I have been asked before how to gain weight fast. Most people that are weight lifting at one time or another, usually in the winter, try to bulk up and gain a lot of muscle for the summer, of course there is the diet down afterwards but we can deal with that later.

How to gain weight fast is a question that many people that are dieting to lose think is insane but I know from personal experience that many people would like to gain weight but do not really know how. I have a former weightlifting partner who had a really hard time gaining muscle no matter what he tried.

Here are some tips on how to gain weight fast that I think would help almost anyone. Read the rest of this entry »

Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

Tags: christmas, diabetes, energy, food, junk food, microwave

I have had a bit of a sweet tooth the last few days as I try to detox from all the Christmas junk. I have been doing pretty good. My wife found the following recipe for a type of cereal bar, I really like cereal bars so I was looking forward to trying this one out.

In the end I have been easily able to keep myself away from the chocolate and pop by having just a few morsels of this great cereal bar. The consistency of these things is really chewy like in the anme and they are really sweet. I really recommend them.

Shreddie Cereal Bar Snack

Prep: 10 min. I Total: 1 hour 10 min. incl. refrigerating

3/4 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup Kraft Smooth Light Peanut Butter
3 cups Post Shreddies Cereal 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut 1/4 cup dried cranberries

1. SPRAY 8-inch square pan with cooking spray; set aside. Microwave corn syrup and peanut butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 11/2 min. or until peanut butter is almost melted; stir until well blended.

2. ADD remaining ingredients; mix well. Press into prepared pan.

3. REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm. Makes 20 servings, 1 bar each.

Try these cereal bars out they are great and really easy to make

Tags: cereal bar, christmas, dried cranberries, kraft, microwave, peanut butter, Shreddie Cereal bar, shreddies, snack

Get a six pack Stomach in 10 Easy Steps

Many people wonder how to get a six pack stomach fast. Most of them aren’t aware that fat cannot be turned into muscle, nor do they understand that six pack abs won’t appear until you burn off your belly fat. Anyone can have a six pack stomach, even without doing a single sit-up or crunch. However, strength training (and especially abdominal exercises) will speed up the process of helping you get a six pack (and make your abs look better too!).

To begin with, try and avoid following any fad diets. Consult your doctor especially if you plan on following any of these diet plans:

Negative calorie diets

Very low calorie diets

Very low carb diets

Any other type of unbalanced fad diet

Changing your diet should be considered a part of a healthier lifestyle. Do what you can to learn everything about nutrition. The more you understand, the easier it will be to implement healthy nutrition in your diet.

Let’s take a look at ten ways to speed up the process of burning fat, for achieving a six pack stomach quickly, through safe and healthy ways.

Instead of using butter or margarine, substitute fruit purée. They are quite simple to prepare with a food processor and will greatly reduce calories and fat.

Cheese can be good for you, but the saturated fat is not. Try this: microwave cheese for a few seconds to drain off any excess grease, or choose a lower fat substitute.

If you exercise before eating, you will just end up more hungry. Seek to perform exercise AFTER you eat, so the body will work harder during digestion.

Avoid television while eating. Focusing too much on something entertaining will take your mind off your appetite, and you will end up eating more than you should.

Don’t skip breakfast. Your metabolism is higher when you wake up, so you will burn more calories. Also, breakfast will temper your desire to eat a large lunch and dinner.

If you mix water with fructose, it will be more effective in suppressing your appetite than water with glucose or diet sodas. A glass of orange juice 30-60 minutes before a meal can reduce your appetite.

Stay away from trans fatty acids as much as you can. Instead, use canola oil or olive oil. Anything that lists partially hydrogenated oil contains trans fatty acids, which slow fat burning and increase your risk of heart disease.

Drink skim milk. You’ll get all the nutrients without the extra fat.

Remove as much fat as you can from meat before cooking. This one step alone will drastically reduce your calories and fat intake.

Use health Supplements. I can honestly say that I could not have built the body I have today without the convenience and enhancements supplements provide. This is a choice that you must decide for yourself. You will be spending your money on these products, so make sure that you know their place in your program.

Have you thought that maybe you have the whole picture wrong about how to get six pack abs? There is this fantastic diet and exercise system that will teach you everything you need to know about how to get a firm and trim midsection and that allows your ab muscles to show through.Check out The Truth About Six Pack Abs now.

Tags: abdominal exercises, canola oil, fad diet, fad diets, food processor, heart disease, hydrogenated oil, low calorie diets, low carb diets, microwave, nutrition, olive oil, six pack abs

The FDA came out with some food safety tips for the holidays. Great stuff to read but here are the highlights:

1. Clean: The first rule of safe food preparation in the home is to keep everything clean
* Wash hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds before and after handling food. “For children, this means the time it takes to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ twice,” says Davidson.
* Wash food-contact surfaces (cutting boards, dishes, utensils, countertops) after preparing each food item and before going on to the next item.
* Rinse fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water and use a produce brush to remove surface dirt.
* Do not rinse raw meat and poultry before cooking. “Washing these foods makes it more likely for bacteria to spread to areas around the sink and countertops,” says Davidson. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Davidson, fda, food, food item, food preparation, food safety tips, food thermometer, food-contact surfaces, frozen pasteurized egg products, microwave

I just came back from a family trip to Disneyland and I think that my eating suffered worse than I had hoped. In the end my wife and I realized that with better planning we could have eaten better. So I thought I would type out some tips to better vacation eating.

Planning – If you plan your eating you are way ahead of the game. We ate out a couple of times easily and with fast food, but as we all know this is the lowest quality food possible. After two days we ended up at a WalMart and a nearby grocery store and bought up good snacks and lots of fruit. And where able to eat a lot better and feel a lot better by eating well on the last two thirds of our vacation.

Fruits and vegetables – On a vacation you tend to eat nearly no fresh fruit or vegetables as all you get is from restaurants. Make sure you do the above that I noted and if need be go to a grocery store 2 or 3 times in your trip to buy lots of fruits an vegetables. In Califonia and many other states it is really easy as well during this time of year to find lots of fruit stands that sell high quality produce and compared to a restaurant you are still far ahead.

Eat a better breakfast – Many hotels offer a free breakfast and I planned to save money by having us all eat at the hotel for breakfast but it turned out to be standardly low in quality. Our hotel offered donuts, toast (with squeezable margarine), bad muffins and coffee. Not a good breakie by any stretch. Instead use the tools that are offered to you. We had access to a microwave at the hotel kitchen so you can just bring in your own oatmeal or even some kind of real breakfast food if you want ot save money.

Remember that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, especially on vacation so eat a great breakfast so you are not looking longingly at the McDonalds at 11:00. Maybe make your breakfast a restaurant meal instead of lunch or dinner.

Have plenty of snacks around – We ate a lot of snack food while away, pretzels, grapes, water, apples, baked chips. Many where high in carbs but they tasted good and one of the problems is that on vacation you fall back into the eating three big meals a day instead of spacing your food out. I never did get it quite right on this vacation but if you can be snacking on healthy food you can even get healthier as you vacation instead of gaining weight that you need to lose later.

Choose better at restaurants – Restaurant eating is always one of my highlights of a family vacation but eating well is difficult because most restaurants have very high fat foods. To avoid this try to skip sauces, not use the butter and avoid all of the bread that they give you. And make sure to order the side salad.

Tags: food, healthy food, lowest quality food, microwave, real breakfast food, snack food

Here is a few more good Top 5 type articles from Top 5 – Group Writing Project Day 4 that I took part in a few days ago. Hope you enjoy them!

A triathaletes top 10% finish at the ironman story
5 Things that Helped Me Cross the Ironman Finish Line – Triathlete Dad

Top 5 acne cream treatments
Top Five Acne Treatments

One writers reasons why Gluten free is the way to be
Gluten Free Mommy » Top Five Reasons I Look Great on a Gluten Free Diet

How to make real change
Want To Make Real Change? Stop Making These 5 Mistakes

Five great aging websites
The Top 5 Websites that are Changing Aging » Changing Aging – Ecumen

Good and small meals to try out
My five favorite 100-calorie meals – Open Source Diet

Skin care tips
Top 5 Skincare Tips

Top ways to get fit…one of many I might add.
Top 5 Ways to Get (and Stay) Fit!

Simple and beginning meditations
The Easiest Meditations – Spirituality Applied to Life – Balanced Life Center

Funny and some truth to these 5 ways to prevent e. coli. I say funny because cooking the crap out of your food in a microwave will still give you the chance of office gunk falling into your food.
Top 5 Ways to Avoid E.Coli in the Workplace

Myths about self help – with reference to “The Secret”
Necessary Skills: Top 5 Self-Help Myths

You know how much I like food so this one was an easy pick for me
Top 5 Desserts on TriniGourmet.com

More Gluten free info
Gluten Free Food Reviews and Celiacs Disease Information: glutenfreefoodreviews.com

Why Cyclists shave their legs – and no I don’t but maybe this weekend…..
UltraRob’s Adventures: Top 5 Reasons Cyclists Shave Their Legs

How to lose 100 pounds. Wow that is a great goal!
Top 5 Things I Am Doing to Lose 100+ Lbs : Blogging Away Fat

Why you are fat. Well at least the headline grabs you.
5 Reasons Why You Are Fat | StrongLifts.com

And in great motivational fashion I will end the list with a top 5 of why to start your diet today.
The Top 5 Reasons to Start Your Weight Loss Plan Today – The Fit Shack

Tags: acne, Fit Shack, food, microwave

Keeping beautiful skin is a major priority for many of us. We are continuously seeking ways to improve our complexion. However, improving our body’s outer texture and tone may not be enough. If we are not selective in how we do this it can be extremely expensive.

However, you don’t have to break the bank to improve the condition of your complexion. Time-honored recipes from our grandmothers are inexpensive and fun to make. In addition, knowing which ingredients to look for can help you select commercial products wisely. Keeping skin young looking can be accomplished for pennies a day.

Are you beginning to discern fine lines or wrinkles? Here is a recipe you can make at home. Combine two tablespoons of whole milk with one fresh, whole egg. Beat together until frothy. Apply to your squeaky-clean face. Wait five minutes, and then rinse with lukewarm water. If the outer surface of the body leans toward dryness, follow with a natural, fragrance-free moisturizer.

Do you have oily complexion? This type of condition requires an occasional masque to discourage excess oil, reduce blackheads, and tighten pores. Here is a wonderful treatment for treating this type of body surface. Simply combine two tablespoons of uncooked oatmeal with a bit of chopped parsley, and then blend in one tablespoon of lemon juice, four tablespoons of yogurt, and one teaspoon of olive oil. Apply this combination to your face, avoiding the eyes, and after five minutes rinse with lukewarm water. Your complexion will feel refreshed and clean.

Of course, improving complexion can also result from using brand-name products. Nonetheless, you don’t have to purchase the most expensive ones to find mild, gentle formulations appropriate for your personal body care needs. Look for the following ingredients next time you shop:

• Copper peptide: This antioxidant may stimulate the production of elastin and collagen, both of which can help your body to seem firmer and more youthful looking.

• Alpha, beta, and poly hydroxyl acids: These help to get rid of dead surface epidermis cells to reveal newer, smoother complexion.

• Vitamin C: This nutrient helps neutralize free radicals that can damage your body surface after being in the sun. Products that contain Vitamin C can also help to lighten brown spots.

• You might also consider purchasing a basic exfoliation sponge. These are inexpensive and can be used with the cleanser of your choice. Even better, they can be rinsed and reused. Removing dry, dulling epidermis cells is another step towards a translucent and appealing body. Beware though these things are a safe harbour for all sorts of bacteria so either microwave it often to kill the bacteria or throw it out and buy a new one.

Keeping the body young looking, improving the body’s surface, and maintaining the health of your complexion can be easy, provided you choose the right products and even mix up a few concoctions at home. Establish a routine that includes several of these recommendations, and you will be pleased with your healthier, more beautiful skin.

Tags: bank, brand-name products, C, excess oil, microwave, olive oil

About a year ago my wife switched us from using regular sponges in the kitchen to some kind of strange rubber cloth that we can throw out after a month or tow. The reason for the change? Bacteria and the problem with sponges being a haven for bacteria that can cause disease. There is a story out on MSNBC today that seems to give a solution to these spongeborne bacteria and apparently microwaving is the answer.

Two minutes in a microwave oven can sterilize most household sponges, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

A team of engineering researchers at the University of Florida found that two minutes of microwaving on full power killed or inactivated more than 99 percent of bacteria, viruses or parasites, as well as spores, on a kitchen sponge.

“People often put their sponges and scrubbers in the dishwasher, but if they really want to decontaminate them and not just clean them, they should use the microwave,” said Gabriel Bitton, a professor of environmental engineering who led the study.

Writing in the Journal of Environmental Health, Bitton and colleagues said they soaked sponges and scrubbing pads in raw wastewater containing fecal bacteria such as E. coli, viruses, protozoan parasites and bacterial spores.

Then they used a common household microwave oven to heat up the sponges. It took four to 10 minutes to kill all the spores but everything else was killed after two, they said.

The researchers suggest wetting the objects—water being heated by the microwave seems to play a role in the sterilization—before zapping them every other day or so.

“The microwave is a very powerful and an inexpensive tool for sterilization,” Bitton said.

At least 76 million Americans get sick from food borne microbes every year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 5,000 people die from them.

Kitchens are a common source of these illnesses.

Tags: dishwasher, environmental engineering, Florida, food, Gabriel Bitton, microwave, professor of environmental engineering, professor of environmental engineering who led the study, strange rubber cloth, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States, University of Florida

I am blessed to have two crazy kids, well mostly blessed. My wife, Michelle, works on the weekends and I end up looking after the kids. When I first started looking after the little ones on the weekends I would make myself a big breakfast and then a smaller one for each of the kids. Did not work so well.

Kids tend to eat at their own pace and I was for a couple of weeks having these huge breakfasts of six eggs and four pieces of toast and even a couple of bowls of cereal. I learned fairly quickly to not cook breakfast for myself and just live off the remains of the kids.

Where does the human garbage can come from? Kids seem to have their own internal hanger clock, mine will snack a lot and eat small meals so as soon as I adjusted to that I was much better off. Before I adjusted to the kids weekend eating schedule I would eat whatever I prepared for them that they did not eat. Now I make decent sized meals (except breakfast) and whenever they are looking for a snack I just grab something out of the fridge for them to eat.

Parents are bad for being a human garbage can, constantly eating that little bit of food that the kids did not want, eating everything that is left and eating the leftovers in the fridge before they have gone bad. I have found that one of the best methods of feeding the kids is to make generic meals that they can eat over and over again although I always make sure to microwave to reheat only once….well I started doing that when my wife told me it was bad to reheat reheated food.

Tags: food, Michelle, microwave, reheated food

Sometimes we just do not eat very well and I ran across these 100 eating tips that would improve anyones diet very quickly in a very good direction, so gobble them up!

1. Add just one fruit or veggie serving daily. Get comfortable with that, then add an extra serving until you reach 8 to 10 a day.
2. Eat at least two servings of a fruit or veggie at every meal.
3. Resolve never to supersize your food portions–unless you want to supersize your clothes.
4. Make eating purposeful, not mindless. Whenever you put food in your mouth, peel it, unwrap it, plate it, and sit. Engage all of the senses in the pleasure of nourishing your body.
5. Start eating a big breakfast. It helps you eat fewer total calories throughout the day.
6. Make sure your plate is half veggies and/or fruit at both lunch and dinner.

Are there Any Easy Tricks to Help Me Cut Calories?

7. Eating out? Halve it, and bag the rest. A typical restaurant entree has 1,000 to 2,000 calories, not even counting the bread, appetizer, beverage, and dessert.
8. When dining out, make it automatic: Order one dessert to share.
9. Use a salad plate instead of a dinner plate.
10. See what you eat. Plate your food instead of eating out of the jar or bag.
11. Eat the low-cal items on your plate first, then graduate. Start with salads, veggies, and broth soups, and eat meats and starches last. By the time you get to them, you’ll be full enough to be content with smaller portions of the high-calorie choices.
12. Instead of whole milk, switch to 1 percent. If you drink one 8-oz glass a day, you’ll lose 5 lb in a year.
13. Juice has as many calories, ounce for ounce, as soda. Set a limit of one 8-oz glass of fruit juice a day.
14. Get calories from foods you chew, not beverages. Have fresh fruit instead of fruit juice.
15. Keep a food journal. It really works wonders.
16. Follow the Chinese saying: “Eat until you are eight-tenths full.”
17. Use mustard instead of mayo.
18. Eat more soup. The noncreamy ones are filling but low-cal.
19. Cut back on or cut out caloric drinks such as soda, sweet tea, lemonade, etc. People have lost weight by making just this one change. If you have a 20-oz bottle of Coca-Cola every day, switch to Diet Coke. You should lose 25 lb in a year.
20. Take your lunch to work.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: appetizer, Baltimore, beverage, Brown University School of Medicine, Cal Dinner, cancer, Coca-Cola, counseling, dehydration, dietitian, energy bars, food, food journal, food portions, Food suppliers, fresh fruit, heart disease, leftover food, microwave, no-cal beverage, nutrient-rich food, olive oil, online diet programs, online weight loss programs, peanut oil, Pennsylvania State University, Peter Pan, registered dietitian, smallest fast-food burger, sports drinks, veggies