Happy Tuesday!

Of lot of women ask me how to "stay thin" or "lose weight." I can see them cringe as I mention moving their bodies....SO in lieu of telling you to go work out I created my Top Ten Exercise-less Tips to Stay Fit and be Bikini Ready. After all, SUMMER is right around the corner.....

1. Lay Off The Booze

Alcohol is worthless. It's not that I don't enjoy champagne, an ice cold beer or a good old fashioned. But the reality is, from a nutritional standpoint, it's empty. One big black hole of calories. Do you make good decisions while drinking? I don't. Dig waking up hungover? Not me. Without adding any exercise to your day, you can lose weight simply by drinking less or not at all. Don't believe me? Read this: Booze makes you fat.

2. Drink Clear Liquids

I don't drink juice. Gatorade. Or any other "fun" looking drink. Soda? Go ahead and put on 5 more pounds if you really want it. Americans drink a TON of their calories. I also made the kids give up the same stuff! (I know they have their treats behind my back) Buy a soda stream and add some lemon. Learn how to make your own Kombucha. Throw your calorie ridden Frappuccinos in the rubbish. (Those things can pack more than 15 grams of fat and 66 grams of sugar...) Still want to hang onto your diet soda? Think again: Diet sodas can make you fatter.

3. Eat On A Smaller Plate

I like salad plates. All my food fits fine on it and I feel full when I've "finished my plate." I don't need a Texas sized plate to feel complete. Think it doesn't matter? Cornell University begs to differ: Big Plate, Big Mistake.

4. Read Labels

An amazing thing happened when I started reading labels: I lost weight. I realized I couldn't pronounce anything on the label. What on earth was I even eating? And what was I feeding my kids? Gross. Don't think it matters? If you are a Caucasian woman living in the U.S. it's a BIG deal. Read this and you could lose 8 lbs.

5. Treat Yourself

Have an ice cream with your kid. Enjoy some pizza with your class on a Friday. I'm not saying you shouldn't have any treats EVER. You will not succeed in losing weight and staying fit by eating so restrictively. That sort of extreme eating can lead to eating disorders and an unhealthy relationship with food. I absolutely will be eating the bread and butter at a special dinner. So you should too. :)

6. Avoid The Low Fat Trap

Eating low fat, low cholesterol foods can lead to.....drumroll please.... OBESITY.

An excerpt from the study:

In a damning report that accuses major public health bodies of colluding with the food industry, the National Obesity Forum and the Public Health Collaboration call for a “major overhaul” of current dietary guidelines. They say the focus on low-fat diets is failing to address Britain’s obesity crisis, while snacking between meals is making people fat.

Instead, they call for a return to “whole foods” such as meat, fish and dairy, as well as high-fat, healthy foods including avocados, arguing: “Eating fat does not make you fat.”

The report – which has caused a huge backlash among the scientific community – also argues that saturated fat does not cause heart disease while full-fat dairy, including milk, yoghurt and cheese, can actually protect the heart.

Processed foods labelled “low fat”, “lite”, “low cholesterol” or “proven to lower cholesterol” should be avoided at all costs, and people with type 2 diabetes should eat a fat-rich diet rather than one based on carbohydrates.

The report also said sugar should be avoided, people should stop counting calories and the idea that exercise could help you “outrun a bad diet” was a myth. Instead, a diet low in refined carbohydrates but high in healthy fats was “an effective and safe approach for preventing weight gain and aiding weight loss”, and cuts the risk of heart disease, it said.

The report added: “Eating a diet rich in full-fat dairy – such as cheese, milk and yoghurt – can actually lower the chance of obesity.

Yes Elizabeth Duncan you have been correct this whole time..... :)

7. Lay off the carbs (See above)

I love pizza and bread and pasta like the rest of you. But I don't do it at night. I eat a nice full carb breakfast with steel cut oats and some fruit and raw flax seed oil. It's heavy and gives me lots of fuel for the day. I avoid rice, potatoes and bread the rest of the day. Easy peasy. I challenge you to cut some carbs down and see what happens..... I'm not a fan of the extreme low carb fad diets just one in moderation. You must have carbs but you don't need every meal based on a heavy carb. (Tostitos I will always love you.)

8. Wear Skimpy Clothes (You're welcome husbands)

Women get super mad at me when I say this. But honestly, when you are always wearing loose fitting baggy clothes you won't know that you are gaining weight. Put on some booty shorts, yoga pants, A BIKINI, SOMETHING THAT SHOWS YOUR BODY. I promise you it will help you eat better and get moving. Try it. I dare you.

9. Love Yourself

You're beautiful. You're smart. Love yourself. Give yourself some credit. SMILE. Surround yourself with people who love you for you. Sometimes just changing your surroundings can help you on the inside which in turn makes your OUTWARD gorgeous.

10. Go Play with your kids or dogs or friends

It's almost summer. Lets not sit on the porch and sip our wine. Let's get up and run and play and jump and play hide n go seek. It's fun. And maybe you'll lose some weight.......