It's Time to Break Out the Bikinis!

I know it sounds ludicrous to get out the bikini--or tankini or one piece or whatever you choose to wear--when it's raining on the west coast and the east coast is buried in the remnants of a blizzard. But bear with me...I have a good reason to request that you get out the old suit and actually put it on.

Most of us wait until spring to even begin to give thought to getting ready for summer. Granted, we may have had a burst of enthusiasm when the first of January rolled around last year...New Year's resolutions and all. But in the back of our minds we knew we had plenty of time to hide beneath the layers of our wool coats, fuzzy jammy pants, sweats and hoodies where no one could really see how extemsive the damage was.

You see, the trouble with waiting is that you really don't have enough time to accomplish your goals before the pool opens. And if you feel you won't accomplish your goals, well, it's pretty likely that you will give up far too soon (not that you should give up at all!).

The secret to getting bikini-ready--and staying that way--is to start now, giving yourself a huge headstart and taking pressure completely out of the picture. I'm going to give you some tips to help you get started right away on your smokin' hot bikini--okay, your smokin' hot swimsuit body.

1. Don the Suit

Dig the bathing suit out of the back of the drawer and put it on. Stand in front of a full-length mirror and assess the damage from all angles. Make a mental note of how bad it is and the fact that you would never go out of the house with that on.

2. Get Mad

Yes, I want you to get mad. Or maybe disgusted, grossed out, bummed, whatever. I want you to realize that what you have going on there is not what you want to have going on come June because it's simply not good. In fact, it's horrible (do you see how far down your butt is sagging?). You should be ashamed!

3. Plot and Plan

Now that you're good an angry at how bad you look, plan to do something about it. If it coincides with your New Year's resolution, great. If not, make it a stand-alone goal that WILL be reached. Remind yourself that there is no way you're butt is leaving the house uncovered looking like last Thanksgiving's mashed potatoes.

4. Set Individual Goals

Take a piece of paper and jot down (or type if you live at the computer) how much weight you'd like to lose, what kind of eating plan you want to use to accomplish this, and what type of exercise program you plan to embark on.

5. Picture This

If possible, put a photo of yourself and your squish someplace you can see it regularly. If you can't stomach the idea of such a picture, find someone on the Web that is approximately your size and print out their picture (they won't care). You can go to Google, choose Images, then type in overweight woman. Voila! You have supply of pics from which to choose. Now, when you feel a moment of weakness coming on; i.e. you want to give up, give in or eat a jelly donut, get the picture out and remind yourself why you are doing this!

6. Picture That

Now find a picture of the #%$!@ who has the body you want to be walking around in this summer. There are an abundance of those too, so it should be no problem. Again, print it out and put it where you can see it on a daily basis, especially when you are feeling weak. Show the picture to your significant other and ask them if they'd like it if you looked like that. When they start salivating tell them to hang on to their socks 'cuz you're going to make that girl look like last week's leftover pasta.

7. Get Serious

By this, I mean take this seriously. You are not just setting out on a whim to lose a pound or two. Rather, you are embarking on a fantastic journey to a hot bikini body and YOU WILL DO THIS, COME HE## OR HIGH WATER!

8. Stay Tuned

In upcoming posts I will be supplying you with all kinds of tips, tricks and ideas to get you through this. If you fall off the wagon, watch out, because I have long arms and I will reach out and drag you back on!!!

Now, quit lollygagging and go put on that bathing suit! You have work to do :)

Are You Ready For a New Body? I'm Challenging You to Do This!

How would you like the gift of a new body for 2011? A svelte, sleek and sexy body?

How about a hundred grand to go with it?

Sound good? Sure does! This is your chance to have the motivation necessary to completely transform your body. This is how I got started 12 years ago, and believe me, it is one of the best ways possible to achieve the seemingly impossible in just 12 weeks.

Bodybuilding.com will have work out plans to help you, plus a plethora of information and articles written by experts like myself to help you lose the fat and sculpt some sexy, new muscles.

Go ahead, take the challenge. You have nothing to lose but your gush and guck, and everything to gain!

Like Arnold would say, "Do it. Do it now!!!!

Time to Put on the Apron and Lighten Up

I don't know about you, but I love to bake. In fact. I love to bake cookies and breads MORE than I love to eat them. I'm just weird like that. Go figure.

And since it is that time of year when I don the apron and get flour all over the kitchen, I wanted to share a few tips that you can use to lighten up your baked recipes without sacraficing flavor or texture.

Some of these you may be familiar with and some, or all, may be brand new. Regardless, they are all worth trying when you want to eat a warm, gooey chocolate chip cookie fresh from the oven but don't want to feel guilty about it.

1. EGGS

If your recipe calls for three whole eggs, use two yolks and two whites. If it calls for two eggs, use one yolk and two whites. Alternatively, use 1/4 of egg substitute in place of half of the eggs called for in the recipe. In breads, cakes and cookies you can't tell the difference.

2. OIL & BUTTER

Most baked goods call for either oil or butter, both of which can pack a lot of fat and calories. Next time you bake, try cutting the "fat" ingredient in half. So if a cake recipe calls for 1 cup of butter, oil or margarine, use 1/2 cup instead. The missing half of the fat ingredient needs to be replaced by something moist. Some great substitutes are applesauce, greek yogurt, pureed fruit, lowfat buttermilk, light or fat-free cream cheese and lowfat or fat-free cottage cheese. You may need to experiment to see which subsitutes work best with which recipes.

3. SUGAR

Sugar is what makes things taste sweet, but it is also what gives you cavities and saddlebags. Almost every recipe for baked goods calls for sugar, some in minute amounts, others in huge quantities. In order to cut the amount of sugar in your baking without sacraficing sweetness, try using something that has concentrated sweetness. Stevia is 250 times sweeter than sugar, which means you use a lot less of it. In fact, you only need one teaspoon to equal a full cup of sugar. To compensate for the loss of volume, add applesauce, pureed fruit, canned pumpkin, fruit juice or yogurt.  Add 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of the replacement bulk for every cup of sugar that is called for.

Other sweetners you can try include maple syrup and molasses. When using maple syrup, use ¾ cup for every cup of white sugar and decrease the amount of liquid in the recipe by 3 tablespoons. For molasses,  use 1 1/3 cups molasses for 1 cup sugar, and reduce the amount of liquid in the recipe by 5 tablespoons.
Another good substitute is honey. Use ¾ cup plus1 tablespoon honey in place of 1 cup sugar, and reduce the other liquid ingredients by 2 tablespoons. Unless the recipe includes sour cream or buttermilk, add a pinch of baking soda to neutralize the acidity.

4. CHOCOLATE AND CHOCOLATE CHIPS

Everyone loves chocolate-laden sweets, but beware: they are full of hidden fat (that's why chocolate tastes so good). To retain the lovely chocolate flavor but pare down some of the fat, instead of using two squares of baking chocolate, use 6 tablespoons of cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon of canola oil and 1 tablespoon of fat-free sour-cream. For every 2 squares of baking chocolate you replace, you'll shave almost 90 calories and 14 grams of fat (most of which is saturated fat). If your recipe calls for chocolate chips, use the same ingredients and amounts listed above for every two oz. of chocolate chips you are replacing.

5. MILK

If your recipe calls for whole milk, you can substitute 2% without anyone noticing. You can also use fat-free milk and whisk in a tablespoon of fat free plain yogurt or Greek yogurt per cup to add body to the milk. Alternately, soy or almond milk works great in many recipes and often the taste of the finished product is better than if made with cow's milk.

You don't have to completely give up baking--and consuming---goodies. Plan ahead by going over your recipes and figuring out your substitutions so that you have them on hand on baking day. And above all, be brave and dare to experiment. Some great low-fat cookies just may be in your future.