Want to Widen Your Shoulders?

Category: Body

Note - For those of you guys who were not blessed with huge shoulders during puberty like me. One can increase the illusion that you have a broad should if you do these simple steps (of course you have a lot to choose from) but this is how I compensate (please read below).

     1. Increase your muscle mass from these areas by doing these exercises (start reading the discussion from the author below).
     2. Get a trainer that understands your wishes and hopefully he can deliver.  Think of your trainer as your investment.  When you invest on him, hopefully he can produce the result that you want. If he can't deliver, you know what to do... hahaha... find another one... don't be discouraged!
     3.Try taking protein supplements and follow these link (please click) for your diet.
     4. Carefully buy a cloth that exactly fit your body frame.  Look at your shoulder when you fit a tight or semi tight cloth.  You should view your shoulder when you fit this. Buy 2 to 3 pieces of different colors to keep this as your stock.  The cuts of these clothes my be difficult to find in your area.
     5. Keep your tummy or abdomen in check.  The slimmer your tummy or abdomen becomes, the more you will look leaner and your frame will look a little bit wider.

Link: Please click this link to go to the site were I took this from in acknowledgement to the author. This will also provide you with further information on the topic.

----- Start of Topic -----

How To Build Big Broad Shoulders That Demand Respect

Categories:Exercise
Tags:Big Shoulders, Broad Shoulders, How to Build Broad Shoulders, testosterone, The Ultimate Guide to Wide Shoulders, Wide Shoulders

Broad shoulders are one of the most masculine traits that a man could ever possibly have, and almost all men want a set of broad shoulders that demand respect.

However some men are just born with narrow shoulders, and some men naturally have larger shoulders, still all men can build more wider shoulders.

There’s no excuses, if you raise your testosterone levels naturally and add in a proper training program, your shoulders will have no other options than to grow stronger, wider, and bigger.

Big wide shoulders are also the culprit of the classic V shape body. The body that all women secretly admire (this is actually proven by studies, women are completely crazy about wide shoulders and V shape body).

How Testosterone affects the width of your shoulders

Testosterone has a lot to do with the shoulder width, as your shoulders will broaden during the puberty by the actions of testosterone, and low levels of it during puberty will often lead to narrow shoulders in the adulthood.

Your shoulder muscles are filled with androgen receptors, that take in testosterone molecules to activate the protein synthesis and growth inside the muscle. That’s the reason why high testosterone levels will tremendously help you to build those broad shoulders, as there’s no other muscle so dense in androgen receptors than the shoulder muscles.

That’s why the bodybuilders using steroids will usually grow a freakishly huge upper body, as there’s huge amounts of androgen receptors to take up all the injected testosterone.

Fortunately there’s no need to ever take steroids, as we can easily skyrocket our testosterone production naturally.

Exercises to Widen your Shoulders

Besides testosterone playing a huge role in the building process of wide shoulders, exercising is also important, in fact it’s even more important than high testosterone levels to have a solid workout routine that supports the growth of your ever so broadening shoulders.

Now there’s 3 main muscles in the shoulders called: anterior deltoid (the front part of your shoulders), medial deltoid (the middle part of your shoulders), and posterior deltoid (the back part of your shoulders).

The biggest mistake that most of the guys make when building broad shoulders is that they work out with way too small weights, and with way too high rep ranges along with the idiocy of using only isolation exercises (the ones that isolate the muscle, meaning that you’re not using multiple muscles to produce the movement).

Just like on any muscle, you need to use high volume with low repetitions to make your shoulders grow bigger, broader, wider, and stronger.

Once your shoulders become stronger you can add more weight which will again make your shoulders bigger, wider, broader, and stronger. Get the point?

I already have a set of freakishly wide shoulders, so that’s why I’m not personally focusing on shoulders too much when I’m working out, but this doesn’t mean that I don’t know how to workout to get a nice set of broad shoulders that support the classic V body shape.

So let’s take a look at some of the most powerful exercises to get big broad shoulders faster than ever.

1. Military Press

This is a classic compound movement for shoulders, and it effectively targets your anterior, medial, and posterior deltoids to create wide popping delts that will look good from any angle.

The reason why this old classic beats the shit out of every single machine or isolation exercise is that it just plain works like nothing else. So for now on the military press should be the core of your shoulder workout.

Military press can be done either standing up or seated, with a pair of dumbbells or with a bar.

Here’s an instructional video on how to do my favorite form of military press, the seated military press with dumbbells, from Scott Herman:

 

2. Side Lateral Dumbbell Raise

The side lateral dumbbell raise is an exercise that focuses on your medial deltoid, which is most often the part of your delts that is underdeveloped when compared to posterior deltoid or anterior deltoid.

This one is nowhere near to as powerful movement for building strength as the military press is, but it’s essential to assure that your medial deltoid won’t lag behind the anterior and posterior ones.

Also these side laterals are awesome for creating some instant visual benefits for your shoulders.

Here’s how to do the side lateral dumbbell raise, again shown to you by Scott Herman.

3. The Arnold Press

The Arnold press is very much similar to the military press, but it’s specially tailored by Arnold Schwarzenegger to hit the anterior deltoid really hard.

The Arnold press and its effects will show on your mirror pretty quickly, and here’s how to do it. Notice the palms facing in at the start.
  

4. Rear Lateral Dumbbell raises

This one will hit the posterior deltoid harder than the others, and it can be performed either seated or standing.

The rear lateral dumbbell raise will create a nice visual impact from the behind of your shoulders, and these are very important for creating the classic V shape with wide shoulders.

Below is an instuctional video on how to do the rear lateral dumbbell raises, this is the standing variation so do remember that there’s also other possible variations of this exercise.
  

Conclusion

That’s it. All of the exercises you’ll ever need to build big broad shoulders that demand respect! See you don’t need to perform some sick variations on weird machines to hit some weird parts of your shoulders or to “feel the burn”.

Strength training for wide shoulders is incredibly easy:

1. Just focus on big compound movements (military press all the way).

2. If you want to enhance the effectiveness: Add Arnold press to focus on anterior deltoid, add side lateral raises to focus on medial deltoid, and add rear dumbbell raises to focus on posterior deltoid.

3. Ditch the high rep workouts and focus on building strength with 3 sets of 4-8 reps.

4. Forget the idea that you need to “feel the burn”, you don’t. You only need to add progressive resistance so your shoulder muscles will have no other option than to grow bigger and broader.

5. Make sure that you’re boosting your testosterone levels naturally, to ensure that you have enough muscle building male hormone testosterone, to stimulate the protein synthesis in the androgen receptors of your shoulder muscles.

That’s it now start!

PS. Want a 252 page e-book on how to naturally increase your testosterone levels? Then check out “The Testosterone i/o” program from Christopher Walker!


PS: Here's finally a diet for men and it's tailored to maximize your natural testosterone production.


----- End of Topic -----


There you guys!

Enjoy!

5 Mistakes You Will Regret in Your Lifetime from Yahoo

Category - Mind, Soul and Spirit

Note - Some of the things written here may not be applicable to you guys but try and absorb the concept and big picture of this.  It will make sense.

Link: Please click this link to go to the site were I took this from in acknowledgement to the author (MoneyMax.ph). This will also provide you with further information on the topic.

We should carefully consider this if we can, we have one life and let us make it work. :)

5 Mistakes You Will Regret in Your Lifetime

Life is short as they say and as much as possible, we all want to make it positive and worth-living. At that, we didn’t mean a life that is something perfect and flawless but a life filled with lessons and moments to cherish for a lifetime.

Committing mistakes is essential for us to experience and appreciate bigger things. Things will never be the same as it is for you now if you did not go wrong at some point in your life. BUT, some mistakes are purely mistakes and surely unavoidable. Here are some:

Settling on a ‘secured’ job

All of us have different kinds of need when it comes to employment. Common Filipinos work for money, some wants to be employed for compliance with the rules of society to be employed, while some choose to be employed for self-fulfilment.

If you’re going to observe, the common scenario in a usual office setting is: going to work, lunch, snack, and then, go home – every day – doing the same thing. Some don’t mind this kind of setting as long as they’re earning – that’s wrong – because you’ll easily get tired of what you’re doing. You will not enjoy the job and worse, it’s harder to be productive. Don’t settle for this, because it has no long-term effect in your existence and self-appreciation. Don’t you like a job that will give you the power to change something?

Not travelling

Haven’t you heard about “Piso” fares, all these cheap flights and all-in travel promotions? If not, plug in your computer apply for an internet connection, you’ll see these travel promos everywhere. When you have a credit card, it’s much easier to do these things because of online purchasing and differed payment. Maximize this opportunity to explore parts of the country and the world. Travelling gives you a better perspective on things – learning new languages, fitting into a culture and meeting different kinds of people, plus a good time to relax!

Giving up on love

One of the best feelings in the world is to love someone and be loved back. Losing hope on love and all kinds of such emotion could make someone a robot – don’t be robots, people. Be happy turning gray with people you love and look back to life’s wonderful times. Enjoy the music; immerse with nature; hug someone; adopt a puppy; spread the love.

Wasting time

The common denominator among the humanity is time – we all have 24 hours a day. It’s up to you on how wise are you going to maximize it. You can give love to all the people in the world, but you can only spend time with people you chose to be with. A time well-spent is a quality time with your loved ones, good times with friends, and precious moments with your family.

Not taking risks

The younger you are, the more risks you take is a good-good situation for you. If you take risks and succeed, it will be a great experience; but if you take risks and fail, you learned the lesson. Don’t expect your life to change if you’re doing the same thing over and over again – take risks. Life will lead you the best of your potential if you go out of your comfort zone.

The best and worst times of your life will depend on the decisions you make. Take time to think everything through and make the most out of your life while you can.

The post 5 Mistakes You Will Regret in Your Lifetime appeared first on MoneyMax.ph.

There you go...

Enjoy!

The 4-Week Lean Muscle Diet from Muscle and Fitness

Category:  Body and Mind

Note:  Try if this will work for you.  I will also do this and report back to you all (date started:  June 6, 2014).

Link: Please click this link to go to the site were I took this from in acknowledgement to the author (Chris Aceto).  This will also provide you with further information on the topic.

Having 6 packs is all I wish this month... hahahaha... will see if this will really help.

The 4-Week Lean Muscle Diet

Get lean in four weeks without starving yourself in your quest for a six-pack.

Chris Aceto

Make no mistake, it’s by no means coincidence that the first three letters of the word “diet” indicate just how miserable the process can be. Constantly being hungry, having to forgo satisfying carbs in favor of vegetables, eating smaller portions of bland-tasting foods. Yet to get really lean - the kind of shape that’ll have you eagerly pulling off your T-shirt - doesn’t have to mean total self-sacrifice for the sake of a six-pack. Tailoring the right nutrition plan, will have you muscular and ripped in as few as four weeks.

Remember this: You don’t have to be in a calorie deficit all the time to drop bodyfat. That’s right. In fact, moving from a deficit - when calories are restricted - to a diet in which calories are slightly above deficit levels can yield greater muscle definition.

How so? First, remaining on a low-calorie diet can backfire. The body adapts to calorie restrictions - eating less - by slowing its calorie-burning engine called metabolism. Second, low-calorie diets sometimes compromise anabolism, or your ability to maintain muscle mass.

Therefore, the ideal nutrition plan encompasses both attributes: lower-calorie dieting coupled with a very brief period when you’re allowed to eat! Hey, getting cut just became a bit easier - and more pleasant.

Here are the highlights of the four-week diet plan:

• To create a deficit, or a shortfall in total calories, you’ll follow a low-fat, lower-carb diet for your first three training days. We’ll call this Diet A.
• On days you don’t train with weights and are burning fewer total calories, you’ll bring calories even lower by further reducing carbohydrates. This meal plan will be called Diet B.
• Every fourth training day, you’ll reverse the process and increase your carb intake. This higher-carbohydrate and -calorie meal plan will be Diet C. Diet C will give your body the fuel it needs to sidestep a metabolic slowdown associated with dieting. And, it will provide your muscle with much-needed energy to help maintain mass. That’s what we’re looking for in creating a cut-up and defined look - to promote a steady drop in bodyfat levels while maintaining hard-earned muscle.

No Need to Count

Put the calculator away. To get ripped, you don’t need to add up the calories in each and every morsel of food that goes into your mouth. Instead, you simply need to get a handle on portion control. Doing so is easy, especially when you get the hang of it. First, this diet is extremely low in fat; no butter, no oils, no nuts or fatty cuts of meat, so there’s not much to count in this department.

Determining your carbohydrate intake is straightforward: You’ll eat carb foods with:

• Only 1 meal on Diet B, the off-training day
• 3 meals on training days using Diet A
• All 5 meals on the fourth training day using Diet C

Keep in mind, a “serving” yields about 40-50 grams of carbohydrates, so the three meals with carbs using Diet A (meals 1-3) would provide roughly 150 grams of carbs.

Protein is the nutrient that offers muscle support. Not only does it help build mass, but it also helps preserve muscle tissue when calories from carbohydrates and fat are really low. For this reason, you’ll keep protein at a minimum of 200 grams a day - 40 grams at each of your five daily meals. Again, you don’t have to actually count the grams of protein you eat every day, just follow the menus outlined and you’ll hit the mark.

Give it four weeks and not only will you have severely cleaned up your eating but you’ll be leaner and have more energy than if you followed another diet. You know, the ones in which you feel like you’re about to die. 

Mapping Your Meal Plans

Use this chart to compute meal plans and number of carb meals.

Day	Bodyparts Trained	Meal Plan             # of Carb Meals
1	Chest, shoulders, triceps	A	3
2	Back, biceps	A	3
3	none	B	1
4	Chest, shoulders, triceps	A	3
5	Legs, biceps	C	5
6	none	B	1
7	none	B	1
8	Chest, shoulders, triceps	A	3
9	Back, biceps	A	3
10	none	B	1
11	Chest, shoulders, triceps	A	3
12	Legs, biceps	C	5
13	none	B	1
14	none	B	1

Fine-Tuning Your Diet

By following the simple meal plans, the typical 180-pound male can shed fat, maintain his mass and keep his metabolic rate from stalling. That said, we realize that no single nutrition strategy, no matter how well-planned and -devised, fits every 180-pounder, let alone someone who weighs more, say, 220 pounds. People are different and respond slightly differently to the very same diet plans. With that in mind, here are some key points to consider to better customize the plan to every stubborn twist and turn your body may put up.

1. After two weeks, if you fail to harden up at a reasonable pace or fail to lose 1-2 pounds each week, follow Diet A for four training days rather than three.
2. After two weeks, if your energy levels are declining in the gym, include two consecutive Diet C days. Thus, you’d remain on Diet A for three days, followed by two days of Diet C.
3. If your muscles are excessively sore, you need more protein. Add a sixth meal to each day comprising a protein shake yielding 40-50 grams of protein.

Carb Foods

Taking each food listed below individually, here’s what one serving of 40-50 grams of carbohydrate looks like:

1. 7 rice cakes
2. 1 medium cantaloupe (about 5 inches diameter)
3. 2 packets instant Cream of Wheat cereal
4. 2 cups cooked oatmeal
5. 2 small apples
6. 1 rounded cup pasta
7. 1 medium potato or yam, about the size of your fist
8. 2 small potatoes (about half the size of a tennis ball)
9. 1 rounded cup rice
10. 1 small bagel
11. 1 heaping cup shredded prepared hash browns (cook with cooking spray)
12. 2 English muffin halves with low-sugar jam
13. 2 small bananas
14. 3 large slices whole-grain bread
15. 1 12-inch pita bread

Protein Foods

Taking each food listed below individually, here’s what roughly 40 grams of protein amounts to:

1. 10 large egg whites with 1 slice low-fat cheese
2. 5-inch hamburger patty, extra lean
3. 1 medium chicken breast, about 6x3-inches
4. 1 turkey breast, about twice the size of a cell phone
5. 2 scoops whey protein powder
6. 6 pieces round steak (about the size of a quarter and 3⁄4-inch thick)
7. 6 slices deli-style roast beef
8. 6 slices deli-style turkey breast
9. 1 rounded cup fat-free cottage cheese

Free Foods!

These foods can be considered “free” because they yield so few calories that you’d have to eat mounds of each to add any significant caloric value to your diet. These low-cal veggies are great to use on both Diet A and Diet B.

1. celery
2. eggplant
3. lettuce
4. wax beans
5. onions
6. green beans
7. cabbage
8. asparagus
9. spinach
10. okra
11. broccoli
12. water chestnuts
13. zucchini
14. summer squash

Enjoy!

Oil Pulling from Yahoo

Category: Body

Note:  I will try this also, I am OC at my teeth.

Link: Please click this link to go to the site were I took this from in acknowledgement to the author (Trina). This will also provide you with further information on the topic.  I took only the highlights.

Here below is the article made by the author....  It's very interesting...

Healing Cavities (A True “We’ve-Done-It!” Story!)

by Trina

What in the world is Oil Pulling?

Later, I heard about oil pulling. It was such a strange term, I didn’t even look into it for a while. Till I realized that the pain and sensitivity I had been experiencing in my teeth off an on for a while might be remedied through this idea. So, I read up on it—it made sense (coconut oil is anti-bacterial, and could pull toxins from your mouth when you swished it in your mouth for 15-20 min.)—and I tried it.

I posted the above photo on my Facebook page and had a lot of friends ask me to report how it worked. So, here’s the report:

I loved how my teeth felt on this new cleansing routine—I felt it reduced plaque and made my teeth stronger. Within a month, all sensitivity I’d been experiencing in my lower molars was gone.

So, I quit toothpaste, and replaced it with oil pulling, and my teeth have never been healthier.

Now, that’s my story, but I put a ‘we’ in the title, because Jeremy’s got a story, too.

And Then Mr. Holden Tried It…

Several months ago, my husband came up to me and said, “I think I have a cavity.” I looked in his mouth and was mortified. His back wisdom tooth was—I kid you not—green and brown and black and pitted, and definitely did not look healthy. Neither of us had ever had a cavity before, but I was pretty sure this was a case study.

I said, “Honey! You need to start oil pulling right away!”

Well, you know, he kinda looked at me the way I imagine you looked at me when I said I quit toothpaste.

But a week later, he felt a chunk flake off of said tooth, and the next morning he pulled out the coconut oil before breakfast. (They say you should rinse first thing in the am).

He began oil pulling faithfully every morning, as well as taking cod liver oil (upping nutrition was something I read was key to regenerating tooth decay). Within 3 days, he said the pain was gone. And a month later, after oil pulling 5-6 times a week, I looked in his mouth, and his tooth was—are you ready for this? White. White with a bit of yellow, but the black and green and brown were all gone, and the surface of the tooth was smoothing out instead of being pitted.

People, I am not lyin’ here.

Tooth regeneration is possible, and surprisingly simple…

God designed our bodies so incredibly. If we are nourishing our bodies well, He designed them to be able to heal from injury and disease—even our teeth.

I share our stories because the idea of ‘healing your teeth’ is quite foreign to people. But listen to this…

“That tooth decay is caused by nutrient deficiencies and not bacteria has been proven in both animal and laboratory experiments published in books and dental journals…

…If brushing, flossing, massive fluoridation campaigns, and dental surgery were effective in preventing tooth decay, it would not get worse over time. It would stay the same, or get better.”  (Ramiel Nagel of CureToothDecay.com)

But that’s not what’s happening, is it? It has become normal to have our teeth rot out of our head, starting not in our 60’s, or 40’s, but as children and even babies.

“What is missing from the ADA’s bacteria theory of cavities is that strong teeth resist acid and bacteria. And when you, the consumer, understand that a strong tooth resists acid indefinitely, then the next logical question is, what makes a tooth strong?” (Ramiel Nagel)

The answer, which Ramiel details in his ebook (linked below) is good nutrition. And you know what it means when I use that term around here…lots of whole foods, good fat, raw milk, tasty meats and properly prepared grains and veggies. Ramiel especially stresses whole, raw milk in the diet and plenty of deeply nourishing fats like butter oil and cod liver oil.

So, gotta a toothache? Wish you had stronger teeth? Don’t despair. You can actually do something other than have them all pulled and getting dentures. (Oh, yay!) Increase your nutrition and try oil pulling!

How to Oil Pull With Coconut Oil

1. Scoop about 2 tsp. of coconut oil out of your jar and pop it in your mouth.
2. Chew or hold the oil in your mouth till it melts and becomes liquid (takes about 30 seconds).
3. Start swishing, pulling the oil back and forth and sideways through all your teeth.
4. Swish for 20 min., spitting the oil out (into the trash) when you’re finished.

Why Oil Pulling works:

Your teeth are actually porous, comprised of yards and yards of minute passages (like a sponge) that bring nutrients to the outer enamel when good nutrition is present in your diet…or suck toxins into the teeth when nutrition is lacking. Oil itself has the ability to cut right through plaque to the tooth surface, and coconut oil in particular has rich, anti-bacterial properties. It’s believed that  one of the reasons oil pulling strengthens teeth is that it can help reverse the flow of toxins, pulling bacteria out of the teeth, and becoming a vehicle to dispose of toxins. Also, we’ve found the swishing action can be as effective as flossing, without any damage to gums (yes–I’ve gotten popcorn kernels out with oil pulling!)

Where to get good Coconut Oil:

Any organic, cold-pressed, virgin coconut oil will work for this. If it smells like coconut, that’s a sign that it hasn’t been over-processed and still has all the wonderful things God put in the coconut to begin with! You’re looking for coconut oil that is cold pressed, extra virgin, and organic, like this brand available right from Amazon (this is an affiliate links–thanks for helping me keep the lights on around here!).

Here’s some resources for further reading on Healing Cavities…

• Can a Cavity be Healed with Nutrition? on Keeper of the Home
• How I Healed My Child’s Cavity…this post from The Healthy Home Economist is what convinced me we could heal Jeremy’s tooth.
• The Healthy Mouth Summit…I attended this online seminar last January. Extremely educational and exciting!
• Tips and Tricks to Remineralize and Repair Your Teeth by Ramiel Nagel of CureToothDecay.com a clearly explained argument for a nutritional approach to oral health–a very helpful little book!

Remember, oil pulling is just part of a natural tooth care plan. Our teeth will be strong when our bodies are well nourished with plenty of whole, nourishing foods. For help getting started on your real food journey, check out this series I wrote just for you. If you struggle to source whole foods like raw milk, check out “What to do if you can’t find or afford raw milk” or my resource page. And for my best secrets to feeding your family well even when life gets busy, I offer my book, Real {Fast} Food!

Enjoy!

Eat Your Way to a Fast Metabolism from Yahoo

Category:  Mind and Body

Note:  If you don't eat properly, everything else suffers.

Link: Please click this link to go to the site were I took this from in acknowledgement to the author.

Metabolism is always a problem when you're getting old.  Here are some of the things that can help you increase your metabolism.  Do it of course with exercise and you are on your way to getting a healthier and happier you. :)

Think positive all the time.

Make these five subtle tweaks to your daily diet to see a big payoff (and a smaller waistline)!

Related: Kickstart Your Morning with Healthy Breakfast Recipes »

1. Eat Your Vitamins
B vitamins, especially niacin, can help crank things up by increasing energy production from the mitochondria, the power drivers of our cells. Produce, dairy products, eggs and whole grains are all rich sources of B vitamins.

Take Charge: Try quinoa, a grain that's rich in B vitamins, or add a half cup of chopped bell peppers and some shredded, low-fat cheese to your morning egg scramble.

Plus: A Guide to Healthy Whole Grains »

2. Go for Green Tea
Green tea contains caffeine and the antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), stimulants that increase the number of calories you burn during a 24-hour period. The boost is slight, roughly 100 calories, but it can make a difference if you drink the beverage regularly, suggests an article in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

Take Charge: Sip five or six cups of unsweetened iced or hot green tea (the amount shown to have metabolic health benefits) throughout the day. If you want to go sans caffeine, the metabolism-boosting EGCG can still be found in the decaf brew, although it is not as potent.

3. Spice Things Up
Capsaicin, a compound in chili peppers, might rev up metabolism by about 5 percent, according to a study in the International Journal of Obesity. Allyl isothiocyanate, a compound in spicy mustard, can give your body a temporary bump in metabolism, research has found.

Take Charge: Exchange the mayo on your turkey sandwich for spicy mustard, or add a tablespoon of mustard to homemade vinaigrette. Sprinkle crushed red pepper into spaghetti sauce, and add a teaspoon of chili powder to ground turkey for tacos.

4. Pack a Protein Punch It takes more energy to digest protein than carbohydrates or fat. If you eat 100 calories' worth of protein, you burn up to 35 while digesting, absorbing and eliminating them. With 100 calories' worth of carbs, you burn up to 15 that way. And protein is crucial for building muscle. The more muscle you have, the more efficiently your body burns calories.

Take Charge: Try these high-protein snacks
• 1 ounce part-skim string cheese with 1 medium apple (162 calories, 5 grams fat, 7 grams protein)
• 1 cup nonfat or 2 percent Greek yogurt with 1½ oz. almonds (255 calories, 12g fat, 26g protein)
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter, 2 celery stalks and 1 cup skim milk (295 calories, 16g fat, 17g protein)

5. Don't Skip Breakfast
If you skip breakfast, your body goes into starvation mode. The reason? Having an empty stomach sends a message to your cells to conserve energy in case more food doesn't arrive. To kick-start your metabolism first thing and for the day ahead, it's best to eat within two hours of waking up.

Take Charge: To get the most calorie-burning benefits, try 1 cup oatmeal cooked with low-fat milk, topped with 1 ounce chopped nuts and ½ cup to 1 cup fresh or frozen berries.