Ourlife Health promotes a comprehensive, doctor-supervised approach to employee health and wellness, and that means we get to work with some of the most accomplished and most interesting people in Savannah and the surrounding area.

As part of our ongoing partnership with Gulfstream Aerospace, makers of the world’s most technically advanced jet-aircraft, we have helped engineers, technicians, executives, support staff, and other personnel find time to lose weight and make healthy choices, despite their incredibly demanding work-schedules.

We took a moment recently to sit down with Gulfstream employee Erin Belk, who’s not the least bit afraid to talk about the success she had on the OurSkinny Weight Loss Program.

Erin scored a knockout at our Gala back in late-summer of 2011, and she greeted us these months later with a big smile and a hearty laugh. She is originally from Texas, and with Texas-sized determination, she took back control of her life thanks to OurSkinny and the Team at Ourlife Health (she gives special thanks to our Onsite Nurse Practitioner, Carol Parrish).

OurSkinny: How did you find your way to Savannah?
“I was living in Houston, visiting Hilton Head pretty regularly and wound up moving to Savannah because of ‘the boy.’ We’re married now – I got the boy –a but it was quite an adjustment. I didn’t have any family here, and Savannah is very small compared to Fort Lauderdale and Houston. I had some hardships, and I internalized them with food.

“I’m a size ten, and I was always up and down up and down, but never, never extreme.

“It all just built up. I would get some comments every now and then. And then 2 years ago, I had a lung issue caused by mold – from a cave dive I did outside of St. Louis. An old mine had shut down and filled with water.”

You were spelunking?
“Yes, exactly!

“Afterwards, I developed a sharp pain in my shoulder, and several doctors visits later they x-rayed it and at first they thought the blob was a blood clot. The biopsies were good, but I eventually had to have surgery.

“I always tell people, I had a lobectomy, not a lobotomy. Anyway, so the doctors who followed up on my chart wrote, “Lobectomy … and… obesity.’”

Oh no he didn’t…
“I was shocked. I’m thirty years old, and you’re saying I’m obese?

“And then I had major back problems because of the extra weight. I would be carrying supplies up the stairs, huffing and puffing, and putting all that extra strain on your body all the time. You feel it. And I stopped doing things because I didn’t have the energy. ”

“My husband never said a word. I was like, ‘You’re awesome,’ and today, he thinks, ‘It’s a whole new wife.’ Yeah!”

“I’ve had my wedding ring re-sized.”

What made you decide to try OurSkinny?
“Well, my doctor told me the options were surgery versus losing 100 pounds for the same results.

“ I was 233 pounds and… hello!… I am 5’8” and now down to about 170, 175 now versus a year ago! I didn’t want to do a fad diet because I had done those, and you gain it all back and more.

“OurSkinny is very straight forward and scheduled and it tastes good. And you can make it your own….”

What are your goals now?
“Well… I don’t want to set a number. I don’t want to be a string bean. I want to keep my curves. If I lose more that would be great, but it’s not about a number, it’s about how I look and feel.

“It’s clothing. Clothing size and how it looks. People are so different, and I know it’s all proportional.

“Before, I tried to tell myself it was okay to be big. I was size 18 and 20 and shopping at Women’s World, but I was coming home crying.”

What other diets did you try?
“I did the supermarket diets, but there you are left to your own devices. And I tried appetite suppressants, but you are just starving yourself. I wasn’t eating, and my metabolism slowed way down.

“It just doesn’t compare with the education that comes with something like OurSkinny. The education and constant monitoring, bi-weekly pep talks and being held accountable for my actions.”

And what’s next for Erin Belk?
“I don’t know, but I will no longer go back to eating the pure crap that I was putting into my body. I have a whole new outlook on food and am just smarter about my decisions.”

We’ll be hearing lots more from Erin soon. In the meantime: Are you having success on the OurSkinny Weight Loss Program? We want to hear your story. Contact us and maybe you’ll be the star of the next OurSkinny Mini Moment.

If you’ve met Mrs. Pitts, then you know what I am talking about. If you lose weight, you will need less medicine. We make this claim over and over again at Ourlife Health, and we see it all the time, a result of the OurSkinny Weight Loss Program.

It’s a huge issue, not just for you and me personally but also for the future of this county. As they debate the future of American health care in Washington, D.C., out here in the rest of the country, it is more than a debate. The growing cost of health care and, specifically, of pharmaceuticals is more than just talk.

My colleagues and I are looking for simple solutions. And here’s what we have discovered: weight loss is the easiest solution to our problems. The fact is that diet and exercise can make a difference at the bottom line – both in the home and for all of us, nationally.

The $64,000 question:
“Can I really get off medications if I lose weight?” The short answer is, “Yes,” and maybe even, “Undoubtedly.”

My office happens to be across the street from Ourlife Weight Loss & Fitness. I send people over there on a pretty regular basis, and I’m the guy that sees the numbers come back. Routinely, I am pleased to take meds off the patient’s chart.

One of our members, Lynette, put it this way:

My doctor said, ‘Every number you have is bad. You can lose weight or I’ll just start writing prescriptions.’

That doctor was me. Thanks to her determination and perseverance, I never had to prescribe drugs that would have cost hundreds of dollars without addressing the problem at root.

The Medical Implications of Weight Loss
So what do we mean when we talk about getting people off their meds? Let me count the ways:

1. High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
   Many patients take medication for their blood pressure – not just one, but often several. These can cost anywhere from $4 to $120, and in combination controlling your blood pressure with medications can get very expensive.

   In my experience, most patients who lose weight will shed one or more blood pressure meds along the way. In fact, we did a study once where almost everyone that went on a diet and lost weight was able to stop at least one. Ultimately, one’s genetics will decide (and I remind everyone that I treat beanpoles with hypertension), but here’s one place where, more often than not, losing weight can save you money.

2. Type 2 Diabetes
   Among the epidemics we face, type 2 diabetes is one of the most insidious. STAT Fortunately, it’s also one of the most treatable. Type 2 diabetes almost always responds to weight loss. In fact, blood glucose levels can plunge so rapidly once you start to lose weight that you have to be careful not to “bottom out.” Injected insulin is one of the medications we most often eliminate here at Ourlife Health.

3. High Cholesterol (Hyperlipidemia)
   The goal of popular cholesterol medications is to lower your risk of heart attack and stroke and to prevent heart disease. There’s a strong genetic component in play here, but there’s no question that diet can deliver major improvements in one’s numbers. At Ourlife Health, we often see patients drop those expensive cholesterol medications as their lipids improve.

4. Swelling (Edema)
   You can take all the diuretics in the world, and if you are very large, the swelling is not coming down until the weight does. The good news, of course, is that you might be able to get rid of both the diuretic and the swelling if you commit to making some healthy long-term changes.

5. Sleep Apnea
   If you’ve never heard of sleep apnea, lucky you. If you’ve ever interrupted your sleep with a deep breath, you might just have it. This condition is characterized by pauses in your breathing as you sleep, and it can have deleterious effects on the quality of your sleep and – ultimately – your overall health.

   Again – if you’ve never heard of a CPAP machine, good for you. Many who are diagnosed with severe sleep apnea will have to sleep with a mask and a machine at your bedside. Of course, the condition will frequently resolve with significant weight loss. That means better sleep and no maybe no more CPAP machine at night.

6. Anti-Inflammatories
   I tell patients all the time that our knees, hips, and ankles were not designed to support 300+ pounds. In extreme cases, your joints will swell, and your doctor may prescribe a routine of anti-inflammatories to take some of the pressure off. Again – no matter what I prescribe, I am really just mitigating a condition that could be eliminated completely with a commitment to weight loss and regular exercise.

In conclusion:
When we talk about getting you off your medications, we are really talking about reducing the risk of more serious health events. That’s what these medicines are designed to do. Sometimes they work, and it’s nice that we have them. I am grateful that they exist.

I never prescribe them, however, without recommending a simple solution to the underlying problem: weight loss. Because what medications don’t do is add to your quality of life. It’s one more thing to forget. One more reminder of healthy choices you didn’t make.

It’s why we created “The Easiest Diet Ever:” because willpower doesn’t come in pill form.

One year ago today, we launched ourskinny.com.

It was a beginning, but also the culmination of years of work.

Dr. Paul Bradley and a group of physicians in Savannah, Georgia collectively decided in 2006 that enough was enough. Even if they could treat the maladies associated with being overweight, the truth is that they would never make a real difference until they addressed the root cause. And why is it so hard to lose weight in the first place?

Ourlife Health’s formula is this: with support, the right diet, and a basic approach to fitness, anyone can lose weight. We have proven it again and again, thanks to the willingness and perseverance the thousands of patients referred by those very same doctors. We even published a peer-reviewed study that confirmed the fact: the OurSkinny Weight Loss Program works – and is, in fact, the The Easiest Diet Ever.

A Big Thank You to You
One year ago, we started small and targeted 100% success.

We insisted on our 1-week, 2-week, and 4-week plans, because we had developed and proven a formula. More importantly, we decided to offer unlimited support and consultation with a Wellness Coach, and, secondarily, to put everything we’d learned online – for free.

We have gained tremendous knowledge from your feedback – and we want to thank you, our loyal customers, for your ideas, enthusiasm, and patience. We couldn’t have done it without you, and to show our thanks we are offering 10% off online orders all week (just use coupon code: HBDSKINNY!).

Thank you, thank you, thank you for taking us at our word. Hopefully you are one of the hundreds of online customers who have lost weight you thought you couldn’t lose thanks to the OurSkinny Weight Loss Program.

Coast to Coast and Beyond
If anything, we were amazed at the impact we had in our first year online. OurSkinny Mini Meals shipped to 35 states without a single advertisement. We averaged well over a blog post a week. And we announced any number of promotional offers via Facebook and (finally) our newsletter.

One of our first customers was Lori K. in Hawaii, who was thrilled,

I LOVE the capucchino – I can’t drink that fast enough! Then my friend Rebecca – who is awesome – sent me some recipes so I’m trying a few with my new blender! LOVING IT!!

We hear it from members like Carolyn J. who reached out to say:

It’s amazing. I have lost 24 pounds and have been on the diet almost 3 months. I have been at a standstill for three weeks fluctuating with a pound here and there, but I am not discouraged, because I know it’s coming off.

And we hear it from Facebook friends like Candace B., who wrote,

This is the best way to get that weight off! I can’t say enough good things about OurSkinny. I now have a June graduation and a winter wedding as my motivation to get the rest of my weight off!

All I had to do was cut and paste those comments, but we are making it easier for you to tell your stories. In fact, that’s one of our main goals for year two of ourskinny.com.

Coming Soon
Feedback is everything. That’s true when you are trying to lose weight, and also true when you are trying to build a powerful, online movement that changes lives. Always, always feel free to reach out and tell us what you think.

Thanks to your feedback so far, we’ve got big plans in 2012. They include:

• Lots more testimonials – look for them at Get the Skinny.
• A redesigned shopping cart – including individual sales.
• Free samples for new members – refer your friends and let them try a shake for free.
• Member’s forums and message boards.
• Live chat and other support events.
• Pinterest!
• Always free support from our Wellness Coaches.
• Always expedited shipping via UPS.
• Always the easiest diet you are going to find anywhere.

A Community Supporting Healthy Weight Loss
We are building something here – a community in support of healthy weight loss. If you haven’t already (and we know that you probably have, because we see people getting together in places like Lexington, Kentucky and Henderson, Nevada) please take time to refer a friend. And please feel free to contact us any time with feedback, ideas, or your story – who you are and what you’d like to see next from us.

We believe in your success,

Marjani Smith
President, Ourlife Health

No matter who you are, you are going to arrive at a point in life where you need to make healthier choices if you want to maintain your “ideal” weight.

If you’ve been on the OurSkinny Weight Loss Program and arrived to this stage through our transition program (Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4), big hearty congratulations are in order. You have met your goals, thanks your own dedication and determination and to OurSkinny, and you totally deserve a standing “O”.

If you are one of those lucky people who don’t need to lose a lot of weight but are searching for a doctor-approved way to keep your weight under control, this post is for you, too.

Call it “Phase Five” if you will, but maintenance is for the rest of your life. You’ve worked too hard to “let yourself go” ever again, and the good news is that OurSkinny and the team at Ourlife Health are always here for you.

Live Life According to YOUR Schedule
Maintenance. I bet you never thought that particular word would sound so sweet. Having been through the four stages of transition, you are now back to three “full” meals a day, plus three snacks interspersed throughout.

You should be eating two servings of fruit daily, two servings of low-fat dairy, and (yippee!) three full servings of starch. If you want, you can continue to enjoy OurSkinny Mini Meals for your snacks. This offers convenience, a trusted low-carb/low-calorie source of energy, and a choice of items that you know you will enjoy.

As always, the absolute most important thing is to continue with your schedule and keep your portions small. That’s the way we keep it off!

Maintenance
The move from Phase Four to maintenance mode includes one more serving each of low fat dairy and starch serving. These additional servings can be spread between meals or snacks. The Dietitian’s rule of thumb is one starch per meal and try to keep that serving as close to ½ cup as possible (i.e. don’t overload, as you’ll just wind up wanting more).

Once again, here are some handy-dandy, downloadable .pdfs, which provide serving size and calorie information for most readily available choices in each of the main food groups. Use these for reference when preparing your Main Meals:

• Dairy
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Starches
• Protein
• Healthy Fat

A Word about Starches
Starches are inexpensive and easy to prepare, and for whatever reason we all love them. Unfortunately, starches can really drive up the calorie count of any meal or snack, so you need to be careful. One piece of pizza can quickly become three or four because, as we all know, our bodies crave carbs.

Even worse, starches don’t sustain us, in part because they are so easily metabolized. After a big meal full of carbs, your body is quickly ready for more. So the message here is: make sure that you continue to monitor your starch intake and try to avoid temptation. Stay out of the cookies/crackers/spaghetti/and macaroni and cheese aisle of your grocery store!

Sample Maintenance Meal Plan:
Say it with me, “Three Main Meals and three healthy snacks.”

Breakfast: Two eggs scrambled, with ¼ cup sautéed mushrooms, ¼ cup chopped spinach, ½ cup diced tomatoes, 1 oz sharp cheddar cheese (healthy fat serving), and ½ cup sautéed diced potatoes (starch serving). Have 1 cup low-fat milk (dairy serving) to drink. Saute the mushrooms and spinach together to desired tenderness. Pour scrambled egg over the mushroom and spinach and cook until the egg is done. Sprinkle the cheese and tomatoes onto ½ the egg and fold over. Keep over heat until the cheese melts. Sautee the potatoes in the same pan and cook until desired tenderness.

Mid-Morning snack: ½ cup grapes and 1 oz cheese cubes (fruit and dairy serving).

Lunch: 3-4oz lean, thinly-sliced steak, ½ cup red and green pepper sliced long, ¼ cup chopped onion, shredded lettuce, top half of Italian roll (starch serving) with soft bread removed (looks like a long bowl), 2 Tbsp low-calorie Russian dressing, and ½ cup carrots to munch. Dig the soft bread out of the top of the roll, place meat, peppers, onions, lettuce inside and drizzle with Russian dressing. Place in a toast to heat up. Pepper to taste.

Mid-Afternoon: One small apple (½ fruit serving) with 1 Tbsp. of peanut butter to dip apple slices.

Dinner: 3-4oz grilled chicken sprinkled with 2 Tbsp. chopped nuts, ½ cup collard greens, 1 cup cauliflower and 1 cup snap peas, steamed, all on top of ½ cup wild rice (starch serving).

Evening Snack: ½ cup plain vanilla yogurt and ½ cup fresh fruit of choice (second half of fruit serving).

Remember:
These healthy eating habits are for a lifetime.

Practice them in combination with a good program of exercise – even just 30 minutes of walking daily – and you will be able to sustain the results you’ve worked so hard to achieve.

Of course, we hope this isn’t goodbye… You can have an OurSkinny mini meal for any of your snacks if your day is too busy or if you forgot to pack something to nibble on.

As importantly, we want to hear your story. You should be proud to tell it, and your success will inspire others who didn’t think it was possible, either. Drop us a line or give us a call at 912.354.4687. And if you are ever in Savannah, Georgia (or one of our local customers), don’t be a stranger. Come see us! Oh, and while you are here how about just hopping up on the scale real quick.

Come see us anytime,

Georgianna Broadwell, MPH, RD, LD, CPT (ACSM)

Among the many things that set OurSkinny apart, we have real people here ready to answer your questions. Even if we try to anticipate most of them, there are always a few that need clarification – and you are right to ask.

There is nothing more important than seeking guidance and support as you start any new weight loss program, so give us a call at 912.354.4687 or send us an email and we’ll do our best to make sure you know what you are getting into and how to make “The Easiest Diet Ever” work for you.

Here are a few of the most commonly asked questions about OurSkinny Mini Meals:

• How much protein do your shakes and bars have?

Most every Mini Meal contains about 15 grams of protein. Exceptions include OurSkinny Strawberry Cheesecake, which has 13g, and our Crispy Chocolate Peanut bar, which has 14, but most have a full 15 grams. All that protein is important, because it gives your metabolism a boost and keeps you feeling satisfied.

• What are they sweetened with?

Most of our Mini Meals are sweetened with Sucralose (also sold as Splenda).

Only a few of them contain Apartame. These include our Vanilla Cappuccino, Hot Chocolates, with the exception of Hot Chocolate with Marshmallows, which is sweetened with Sucralose. The Fruit Drinks in the Variety Pack also contain Aspartame, but we sell an Aspartame-Free selection as well, so no worries there.

• Are your products gluten-free?

OurSkinny Lemon Meringue, Chocolate Peanut, Cinnamon Raisin, and Crispy Peanut Butter Bars are “certified” gluten free.

While the majority of our other Mini Meals do not contain any ingredients that contain gluten, they cannot be “certified” as gluten-free because they are processed in facilities that may also wheat (gluten), eggs, milk, and soy beans. You can read about any known allergens on all of our packaging.

OurSkinny Mini Meals known to contain wheat (gluten) include: Beef Soup with Pasta and Chicken Soup with Pasta

• Do your products contain caffeine?

No, OurSkinny Mini Meals do not contain caffeine as a listed ingredient.

Caffeine is naturally associated with chocolate, cocoa and some other flavors, of course, but when caffeine is present in OurSkinny Mini Meals, it is present in minute quantities. For example, OurSkinny Cappuccino contains less than 0.50 mg of caffeine, while a brewed cup of coffee can contain 95 mg.

• Are OurSkinny Mini Meals lactose-free?

Lactose is present in many of our Mini Meals, but the amount of lactose is so small that they are frequently well-tolerated even by sensitive individuals.

OurSkinny Mini Meals may contain milk protein and milk protein fractions including whey, milk protein isolates, and calcium caseinate. These protein sources contain small amounts of lactose and as a result the products which contain these protein sources cannot be listed as lactose-free.

The amount of lactose is less than 0.5 g.

Have questions of your own?
We are eager to hear from you. Whether it’s a question about the OurSkinny Weight Loss Program, about setting achievable weight loss goals, or questions about dieting, given your own specific health of lifestyle issues, we have answers you can use. Is OurSkinny right for you? Please give us a call at 912.354.4687 or send us an email and we will try and help you decide.

When someone says they want to lose weight, they usually mean that they want to lose fat. But how much fat is too much fat and what’s ideal? Ourlife is offering free body composition testing to help you find out.

Even if you are not in Savannah, read on, as there’s useful information below (and a special offer) to help you set achievable weight loss goals.

Poor Misunderstood Fat
A certain amount of body fat is essential for bodily functions, but too much means excess weight that can lead to long-term health issues. And even if OurSkinny is “The Easiest Diet Ever,” people are complicated. Our bodies are different each of us, and body composition testing is the best way to find your “ideal” – healthy – weight.

Long before there was central heat and air conditioning, being voluptuous wasn’t such a bad thing. Of course, life expectancies weren’t quite what they are today either.

Body fat regulates body temperature and insulates organs and tissue, and it is a form of energy storage. Essential body fat for women is 8-12%; for men it’s more like 3-5%. Only the most elite of athletes will approach these percentages, but knowing your body fat percentage can help you determine realistic weight loss goals.

Tracking Weight Loss
There are numerous ways to identify excess weight and track weight loss.

Most people rely on their digital scale at home. Others rely on a BMI (Body Mass Index) as calculated by their health care provider. Unfortunately, these are not the most accurate assessments for targeting your healthiest weight.

The scale does not differentiate between fat and “lean” weight (muscle, organs, and bones). It’s just a single measurement – though people often compare their weight against various publicly-available tables to suggest what a “healthy” weight might be, given one’s height.

BMI is calculated simply by using a ratio equation that, again, considers only two measurements: height and weight. Due to potential differences in body composition, the BMI is not necessarily an accurate indicator of body fat.

A real life example:
To better understand, let’s use an example of a 35 year-old man who is 5’8” and weighs 230 pounds.

This example shows just how misleading certain measures can be.

The “healthy weight range” for males of this age (as determined by the American College of Sports Medicine) is between 148 and 172 pounds. The scale tells us that this individual is very overweight. His BMI tells us he is “obese.” His body composition test, however, shows that he has a very a low percentage of body fat. This suggests that he is most likely very fit, with more muscle than most.

Why are these interpretations so different? Because the other measures – standing on a scale and calculating your BMI – do not differentiate lean body mass from excess fat.

Body Composition
Body composition testing is by far the superior method for targeting healthy weight loss, as this is the only body measurement that directly calculates the particular individual’s body composition without regard to the individual’s height or weight.

There are several different ways to calculate body composition, but since the most accurate (and most expensive) is hydrostatic testing – which involves a 1000-gallon tank full of water and expensive monitoring equipment – we’re going to settle for a close second-best. It’s called “Skin Fold Testing.”

Skin Fold Testing is a painless, straight-forward process and, most importantly, it’s accurate enough to help you set meaningful goals for weight loss. As performed by our friendly, discreet, well-trained staff of Wellness Coaches (Becca and Leslie), the entire process takes 5-10 minutes.

Body composition testing typically costs anywhere from $30 to $75, but at Ourlife, testing and interpretation are included with a $15 quick-start coaching visit. Follow us on Facebook or sign up to receive our newsletter and announcements of promotional offers, including news of when and where you can come “get pinched” for free:

What if I don’t live near Savannah?
Even if you don’t live in Savannah, Body Composition Testing can be incredibly useful in determining how best to make the OurSkinny Weight Loss Program work for you. Most gyms and exercise facilities and any licensed Exercise Physiologist will know what to do – and Ourlife Health is here to help interpret your results (for free). In fact, we’ll give you $10 off your next order if you contact us with the results of a body composition test as performed by a trained professional.

At Ourlife, we recommend a phased approach to adding healthy foods back into your diet. This gradual approach can help avoid rebound weight gain, and fear not – you will still lose weight during the transition phase of your diet.

Congratulations. Having made it this far, you should feel a justifiable sense of pride.

Your gradual transition from the OurSkinny Weight Loss Program to making healthy choices on your own has proven that you can accomplish anything!

Don’t stop at almost.

Phase Four is the last transition phase before entering maintenance – and maintenance is for the rest of your life. OurSkinny works because it is sustainable, and over the next week or so, during Phase Four of transition, you will once again be eating three, healthy Main Meals a day.

A review of our transition guidelines:
As you continue to add previously-excluded, healthy foods back into your diet – step by step – you are learning healthy habits that will last a lifetime.

Your body will tell you when it’s time to take the next step:

• If your weight continues to reduce after one week in Phase Four then we will begin to work on maintaining your new, healthy weight!
• If your weight stabilizes then we will continue on this phase for another week in order to give your body a little time to adjust to the new eating habits and the few extra calories. At the same time, it is useful to evaluate your exercise program (remember, these habits are for life, not just for the duration of the program) and review portion sizes.
• Once you start to lose weight again, or if you continue to maintain your weight, we will repeat this phas for one more week and then look into transitioning to Maintenance and resetting your goals. Though you will be in Maintenance, goal-setting is nevertheless important to sustaining your success.

Phase Four
At this point, you are ready to reduce your OurSkinny Mini Meals to once a day, and to begin eating the three Main Meals: a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Three healthy meals a day – that’s a “normal” routine – but by supplementing your Main Meals with a nutritious snack every couple of hours, you will be less likely to overeat at those meals. You are also boosting your metabolism in order to make better use of the foods you eat.

Among changes during this phase: you will be adding another serving each of fruit and starch. That means you can have two meals each with one complete serving of starch! Of course, you can also divide the two servings throughout the day between your snacks and meals – be creative. Keep the low fat dairy to be one serving per day (you can break the serving into two half-servings).

Remember: we have downloadable .pdf charts to guide your fruit, dairy and starch selections.

Sample Phase Four Meal Plan
Now that you are down to one OurSkinny Mini Meal per day, you can choose whichever Mini Meal best suits your daily activity – for example maybe a quick soup on a cold day, your favorite bar on-the-go, or a Lemon Raspberry shake to sip on while enjoying an afternoon in the sun. As long as you eat on a schedule, you should continue to get the results you have seen thus far.

Breakfast: ¾ cup high fiber cereal (your starch), ¾ cup cottage cheese with 1 cup of pears and strawberries (your dairy and one fruit serving).
Mid-morning: OurSkinny shake (or how about an OurSkinny Smoothie!)
Lunch: Salad – 3-4 oz. Grilled salmon over ¼ cup wild rice (that’s one half-serving of starch), 1 cup mixed green lettuce leaves topped with ¼ cup sliced mushrooms, ¼ cup diced red peppers, with 2 Tablespoons salad dressing served on the side and ½ cup steamed squash.
Mid-afternoon: One medium orange
Dinner: 3-4oz Baked chicken, with 1 cup steamed broccoli topped with 1 oz grated asiago cheese and ½ cup chilled, sliced radishes and cucumbers.
Evening snack: 3-4 whole grain crackers (a second half-serving of starch for a total of two servings on a given day) with 1 tablespoon hummus.

Don’t forget!
Even as you meet and surpass your goals, you will continue to make healthy choices. You have proven to yourself that you can, and your body has gotten used to it.

If it wasn’t easy before you began the OurSkinny Weight Loss Program, it is now. Just remember to:

• Eat on a schedule – small meals every couple of hours.
• Continue your program of exercise.
• Drink lots of water and, for a change of taste, treat your palate to coffee, unsweetened tea, or diet soda.

We here at Ourlife Health are your support system and secret to success. As you continue through transition and into maintenance mode, we hope you will contact us with any questions. We want to hear your story!

Congratulations and keep up the good work,

Georgianna Broadwell, MPH, RD, LD, CPT(ACSM)

Weddings are all the rage here at Ourlife, makers of OurSkinny.

Our very own Wellness Coach, Rebecca Burton was married on February 4th, and my date is set for March 3rd!

Planning around both of these monumental days got me thinking (when I wasn’t stressing about preparations or trying to sift though all the advice I got), and so here’s a handy set of guidelines for getting in the best possible shape within 90-days.

It doesn’t matter what sort of big day it is. Everyone has that 10-year reunion, a special dinner, or bathing suit to fit in and could use some easy tips to help them survive… literally:

Healthy Weight Loss
Okay, despite the snappy title of this post, I don’t recommend “crash” dieting. You will be so much better off – and you’ll have a much easier time keeping the weight off – if you give yourself enough time for safe, healthy weight loss.

90-days should be enough time to make just a few changes that can show incredible results, especially if you have decided to give the OurSkinny Weight Loss Program a try.

No matter what diet you choose, however, you need to be realistic when setting your goals.

Healthy weight loss falls within a range of 1 to 2 pounds per week. That means that in 90-days you can lose from 12 to 18 pounds at the lower end of the healthy range. (One has to factor in some slippage, given that there are usually a range of events – showers, etc. – that lead up to the big day itself).

Days 90 through 60:
Start your diet now so that is one less thing you have to plan and think about as your wedding approaches!

Trust me, there are plenty of other details that will require your attention, and if you start now you’ll be able to handle them without the grouchiness that often comes with starting a new regimen.

I recommend OurSkinny, of course, in part because it’s so easy. 4 shakes + 1 protein bar + 1 main meal of your choosing (at any time of the day). Eat every 2-3 hours and stay away from fruit, dairy, starchy vegetables, and whole grains. Click here to learn how to make healthier choices at mealtime.

For exercise: focus on at least 30 minutes of cardio 3 days a week, combined with some form of strength training twice a week (more on that below). If you can find a class that combines both (think P90x), so much the better.

Days 60 through 30:
Kick it into high gear.

Increase your cardio to 45 minutes for 4 days of the week, and add an extra day of strength training.

Your body should be getting used to your new healthy lifestyle and so it will be easier to stick to your guns even during times of extreme mother-in-law stress. Travel arrangements for 100 guests. Elusive vendors. Anxious fiancees. You never know what you’ll have to face, but there’s always something.

If you are within 5 lbs of your goal weight, add one serving of fruit back to your daily diet. If you are not yet within 5 pounds of your goal, no worries, just keep plugging along as before.

Days 30 through 1:
Crunch time! You are looking and feeling better – but this is no time to take it easy.

Bump your cardio up to 6 times per week – this is a great way to stay focused and avoid pre-game jitters – and knock your weight training back down to two times per week.

If you’ve decided to try the OurSkinny Weight Loss Program, reduce to 4 OurSkinny Mini Meals and add a serving of low-fat dairy back into your diet. This is all part of transitioning and it’s one of the most important things about this diet. Adding previously-excluded healthy foods back week-by-week gives your body time to adjust. The best part – you will still be losing weight during the transition phase!

Some Advice on Strength Training
Okay, ladies, you want what “shows” to be the best it can possibly be on your big day so focus on your back, triceps, and chest.

Ourlife’s Personal Trainer, Leslie Culbertson, suggests that we superset to get maximum results. Bodybuilding.com defines a Superset as “two exercises performed in a row without stopping”. As part of the “crash” course, lets focus on supersetting two exercises that focus on the same body part.

Leslie offered us these exercises as a surefire way to tone the right spots:

• Back: Seated Rows alternating with Lat Pull Down (underhand grip).
• Triceps: Skull Crushers with barbells alternating with Triceps Extensions with cable.
• Chest: Incline Barbell Press with alternating Incline Bicep Curls with dumbbells.
• Full Body: Plank to Push up.

Not sure what any of this means? Simplyfit.com has a really great list of exercise and lift definitions.

Better yet, find a personal trainer or join a gym – most offer a free introductory session that will help familiarize you with the equipment. Take the above list to them, and you should be all set when it comes time to put on that perfect dress!

Katie R.

Editor’s note: Katie is off somewhere enjoying her honeymoon. Rebecca’s back from hers and looks great! Congratulations to both Katie and Rebecca from the Team at Ourlife

No one wants to get too much sun and burn, but too little sun exposure can be a problem too.

That’s because the sun encourages our skin cells to produce vitamin D, a substance that helps to keep our bones strong and may play an important role in protecting us from a variety of other ailments, including some cancers.

Many years ago, lack of vitamin D was a problem only for people living in the far north where, for many winter months, there were only a few hours per day of very weak light. For the rest of the world, just spending an hour outside per day was enough to keep vitamin D at a healthy level.

These days, with office jobs, long commutes, television and computers and of course sunblock, sun exposure is hard to come by for many people. Now, most of us have to depend on dietary sources of Vitamin D, which are very few, and most of us don’t get enough of those either.

Most of us need 15-30 minutes of sun exposure per day or Vitamin D supplements.

Vitamin D and Your Skin
Some people have a harder time producing Vitamin D in their skin than others.

Melanin, the pigment in our skin, acts as a natural sunscreen—it protects our skin, but also reduces Vitamin D production. So, the darker your skin, the harder it is to get enough vitamin D.

In a 2004 research study published in the journal Diabetes Care, researchers showed that African Americans in the United States have significantly lower levels of vitamin D than whites and Hispanics. The researchers also showed that high vitamin D levels were associated with a lower risk for diabetes.

More research is needed but…
Some researchers believe that Vitamin D works in the pancreas to stimulate the release of insulin and also by increasing the sensitivity of body tissues to insulin.

In type 2 diabetes, the body has a difficult time efficiently utilizing the insulin produced to control blood sugar, so if this proved true it would be good news indeed.

Although the studies to date show that lower levels of vitamin D are associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes, the findings do not prove a cause and effect. More research is needed to see if vitamin D supplements can lower your risk for diabetes

What to do if you are at risk:
Obesity and inactivity, the highest risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes, may in fact be the cause of low Vitamin D levels.

So, for now, if you have type 2 diabetes or are at risk, you probably should get your vitamin D level checked.

It’s a simple blood test.

If your level is low, ask your primary care provider how much vitamin D supplement you should take. This will help with bone health and just may help with blood glucose control too. Other good sources of vitamin D include: wild-caught salmon, cod, mackerel, eggs and fortified milk.

And, lastly, if you are overweight and lead a sedentary lifestyle you ARE at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. So get outside in the sunshine, get some exercise, and take some positive steps to lose some weight and get healthy!!

Smoothie stands. They are everywhere these days. In the mall, just around the corner. Drive-up or walk-in. They make it so easy.

A fruity and delicious beverage. Just as yummy as an old-fashioned milk shake, but healthier. A smoothie lets you enjoy your favorite flavors and still feel good about watching your calories…right?

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
There certainly are smoothies that are much lower in calories than the old fashioned milkshake. Blended fruit can be very healthy… a low-calorie treat, packed with vitamins.

There are also smoothies that contain over half of your daily calorie allowance and are absolutely packed with sugar! Take a look at Smoothie King’s “Cranberry Supreme.” It has 831 calories and 144 grams of sugar! Just for comparison: two days worth of OurSkinny Mini Meals comes in at somewhere between 500 and 600 calories. Two days!

Also another of their smoothies – known as the “Hulk” – contains premium ice cream, chocolate and other goodies, equaling a total of 950 calories and 29 grams of fat!

Don’t get me wrong, there are healthy options out there, but just be careful what you choose to put in them, and most importantly: read. Look at the labels—note the calorie count, make sure your smoothie vendor of choice isn’t adding extra sugar to that “healthy” treat.

Know what kind of boost you are getting!
One more thing to watch for when you consider a smoothie is the “boosters” that a lot of stores add…they make promises like “fat burner” or “diet down” or “energy” or “caffeine charge.”

Before you add any type of booster to your smoothie do your research. If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is!

Plus, the supplements used to give smoothies a “boost” are often genetically-modified and contain chemical fillers and synthetic ingredients.

Many times, the vitamin or mineral providing the “boost” is actually the last ingredient listed, in other words, there’s not much of it. Furthermore, the quality of the infused vitamin or mineral does not have to be accounted for, so the rate at which it absorbs in your body may be so low that it provides little extra in way of nutrition.

But, but… I need my smoothie!
So, how can you get your smoothie “fix” without the guilt?

My first suggestion is to get your smoothie fix at home, before you head out for the day. The pros of making a smoothie for breakfast: they are easy to make, you have complete control over the ingredients, you can run out the door with it, and they can be very easy on the digestive system.

When making your own smoothie at home, don’t add so much fruit juice that you unwittingly create a big, slushy sugar-bomb. Don’t be afraid to use mostly water and ice instead of juice – you will likely find the fruit alone makes the smoothie sweet enough.

Smoothies and the OurSkinny Weight Loss Program
If you are losing weight with OurSkinny, following the Main Meal Planner, drinking your water, taking your multi-vitamin, and getting good exercise, you know what I am going to say.

Fruit is something you should be avoiding for now. We will reintroduce fruit into your diet when you are slim, trim, looking and feeling fantastic and ready to transition off the program.

Still Need that fix? Try one of the delicious Ourskinny smoothie recipes! Here’s one to enjoy (the lime juice adds less than 40 calories):

French Vanilla Lime Cooler

1 Vanilla Pro
8 ounces of water
2tbsp of Lime Juice
4 ice cubes

Combine ingredients in blender and enjoy!