Super Bowl Sunday Healthy Snack Ideas

Hello Friends!!!

Josh has been SuperBusy gearing up for some of his clients for SuperBowl Sunday.  For us this means it is SuperBowl Snack Time! :)  You do not have to go rogue or get off the diet plan that you are in order to take part in celebrations. Josh posted last week about preparing yourself for these type of gatherings.

I hope that you enjoy the recipes we found on fitsugar.com and they were posted by our friend Michele Foley. These healthy recipes are sure to have you scoring the touch down with your family. Have a great weekend! 

Oh Josh wanted me to let you guys know that he is down .4lbs he only has 3lbs to go to hit 20lbs lost!

Thanks,

Kelly

NUT BUTTER DIP

©Michele Foley Fitsugar.com 2012

Pick a fiber-filled fruit like an apple or pear to eat alongside a tablespoon or two of nut butter. The natural sugar of fruit won't have you crashing the same way a soda will, and the protein from the nut butter will help sustain your energy through the day.

FRUIT KEBABS

©Michele Foley Fitsugar.com 2012

You'll be shocked at how fast fruit kebabs disappear when put out on the table. Make them even more special by adding a blue agave cinnamon dip to the mix. (substitute maple syrup with blue agave)

To make your own fruit kebabs, get an assortment of different fruit and cut into bite-size pieces. After that, all that's left is to skewer! You can use standard kebab skewers to do so.

MANGO SHRIMP SKEWERS

©Michele Foley Fitsugar.com 2012

Food on a stick is always a smart choice for get-togethers. Hands stay clean, and the dish is easier to serve. Mango shrimp skewers are quick and easy to cook up and will keep guests coming back for more.

Recipe
1 pound of shrimp, deveined and shelled
1 flesh of a mango
1 teaspoon of cumin powder
1 jalapeno, seeded depending on your tastes
Salt to taste

Directions

1. Puree all the mango, cumin powder, and jalapeno in small blender or food processor.
2. Skewer the shrimp and cover with the half of the marinade. Allow the shrimp to marinade in the fridge for a half hour.
3. Cook until shrimp are pink in color and top with the rest of the marinade

Serves 4-6.

CUCUMBER RANCH DIP

©Michele Foley Fitsugar.com 2012

Rethink ranch dip by substituting Greek yogurt for sour cream and mayonnaise. Instead of the powdered spices and salt, quickly chop up some chives, parsley, and garlic for our cucumbers with ranch Greek yogurt dip. There is so much flavor packed in these fresh herbs; only a little salt is needed to satiate your palate. This dip will complement any raw vegetable, so be sure to try it on bell peppers, carrots, and broccoli florets.

Ingredients

1-2 cucumbers, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1 clove garlic, mashed into paste
1/2 bunch chives, thinly sliced
1/4 bunch flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
1 6-ounce container of strained Greek yogurt
Lemon juice to taste
Sea Salt to taste

Directions

1. To make garlic paste: chop garlic then add a generous pinch of coarse salt. Mash the garlic and salt mixture with the flat side of your knife.
2. Stir garlic paste, chives, parsley, and lemon juice to Greek yogurt until well combined. Sea Salt to taste.

My Latest Update

Wow!!! I have so missed blogging and hearing from all of my supporters.

Where to begin??

My friends and I had such a great time at the Chinese new year festivities here in Houston. There were so many exhibits to take part in and of course OH MY GOODNESS the food! There was so much of it... let me tell you one of my weaknesses is Chinese food! Anyone else?  I DID NOT GIVE IN!!!!

The day started off with us pre-packing our morning snacks, lunches and afternoon snacks. We have attended this event before and we knew that we better arm ourselves in the battle against fighting the CRAVE MONSTER!!!

We arrived at the festivities and almost immediately when opening the car door you were engulfed with the aroma... Getting into the vendor area was the biggest challenge yet!!! There was so many food stands, people walking around with the delicious delights, and a  variety of vendors on site to enlighten visitors with their culture. I am glad my friends were there supporting me in this challenge and made sure that I did not give in.

After the chinese festivities were over we all decided to go and catch the latest movie Extremely Loud, Incredibly Close. I was not mentally prepared for the movies and on arriving I broke protocol and got a regular popcorn no butter.. However, movie popcorn is loaded with unnatural salts and oils. Whether I had no butter or not the stuff was not the best thing for me to have...

Later in the evening after the movie was over we all decided to go and play cards which led me into craving the usual snacks when we have our game night... I fought off the snack cravings for as long as I could.  My break in protocol earlier to have popcorn led me to once again break protocol and have carrots with hummus.You may be thinking well thats not bad, however the plan I am following is a very strict plan to follow.. Those who are on this plan know that you can easily gain weight with going rogue...

I am happy to say that Sunday following the festivities, the movie night and the game night I am back on track with HCG. My weight started at 291 and as of today I weigh 274.6lbs. I have lost a total of 16.4lbs. I am so thankful for my mother, Shelia Hall.  She is a personal nutrition coach and has been routing for me before I even began. Presently Shelia is gearing up for her month long boot camp series. You can find out more about this program by visiting her site at www.facebook.com/bootcampcrosby

With the guidance of my mom who is an amazing personal nutrition coach, I am following the book written by Sonia E Russell HCG Diet 800 Calorie Protocol. You can pick up your copy at www.hcgdoctorsgroup.com I really suggest you invest in yourself with time and study before starting any diet plan. You can also follow Sonia at www.facebook.com/inchesadmin

Soo much has happened since Saturday. My amazing life has not stopped. I am preparing a SuperBowl Blog that will be posted tomorrow. You don't have to pay on game day! We will  have some amazing recipes provided by fellow HCG dieters and supporters within this program.

Talk to you guys soon!!!

Josh

Dieting in Times of Celebration

So after a minor setback yesterday. I am pleased and so happy to announce that I am down another 2.0 lbs today. Total weight loss since Monday has been 11.4 lbs... After observing my daily intake I believe that my weight gain was due to some stress as well as too much salt intake. Yesterday was all about drinking more water so that I could flush it out!

Today I am really excited that some friends and I are going to take part in the Chinese New Year festivities.
Every year Houston puts on a fantastic event in celebration of Chinese New Year. This year is the year of the dragon.


The dragon holds special significance for the Chinese people. More than 4,000 years ago, there were two large tribes and many smaller tribes in China. The tribes had animals as emblems. The two large tribes unified and chose the dragon as their symbol. In fact, the Han Chinese still call themselves the descendants of the Dragon.


Still today, the Dragon is a revered symbol. You can see many sculptures and carvings of the dragon. Even today, the Chinese associate the dragon with power and wisdom. The Chinese dragon was not seen as a threatening evil being as we do in the west - rather a symbol of power, superiority and rule.


Let this be your year that you gain power and wisdom within yourself and conquer your battle of the bulge.

As we all know that major holidays can take a wrath on our diet plan and or program.  However you do not have to shy away from the holiday itself. What you need to do is prepare yourself and plan out your day, Think about where you will be within your day.. Think about times and things that might be going on. You do not want to allow the simplicity of convenience foods to set in as you may get off protocol.  Ask yourself if you will have a place to cook, or do you need to pack a lunch that doesn't require much preparation.

For today we have grilled chicken breasts and packed a spinach salad. We have prepared a strawberry vinaigrette dressing. For packing we have used a Glad container to hold our chicken breast as well as our salad. Glad makes these snack pack containers as well as lunch containers that cost about $1.89 for four. These containers come with a snap on dressing holder that attaches to the inside of your lid. This is very convenient so that you do not have to pack everything separately. After all, less is more!

In addition to our grilled chicken breast and salad, we are taking our morning snack, our lunch as well as our afternoon snacks. We will be enriched with the smells and aromas of the food of this culture but we are armed and ready!!!

You too can prepare yourself in the midst of a wonderful celebration and feel great about staying on your diet plan!

I continue to send you all wishes on your weight loss journey! As always thank you for continuing to support my endeavors!

All the best!

Josh

Weight Gained and Heartache Felt

Good Morning Family and Friends-

Today has been one of those "off" days. I have felt a lot of different emotions that have been brought on from work, life and of course dieting! I did gain weight yesterday that and combined with other current stresses with my daily life led me to a bit of an emotional breakdown today.

I am being accountable with the program and with my followers and I am realizing that you cannot win everyday and that I have to be ok with that. I am a perfectionist at everything I do and I ultimately want to please everyone...  I am beginning to think that this challenge is not only about weight loss but its about me fighting to let some of things go that I cannot control.

I am so thankful for you all and supporting my challenge. We are peeling back the layers and weight one pound at a time!

Cheers-

Josh

Simple Cooking For On-The-Go Dieters

Good Evening-

I hope that you all are conquering your weight loss goals and that you are staying on track to the diet plan you have chosen. If you do not know by now, I am a business owner, a photographer and a freelance television producer. My schedule does not always permit me to spend 30-45 minutes in the kitchen trying to prepare a healthy meal. Generally I do have to prepare my meals the night before to ensure that I stay on track and that I do not get off of my diet protocol.

I wanted to take the time and share this wonderful recipe that is so easy to prepare and cooks in 5 minutes!!!! It is also my lunch for Day #5.

So let's get started:

Menu Item:

Lemon Pepper Fish with Asparagus

© 2012 Counting Down The Pounds

What You Will Need:

Microwavable Steamer

4 oz of Whitefish (for this meal I used tilapia)

1 cup of asparagus

juice of one lemon

1 tsp oregano

sea salt

black pepper

(other ingredients in photo were used to make another recipe)



Preparation:

Step 1: Cut the woody ends of the asparagus and discard. Be sure that you watch your proportions and that you properly measure out 1 cup. Since we used whole stem asparagus, you can use your index finger and your thumb and wrap them around a bunch of asparagus. If the index finger does not meet the tip of your thumb you have to much.

© 2012 Counting Down The Pounds

Step 2: Place your cut asparagus into the bottom of your microwavable steamer. (You can find these on amazon or even at your local shopping/dept. stores) Make sure that you find and or purchase a medium size steamer that will house all of your veggies and fish.


Step 3:  Place whitefish on top of asparagus, top with squeeze of lemon, oregano, sea salt and black pepper. Make sure that you watch the amount of spices you are using and try to stick with only allowable spices that are on your diet plan.

© 2012 Counting Down The Pounds

Step 4:  Place the lid on your steamer and place in the microwave for 5 minutes. During this time make sure that you are following my blog. Here you will find some great tips and will get to witness my progress while on this diet plan!

Step 5: Remove steamer from microwave after the 5 minute cook time. Remove the fish and asparagus from the steamer, plate it up and enjoy.  If you are like me and on the go just throw it in the Tupperware!!!

© 2012 Counting Down the Pounds

Now its your turn to share a great quick and healthy meal with me! I hope to see your recipes soon!  Thanks for reading and supporting my journey!

Day #5 Weigh-In Report

Hello Friends and Followers:

I haven't had much time to check in today, but I just wanted to say that I have lost another 3.4lbs!!! The total amount of weight that I have lost since Monday has been 6.4 lbs. WOW! This HCG diet is working. I am so excited that I have the energy throughout the day and that I am feeling a lot more focused on what I have been doing!

Look out for my video blog tonight! I have a some great tips to discuss for anyone that is on a diet plan. Not just HCG.

How To Treat and Prevent Low Carb Headaches

Strict "no carb" phases of low carb diets have developed a reputation for giving dieters severe headaches. Dietitians have identified a number of different factors that could cause these headaches. They vary from person to person.

One of the factors is caffeine. Most low carb diets prohibit caffeinated drinks because they cause fluctuations in blood sugar, which can potentially jeopardize the efficacy of the diet. The Atkins’ diet suggests that dieters begin scaling-down caffeine consumption before they start the induction phase of the diet to minimize unpleasant withdrawals.

Another factor is wheat and sugar addictions, which can be the byproduct of reliance on refined carbohydrate products for a quick boost in blood sugar levels. If you snack to increase your blood sugar level, you may be addicted to carbohydrates, according to Dr. Atkins. Again, you may want to begin scaling-down your snacks before you start the induction phase to minimize withdrawal symptoms.

The last factor is dehydration. If you are losing weight rapidly on a "no carb" initial phase, you are also losing a lot ofwater that is bound-up in your carbohydrate reserves. In fact, you are actually losing four-times as many grams of water as you are grams of glycogen (or stored carbohydrates).

In addition to preventing dehydration, your body needs to replenish all of the water it loses daily to simply maintain organ functionality, flush out toxins, replace electrolytes, and promote good skin health.Most low carb dietitians suggest that you consume 8 eight-ounce glasses of water each day. This is especially important if you are losing more than the average amount of water each day, so make sure you are sticking to the "8 x 8"--or whatever amount you can drink comfortably each day--so you don’t become dehydrated during the first phase of your low carb diet.

The key to preventing low carb diet headaches is to make sure you are consuming enough water and to scale-down your potential "addictions" before you start.If you have already started your low carb diet, there is nothing you can do about these headaches. Most experts suggest that you simply wait it out. If they don’t go away after four days, then you may have food allergies, in which case you should halt the diet and consult your physician.

Got off Track...

© Count Down the Pounds:

Breakfast this morning consisted of egg whites and blueberries. 

As of this posting I can say that I did not get the eat everything that was scheduled on my menu plan for Day #4. Some of the things that were on the plan I changed at the last minute and I got a little off protocol... :-/ here is what I changed and what I had instead of the planned out menu.

For this morning snack I ended up skipping it and I didn't find myself eating lunch until 2:00 pm which was off my schedule and I could tell that I was facing a lot more hunger pains and I have had a headache today.

I had a lot of complications and time constraint with deadlines which prevented me from stopping to eat.  I changed this morning snack to an orange which was consumed after I had lunch and was considered my afternoon snack. If you skip a snack or a meal, should you make up for it and eat your lunch and your snack together? Someone please let me know..

I did not eat my afternoon snack in fear that I would be eating too much this late in the evening and then gaining the weight back that I lost. 

Dinner has been prepared and I am still on plan for the crock-pot-chicken. I will let you know how it taste!!! 

Day # 4 Menu

For some reason I noticed that Day #4 Menu did not post yesterday so I am reposting again...

Breakfast
3 egg Whites
handful of blueberries

Morning Snack
1 wasa cracker

Lunch
Filet Mingon (4 oz)
Braised Cabbage

Afternoon Snack
1 small apple

Dinner
Crock Pot Chicken
sauteed garlic and greens
1 small salad

Evening Snack
grapefruit

Day #4 Weigh In

I was a little bit anxious to crawl out of bed this morning to stumble to the restroom. It was like a bright light beacon shining down on the scale. All though this time the scale is huge and I am surrounded by an audience just waiting for me to make my move. Placing one foot on the scale followed by the other... (kill dream scenario.. LOL...) Back to reality.. I am writing this blog while in bed... it's time to weigh in.. Ok so here goes....


288lbs!!!!! WOO HOO! I lost 3 lbs!

I am so excited that I was able to lose 3 lbs!!!  What were your results on the first day you weighed in after starting your diet program? How did you feel after your first day of dieting? Did you feel discouraged? Did you have more energy? Please share your story with me.

Day # 3 Daily Menu Plan

Monday Day # 3 of the HCG Protocol Diet. Today, I felt as though I conquered hiking a mountain. I had the worst fear of not eating enough, or maybe I am eating too much... needless to say everything was very balanced and I have felt as though I had more energy and the ability to focus more on my work and on myself.

The day started out with my official weigh in at 291lbs. This weight has been the heaviest that I have weighed in my life. After the weigh-in it was time for breakfast. Just so that you know I am not the biggest breakfast eater and I definitely dislike eggs. (any suggestions on a great source of protein other than eggs for breakfast I am all ears!)

Here is what I had for today:

Breakfast:  3 egg whites and 6 medium strawberries

Morning Snack: 1 small green apple

Lunch: 4 oz Chicken Breast, 1 cup cooked broccoli, and 1 small salad with lemon juice

Afternoon Snack: Orange

Dinner: Thai Beef Cabbage Salad

Evening Snack: apple sauce (haven't consumed yet but I will be on my way shortly)

Protocol Day #3 Confessional

So some of you may know that while following the HCG protocol diet that Day #1 and Day # 2 of Phase 2 is your load days. I think so far these two days have been my favorite! LOL! Getting to eat the things I have been used to eating (as in the unhealthier versions of food)...

With that being said Day #3 Video Blog is up!

Accountability and Diet Plan

Accountability is one key element into a successful weight loss plan! Being accountable = successful weight loss! I thought for a while, how am I going to be accountable for my weight loss? Then I thought well what a better way than to post what my daily menu plan is for the day. I will include the plan along with the recipes if you should choose to follow along with me on this plan. At the end of each day I will post what my daily intake was. I have to be honest here and even if I go off the tracks I have to post that.

What diet am I on you ask?  I am following the HCG Protocol Diet 800 Calories a day. (did you just gasp for air when I said 800 calories a day?) Yes I did the same thing! However after much research and the help from my mother and seeing the results of my step-father's weight loss I have decided that this will be the best plan for me. I am taking daily injectable shots of HCG and following a balanced and planned out meal plan. The plan is full of the the proteins and nutrients that I need to make this a successful weight loss.
This diet plan is not for everyone and I encourage you to do your own research before starting any diet. As always consult with your physician before starting any diet plan. If you are interested in this diet plan please e-mail me so that I can get you all of the information that you will need.

Aside from following the diet plan I am taking multi-vitamins, calcium pyruvate, and other non-synthetic supplements. These will aide me with additional nutrients that my body will need while on this program.

I will begin with posting Day #1 Plan on my next blog.

Counting Down the Pounds!

Josh

Weight Loss (the fear of quitting)

We all have heard about the latest and greatest diet plans out there! Just take these for example, Lose 10lbs in Just TWO Days! or better yet... You too can lose weight like Kourtney Kardashian. All you have to do is not eat! (ohhh great! where do i sign up?)  Let's all be honest with each other, weight loss takes more than just starving yourself or drinking a miracle solution. After all, do you really not want to eat for two days just in order to lose 10lbs?

Weight loss has always been a struggle for me. I have tried almost every diet out there and have failed. I just didn't see myself continuing on the diet, or because of temptation of eating something unhealthy, giving up, sometimes giving up before I even really began. For me I have always chased after which diet is going to give me the quickest results and the easiest. I am pretty sure that is why they call Fast Food a convenience food? Because it is easy!

Some of the diets that I have tried have been; Atkins, South Beach, Weight Watchers, Grapefruit Diet, Cardiac Arrest Diet.. all of which have set me up personally for failure. Please don't mis-understand me, some of these diet programs have worked really well for you and countless of others. However, all of these diets for me were lacking something. I always felt hungry or that I was starving myself. I didn't feel I was getting the cravings and things that I was accustomed to within fast food and eating out! I desired and would seek out the carbs and the sugars, I craved and yearned for them.

I personally now know why those diet plans failed for me! Losing the weight is more about a lifestyle change and a commitment of wanting to lose the weight for yourself. A choice to be healthier and live life longer not because you are trying to look GQ or Super Model ready. Sure who doesn't want to look like that of a super model out of a magazine?

I have chosen to write this blog to share my personal journey and open up about the things I have always done wrong while on a  diet plan. You will journey with me on a daily basis on the choices I am making to better myself one pound at a time. I hope that I can give you tips and advice on the things that I am doing that may help you. I will be posting pictures of my progress, recipes for you to enjoy, and would like to interact with other dieters. I would love to hear what you have found to be some of your strengths and your weaknesses. What has given you your commitment to dieting and what has been the most challenging?

My name is Josh Price, today is January 23, 2012.  I am 30 years old and I currently weigh 291lbs. This is the beginning to the rest of my life. I would like to see myself lose 65lbs. This will not be easy and this will be a challenge. I am ready for the change and I am ready for the new me! The fear of quitting is no longer there!

Let's Begin!

Josh