Since we’re all chocoholics, I thought you might like to know what I eat for breakfast most mornings. The combination may sound yucky, but I can assure you, it is YUM-YUM!

Sheila’s Chocolate Oatmeal

1/2 cup Old Fashioned Oatmeal
2/3 cup Skim Milk

Mix the two together and microwave on high for 2 – 2 1/2 minutes. Stir about half-way through.

Add one teaspoon of powdered cocoa and 2 packets of Truvia (or whatever calorie-free sweetener you like)

You can also had some walnuts, but I don’t like walnuts. Too bad because Dr. Oz says the oatmeal, cocoa and walnut combination increase your sex drive. And I know if you’re over 40, you probably need a little boost.

Enjoy!

Have you ever needed a “do-over?” <RAISING MY HAND VERY HIGH>

It’s been a long while since I’ve posted on here. My life has completely spun out of control and I’m here to get it off the spin cycle.

I started my own business back in April and boy, did my life change! My daddy warned me that getting into business for yourself is hard work and a lot of hours. You should always listen to your daddy!

Although Daddy is right, I wouldn’t have it any other way – stress and all. You know why? I’m finally doing something I love.

Let’s get back to the stress issue. Who is a stress eater? <RAISING MY HAND HIGH AGAIN>  Since my stress level has gone up a million fold, I’ve eaten my way in weight by almost 30 pounds! Talk about kicking a good woman when she’s down!

So, I’m officially having a “do-over” in my life right now. I’m down 10 lbs and I’m finally starting to feel better.

There is one triumph that I’ve had though – a HUGE Cadbury chocolate bar all the way from the United Kingdom has been sitting in my pantry for 8 solid months!

Who else needs a “do-over?”

To a healthier you!
Sheila

By Tom Venuto
www.burnthefat.com

Do you get fatter in the cold weather? It’s a good question right now, considering that this year’s farmer’s almanac is predicting a frigid winter and true to the prediction, the Huffington Post just ran a story, “Cold Temperatures Greet The New Year.” It’s FREEZING here in New Jersey and it’s not like this is the Yukon territory.

Some of my friends up in the great white yonder think that temps in the 20’s are balmy. Yeah right. With the wind chill, even my bones had goose bumps today. I can’t even fathom the sub zero stuff those guys live in. Adding insult, my friends in LA and South Florida have been more than happy to share their local January weather reports with me. 80 degrees and sunny. Thanks guys –you suck.

Back to the question. I just got an email from a burn the fat reader who asked, “Tom, is there any evidence that during cold winter weather it gets harder to lose body fat? For me, it seems easier to drop fat during the hot weather.”

Yes, there is.

First there’s the psychological explanation: in warm climates, people are wearing less clothes and enjoying the outdoors and people want to look good when they’re exposing more flesh! In the cold, you’re covered up, so there’s less self-consciousness and no public accountability. Therefore, most people tend to stay on a diet more diligently and train harder when summer rolls around.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) has been studied at length by psychologists. Often more than just the “winter blues” but an actual type of depression, SAD occurs during the short days and long nights of winter and fall, when there’s less sunlight and colder temperatures. Symptoms include depression, cravings for specific foods, loss of energy, hopelessness and oversleeping. Obviously, these types of symptoms can contribute to weight gain.

Because of their tendency for fall and winter weight gain, many people have suspected that cold temperatures influence weight gain on a metabolic level, not just eating more. Exposure to cold temperatures can cause a shivering thermogenesis which means there’s an increase in metabolism to produce more heat (heat production = calories burned).

However, if you just got the bright idea of turning off the heat in your house, or going for a swim in the cold surf every day to “burn more fat”, I wouldn’t recommend it. Deliberate exposure to the cold, either cold air or cold water doesn’t pan out into real world fat loss results, even though there are actually “fat loss gurus” who recommend it.

Here’s why:

If your body uses some energy for shivering or heat production, it can compensate later for that energy loss by increasing your appetite. Not only that, research at the hyperbaric environmental adaptation program at the Naval Medical Research Institute in Bethesda Maryland reported that, “The combination of exercise and cold exposure does NOT act to enhance metabolism of fats… Cold-induced vasoconstriction of peripheral adipose tissue may account, in part, for the decrease in lipid mobilization.”

It’s just not practical to freeze your butt off in an attempt to speed up your metabolism a tiny little bit, so your fat loss scheme wouldn’t last long if you tried.

A great example of how cold temperatures affect energy balance is in the case of swimming. For years, people thought swimming actually made you fat. There were all kinds of theories, like, “it makes you retain a layer of fat for insulation, like seals.” Actually, the most recent research shows that swimming is a perfectly good fat burning exercise, except for one thing: Swimming, especially in cold water, increases appetite dramatically.

The seasons affect your activity levels too. Pedometer research published in the journal Medicine and Science and Sports And Exercise uncovered a huge difference in the number of steps taken between the summer and winter:

7616 steps per day in summer
6293 steps per day in fall
5304 steps per day in winter
5850 steps in spring

Most people blame winter weight gain on the food, but it’s not just the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s celebration feasts, it’s less winter activity that also contributes to the holiday pounds.

You have to keep up with your training and nutrition program in the winter, or else. (Need a program? Here’s a tip: visit www.BurnTheFat.com)

Although studies have found that seasonal weight gain is usually very small, it’s the type of slow weight creep that goes unnoticed. Over a period of 10, 15 or 20 years, it’s enough to accumulate into becoming overweight or obese.

Thus many men and women wake up one morning at age 40 or 45, look in the mirror and ask themselves, “How did I get so heavy?” Answer: just a pound or two a year, after each winter season, left unchecked.

To stay lean all year round, you have to remain alert about increases in your appetite and decreases in your activity. This is a YEAR-ROUND LIFESTYLE! Stay active, stay diligent about nutrition, stay accountable, and if you start to experience weight gain, nip it in the bud – fast!

Train hard and expect success,

Tom Venuto, author of
Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle

Tom Venuto is a fat loss expert, lifetime natural (steroid-free) bodybuilder, freelance writer, and author of the #1 best selling diet e-book, Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle: Fat-Burning Secrets of The World’s Best Bodybuilders & Fitness Models (e-book) which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using secrets of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: www.BurnTheFat.com or http://www.BurnTheFatInnerCircle.com

3 oz canned tuna, drained
1/2 c brown rice, cooked
1 small cucumber, sliced
1/2 medium tomato, diced
1 scallion, chopped
1/2 – 1 packet Splenda
salt & pepper to taste
low sodium soy sauce (optional)

Spray a non-stick pan or wok with cooking spray. Heat pan to medium/medium high, then toss in scallion and cucumber. Stir fry until cucumber becomes translucent. Add rice, tuna, and tomato. Toss for approximately 3 minutes. Sprinkle Splenda over the mixture and stir fry some more. Add salt and pepper to taste. (Low sodium soy sauce may be used instead of salt.)

Calories: 213 | Fat: 1g | Carbs: 21g | WW Points: 4

The Wii Fit scale wasn’t kind to me this morning, or maybe it is my fault. I gained 0.4 lb this week. I know that’s not a lot and could be only fluid. I’m not to let it spoil my day.

Starting Monday, my husband and I are going to be getting up at 5:00 am to go to the gym together. I love working out in the mornings because it 1) gets it over for the day and 2) I believe (and I’ve read research to back it up) that you burn more fat in the mornings. However, you must NOT eat breakfast before you workout in the morning. I have a cup of coffee and that’s it. I normally workout so hard that when I’m finished, I feel sick. So, I eat my breakfast about 45 minutes after I get finished. Don’t go longer than one hour before eating breakfast though.

Today’s Tip

(Excerpt from WebMD – “Lose Weight with Morning Exercise”)

Research suggests that morning exercise improves sleep, a benefit that could also promote weight loss, Bryant tells WebMD. One study of overweight women between the ages of 50 to 75 showed that those who engaged in consistent morning exercise (about four hours a week) slept better than those who exercised less. The evening exercisers had more trouble falling asleep – even if they fit in the four hours a week.

Bryant explains the connection of sleep and weight loss: “We know that if you have poor quality sleep, it influences certain hormones that control appetite. It is possible that by exercising in the morning — instead of evening – the exercise affects the body’s circadian rhythm (your internal body clock) so you get better-quality sleep. Good sleep helps control the hormonal balance that helps control appetite.”

Brisk exercise (an hour or more daily) has helped more than 4,000 “successful losers” in The National Weight Control Registry — they’ve all lost 30 pounds or more and kept it off for a year or longer. Many of them break up their exercise into shorter spurts throughout the day instead of doing a single, marathon workout session.

“Think of your morning exercise like a business appointment – one you can’t easily cancel,” says Gary Foster, PhD, clinical director of the weight and eating disorders program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. “It takes discipline. But if you’re overweight, you’re at risk for a heart attack. If you don’t do something about your weight, it’s indirect self-destructive behavior. It’s the same as smoking a pack of cigarettes daily. This has got to be the highest priority because it’s your health.”

Have a great day!
Sheila