Pesto and Tomato Bruschetta

Makes 12 servings.

INGREDIENTS:

Bruschetta

• 24 slice(s) baguette
• 1 ounce parmesan cheese
• 1 cup cherry tomato
• Fresh basil
• Pine nuts
  

Pesto Ingredients

• 1 cup arugula lettuce or spinach
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup fresh basil
• 1/4 cup pine nuts

METHOD

Bruschetta

Spread Pine Nut Pesto onto baguette slices. Top with shaved parmesan and tomatoes. If desired,
top with basil and nuts. Makes 12 (2-slice) servings.

Pesto
In a small food processor, combine 1 cup firmly packed fresh basil; 1 cup torn fresh arugula or spinach; 1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese; 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, chopped walnuts, or chopped almonds; 1 quartered clove garlic; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar; and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Cover and process with several on-off turns until a paste forms, stop several times to scrape the side.

Add in enough water, adding 1 tablespoon at a time, until pesto reaches the consistency of soft butter.

NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS (PER SERVE)

• Calories: 89
• Saturated Fat: 1g
• Sodium: 246mg
• Dietary Fiber: 1g
• Total Fat: 3g
• Carbs: 11g
• Cholesterol: 3mg
• Protein: 4g

To Count Calories or Carbs

Question?

I’ve always had problems with my weight and have tried many diets. I’d like to know whether counting calories or carbs is better as far as losing weight and keeping it off.

Answer!

Well, the answer is that counting both is important — but counting calories is more important! To lose weight, you must eat fewer calories than you expend in any given day. You can actually reduce the amount of carbs you eat, but if you’re still taking in more calories than you’re expending, you’ll gain weight.

Usually, women on a diet should eat about 1,200 to 1,500 calories per day; men approximately 1,500 to 1,800 calories per day. This will allow for a weight loss of one to two kilos per week, which is considered a safe rate of loss. Staying within that calorie range, you might be able to decrease hunger pains too by reducing carbs and eating more protein, which can help you feel fuller longer as well as reduce cravings.

For more information please feel free to speak to any one of our personal trainers who can assist you.

Unknown Jan 2010

How to achieve Weight Loss in 2010

HOW TO ACHIEVE WEIGHT LOSS IN 2010

Without doubt, the number one New Year’s resolution is to lose weight. Whether you are looking to lose fat, or get a little leaner, you probably want to show more of the muscle you’ve worked so hard to build after they’ve become hidden by the holiday overindulgence. For many the problem is not a small recent increase in bodyweight, but the continued accumulation of body fat over an extended period. Now that you’ve made the decision to lose this weight, don’t let excuses creep in. Now is the time to act.

1. Define Your Goal: Instead of saying “I want to lose weight,” set a Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic and Time-based (SMART) goal. An example would be “By March 30th, I will lose 8kgs.” Without a time constraint, you will not be accountable for your goal.
2. Write down your goal daily: Try doing it at the same time & place daily to develop the habit. This will continually reinforce & remind you of your goals plus help you act daily to see this through to completion. The fact that there is a deadline will mean that you have to work daily to achieve your goal.
3. Keep a food and training diary; there’s no better way to track your progress with respect to your diet and training. This can be a simple record, there’s no need to complicate it. Just note the food, size of portion, and the calories plus record your training. This may discourage you from having the extra servings of desert or push your exercise to new records if it’s all documented. This is a proven method of helping people lose weight.
4. Eat more fruit and vegetables: Fruit and vegies not only give you nutrients, antioxidants, phytochemicals, they also help fill you up more than many other foods. As a bonus, they are less dense with respect to energy, so they give you a good proportion of volume for relatively fewer calories.
5. Consume more protein and less starchy carbs: protein is a great macronutrient which has not only been shown to assist in repairing or building lean muscle in trained athletes, but also has fantastic fat loss benefits. Staying away from starchy carbs like white rice, potatoes, pasta and breads, particularly in the evening shall be most beneficial in reaching your goals.
6. Train hard and train regularly: map out your days and allocate time to exercise. This way you can’t let it get crowded out by other activities. Make regular training a priority.
7. Lifting: Whether you are male or female, lift weights with a purpose to fatigue your muscles. This increases (or maintains) your "lean body mass" which will mean that you burn more energy & calories at rest. Ladies, don't be afraid that weight training will bulk you up. The goal and result for most of you here shall be to increase strength, tone up and reduce body fat levels.
8. Cardio: Include some steady state cardio into your program. If you are pressed for time, break this up throughout the day. Interval training (i.e. higher intensity training mixed with lower intensity training) on a bike, treadmill, outdoors, on a rowing machine, etc are effective for fat loss and cardiovascular health. Use this technique with caution, however, especially if you have not exercised for a while or have a medical condition.
9. Supplementation: Fat loss supplements shall assist even a sedentary person, however best results are achieved when they are combined with training for enhanced fat loss. Options include a fat loss protein powder, Thermogenic supplements, Acetyl l-Carnatine, Conjugated Linoleic Acid and Fat Metabolisers to help you achieve your fat loss goals.
   

To reiterate, once you’ve decided on your goal, write it down using a constrained approach such as “I will lose 8 kgs by March 30.” This way, you will be accountable for your efforts to achieve this. Write this down every day to remind yourself of your goal. Keep a food journal to discourage unwelcome foods. Improve your consumption of fruit and vegies, as they offer relatively better satience compared to their more energy dense counterparts.

Increase protein consumption whilst reducing starchy carbohydrates. Train regularly with weights and cardio and you’re almost there. Supplementation with fat loss supplements can help you achieve better results, faster. Keep re-evaluating your results and be consistent, before you know it you’ll be on your way to a leaner and a healthier body.