The thought started while looking at a flyer for an new healthy Asian fast food restaurant. Listed as the restaurant's desirable features were "organic" and "vegan options". But also listed was MSG. In my head rings "oooooh noooo" and "thank goodness they don't use that!". But my very NEXT question was "why"? We are always aware of additives to avoid (or add), but do we also understand why?

So let's start with the infamous MSG. What is it and why don't we want to ingest it? Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) was initially used as a food additive in Asian sauces. In 1907 they decided to manufacture MSG in an isolated form, then introduced it in the US in 1947. The big concern is that MSG has caused brain damage in mice, but the more relatable concern is that MSG downplays our appetite suppression. This causes you to feel hungrier and eat in excess. Aside from that, ever noticed how excellent Chinese take-out is for no apparent reason? There's a good chance, that at some point, we have all ate a ton of somewhat crappy takeout, thinking to ourselves: "It's so good, I HAVE to finish". Assuredly that was thanks to our sneaky little flavor enhancer MSG. Knowing what we are dealing with, I won't go out of my way to have MSG, but I won't skip a meal just to avoid it. I'm not here to tell everyone only eat this and never eat that. It's just important to be educated about what goes into your body so that you can make your own intelligent decisions.

So what other mystery additives are out there? And what do they "add" to our food experience? How often do you have:

Artificial coloring?












High-fructose corn syrup?









Aspartame?













Sodium benzoate?













Sodium nitrite?








Trans fat?









Read the full article at WebMD.com. Very need to know!!

And make sure the decision is your own to indulge or to PUT DOWN THOSE CHOPSTICKS!!!

Simplicity. A cliche idea we like to use to describe elements of our lifestyles that are anything but. So. New goal in this eternal battle for the yin of physical and mental perfection, neatly yang-ed with happiness and wellness. I am trying to acheive simplicity in dieting. Here's the thing: I preach about living a realistic lifestyle of healthy eating and exercise, and not so much the whole "I'm on diet because I feel fat." Which I admit to having said. Out loud. Multiple times. :)

But, with the whole theme of being realistic, we have to admit that we all have not so "skinny" times when we go on vacation and live it up, or work 24 hour days and stress eat. Which might cause a little unexpected weight gain (no sarcasm at all...) I've found that the key to being where you want to be physically is to sometimes get aggresive. Work really hard for a few months, and keep the diet tight. Focus. Be a little extreme, don't cut ANY CORNERS!! Then you can maintain, which is much easier than losing.

I'm returning from a long vacation in a steak and potatoes country, and with the warm breeze of summer in the air, I'm hitting up a 6 week lockdown and tighten up plan. For 6 weeks, I'm going to follow my Ten Simple Diet Rules, (adding 2 additional rules every week) and go high intensity on workouts. GUARANTEE: by May 18th I'll be beach ready.

So I took my normal guideline poster off the wall...



And wrote out my Week One Rules:
1. Abs everyday
2. Aim for 5 small meals a day.
3. Yoga on Wed.
4. No beef or pork.
5. No drinks w calories except coffee, whiskey and green juices.
6. 5 days in the gym (Yoga doesn't count). 3 are cardio and two are strength. One strength day is endurance and two cardio days are high-intensity intervals (my FAV days). ALSO 2 a days are always ok to me, if I feel like I have the energy for an extra 20 min cardio.
7. High intensity when working out WITH clients.
8. Workout in tight clothes.
9. No food after 10 pm (I work late so this is a real challenge for me).
10. One healthy treat a day or a glass of red wine.

Here's the key when writing your personal guidelines: look at your lifestyle, and the things about it that you think will impact your weightloss the most. For example, I don't have enough time during the day and often catch up with a big meal when I get home late. Also, going high intensity when training with clients gives me a great opportunity for extra calorie burn.

Meal choice updates and exercise ideas on TWITTER...

And in closing. My blurry, sad, pale, loosly clothed BEFORE pic :)