WATCH OUT FOR THOSE SNEAKY FALL FAVORITES!!

During Halloween, there are lots of fun treats!! High fat high empty calories and unnecessary sugars!!

Halloween marks the beginning of a two-month season packed with parties and desserts.  Now that’s the scary!

Halloween treats are big on calories. Look out for these  high-cal Halloween treats.  Calories add on FAST!!

Pumpkin Flavored Baked Goods

Pumpkin itself is a healthful food. Plain pumpkin puree contains a dose of vitamin A and fiber for a small amount of calories. But pair it with sugar, cream cheese frosting, shortening and butter and you’ve got a high-cal treat dressed in a healthy-looking orange outfit. Restaurants and coffee shops are the biggest villains, promoting their pumpkin scones, muffins, donuts and breads, which can contain up to 630 calories per serving.

TRICK: You can bake your own pumpkin treats using less sugar and fat, plus whole-grain goodness. Use a mini muffin tin to help with keep your portions in check and steer clear of these traditional seasonal baked goods!

Food Item Calories Fat Sugars

Hot Seasonal Beverages

Sometimes there is nothing more enjoyable than sipping a hot drink on a crisp fall day. Many coffee joints offer special seasonal beverages during the holidays. While plain coffee is low-cal, seasonal lattes and drinks contain a lot of sugar, and most boast a heavy dose of cream, too. A medium pumpkin spice latte with whole milk is 410 calories at Starbucks, and its competitors don’t do much better. As liquid calories do not aid in fullness or satiety, these calories probably are not worth it!

TRICK: Order a small beverage (if you must) and lighten the load by requesting fat free milk and holding any whipped topping. Freshly brewed chai tea can be a great alternative that is virtually calorie-free, but look out for blended drinks that are ready to serve; they often contain cream, syrups and lots of added sugar. Many coffeehouses use a sugar syrup as the base for their chai; ask that yours be made with real tea and no added sugar. Request hot water and a teabag of chai tea (black tea with spices) with some low-fat milk on the side. Watch out for these high-cal hot beverages!

Food Item Calories Fat
Sugars

Caramel Apple Anything

Yes, it’s obvious. If you cover a healthy fruit with sugar, it becomes a less healthy choice. Simple caramel apples seem innocent, but they can pack 300 calories onto that little wooden stick. Pop extra sprinkles, candies or nuts onto the outside of the apple and it’ll amp the calorie level even further. It’s also good practice to avoid caramel apple desserts and baked goods from most restaurants. Most don’t even contain a single serving of fruit and more than their fair share of calories and fat (see chart below).

TRICK: Enjoy your apples by cutting them into wedges and dipping them into low fat caramel dip, fat free vanilla yogurt or peanut butter. The following high-cal treats are far from healthy.

Food Item Calories Fat
Sugars

Chocolate Fun Size Candies

At an average of about 100 calories a pop, these popular fun-size treats can really add up! Sure they’re smaller than a full size bar and offer built-in portion control, but how often do you stop after just one? It’s far too easy to eat four of five “little” candies, thinking you’re not doing much damage, but that can easily add up to 400 or 500 calories in a matter of minutes. The bars that hide the most calories are those that contain peanut butter, coconut, chocolate, caramel, and nuts.

TRICK: Start reading fun-size labels before throwing out the package so that you’re not eating blindly; these calories do count. Figure out the best choice for you and stick with that particular treat. Fun-size peppermint patties and Twizzlers have about half of the calories of the average chocolate bar but keep in mind these can still add up! Here are 11 fun-size treats that all contain 100 calories or fewer.

Please remember to think before you bite!!

It may look “healthful”  because apple or pumpkin is in the name but monitor your intake of these tiny-size treats. It  easily adds up to BIG numbers of calories. Think about what these seasonal treats are doing for your body and put your label reading skills to work and stay in control of your choices.

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Can you Lose Belly Fat if you Eat THIS?

There are over 30 names for sugar…

…turbinado sugar, raw sugar, agave syrup, fruit paste, raw honey, malt syrup and many more.

I always get asked what’s the best type of sugar?

Is there such a thing?  A “healthy” sugar?

Remember, sugar is readily used for “immediate short term energy” which means that if you are trying to burn fat for energy then eating any kind of sugar will “delay” the fat burning process.

Sugars also release a hormone called “insulin”. Insulin is a lipogenic hormone which means that it encourages body fat storage. That’s why people with type 2 diabetes are overweight. There body releases too much insulin due to their cells insensitivity to insulin. The only way to increase one’s insulin sensitivity is by losing weight and exercising.

Clearly, when burning belly fat is a goal, sugar (all forms) need to take a back seat.  But let’s put a few of these under the microscope to see if there’s a best of the worst.

After all, with teens eating nearly 100 lbs of sugar per person, per year, we have some headway to make.  It should be no surprise that research shows belly fat has skyrocketed in this age group.

But adults aren’t much behind.  And the obesity epidemic we’re facing around the world is a tell tale sign that we’re overfed, yet undernourished.

Let’s get to the good stuff.

First, just because something is organic, doesn’t mean it’s healthy.

Organic sugar isn’t a magical health food like it’s often considered.

It increases belly fat just like plain old table sugar.

Let’s cover a few of the most commonly questioned poisons in the fight against belly fat.

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)

This one was invented in the 1970′s.  It’s in nearly every food and beverage in the super market – from breads to ketchup, fruit juice to cereals.  Some have claimed it’s caused obesity saying, this one sweetener is preventing us from losing belly fat permanently.  Interestingly, its use has skyrocketed the same way the obesity epidemic has over the last few decades.  And research has suggested there is a correlation.

This caused a negative spiral of media ads pointing the finger at this one ingredient.

And the Corn Refiners Association fought back.  They created commercials saying that HFCS is no worse than sugar.  What they didn’t say is both are junk, why eat them at all?

My first “problem’ with HFCS is that it was “invented.”  I don’t want to eat anything that was “invented.” I want to eat foods as close to the ground as possible.  You can avoid HFCS, just like you can avoid other sugars.  Sure, it is metabolized a bit differently than sugar, but you know what, the foods that are loaded with HFCS are junk – regardless of the form of sugar.  Soda = junk.  Fruit juice cocktails = junk. Popsicles = junk.

If you buy organic options of these same foods, they’re all junk and will prevent you from losing belly fat, put a halt to losing fat from your hips and thighs, or getting into your skinny jeans.

Agave Syrup

This natural sweetener recently became popular.  Agave nectar is produced from a plant and is popular in organic markets and with vegans.  It is touted for its low glycemic index, meaning it won’t cause much of a spike in blood sugar.  But no studies are available showing how it compares to other sugars in terms of blood sugar control.

It is primarily made up of fructose, which is in fact lower on the glycemic index.  One important note – if you try this, look for USDA-certified organic products. Most agave comes from Mexico and there have been issues with recalls because of excessive pesticides in the products.

Raw Honey

Often sold at Farmer’s Markets, supporters of this sweetener love that it’s not processed.  Me too.  And because it’s not processed, it IS higher in a few nutrients (mainly B vitamins).  With that said, honey wouldn’t be my first choice for getting in any vitamins and minerals. I DO like that you can use less of it than table sugar because teaspoon for teaspoon, it’s sweeter.

There’s also some very interesting data showing eating local honey may reduce allergies, it can be used as an antiseptic, and much more.  (NOTE: I don’t recommend pouring it on an open wound).

But in the end, will too much honey prevent you from getting the body of your dreams and slashing belly fat?  Sure, it’s still empty calories when you compare it side by side with fruit, for example (which also is high in a form of sugar, but nothing I’d worry about).

Where does that leave us?

All sugars have relatively the same number of calories per gram.

Organic sugars will still prevent you from losing belly fat.

Non organic sugars will prevent you from losing belly fat.

If you are going to use a sweetener, opt for local honey and use it sparingly.  Still, the best way to eat foods is in their natural state – fruit is sweet, enjoy that as dessert.  Grill it to bring out the sweetness.  Add balsamic vinegar to a pan and heat it up to create a calorie free “syrup” that’s great with fruit.

Avoid foods with ingredients that have been “invented” – the closer to the ground they are, the better off you will be.

In the end, burn belly fat by limiting your sugar intake and training right.

Dr. Saman Bakhtiar Phillips Ranch personal trainer and Gym owner always taking a personal interest in each client!

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Is coffee OK to drink?

At just 5 weeks old, our daughter Bailee isn’t always the best at sleeping … 2 hours here, 3 hours there.

Sometimes leaving me and my wife Johnette woozy … tired doesn’t even scratch the surface.

But we of course need to still function during the day – me, at 4:00 AM working out and getting ready to work and throughout the day – Johnette, as she juggles feeding, being mommy, and getting some work done.

As I sat drinking a few cups of green tea this morning, Johnette drinking her coffee, I thought about one of the most common questions we get – “is it OK to drink coffee?”   For some it’s a savior – what I call a “liquid nap.”  But is this drug (yes, caffeine is a drug) a true necessity?  It surely can help keep you alert (particularly when you have a 6 week old at home!)

I have to be honest, I would never in a million years get between a person and their coffee.  Of course not everyone is a coffee drinker, but for some it’s a staple.

So if you’re trying to lose weight and you’re paying attention to your calories and all of your food where does coffee fit in?  I have to be honest, I’m fine with you drinking coffee … it’s not coffee itself that’s the “issue” it’s everything most people put in it.

Sugar, cream, half and half, or that horrendous artificial, imitation, fat free creamer junk.

Those things all add up – 100 calories here, 100 calories there – and you’re left wondering why you can’t reach your fat loss goals.

A regular cup of black coffee – no calories – no worries.

But a coffee shop latte can pack a whopping 400-500 calories!  Talk about sabotaging your fat loss efforts!  Particularly when coupled with a scone, muffin, or whatever else you may pick up on the way to the office.

The bottom line is you need to know how many calories you’re truly taking in and how they all fit in your daily routine.  Drink an extra 100 calories each day (which would be just a bit of whole milk and 1 tsp of sugar in a coffee) and you’ll pack on 10 extra lbs at the end of the year.  Couple this with other added calories and that weight can come on pretty quickly.

And if you were to rationalize that you’re going to exercise to “balance” out those added calories, remember that walking or running 1 mile burns just 100 calories.

Therefore, drink a latte and run 5 miles – you’ve essentially stayed the same.

Not that I’m saying walking or running is the best way to burn fat, but you get the point.

Moral of the story?  You need to account for the calories you put in your body … all the calories you put in your body.

3 Things will help you do this:

1. Eat attentively – don’t eat or drink when distracted.  That means NOT in front of the TV, while reading, or in front of your computer.  Doing any of those means you’ll eat more calories, without even “knowing” it.

2. Avoid the extra BLT’s – bites, licks, and tastes – tasting while cooking, finishing off your kids’ drinks or foods, or eating before putting food away (you know, when there’s leftover dinner and you take a few bites before you put it away)

3. Write down what you eat and drink – this increases your awareness and will help you lose fat.

Oh yeah, and coffee is OK – just watch those added calories.

Coffee-Good or Bad??
Coffee Good or Bad?

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Check out Ontario Personal Trainers!!

Our 2^nd Annual Chino’s Biggest Loser Event was AMAZING and a huge success because of you all of you!!  Over 140 people entered our event….and it inched down to TEN finalist.

1^st Place John Hayen     LOST 79.4 POUNDS

1st Place Winner John Hayen

2^nd Place       Rosemarie Roman     LOST 54 POUNDS

3rd Place Winner Rosemarie Roman

3^rd Place       Roquel Alameyer     LOST 38.5 POUNDS

3rd Place Winner Roquel Alameyer

4^th Place Adrian Rodriguez       LOST 41 POUNDS

4th Place Winner Adrian Rodriguez

5^th Place     Tammy Jones      LOST 30.5 POUNDS

9th Place Winner Tammy Jones

6^th Place          Bill Wuertz    LOST 45 POUNDS

6th Place Winner Bill Wuertz

7^th Place       Ronny Zavosky       LOST 29.5 POUNDS

7th Place Winner Ronny Zavosky

8^th Place       Alex Flores   LOST 24.5 POUNDS

8th Place Winner Alex Flores

9^th Place        Mark Coday       LOST 31.5 POUNDS

9th Place Winner Mark Coday

10^{th Place} Judy Gonzalez    LOST 16.5 POUNDS

1oth Place Winner Judy Gonzalez

Our 2nd Annual Biggest Loser Event was yet another huge success!!

We are so thankful to have so many awesome people in our Community!!!

It is only because of all of you that made our event a success!!