Did you know that Americans consume more calories on Super Bowl Sunday than any other day of the year, second only to Thanksgiving? The average American will eat over 2400 calories while watching the Super Bowl!

It’s astonishing. The over-eating is due to the vast variety of foods we serve for the game and the hours-long mindless munching.

This year is going to be different for you though.

You can still enjoy the game and the atmosphere and not go wild with foods that derail your weight loss efforts.

Here’s how to eat like a champ this Super Bowl.

PREGAME aka PRE EAT! – You never want to go into a tempting eating situation hungry!!!! Eat 100 calories right before you go. 

Don’t try to “save calories” for munchies at the game. This will ALWAYS backfire. Going hungry will assure you eat more than you could have saved by skimping on food earlier. Eat your normal meals at the correct times during the day.

Have a Plan – as to what you will eat and drink. Find out ahead of time, if possible, what will be served so you can make a plan. We do not make good decisions in the moment. If some of your favorites are being served, don’t be afraid to include some on your plate. This will help you stick to your plan. There are no bad foods, just bad portions, eat a reasonable amount. It’s ok if you end up eating more some days! 

Bring Something to the Table – to ensure you have something to enjoy that fits in with your goals: veggie crudites served with my top dip pick Trader Joe’s Spinach & Kale dip, shrimp cocktail, Butera’s Meatballs or a Skinnytaste app or main, like chili.

Serve Food AWAY From The TV  – Most Super Bowl celebrations are focused on the TV, so if possible keep the food in the kitchen or in an area where you need to get up and walk away from the TV to get it. Having the food within arm’s reach during the game allows for mindless snacking throughout the game. Put out plates near the food so that each person can deliberately choose portions before returning to the TV. If you still want something right there for guests who get hungry but can’t miss a minute of the action, have the healthiest snacks on hand by the TV, such as veggies or a fruit platter.

Stay AWAY From the Island! – You know that place where all the goodies are. Out of sight, out of mind. Sit your ass down somewhere far from the tempting high-calorie stuff. The environment is everything.

Avoid Compulsive Hand-to-Mouth Foods – Think chips, nuts, etc.

LIMIT BOOZE – Booze is the gateway drug to sh*tty eating. Decide beforehand what and how much you will drink. No more than 2. It’s always the third drink that gets you. Drink a full glass of water between drinks. Good choices include portion-controlled spiked seltzers, wine, lite beer, and hard booze drinks with zero-calorie mixers like seltzer and lime.

Leftovers – Get in the habit now of not accepting leftovers and not keeping leftovers if you are hosting. It’s often not the calories from the food we actually consume at the party, it’s the leftovers we eat for the days that follow. BETTER IN THE TRASH THAN ON YOUR ASS (or belly or thighs).

REBOUND From Setbacks – Eat or drink more than you’d planned. So what? Chuck it in the f*ck it bucket and move on. Just get right back on track at the next meal. It’s never messing up that gets us, it’s the CONTINUING to mess up that does.

Your body doesn’t care that it’s Super Bowl Sunday – it counts calories just the same that day as all the others, even if you don’t! 

Be mindful going into game day. Follow these tips so you can still enjoy yourself, your favorite snacks, and some drinks, and be focused on your weight loss goals. 

Make sure you are following me on Instagram. I share tips, recipes, and swaps that will get you through every event.

The post Super Bowl Snacks Survival Guide appeared first on The Real Deal Weight Loss.

We have arrived at the holiday weekends now and I’m here with holiday weight loss tips for you!
It’s easy to get caught up in all holiday cheer and indulgent treats, but it’s important to remember that a few days of celebration won’t derail your progress. Amidst all the celebrations this season, it’s important to keep our perspective and not let the scale dictate our happiness or motivation.

It’s true that the scale can be a nasty, lying b!tch, but remember that it doesn’t tell the whole story. Did you know it takes an excess of 3,500 calories to gain one pound of fat?

If your scale is telling you you’re up 5lbs. from the holiday weekend, that means you would have had to eat 17,500 extra calories. That’s not possible. Do yourself a favor, instead of freaking out, which will just make things worse, READ THIS

Holiday foods are sneaky: Many of those delicious holiday treats are high in sodium, causing your body to retain water. So, if your scale is showing a temporary increase, it’s likely due to water weight. Take a deep breath and remind yourself that your hard work is still paying off! Check out my Instagram for holiday recipes and product swaps.

Stay hydrated: Drinking plenty of water can help flush out that excess fluid from your system. It’s a simple but effective way to help your body get back to its normal balance.

Don’t fall into the trap: One of the biggest mistakes people make is reacting to the number on the scale by eating less. This can actually make matters worse by leading to a cycle of restriction and bingeing, which can be detrimental to your overall goals.

Stick to the plan: The best choice you can make after seeing a number on the scale that you’re not happy with is to stay committed to your original weight loss plan. Don’t deprive yourself; instead, remind yourself of the factors mentioned above and trust in your process.

You are doing great! One weekend of indulgence won’t undo all your progress. Holiday weight loss and weight maintenance is totally possible. Remember, weight fluctuates, but your commitment and determination are what truly matter in the long run. 

Keep up the fantastic work, and stay focused on your goals. You’ve got this!

The post Holiday Hazards #1 appeared first on The Real Deal Weight Loss.

October is here and I need to level with you… this is the true start of the holiday weight-gain season.

Don’t be fooled into thinking it starts in late November. It’s now!

The way you start out the Fall sets the tone for the whole holiday season to come.

Start out with practices like I’m suggesting today and build confidence around how you will handle the entire holiday season.

Halloween is just around the corner and I’m sharing my most important Halloween weight loss tips. Make a plan and set the tone!

1. DON’T BUY CANDY EARLY! If it’s not there you won’t have to resist it. Otherwise, you will have to rely on willpower and willpower is bullsh*t! It is fleeting and has a time limit. Arrange your environment so you don’t need willpower. If the candy isn’t there, there is no succumbing to it.

2. DON’T BUY ANYTHING YOU LIKE. I stick with Smarties and Blow Pops and others that don’t “call to me”. A bowl of Snickers and Twizzlers in my house would mean a surefire BINGE! 

3. BUY YOURSELF A FULL-SIZED BAR OF CHOCOLATE INSTEAD. One of my members’ favorite tips is to go buy yourself a full-size whatever your favorite candy bar is. It is so many less calories than mindlessly picking your kids’ candy and not even enjoying it. Eating a full-sized bar allows you to fully enjoy what you choose and feel satisfied.

4. GIVE YOURSELF A NUMBER While it’s not likely reasonable to eat all the candy you’d like, it’s also not reasonable to have none. Choose ahead of time how many, say 3 of your faves, and ENJOY! Or do the full-sized candy like above.

5. THROW OUT ALL LEFTOVERS! It will go to “waste” It will go to “waste” either way. Better in the trash than on your ass! Or belly or thighs!

6. SWITCH WITCH If your kids are young, sell them on the Switch Witch. They put their leftover candy outside and this Witch will replace it with a toy or $.

It’s not the candy you eat on Halloween… It’s the candy you eat in the days and weeks following that causes weight gain.

7. OUT OF SIGHT OUT OF MIND. Once Halloween passes, don’t keep the candy you allowed the kids to keep sitting out. If you do, you’re likely to grab a piece here and there whether or not you’re truly craving sweets. 

8. DECIDE HOW YOU WILL HANDLE YOUR CHILD’S LEFTOVER CANDY. A suggestion is to let your child pick out 10 of their favorites and ration them out over a period of time. Put them in a ziplock and label them with your child’s name. Are you gonna steal candy from a child? If your kids are old enough, tell them to keep it in their room. Check out any Halloween Candy Collection Programs sponsored by local churches, dentists, and other groups. These groups send the candy to troops overseas in care packages.

And lastly, trick-or-treating has traditionally been about candy, but times have changed. There are so many snack pack options out there now that kids love. You can still be in on the trick-or-treating fun without having candy in the house at all.

Here are a few ideas that you can pick up in regular supermarkets:

– Halloween pretzel and popcorn bags

– Juice and YooHoo boxes. (Kids get thirsty going from house to house.)

– Any of the bulk packaged items that kids can use in their lunches during the week, such as fruit roll-ups or fruit snacks.

There is plenty of time to put these tips into action and not let Halloween derail your weight loss efforts.

Start off this holiday season strong! You will be ready for all the holiday celebrations to come!

The post My Top Halloween Weight Loss Tips appeared first on The Real Deal Weight Loss.

I bet you think January is the busiest time in the weight loss industry.
It’s not… It’s September because Summer weight gain is real. Women gain more weight over the Summer months than any other time of the year.

We are smack dab in the middle of Summer now.

And as we all know, drinking and partying and socializing is ON  this Summer! 

Are you thinking, “I’ll just start over in September?”
This is “All or Nothing” thinking.
You would be amazed how much weight you can pack with this attitude.
I am not saying to stop having fun. Summer should be fun and it can still be fun without gaining.
Because it’s all a party until you can’t squeeze into your jeans in the Fall.

Here are some things you can do to stay on track, while still enjoying your Summer:

1. Step on the Scale 
Scale avoidance is the #1 thing that packs on the pounds.

Ignorance is not bliss.

Step on the scale 1x per week ONLY. I recommend Mondays. This will help you improve your weekends, where most people overdo it. 

The number on the scale directly relates to your habits.
Look at the scale not as a judgment, but as a tool. Use the number as data to give you information on what you might be doing right and what you might want to change. And be honest with yourself, where can you be doing better?

2. Alcohol 
Are you having too much f*&king fun? 

Often it is so easy, especially at events that last hours like BBQs, to drink mindlessly but those liquid calories really add up. Honestly, does the 3rd and 4th drink make you feel that much better?
I think not, but those calories are big contributors to Summer weight gain.

I love my drinks and would never suggest you eliminate them, but ‘moderation’.
Try spacing out your drinks.
You’ll never wake up the next morning saying “I really wish I had drank more last night.”

3. Water
Good habits thrive on routine and with Summer and the lack of routine, good habits like drinking water are the first to go.
One of the top habits I see slip is drinking water.

Oftentimes, people attach their water intake to their routine. I know for myself I have my big water bottle on my desk. In the Summer I’m not at my desk like I am the rest of the year. My routine is disrupted and my good habits get disrupted too.

Same for the Moms in the car with your kids – but now it is so hot and it’s hard to leave your water in the console. This type of situation can derail your water intake.

We need to shift our habits to match our Summer routines and environments.

Keep track of your water – if you are running around all day – front load and back load. If you are in your car use an insulated tumbler and ice.

And the reason we are going to do this is because we often mistake thirst for hunger, leading to overeating.

4. Sleep
Fact: Not getting enough sleep leads to a notable increase in appetite.
Lack of sleep makes you crazy hungry.
Summer often affects our sleep because we don’t have the same structure or routine. 

Lack of sleep causes an incredible increase in appetite that you are unable to control.
When you don’t get enough sleep the hormone that controls hunger goes up and the hormone that controls feeling full goes down.
This ends in a shit show of being hungry.

With the change in routine, it is very tempting to stay up and binge Netflix.
But that might not be the only thing you end up binging on.
To avoid this, make it a priority to get 7-9 hours of sleep every night.

Summer should be fun. Food and drink are a part of it – and they should be. We just can’t overdo it. Summer shouldn’t end with you being miserable with your Summer weight gain.

Focusing on these small changes will have a huge impact on where you end up come September.

Spots are filling up in The Real Deal for September. Join now to secure your spot today!

The post Summer Weight Gain appeared first on The Real Deal Weight Loss.

Summer party weekends are here! Having an adult beverage is a big part of Summer fun. When you go into your party weekends Real Deal style, you can still enjoy and continue to meet your weight loss or maintenance goals.

It’s not the alcohol itself that makes you gain weight. It’s what you mix it with; the sodas, juices, simple syrups, margarita mixes, etc. that you add to alcohol that really packs on the pounds. A standard shot of most typical alcohol is just 97 calories.

So alcohol can easily fit into your weight loss or maintenance plan.

Here are 3 ideas for Summer drinks for Weight Loss that will let you in on the fun and keep you on track:

1. Instead of sugary, empty calorie mixers, mix your favorite alcohol with seltzer. Add lemon , lime, or a slice of orange  for flavor. At a restaurant, ask the bartender to muddle the fruit for you – known at my favorite restaurant as “The Gladys”. You won’t want it any other way. It is so refreshing and delicious.

A splash of juice goes a long way for flavor as well.

*Note: Tonic water is not the same as seltzer. Do not get these two mixers confused. Tonic is soda and not calorie free. 

2. Try a white wine spritzer. It’s like a BOGO (Buy One, Get One) that is, it’s half a glass of wine and half a glass of seltzer and only approximately 60 calories. 
Hydrate and drink alcohol.

3. Portion control is key. Have you ever been at a party and your host just keeps topping you off? Before you know it, you have overdone it.

There are so many options now for delicious, portion controlled drinks in cans. There are hard seltzers, mixed vodka, and tequila drinks and they clock in at about 100 calories per can.

And your best friend for all your Summer drinks… add ice ! It makes your drinks last longer, makes them so refreshing and you have less drinks overall.

You can enjoy the holiday weekend parties and still make good choices. 

The post Summer Drinks for Weight Loss appeared first on The Real Deal Weight Loss.

Have you been led to believe that you need to give up bread to lose weight?

You DO NOT!

Weight gain is caused from excess calories; it doesn’t matter if those calories come from protein, carbs, or fat.

If you are like me and LOVE bread, trying to restrict it will leave you feeling deprived.

And… 

Deprivation always leads to bingeing.

So eat the bread!

I’ve been doing this for 15 years, and have worked with thousands of people, and in all the success stories you see me post, every one of those women ate carbs at every meal, including bread!

Let’s put an end to the no carb/no bread thinking right now.

I eat carbs at every meal!

As we get into the warmer weather, don’t be afraid to eat sandwiches and lighten up on cooking.

Sandwiches are portable food, great when you are running errands or when you are at the beach. They are so full of fiber, and keep you full. They are a boost to serotonin levels – the ‘make you feel good’, happy hormones. Plus, they are good for the whole family.

Packing a sandwich when you are on the go means you are not at the mercy of whatever crap is available.

Control the meals that are not a moment.

I’m a big fan of the Club sandwich. 

Here’s a quick view of what’s in mine. Look how big it is and it’s only 330 calories!

Click here to download the recipe.

To get you started, here are a few of my favorite low-calorie breads that you can use in a number of ways.

Available in your local supermarkets:

Josephs Lavash and Pita

Schmitt’s 647 bread: bread 40 calories, English muffins 80, hamburgers buns 80 calories

Available online:

Carbonaut, Gluten-Free bread – White, Seeded, and Cinnamon Raisin 40-45 calories each

And our favorite bread, Royo Bread: has 30 calories each slice. 
Royo has big bagels too, that are only 70 calories each. I keep those in my freezer at all times.

So eat more bread to lose weight!

Yeah, I said it.

The post Eat bread to lose weight! appeared first on The Real Deal Weight Loss.

But when you wake up on Saturday, you’re too tired to get on the Peloton. You think to yourself, “I can take a lazy Saturday off from my exercise routine. I deserve it!”  So, instead, you whip up your favorite breakfast with cheese, with bacon, with the extra piece of toast- all the “withs” you would normally be happy to go without. And so, and so on throughout the day. Before you know it, it’s Sunday night, and you’re tucking into Chinese takeout, wondering how you let this happen. Again! You promise yourself to be extra “good”  starting tomorrow. But inside, you know better. This pattern is what is preventing you from seeing the results you otherwise work so hard to achieve. 

Why We Rebel on Weekends

If you are a weekend rebel, you are most likely restricting too much throughout the week. You need to stop thinking that a sane weight loss plan is the same thing as “dieting.” Just the word “diet” implies restriction. Predictably, that pendulum will swing back at some point- usually the weekends- and the resulting binge is unavoidable. This is self-sabotage. Believe it or not,if we allow ourselves more indulgences during the week, we actually eat less in the long run. 

For habitual weekend rebels, remember that no food is ever off-limits, whether it’s a Tuesday afternoon or Sunday brunch. If you approach every day of the week with that in mind, you will never feel deprived and transform from Weekend Rebel to Warrior.

We Can Still Be Badasses — Without Fat Asses

People who have had significant weight loss and kept it off have something in common: they don’t have “cheat days” or “weekend binges.”  They don’t need them! Why? Because the way they eat normally doesn’t feel restrictive. They have figured out that they can indulge whenever they choose. They also know how to weigh those choices against their weight loss goals and still see results. By making some subtle lifestyle changes and shifting your perspective, you will begin to understand how that is possible. 

The Secrets of the Weekend Weight Loss Warrior

Stop restrictive dieting. When we remove all weekday restrictions, fewer calories get consumed overall. We can have a glass of wine with friends or go for an ice cream with the kids and still lose weight.

Find “moments” that are truly worth it. Instead of asking ourselves, “Do I want this?” we should ask, “How will I feel after I have this, or if I don’t?” The kids’ cold pizza in the fridge? Not worth the calories. Your best friend serves her famous cheesecake? Well…OK! Live a little! A good barometer for testing the value of the moment is to ask yourself- if you will regret Not trying something you resisted. That’s how we trigger our deprivation sensor. 

PLAN. If we’re planning to have a couple of drinks tonight, fine. Good enough reason for a moment. But you also might consider what you will eat for dinner to help reduce your calorie intake? Or perhaps tomorrow morning, plan to have a healthy breakfast. By staying on top of your social calendar, having a good idea about when and where you will be eating, and keeping the healthy food on hand, you need to get through a week- you can choose your moments for indulgence with confidence.

Food journaling.If you are trying to break bad eating habits or build new ones, simply tracking your behavior will help you do better – that’s just a fact.  Keeping track of your meals and snacks in a food journal provides an excellent record of your eating habits. Good habits thrive on routine, but weekends typically don’t have the same structure we have during the week. Tracking will help you identify the weekend behaviors that are sabotaging your weight loss goals, such as skipping meals, grabbing meals on the go, and not getting enough sleep. That is some empowering information!

Stop using food as a reward. You are not a dog! Practically all of us were either raised or socialized to reward ourselves with food. Finish your dinner? Dessert. Meet your deadline? Wine. Deal with a difficult client? Potato chips. But these are not “moments.” These are just habits. What if, instead, you rewarded yourself with a little yoga, a brisk walk, a quick catch-up with a friend, or just a mindful cup of tea?  Any of these will serve as better nourishment to soothe the soul. It will take consistent training to learn to love this new reward as much as food, but the more it’s repeated, the more ingrained it becomes!

Set yourself up for success. Willpower does NOT work. Environment controls our behavior more than anything. We’re better off keeping temptation out of the house entirely – even if it means throwing out mom’s Christmas dinner leftovers in the trash and telling her we loved them or being the good Samaritan who gifts half the cookies we’ve baked with the kids. Keep the garbage out of the house.

Weekends are Key to Weight Loss

How we handle weekends is honestly the make-or-break opportunity for those who really want to lose and see measurable progress week after week. Awareness of these ideas is just the first step toward achieving your goals. At the Real Deal, we take a deep dive into these concepts until they become second nature. Are you ready to break that weight loss wheel you’ve been spinning and get serious? Register today.

The post The Weekend Rebellion: A Recipe for Weight Loss Disaster appeared first on The Real Deal Weight Loss.