunch – as positioned in picture above, add a pelvic tilt while crunching your upper abs towards your pelvis.

Roll In – Positioned with ball under toes, walk yourself out to a plank position and then roll the ball in towards the body, and then push it back out with feet.  This exercise is the “challenger” and should only be repeated as many times as you feel comfortable

Congrats to all of you runners who finished the Top of Utah Marathon today!! I would love to hear how it went for all of you so please leave a comment if you have one!  Just 2 weeks until I’m running the Saint George.  Today, I ran 16 with my husband and I have to tell you how it went.  For the first couple  miles, it was silent.  Then I said “maybe we should talk….”  He says “what about?”  I mention that it’s fun to talk while you are running for long periods of time together.  He replys “running together is not for talking, it’s for pacing each other.”  Man, men and women are SOOOOOO different!  I’m used to getting my mileage in with some awesome stories and good company (thanks V.).  At that point I thought, without music and talking this might be the longest 16 miles I’ve ever ran!  It turned out okay and he stayed with me. I even got him talking some.  Some of you might not know much about my hubby either.  I’m not “bragging”  when I say this;  he is completely ripped, with the help some some serious genetics (wish I had those).  He’s never been over 6% body fat and when he has his shirt off, you’d think he lived at the gym.  He NEVER trains, but manages to finish races really well, even qualifying for Boston Marathon or placing in his age at triathlons.  I ALWAYS train.  I swear that’s all I ever do is train!  Over the last couples years, I have gotten better and thought maybe someday I will be able to beat Bryce.  Well that happened for me this year at a triathlon. I was SO excited.  So, today, I thought our run would be pretty good. He totally kicked my trash!  Remember how I mentioned my race is in 2 weeks?  Well, this is his first “mileage” run. He ran 16 pretty much effortless and claims that he feels ready.  Like I said, men and women are SO different! I wish I had whatever genetic makeup is going on in his body. Hopefully my kids will inherit some of that. As an instructor / trainer, it can be pretty frusterating at times to be married to that when I work so hard. But, on the other hand, it’s pretty nice being married to a ripped body

Sometimes other people just say it better than you.  This is one of those times.  Below is an article that I LOVE! It tells why it’s important to EAT!  So many people who I have worked with can’t keep the weight off, or even lose it for that matter.  Most times, it’s because they are not eating enough or they aren’t calorie counting.  I know that calorie counting sounds terrible. But, once you do it for a little while, you get the hang of it and it get’s a lot easier.  Just try it.  But for now, you need to read this article to make sure you aren’t one of those who are just starving yourself.

Learn why cutting out too many calories can keep you from losing weight.

By Krisha McCoy, MS

Medically reviewed by Christine Wilmsen Craig, MD

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1 cup splenda

1 cup br. sugar

1/2 c. applesauce

1/2 c. skim milk

1/2 c. cocoa

2 TBSP peanut butter

Bring above to a boil, then add ingredients below.

3 cups quick oats

1/2 cup nuts (I didn’t, cause I hate them in cookies)

1 cup coconut

1 tsp. vanilla

Put on wax paper.

Does it look like he hates the healthy cookie? I didn't think so...