Follow my best friend on her weight loss journey! 

http://gastrickaleigh.tumblr.com !!!

DIRECTIONS
Starting with the dumbbell hot potato squat, do as many reps as you can in 50 seconds. Then rest for 10 seconds as you transition to the next exercise. After you’ve done all three moves, rest for 1 minute and repeat the moves one more time.

1. Dumbbell Hot Potato Squat -  Watch Video Here
The hot potato squat may sound like a kid’s recess activity, but don’t be fooled — it’s also a cutting-edge fat-loss exercise that will get your heart pumping and your muscles burning in almost no time, says Gaddour. It starts with one of the most effective exercises invented: The squat. When done correctly, a squat trains a lot of muscles, particularly big ones like your quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes. In fact, it burns more calories per rep than almost any other exercise.

2.Dumbbell Skier Swings- Watch Video Here
Gaddour took the typical form a downhill skier uses when flying down the face of a mountain, and combined it with the action of a kettlebell swing. The combination results in a superfast exercise that simultaneously torches fat and builds explosive strength. Plus, it’s not only great for training your often-neglected hamstrings, but it also works your entire core from your shoulders to your hips. Want an even bigger challenge? Grab one dumbbell that’s slightly heavier than the other, suggests Gaddour. Your core has to work overtime to stay straight during the movement. So go ahead: Swing away your gut.

3. Dumbbell Shoveling- Watch Video Here
This next move will firebomb fat and set your muscles on fire. “Dumbbell shoveling is a dynamic exercise the targets your fast-twitch muscle fibers,” says Gaddour. Fast-twitch fibers have been shown to require more energy to contract than slow-twitch fibers, consequently cranking up your body’s calorie furnace. They’re also the fibers that are the most important for building strength and power.

Plus, the scooping motion involves almost every single muscle in your body. Think about it: Your fingers and forearms contract to grip the weight, your core stabilizes to fight against the side-to-side movement, your shoulder muscles control the acceleration and deceleration of the dumbbell, and your glutes, calves, and quadriceps work as you lower down and up. With just one move, you’ll melt your middle and sculpt rock-solid muscle from head to toe.

Baked chicken with sundried tomato on top and salad and sweet potato!

Don’t eyeball it
Studies show that people tend to underestimate how much they really eat every day. In doing so, we consume too many calories without realizing it. Research shows that keeping a log by recording exercise and food intake is one of the best predictors of successful weight loss. A written record can point out your eating patterns. After familiarizing yourself with portion sizes, be sure to measure.

Hold the fat 
It’s important to remember that not all fats are bad. Certain oils (olive, canola), and nuts are nutritious and healthy to eat. However, fat does havemore than twice the calories per gram than carbohydrates and protein (9, 4, and 4, respectively). And generally, people consume too much and the wrong kinds of fats, which means excessive calories. When cooking, limit the amount of oil you use by using a non-stick pan, use cooking spray, and blot the grease from foods like cheese pizza and burgers.

Drink water, not alcohol
Not only does alcohol contain 7 calories per gram, but it also lowers self-control when it comes to food. Limit your alcohol intake and your body will thank you. Save alcohol for a post-meal indulgence, rather than drinking it before or with food. Studies show that alcohol lowers inhibitions and control when it comes to eating, causing people to eat more than those who waited to drink after finishing a meal. Drink water throughout the day, before, and during meals to help curb your appetite.

Yogurt
Mmmm. This creamy, tangy snack is loaded with calcium — and studies show that calcium may curtail weight gain by hindering the absorption of fat in the small intestine. 

Eggs
Turn breakfast into a fat-burning morning boost by skipping the stack of pancakes and feasting on a couple of eggs instead. According to a study, huevos beat out carbs when it came to helping folks feel full longer and helping them beat back snack attacks later in the day.

Pistachios
Nuts may be high in fat, but it’s the healthful unsaturated kind of fat found in pistachios. And like all nuts, pistachios offer lots of hunger-curbing protein and fiber. All of these qualities together explain why adding pistachios to the diet helped dieters in a study curb their appetites and lose more weight. 

Grapefruit
Of all the foods rumored to boost weight loss, grapefruit is likely the most famous. And research confirms that this fruit’s get-slim celebrity status is for real. One study in particular revealed that eating half a grapefruit before each meal helped dieters shed more pounds than people who skipped the tart appetizer.

Avocado
This green goddess of heavenly, creamy taste can help you whittle your waist. It’s true! Researchers suspect that the unsaturated fat in avocados may ratchet up body levels of the hunger-halting hormone called leptin — a hormone that lets your brain know that you’re full, so you stop eating. 

Mushrooms
If you want to try an easy and tasty calorie-cutting trick, then replace the meat in your favorite recipes with mushrooms. You’ll automatically cut about 420 calories out of a meal, partly because you’ll skip all the belly-padding saturated fat contained in meat.

Olive Oil
This rich-tasting oil found in salad dressings and marinades contains a hunger-busting monounsaturated fat called oleic acid — which triggers a complicated process in the gut that ultimately tells your brain you’re full and makes you want to stop eating.

Whole Grains
Ready to trade your belly bulge for a flat tummy? Then toss your refined grains into the garbage, and eat more whole grains instead. Research shows this one move can help whittle your middle. We’re talking brown rice, quinoa, steel-cut oats, whole-grain cereal, and 100% whole-wheat bread and pasta. 

Red Pepper
Add some heat to your meals and you’ll boost not only the taste but also the effectiveness of your weight loss diet. A dash of cayenne pepper or some diced jalapeno or red peppers will do the trick. They all contain capsaicin — the heat-inducing compound in red peppers that, according to research, tamps down appetite and curbs food intake later in the day. 

Fava Beans
Creamy and hearty, fava beans are a lean protein source bursting with flavonoids. And in a 14-year study, these special antioxidants were shown to help hinder the accumulation of extra belly fat. 

Rice with Veggies
Adding some high-fiber vegetables like broccoli, carrots, and kale to your rice will obviously help lower the calorie count. But not only that. Adding veggies to rice at lunchtime appears to slow stomach emptying, according to research. The end result? You feel full longer. In fact, people in a study ate much less at dinner when they added veggies to their rice at lunch

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