Lose Weight just by Eating Yogurt

Yogurt is a calcium-rich food and calcium promotes weight loss.

Calcium is proven to help you lose weight:

Research links calcium with lower cortisol production, and it has been proven that women who increase they're intake lose up to 40% more weight than calcium avoiders.

More health benefits of Yogurt:

An 8 ounce container of Yogurt provides more than 10% of your daily protein needs.
Yogurt bacteria can relieve the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. It can also restore the balance of your body's yeast levels, preventing yeast infections. It can help prevent urinary tract infections. Because yogurt is rich in calcium, it can keep your bones strong and prevent osteoporosis.

Try this Blueberry Peach Yogurt Smoothie

1 whole banana -- frozen
1 cup frozen peach slices
1/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries or raspberries
1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 tablespoon wheat germ

Place banana, frozen peach slices, blueberries, yogurt and wheat germ in a blender and process until smooth. Serves/makes 2.

Interview

I had a fun time doing an interview this week.  Jess over at Jest Kept Secret is starting a new segment on her blog called:

Before They Were Published

I was the first one to participate!  She is such a sweetheart to work with too.  Please go check it out! :o)

Thanks!

~K

Lakes, mountains and mosquitoes

Seattle broke a record on Saturday, 95 degrees! Fortunately we were up near Mt. Rainier where the it was comfortable, low 70's.

Unfortunately the mosquitoes and flies loved the heat and were out in full force while we were hiking. I've never seen anything like it, and I'm from Alaska where the mosquito is called the state bird.

We started off the hike at the Mowich Lake trailhead and our goal was Tolmie Peak Lookout, a fire lookout. Round-trip was only 6.5 miles and it was rated moderate. Moderate is never what I would expect it to be (somewhat easy), it's always a lot harder.

The views were breathtaking, but when we got to Lake Eunice the mosquitoes ruined my good time. There were literally thousands of the little blood-sucking beasts. Of all the times I've hiked up near Mt. Rainier I've never been bothered by mosquitoes, yet I always carried insect repellent. In my infinite wisdom yesterday I decided to lightened my 20-pound backpack and take out the repellent. I never use it anyway so why carry it?

Oh.my.God. I was eaten alive. Lake Eunice was beautiful, but the mosquitoes swarmed me. I was covered in bites, at least 30 on each arm. They were weird mosquitoes, very small but they left big bumps that itched like crazy. However my husband didn't get a single bite!

Sunday morning the bites didn't itch anymore, and were just lots of tiny bumps. In Alaska the mosquitoes are huge, and they leave a bite that itches for days with huge welts. The bites still look awful, it's like I have some sort of arm and leg acne, but at least they don't itch.

The hike was difficult, and we didn't make it all the way to Tolmie Peak. Mainly because the mosquitoes were so bad I couldn't take it anymore. I felt like I was going insane trying to keep them from biting me. Plus that last mile to Tolmie Peak was very steep, up the side of a mountain. We both agreed to head back to the trail head.

Even though the hike was beatiful, the bugs were horrible. Besides the mosquitoes, there were swarms of small flies everywhere. We might try the hike again in late September when there aren't so many bugs.
 

My eating was good until I got home and made a Flatout pizza, which has become my new favorite food. It's mostly vegetables (red bell peppers, onions, mushrooms) with either chicken breast or turkey pepperoni and 1/4 cup 2% cheese. It makes a huge serving and it's delicious, but I haven't figured out the calories/Points yet (because I'm not sure I want to know). Then I ate four--yes four so sort of a binge--Dreyers Pomegranate frozen fruit bars (second ingredient is sugar so not exactly a health food). They're 70 calories each, but I ate four. Not a good thing.
 
Even though I burned 800 calories on our three-hour hike yesterday (only 5.5 miles round-trip but they were HARD miles), I still weighed 173.6 Sunday morning. Oh well, it's a new week.

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Mowich Lake at the trailhead.

Just an example of the how rough the trail was, and this wasn't even the bad part. After we hiked another mile we were looking forward to getting to back to this part. It made this look easy.

 Mt. Rainier

Lupine (?)

Paintbrush (?)

Some sort of wild lily

 

A sweet, young couple offered to take our picture. It seems like the people we meet when hiking are the nicest people. I've never run into anyone weird or rude. Maybe just lucky, or maybe people that like nature are innately nice. :)

Me wading in Lake Eunice. It was icy cold, but felt wonderful to my hot, tired feet.  As long as I was out in the water the mosquitoes left me alone.

Lake Eunice

Crystal clear water of Lake Eunice with a soft, sandy bottom. And me with naked toes!

There was another couple there that were actually swimming in it. Probably to escape the mosquitoes.

Jack looking at the incredible scenery. At the very top of that peak is Tolmie Lookout.

You can see why we didn't hike up there. Maybe next time.

Back at the trailhead, Mowich Lake

Another view of Mowich Lake

Mt. Rainier

And Mt. Rainier again. One can never

have too many Mt. Rainier pictures.

Lose Weight with these Foods

List of Foods that guarantee Weight Loss

Olives and Avocados are rich in monounsaturated fats that induce satiation even sooner.

Lose weight with sweet potatoes. These orange spuds contain cellulose and hemicelluloses, insoluble fibers that make you feel full faster so you eat less.

Burn fat with chili pepper. This spice is rich in capsaicin, a compound that speeds metabolism so pounds melt off faster.

Sneak more Omega 3 fatty acids, proven weight loss gems found in nuts, tuna and flax seed - into your diet.

Skip sodas and opt for flavored milk and yogurt smoothies. Their calories come from healthy sources like dairy and fruit, not refined sugar.

Get rid of extra calories by sipping cranberry juice. The ascorbic acid in cranberries helps thin liver bile, making it easier for the organ to emulsify fat so it can be quickly flushed out of the system rather than stored in cells.

Nix snack attack with kidney beans. These satisfying legumes are an excellent source of soluble fiber, which slows digestion, keeping you full longer.

Prevent hibernation fat by sipping Green Tea. To counter act a binge, keep your body's fat-burning furnace running on full blast by drinking green tea. Green tea contains caffeine and the antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which is proven to boost metabolic rate. In fact, in a recent 3 month study, participants who took green tea extract lost 4.6% of their body weight without changing their diet. To get the benefit, drink at least 3 cups a day.

Lose up to 40% more weight with Calcium-rich foods. Researchers links calcium with lower stress-hormone cortisol production (cortisol switches the body into a fat-storing mode), and it has been proven that women who increase their intake lose up to 40% more weight than calcium avoiders. Sources of Calcium include yogurt, ricotta cheese and spinach.

Curb overeating with Grapes. Enjoying 1 cup each day can boost insulin sensitivity by 7%, and that translates into a 42% drop in erratic blood sugar, binge eating and weight concerns, USDA studies suggest. The credit goes to cyanidin, kaempferol and phenolics. "These phytochemicals activate the brain's satiety center, so you feel full on far less food", says Connie Guttersen.

Speed Weight Loss with Oxygen-rich Foods

Fast Weight Loss with Oxygen-rich Foods

The following foods are alkaline and full of oxygen - a combo that guarantees weight loss.

Include at least 1 cup at every meal:

Lemons, almonds, tofu, tomatoes, salsa, pesto, asparagus, beets, broccoli, bell peppers, beans, cauliflower, egg-plant, squash, radishes, zucchini, leafy greens, vegetable juices and soups, garlic, herbs and spices.

Lemons - Oxygen-rich lemon juice is technically acidic, but it acts as an alkalinizing agent in the gut, binding to acids and blocking their absorption.

Salsa - Spread this spicy topper on entrees like hamburgers, baked potatoes, tortillas and baked veggie dishes for an extra kick of alkalinity.

Leafy Greens - Leaves and grasses are chock-full of electrons, negatively charged particles that help neutralize acidic foods.

Vegetable Soup - Enjoying a bowl of veggie soup with meals boosts the liver's ability to break down acids, helping to keep cellular pH more alkaline.

Next >> List of High Protein Foods

Garden Galettes

Although I have never heard of a Galette, they don't look unfamiliar.  Tonight I made this dish for the first time and it was a wonderful way to use garden vegetables!  The combination possibilities are endless.  I made this one tonight with yellow & red cherry tomatoes and basil from our garden:

Check out  PrudentBaby for recipe directions and some beautiful pictures.  

Free National Parks Weekend

Did you know this weekend is free admission to all National Parks? We're heading out to Mt. Rainier this morning and a hike around Mowich Lake. It's a  little over an hour's drive to get there. I'm so excited! I love going to the mountains.

Last weekend was a bust because it rained hard all weekend, we (I) decided not to hike in the rain. I've done it but it's just not very fun even with rain gear. I'm really a fair weather hiker.

I'm hoping it's a little cooler in the park since the weather forecast for most of Western Washington is sunny and in the 90's (even Mt. Rainier at the lower altitudes is forecasting 90 degrees!). We don't see that kind of weather very often.

Happy Saturday!