Now that I’m five months into my weight-loss journey, my body has changed significantly: I see definition in my arms, my glutes are rock hard and my legs are toned. I even have a flatter stomach than I used to—but my pesky muffin top is still there. Ugh.I asked my personal trainer, Stephanie Pipia, if there were certain exercises I could do to eliminate it. Her words of wisdom? “Spot reduction is impossible.”Stephanie says some parts of your body lose fat faster than others, but keeping up with a consistent, challenging exercise routine will help you eventually lose fat everywhere. Read More

Most healthy eating plans stress the importance of snacking between meals. My nutritionist, Keri Gans, says that I should eat two snacks per day, one between breakfast and lunch and the other between lunch and dinner. Keri says depending on the time of day you eat breakfast, sometimes you can skip the mid-morning snack since there’s not enough time between breakfast and lunch. But, Keri says, do not skip your mid-afternoon snack! That one is a must for everyone. It keeps you from overeating at dinnertime or later.I found this out the hard way last week. Usually I eat lunch at 1:30 p.m. Read More

I love French Fries, but the thought of how hard I would have to work out at the gym to burn off those pesky calories deters me from eating one of my favorite foods. In an effort to eat what I love, I scoured the Internet for a French fry recipe that I could make at home. I eventually found a good one in a food magazine, but put my own twist on it, adding more garlic and increasing the bake time to get extra crispy fries. Check out my baked homemadeFrench fries with parsley, garlic, and Parmesan cheese below. Read More

I recently came across a great recipe for garlic shrimp spaghetti that caught my eye. I made a few modifications to put a healthy twist on it. Check it out below:Serves 4-6Ingredients:1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil*10 garlic cloves, peeled and minced2 teaspoons salt1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined1 pound whole wheat spaghetti, linguine, or other pasta2/3 cup chopped parsleygrated Parmesan cheesebroccoliniDirections:Rinse shrimp and pat dry. Read More