In honor of Fat Tuesday and tomorrow being Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, we have people who will be giving up a few sacrifices for the next 40 days or so. I have a few snipets or a challenge if you will.

It is a NO JUNK FOOD CHALLENGE!!

The Rules:
NO Chocolate
NO Candy
NO Biscuits or cookies
NO Cake, Donuts, or muffins
NO Pastries
NO White bread
NO Chips
NO Fast food
NO Nutella, peanut butter, or other naughty sreads
NO Ice cream

Good luck and try it for 21 days then give yourself a reward. NOT A FOOD REWARD!

Found this list out there from Alton Brown and thought I would share.

List 1: Foods to Eat Every Day
Dark, leafy greens, Nuts, Carrots, Green Tea, Whole grains, Fruit

Whole grains are rich in fiber and will keep you fuller longer. Nuts are a good source of protein, and fruits have antioxidants and resveratrol, known to promote longevity. Carrots are great for eye sight, greens are healthy & low in calories.

List 2: Foods to eat 3 times a week
Yogurt, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Sweet Potato, Avocado, Oily fish, Tofu

Sardines are high in protein, and omega-3 fatty acids, which are very good for your heart; plus, the tiny bones contain calcium. Tofu is a low calorie protein source, and has more protein than ground beef! Cauliflower and broccoli are praised for their cancer fighting properties. Yogurt is a great source of calcium!

List 3: Foods to eat once a week
Red meat, White starch, Desserts, Alcohol

Alton Brown’s motto is, “If you’re going to have one drink a week, make it count.” So you should choose a dessert or drink that you really love and savor it. Be smart about your portions!

List 4: Food to never eat
Soda, Processed meals, Canned Soups, “Diet” anything

Artificial sweeteners found in diet drinks have been proven to be addictive, so you don’t want to get hooked on diet drinks. They also cause the body to release more insulin, and that will lead you to storing body fat.

Well while I was looking for something to blog about today, I found a web article about Health & Fitness Blogs that are good to read..So I thought why not share the link here. So today I am blogging about a blog website that talks about other blogs!

http://www.greatist.com/health/must-read-health-fitness-blogs/

10 Surprising Facts about Calories | Yahoo! Health.

Read on to find out if there is anything new, that you are not doing right now!

When you talk about losing weight, you’re really talking about losing body fat – and cardio is not the only way to burn fat or keep it off. If you want to sculpt a leaner figure, you need to build muscle while reducing your body fat percentage – what trainers call increasing lean body mass. Aerobic exercise should be part of your fitness regimen, but that’s only part of a solid plan. Here are 3 reasons why muscle building resistance training must be part of any comprehensive fitness and weight maintenance strategy:

1. Muscle boosts your metabolism. You burn most of your calories each day just by living – digesting, working, reading, thinking. Replacing fat with muscle increases that passive calorie burn. According to the latest reseach, muscle at rest burns three times the calories of fat at rest. Replace 20 pounds of fat with muscle and burn an extra 80 calories a day just by sitting around. That’s equivalent to losing eight pounds a year!

2. Resistance training burns calories. You might not think of a weight-lifting session as a major calorie burner, but intense resistance training can burn 500 or more calories in less than an hour. The keys to blasting the calories? Rest minimally between sets. Do your reps quickly but safely to increase the aerobic benefits of your lifting. Include movements that use as many muscle groups as possible.

3. Resistance training maintains weight loss. What happens when you do the same elliptical workout for three months? You stop getting results. Your body adapts to the exercise and weight loss comes to a halt. Three varied strength-trainingsessions per week will keep muscles guessing and growing: shoulders and arms on day one; chest, back and core on day three; lower body on day five.

Do you ever wonder if you will be able to eat healthier while eating out at a restaurant? Well yes you can, it requires you to make better choices than you have in the past. As reported by Sylvia Rector, Detroit Free Press.

First, never arrive starving. If all you can think about is how hungry you are when you pick up the menu, you’re starting in a hole. Your brain’s impulse-control center is switched to the off position; your will power is at its lowest point. Buy a big bottle of water on the way to dinner if you have to, but get something in your stomach before you order.

If you’re waiting for a table, stay in the foyer Don’t grab a seat in the bar, where you’re likely to have an extra drink for the night. Liquid calories are insidious: They come in small quantities, go down easy and don’t fill you up.

Avoid the bread basket. Ask the server not to bring one, especially if it comes with a saucer of olive oil for dipping. Keep repeating “120″ – the number of calories in one measely tablespoon of olive oil. It may be heart-healthy but it’s not hip-friendly.

Be aware of the appetizer list. It can be your friend – or your enemy. In better restaurants, the list of starters and small plates can offer stylish, interesting dishes that can sub as entrees when you’re looking for smaller portions. In casual-dining venues, the appetizer list is too often a minefield of the fried, fatty, indefensible stuff we’re trying to avoid.

Remember the old-fashioned fundamentals Choose salad dressing on the side, clear soups intead of cream soups and grilled rather than fried meats and fish. Ask for steamed vegetables instead of starches.

Stop eating when the plate is half empty. Just stop; take the remainder home. For inspiration, look at your plate when it arrives and imagine all that food, plus what you’ve already had in one container – your stomach. It’s quite motivating.

Think of each dish and course as a new chance to make a good choice. Success breeds success, and every little victory reinforces my resolve to continue. If I’ve done five small things during a meal to eat healthier, I don’t beat myself up so much for using cream and sugar in my coffee after dinner.

I’m not aiming for perfection, just improvement. It’s my new strategy in 2012, inspired by the often-cited First Law of Holes: When you’re in one, stop digging.

Just a little something to help for snacks.

http://everydayfitness.tumblr.com/post/4758794682/50-foods-under-100-calories-from-eating-light-vol

Time to start thinking healthy again and while your shopping this will help you make smarter choices!
http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/the-10-worst-supermarket-foods

Follow this link to find out how to lose 3 pounds in 6 meals.
http://eatthis.menshealth.com/slideshow/lose-3-pounds-6-meals?cm_mmc=ETNTNL-_-746434-_-12052011-_-body