Suzie Trains Maui BLOG

by Suzie Cooney, CPT owner of Suzie Trains Maui

Maui, HI. December 20, 2011 : Listen & Learn About Ten Survival Tips For Holiday Parties on Suzie Cooney’s Radio Health & Fitness Segment with the Maui Breakfast Club, every Tuesday on Maui’s KNUI 900AM @ 7:30am

On air Suzie Cooney shares her 10 Survival Tips for the Holidays!

 CLICK HERE and  listen and learn how to manage those fabulous holiday parties. Save your waistline and those extra calories that may sneak up on you at the buffet line, pastry cart or holiday dinner.

It’s not easy to pass up a delicious dessert, or that yummy, oh so fat filled glass of eggnog. Don’t fret, make a plan and practice talking more and scan the buffet table or bar and make a plan NOT to lose it, but enjoy in moderation without regret or extra time on the treadmill.

Today, on this special holiday show I’ve listed 10 helpful tips to keep you smiling and not sweating too much at the gym. Enjoy your holidays and friends and just learning a few of these tips will see you through to the next party without gaining an ounce, well maybe a few.

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My top suggestion is to eat something prior to the party that combines protein and fiber to fill you up before you charge to front of the buffet line. Drink lots of water and leave the elastic pants or skirt at home!

Suzie Cooney of Suzie Trans Maui is a weekly guest on the Maui Breakfast Club with Tom Blackburn Rodriguez and Kellie Pali and shares every week, her healthy tips from how to train for big surf, to how to avoid weight gain at big buffets. For over 12 years she has helped hundreds of people get in the shape of their lives and live the life Maui offers. People come from all over to train and learn from her.

Tune in every week, Tuesday on Maui’s KNUI 900AM  at 7:30am or click here to catch the daily, live broadcast from anywhere in the world.

Tom, Suzie and Kellie photo by Simone Reddingious

Feel free to share your comments and tell us your  tips to help our audience enjoy the holidays without sabotaging one’s hard work to get in and stay in shape.Follow @SuzieTrainsMaui

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How Fiber Helps You Lose Weight
Suzie Cooney, CPT

(Papaya, kale, brown rice and Swiss chard and apple)

We are fortunate to enjoy the plentiful great fruits and vegetables Maui offers. I often tell my clients to lose weight eat as much fiber as you can safely digest. Or when filling your plate, imagine your plate like a clock. From 12pm to 6pm, is a field of greens and other delicious vegetables.

Fiber is a virtually indigestible substance that is found mainly in the outer layers of plants. Fiber is a special type of carbohydrate that passes through the human digestive system virtually unchanged, without being broken down into nutrients.

Fiber is the part of plant-based foods that our bodies can’t easily digest. It passes through our digestive tract without providing nutrition or calories, and yet it is healthy and acts as a good scrubber.

Fiber helps to keep us regular ward off certain diseases and can also reduce our risk to colon cancer. Fiber also helps cholesterol to exit the body therefore reducing the risk of heart disease.

Fiber makes us feel full sooner and stays in our stomach longer than other substances we eat, slowing down our rate of digestion and keeping us feeling full longer. Due to its greater fiber content, a single serving of whole grain bread can be more filling than two servings of white bread.

Fiber also moves fat through our digestive system faster so that less of it is absorbed.

Some good examples of fiber-rich foods include:
• Legumes (lentils, dry beans and peas)
• Other vegetables
• Fruits
• Brown rice
• Whole grains (wheat, oats, barley)

Products labeled “whole grain” are made with the complete grain kernel, whether the grain remains intact as in oatmeal or it is ground to make bread, pasta or cereal. Watch out for labels that read, “100% wheat” or “multi-grain” or coloring added. Most wheat bread is almost identical to white bread except that caramel coloring has been added to make it look more natural.

Refined grains like white rice and those used to make white bread and sugary breakfast cereals have lost most of their fiber and nutrients. They turn into blood sugar (glucose) so fast and may cause a spike in your insulin level. This signals our body that plenty of energy is readily available and that it should stop burning fat and start storing it.

We know that an insulin spike is followed by a drop in insulin level that leaves us feeling tired and hungry and wanting to eat more. The unfortunate result of this event is that it makes us want to eat something else with high sugar content. Fiber helps keep our blood sugar at a more consistent level.

Adding more fiber to your diet will likely help you lose weight and improve your health. Start adding more slowly to see how you tolerate it.
Of course, regular exercise and plenty of fluids will also assist you in your weight loss efforts.

To help me stay in shape and eat healthy I make sure I get enough veggies and fruits, so I have them delivered each week to my home. I love the service Kula Fields offers and that I know I’m getting what my body needs. Now I have no excuses to eat well!  I make delicious smoothies with young coconut milk and Sambazon Acai Antioxidant Superfood Organic Puree and all the fruits I can find.

Remember, take it slow on introducing more fiber. I promise you will see a great change in your body and feel great too.

Aloha and in good health,

Suzie Cooney, CPT of Suzie Trains Maui

www.suzietrainsmaui.com

My quick tips to lose the fat and get lean now!

 This is an overview to really get you started, if your serious!

Crash  diets may make you fat!  It’s wise never to eat under 1200 calories a day.  Starving your body dramatically slows down your metabolism, opening the opportunity to store this food as fat!

Plan all meals in advance, especially on the road or at the office. Buy reusable containers and pack  before you go.

Put your entire meal on a smaller plate.

Your plate is like a clock: From 6 – 12, fill your plate with veggies. From 1-3,  portion of protein and from 3 -4, complex carbs.

Do not eat past 7:30 pm. Better to go to bed a little hungry.  Give your organs a rest. Avoid temptations of a midnight snack!

To cut cravings, you must watch and balance insulin levels. Fruit is your best defense against insulin highs and lows.

Drink at least 96 oz or 3qts water a day increase 8oz for every 25 extra pounds. If you get bored and have a hard time and need flavor, add slices of lemon, lime or oranges! Water helps you retain less water while you are shedding the pounds

Eat  ½  half, save rest for later

Take 20 ! :

The body takes about 20 minutes to recognize it’s full. This means if you scarf down your lunch or dinner in less than ten minutes, you may not realize that you’ve actually overeaten, and you’re actually full, until it’s already down the hatch. I know this is easier said than done, but do yourself a favor by trying to make each meal last at least 20 minutes. You may find that slowing down your eating habits could slow down how many calories you take in at every meal.

Using chopsticks slows your eating down and is fun!

Let your hand be your guide:
One hand full: one ounce of nuts
Your palm: 3 ounces of meat
A fist: the size of a cup
A finger: one ounce

 Suggested Dietary Intake of Protein:
15-30%

Carbs:
50-70%

Fats:
10-30%

Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables of different kinds — at least two servings of fruits and three servings of vegetables each day. Choose whole or cut-up fruits and vegetables rather than juices, which contain little or no fiber. FIBER is the key to loosing weight without going hungry!!

If you want to learn  how to prepare wonderful, healthy meals, check out our Maui’s own, George Mateljan’s book, The World’s Healthiest Foods.  George is a guest on our radio show every Friday, The Maui Breakfast Club 7-8am, 1110 AM  His website is updated daily with super recipes and tips: www.whfoods.org

Also, eating plenty of whole grains, such as whole-wheat bread or oatmeal, can help protect against many chronic diseases, and the fiber in these foods can help you feel full longer.

Some examples of whole grains:

The following, when consumed in a form including the bran, germ and endosperm, are examples of generally accepted whole grain foods and flours.

• Barley
• Buckwheat
• Corn, including whole cornmeal and popcorn
• Millet
• Oats, including oatmeal
• Quinoa
• Rice, both brown rice and colored rice
• Rye
• Wheat, including varieties such as spelt, emmer, farro, einkorn, Kamut®, durum and forms such as bulgur, cracked wheat and wheatberries
• Wild rice whole grain, with great sources of protein

 Aim for at least six servings of grain products, including whole grain, per day. Older children or teens, adult men, or active women may need more.

All fats are not created equal. Fats supply energy and essential fatty acids, and they help you absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Limit saturated fats because they increase the risk of heart disease. However, unsaturated fats do not raise cholesterol and thus are healthier. Choose from a variety of healthy fats, vegetable oils, fish, and low fat or non fat dairy products.

Keep saturated fats to less than 10% of your calories and total fat intake to no more than 30% of calories. This will also help you keep the amount of cholesterol you eat each day to less than 300 mg. Choose from low-fat and lean foods to help cut back on saturated fat.

Limit daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg to reduce the chance of developing high blood pressure. People with high blood pressure and people at higher risk of developing high blood pressure, such as blacks and older adults, may need to cut back even more.

A food journal is THE BEST way to help you keep and track and keep the pounds from coming back. Studies reveal that those who kept a complete food journal in their first 6 months of starting a weight loss program, lost 50% more weight than those who did not.  A great FREE online way to track your food entries : www.fitday.com Call me and I can help you start yours today!

Keep up the good work, Suzie!