Are you on a weight loss diet and have been frustrated by your results? You are not alone. Believe it or not, I can show you how to lose about 20 pounds a year by cutting 250 calories a day.

It is all about small diet changes we can make. To get big results we need to focus on very small changes. In order to lose weight, we have to set practical goals and take one step at a time in order to achieve them.

Did you know that 3.500 calories = about 1 pound fat?! Let me show you how to save some calories to lose weight naturally.

Try to focus on cutting 200 calorie a day if you are in your 30′s and 250 calories a day if you are after 40. And by the way, this small change can save you more than 75,000 calories a year. But, please don’t forget  tostill  exercise or at least to use exercise shortcuts to burn calories and feel fabulous.

Here is a list of calorie overload foods to help you lose weight one slice at a time:

• Starbucks Caffé latte with non-fat milk – 160 calories
• Starbucks Caffé Mocha with non-fat milk – 330 calories
• Starbucks Strawberries and Cream Frappuccino without whipped cream – about 440 calories
• Turkey breast, roasted -2 oz. = 230 calories
• Ham, fresh – 3.5 oz. – 222 calories
• 1 cup mashed potatoes – 222 calories
• Pecan pie – 1/8 pie – 510 calories
• Pumpkin pie – 1/8 pie – 367 calories
• 1 slice Cherry pie – 308 calories
• 1 slice Apple pie – 302 calories
• 2 Sugar cookies – 178 calories
• premium Vanilla Ice Cream – 1/2 cup – 270 calories
• 1 English muffin – 150 calories
• 1 slice Cheese pizza – 230 calories
• 1 slice Pepperoni Pizza – 290 calories
• 2 large scrambled eggs – 200 calories
• 1 cup chocolate milk – 257 calories
• 1 slice of white bread – 60-80 calories
• 1 hot dog – 250 calories
• 4 chicken wings, skinless – 171 calories
• 30 small corn chips – 155 calories
• 20 potato chips – 210 calories
• 10 tortilla chips – 150 calories
• 6 peanut butter crackers – 205 calories
• 1 candy bar – 250 calories
• 1 slice cheesecake – 257 calories
• 1 slice sponge cake – 196 calories
• 3 brownies with nuts – 279 calories
• 5 chocolate chip cookies – 247 calories
• 4 peanut butter cookies – 245 calories
• 5 sugar wafers – 230 calories
• 1 donut – 227 calories
• 4 vanilla or chocolate sandwich cookies – 297 calories
• ½ cup chocolate pudding – 192 calories
• 1 cream puff – 300 calories
• 1 eclair – 239 calories
• When you read labels looking for calories, don’t forget to check on sugar content:
• 1 cup Apple juice – 117 calories and 27 g of sugar (more than 6 tsp of sugar)
• 1 cup Orange Juice – 112 calories and 20.8 g of sugar (5 tsp of sugar)

Let us cut some calories, to feel and look fabulous, shall we?

Breathe, smile and be happy.

© Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health, Nutrition Coach, Counselor, and Radio Show Host

NaturalCounselor.com

I hope you enjoyed my Tips on How to Avoid Hidden Sugar.

Now let me give you some examples of the most sugar packed foods.

I am sure there are some of them you will be surprised with.

Below are excerpts from the article “The Most Sugar-Packed Foods in America” by Dave Zinczenko and Matt Goulding published in the Men’s Health, Health and Fitness Section.

Most sugar-packed breakfast cereal

Quaker Natural Granola: Oats, Honey & Raisins (1 cup)

• 30 g sugars
• 420 calories

Warning: Granola’s healthy reputation is way overrated. The problem is those healthy-sounding oats are invariably bathed in a variety of sweeteners, making it not only one of the sweetest cereals in the aisle, but also a caloric overload. In fact, one cup of this stuff has more sugar than two servings of Lucky Charms.

Most sugar-packed salad

Uno Chicago Grill’s Spinach, Chicken and Gorgonzola Salad

• 38 g sugars
• 720 calories

The candied walnuts on this salad help to make it sweeter than a double-scoop cone of Ben & Jerry’s Butter Pecan ice cream. Choose a more sensible meal and save the sugar calories for dessert (which you’ll share, right?).

Most sugar-packed side dish

Boston Market’s Cinnamon Apples

• 42 g sugars
• 210 calories

This apple dish is right up there with the one Eve served to Adam, and you know how that worked out. Boston Market’s sickly sweet side consists of apples overwhelmed with sugar, brown sugar, soybean oil, and cornstarch. Oh yeah, and a pinch of cinnamon—which is about the only healthy thing about it. If you want this dish done right, make it at home.

Most sugar-packed sandwich

Subway’s Foot-Long Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki

• 38 g sugars
• 740 calories

The most distressing part: this sandwich finds its way onto Subway’s “healthy” menu. Ignore the claims of low fat that adorn the menu board; the teriyaki sauce contributes nearly 10 teaspoons of sugar to the sandwich, which will soon find their way to your waistline.

Most sugar-packed “healthy” food

Panera’s Pumpkin Muffin

• 47 g sugars
• 530 calories

Stop thinking of muffins as health food and start thinking of them as cake. They’re made from refined flour, contain only trace amounts of fiber, and can pack more sugar than two ice cream bars. Have one of these for breakfast, and you’ve sabotaged your diet for the whole day.

Most sugar-packed kids’ meal

Oscar Mayer Maxed Out Turkey & Cheddar Cracker Combo Lunchables

• 61 g sugars
• 680 calories

Kids love Lunchables, and for the usual reason: It’s a candy box. Too bad so many busy parents use them to fill empty lunchboxes. But this kids’ meal has more calories than a Whopper and more sugar than two Snickers bars; suddenly, packing their lunches becomes more of a priority. Anything to avoid that prepackaged candy and sugary drink.

Most sugar-packed breakfast

Bob Evans’ Stacked & Stuffed Strawberry Banana Cream Hotcakes

• 102 g sugars
• 1,200 calories

Despite the fruity name, this is truly one of the worst breakfast entrées in America. Each stack has 25.5 teaspoons of sugar—that’s more sugar than six funnel cakes. This is their diabetic special—one that contributes to the disease, instead of curing it.

The most sugar-packed food in America

Baskin Robbins Large York® Peppermint Pattie Shake

• 281 g sugars
• 2,210 calories

Baskin Robbins’ line of candy-based beverages are horrendous on so many accounts: Each large shake has a day’s worth of calories, up to three day’s of saturated fat, and an ingredient list so long—some more than seven inches—it requires an advanced degree in chemistry to decipher. This particular caloric catastrophe has more sugar than 11 Peppermint Patties. read the whole article

I understand that it may be difficult to be sugar free. But we can at least be better choice smart, shall we?

Breathe, smile and be happy.

Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health, Nutrition Coach and Relationship Expert

There are two simple things you can do to keep your yearly natural cleanse resolutions to get healthier and lose weight, they are: cleanse smart by drinking more water and keep moving.

And I am not talking about vigorous exercise or 8 glasses of water every day.

To change our habits, we need to change our lifestyle, to change our lifestyle takes longer than we expect, that is why all diets fail. Let’s be realistic: to change something in your life and stick to it takes more than a week or two, and even more than two- three months, am I right?

If you ask me how to start drinking more water and move more the easy way, I would say: start your day with a glass of water before breakfast and get a puppy – just kidding about the puppy … or not.

Why and how to drink more water

First filter it: don’t accept the propaganda that municipal water is safe to drink.

We lose water every day by breathing, sweating, urinating, having bowel movements – this is how our body achieves a natural cleanse from its toxins.

Did you know that headaches and migraines can be caused by dehydration? Headache fatigue, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, muscle cramps, tingling of the limbs are the symptoms of dehydration?

To drink more water is easier than you think. Let me explain how: drink a glass of water (warm and with half a lemon if you like) before breakfast and a cup of tea during or after breakfast.  It is already two glasses, and you haven’t even started your day yet! It is simple, isn’t it?

How to start moving without sweat

First, why a puppy? In addition to my 13 year old Aussie, we adopted another one year old puppy a couple of weeks ago. And guess what? With the same routine (two 40 min. walks a day) I started losing weight, because our walks are now at a faster pace. They say young kids keep us young, well, young dogs keep us healthy .

But you obviously don’t have to get a puppy to burn 102 cal. in 30 minutes by walking or 136 cal. by playing with him. There are other options for you.

Walking by itself will help you burn a lot of calories – maybe that is why European women are slimmer.

Walking and calories

• up stairs – 272 calories in 30 min
• down stairs – 102 calories in 30 min
• inside at work gathering things – 102 calories in 30 min
• for pleasure – 119 calories in 30 min
• under 2 mph (very slow, strolling) – 68 calories in 30 min

Don’t have time to walk? What about going shopping

• non-groceries – 78 calories in 30 min
• groceries, without cart – 85 calories in 30 min
• groceries, with cart – 78 calories in 30 min
• carrying – groceries – 85 calories in 30 min

It is all aboutmoving. You can burn calories even without leaving the house

• ironing – 78 calories in 30 min
• cooking – 85 calories in 30 min
• washing car – 102 calories in 30 min
• vacuuming, around home – 119 calories in 30 min
• sweeping, inside (e.g., floors) – 112 calories in 30 min
• washing dishes – 78 calories in 30 min
• mopping – 119 calories in 30 min
• multiple household tasks, light – 85 calories in 30 min
• cleaning – light (e.g., dusting) – 85 calories in 30 min

Don’t want to clean a house? Well, I can understand it. So what’s left?

Kissing and hugging.They will help you burn calories (34 cal. in 30 minutes), reduce stress and boost your immune system.

And speaking about reducing stress, sex will help you both with stress and calories: 30 to 50 calories in 30 minutes! So, more sex = less calories and less stress – please have it in mind.

As you can see, there are a lot of ways to move and burn calories. Start with baby steps, keep it simple and you will be surprised with the results:

• one extra glass of water before breakfast gives you extra 365 glasses of water a year;
• moving 30 minutes a day can help you burn extra 3000 or more calories a month!

Let us be smart and take simple steps to feeling and looking fabulous.

And, as usual, don’t forget to breathe, smile and be happy.

Click to listen to our discussion with Dr. Marlene Siersema on How to Keep the Weight Off to Feel Amazing.

Click to listen to our discussion with Wendy Ida, the Fitness Warrior on How to Get Rid of Belly Fat to Feel and Look Sexy After 50.

©Irina Wardas, HHC

Women’s Holistic Health, Nutrition Coach and Relationship Expert

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