Drum Roll Please! The Biggest Winners are…
Our Biggest Winners:
Rory L. from In-Shape Sport: Modesto
Julie C. from In-Shape Sport: Manteca
In Second Place:
Michael T. from In-Shape Sport: Salinas
Alice M. from In-Shape City: Hammer Lane
In Third Place:
Steven M. from In-Shape Sport: Quail Lakes
Ramona N. from In-Shape City: White Lane
And the winner of the drawing for the Trip to Hawaii is…
Renee T. from In-Shape City: Santa Maria!
CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE!
Tuesday’s Trainer Tips: Commitment
Commitment is a strong word that some people find themselves fleeing from in conversation. I’m not here to talk about your previous or current relationships, but more about the commitment to your fitness goals. How many times have you committed yourself to going to the gym several times a week, eating healthy and doing all the things needed to achieve the goal you want? Yet how many times have you found yourself having to “start all over again.” Well if you didn’t give up in the first place there would not be any need to begin at square one again. How many more times will you tell yourself that this time you can do it, or that you deserve this? Well first and foremost, yes you do deserve it! Secondly, the journey that lies ahead will always be full of challenges. As long as you don’t allow yourself to fall off track or say “oh well, there’s always next time,” because next time might be just as hard if not more difficult.
No one achieves greatness without having a great commitment. Along with this great commitment comes a huge drive to accomplish a goal. What will drive you to reach your fitness goal? Will it be finally fitting into that pair of jeans from high school? How about finally being able to go up two, maybe even three, flights of stairs without feeling winded? Whatever the reason may be, allow it to be the drive for your commitment to the gym, to eating right, to a whole new you. I know you can do it, it’s just time for you to see it.
Trainer Tips brought to you by Santos Lara, CBPT Head Trainer at In-Shape City: Downtown
Beef BBQ Sandwich Recipe
Can you believe you save 211 calories, 26 g fat and 12 g saturated fat with this recipe?!? Read on…and enjoy!
What to get:
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• Olive oil spray
• 2 tablespoons Liquid smoke
• 1/3-1/2 cup barbecue sauce
• 1 cup white onion strips
• 4 whole grain hamburger buns
• 3/4 cup low-fat lower-sodium beef broth
• 1 pound top round roast or steak, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
What to do:
In a medium plastic bag, combine the flour, garlic powder and onion powder. Add the beef and shake the bag until the beef is evenly coated. Refrigerate the beef for at least 15 minutes.
Preheat a medium, non-stick sauce pan over med-high heat. When it’s hot, lightly mist the pan with spray then add the beef. Brown the beef on all sides, about 1 minute per side, then turn the heat to medium and add the broth and liquid smoke. When the liquid comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low (the liquid should still be boiling slightly). Cover and cook the beef, stirring occasionally for 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until it’s very tender. (The pieces should easy fall apart when smashed with a fork). Using a slotted spoon, drain the beef from any excess liquid and transfer it to a medium bowl. Using a fork, separate the pieces, so the beef is somewhat shredded then mix in the barbecue sauce.
During the last 5 minutes of cooking, lightly mist a small, non-stick frying pan with spray, and place it over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about five minutes.
Meanwhile, place the bun halves, insides down, in a medium, non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook them until just toasted, about 2-4 minutes. Place each bun bottom on a plate. Pile one-fourth of the beef mixture onto it. Top with one-fourth of the onion. Add the bun tops. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings.
Each serving has: 270 calories, 29 g protein, 30 g carbohydrates, 6 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 50 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 443 mg sodium
Traditional Beef Barbecue Sandwich has: 481 calories, 27 g protein, 23 g carbohydrates, 32 g fat, 14 g saturated fat, 106 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 930 mg sodium
Devin Says: When buying a barbecue sauce, compare labels. Look for one that isn’t too high in sugar. Though I wouldn’t recommend opting for one that says, “low-carb”, it’s best to buy one that has no more than 7-10 grams of carbohydrates per serving if leaning out is a goal.
Recipe courtesy of “Healthy Decadence with Devin Alexander” on Fit TV
http://fittv.discovery.com/tv-schedules/series.html?paid=56.15278.120366.32800.10
Photo Credit: Lisa Cohen
Mary’s Message: Making a Change to Sustain a Lifestyle
Life is all about choices! In the past, I had very much been a yo-yo person, experimenting with fad diets and easily discouraged when it came to my weight loss attempts. Through the Biggest Winner Challenge, I have learned how to control my portions and balance exercise to maintain my nearly 50 pound weight loss for over a year now! After all this time I have realized, above all else, it comes down to choices. If I have to go to a fancy dinner party later in the evening, I make arrangements to not overindulge early in the day so I can indulge a bit and have a drink or a few appetizers. I deserve it! There’s nothing I won’t let myself have, but I make a choice to work out an extra 30 minutes after I enjoy that delicious piece of chocolate cake! I injured my ankle earlier so I wasn’t able to work out as much. I made the choice to get real strict on my eating so I wouldn’t put on a bunch of weight again. Now that I’m back on my routine, my husband rides his bike and I run behind him with the dog. My new Lifestyle has allowed me to enjoy things I never thought I could do at this age…and it all started at In-Shape!
Stay tuned to find out how I pushed myself into the Biggest Winner finals…
Tuesday’s Trainer Tips: Making Time
“I don’t have time to workout” is the adult version of “the dog ate my homework.” It is interesting that you can find time to do any activity that you want to do such as: watch TV, go out to eat, browse the web, go shopping or do completely nothing! Wait, that’s it. It’s because you want to. Let’s take the same approach to that body that you “want.” Notice I used quotation marks around want. How bad do you want it? How hard are you willing to work for it? How much time are you willing to put into getting it? If you’ve been working this hard because of a contest that helped push yourself to drop weight or get fit, then why would that motivation stop simply because the contest is near its end?
Making the time for yourself to become, or stay, fit and healthy is one that will always give you a satisfying return on your investment. If you are done with feeling unhealthy and are ready to commit to yourself in achieving those fitness goals you’ve talked about for years, then today should be the first day that you begin to embark on this journey. With your hard work, I can assure that you will attain pride in yourself, along with a sense of accomplishment, something that no one can take away from you. Make changes in your eating habits, be patient to see your results, follow a structured program designed for you to achieve said results and hold yourself accountable to commit to sometime of your week at the gym, and you my friend, will be well on your way to seeing the pounds come off and most importantly stay off.
Trainer Tips brought to you by Santos Lara CSCS, CBPT Head Trainer at In-Shape City: Downtown
Tuesday’s Trainer Tips: Accountability
Make yourself accountable for reaching the fitness goals you desire. The weather, time of day, mode of transportation, or even feeling tired are simply excuses. Excuses are mere temporary obstacles that become permanent barriers which will only stand between you and your fitness goals. “But it is super cold in the morning!” Wouldn’t it be grand if everyday you are going to workout was a bright, sunny, warm day, with no red lights on your way to gym, with close parking available, your favorite machines not being used by other members, where you feel wonderful every waking moment and you get the best workout of your life without breaking a sweat. As ideal as that may be, that is not reality that we are faced with as often as we’d like. If your goal is to go to the gym three times a week, then make a commitment to that goal. It is your own personal quota that you must meet. Three hours out of the week is a tiny percentage, less than 2% of your week. If you can commit yourself to invest 2% of your week to your health, fitness and goals, then you have already tackled one of the biggest obstacles that will hold you back. Facing the reality that you are the only one that is able to overcome any obstacle put in your path, you have the ability to achieve the goals that you have set out for yourself.
Trainer Tips brought to you by Santos Lara, CBPT Head Trainer at In-Shape City: Downtown
Chocolate Peanut Butter Breakfast Banana Split Recipe
Chocolate and peanut butter? Yes! Now we’re talking. Not only will your kids be singing your praises when you throw together this breakfast in mere minutes, you’ll be feeling like you’re cheating with each decadent bite!
Hands-on Time: 4 MINUTES • Hands-off Time: NONE
Ingredients:
• 1/3 cup Fiber One or naturally sweetened fat-free vanilla yogurt
• 2 teaspoons chocolate syrup
• 1 small (6–7 inches) ripe banana, peeled
• 1 tablespoon all-natural creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons low-fat granola without raisins
Directions:
In a small bowl, mix the yogurt and chocolate syrup until swirled.
Cut the banana in half lengthwise. Open it and place it, insides facing up, in a small banana split dish or medium shallow bowl. Spread the peanut butter evenly over the insides of the banana. Spoon the yogurt over the middle two-thirds. Top the yogurt with the granola. Serve immediately.
Makes 1 serving. Made with Fiber One yogurt: 334 calories, 9 g protein, 58 g carbohydrates, 9 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 3 mg cholesterol, 8 g fiber, 112 mg sodium; Made with naturally sweetened yogurt: 346 calories, 10 g protein, 58 g carbohydrates, 9 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 3 mg cholesterol, 5 g fiber, 121 mg sodium
Recipes taken from I Can’t Believe It’s Not Fattening by Devin Alexander. Copyright c 2010 by Devin Alexander. Published by Broadway Books, a division of Random House, Inc. www.devinalexander.com
Photo Credit: Theresa Raffetto
Devin Alexander is the author of New York Times Bestselling Biggest Loser Cookbook Series. Click here to learn more about Devin.
