Laker Review on Green Iguana

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Posted on April 17, 2011 By Samantha Taylor

This awesome weather we’re having in Florida led me to another al fresco dining restaurant that is right on a lake. The name of the restaurant is Green Iguana; it is next to the movie theater AMC Veterans 24. You can enjoy dinner, catch a movie after and not be tempted to munch on popcorn while watching. Let me share with you my restaurant review on Green Iguana.

Green Iguana becomes too much a bar after 10pm; too much of a party atmosphere for a laid back person like your female personal trainer here, but earlier in the evening is different. It’s ambient in the early evening and during the day, the lake offers such a wonderful view. It has a tropical vibe to it that makes you feel like you’re on vacation and who doesn’t want a vacation? Whoops, Samantha Taylor does!

April 2011 112 Iguana

When you glance on the menu of Green Iguana, you’ll find lots of unhealthy food choices including fried food and high-calorie burgers with fries, but if you give it a more careful look, you’ll find plenty of healthy options, which are great when you’re targeting at weight loss. They have delectable salads you can top off with Mahi, chicken, salmon or shrimp.

To be honest, I eat salads way too frequently that this time, I wanted to have something different, which led me to this interesting dish called “Naked Tacos”. Huh, not too sure about that title! Anyhow, I think it’s named that way because the ingredients come separately so you have to build the tacos yourself.

Of course, a large American corporate chain like Green Iguana would rarely offer whole wheat tortillas, but I rarely ever eat white flour so as I always say, you can have a little freedom once in a while – as I can too, even with my job as a personal trainer. However, I must say that I don’t enjoy white flour as much as I do whole wheat so the business of weight loss can be a bit easier on me.

I had my chicken blackened for that added “kick” of flavor and ordered a side of sautéed green peppers, onions and mushrooms to include more veggies into my day’s meal. It actually became more like a fajita than a taco. Remember, when you order a sautéed dish, tell them to use a SMALL amount of oil so that healthy additive doesn’t turn into too much fat.

The Naked Tacos came with “green rice”, which was actually white rice so I didn’t get that and the black beans I saved for another meal. As I was enjoying the cool breeze blowing in from the lake, I feasted on two small “fajitas/tacos” and took the rest home, which made for another two meals.

I also love that it is right next to AMC Veterans 24, one of my favorite movie theaters. I like it because they have awesome projectors that are great for animated and high graphic movies. The quality makes a great difference, which results in a really enjoyable experience. I did enjoy my dinner + movie experience combo that I was excited to write my Green Iguana review. Needless to say, Samantha Taylor had fun and went home with a happy tummy.

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Laker Review on Publix Plaza

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Posted on March 31, 2011 By Samantha Taylor

Many of you busy bees are asking what can be picked up at the grocery store for lunch that saves more time than going to a restaurant or fast food place. I recommend a grocery store I found to have plenty of options so it’s easy to find a dish that suits your mood.

publix plaza They have ready-to-buy sushi, great subs made fresh at the deli and pre-made salads; all for maybe only half of what you will pay at restaurant. These meals are fantastic options for quick and healthful eats so I’ll focus on these. When choosing from their deli, always stick to whole grain bread, leave out the cheese, load it up with veggies and use only light mayo.

Be careful with their sub dressing because even though it’s mostly oil, they lather it on pretty quick. I favor turkey for meat because it’s the lowest in fat although I also enjoy the occasional combination of turkey and roast beef. And if you have never had banana peppers, add them to your sub as they are delicious! They are not spicy but definitely add a fantastic flavor to any sub. Another way the deli makes it convenient for you is that you can call ahead of time, place your order and they’ll have it prepared when you drop by to pick it up.

Another quick fix that Publix is known for is their daily-made sushi. To be honest, the only sushi I eat is smoked salmon with rice, cucumber and cream cheese but they do have a lot of ready-to-eat sushi products in their fish area. Yes, it is white rice, but every once in a while is fine. Plus, their sushi is inexpensive, quick and easy to eat.

I always get their free pair of chopsticks because they are fun to play with although I still can’t figure them out! Go for the packets of low-sodium soy sauce for your sushi; I love how Publix has these healthy alternatives. And speaking of healthy alternatives, let’s go to their produce section where you can find various ready-to-go salads.

This has been a growing trend with a lot of busy people these days and Publix has many options from Chicken Caesar to Southwest Chicken with beans and corn. They feature small individual dressings galore, but stick with the low fat versions. And you know what other thing I love about Publix? Their Green Wise section. It puts them a cut above the rest of the grocery stores.

They have healthier versions of many common grocery items like ketchup, soups, spaghetti sauces, pasta and cereals. They also have lots of health bars and chips for quick snacks. Be cautious, though, because most of the chips may be healthier, but not always the lowest in total fat so always read labels.

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You Can Do It!

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Posted on August 26, 2009 By Samantha Taylor

Its important to believe in yourself that YOU CAN DO IT! You must believe you can and you will be right!

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No More Dieting – It Doesn’t Work!

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Posted on August 7, 2009 By Samantha Taylor

The way to be truly successful in losing weight is to focus on living a healthier lifestyle. When you think about losing weight, think about learning how to eat healthy, a way you’ll enjoy. That can weed out many diets, like eating all protein and lots of fats, just shakes, only salads, cutting your calories really low or just cutting fat out all together. These are not things you can live with and are not healthy for your body; balance is the key. These other methods are proven, over time, to not work! Let’s talk about what really happens when people diet and why 95% of them gain it back and 5-10 lbs. more. Think of it this way: when you do “fad” diets you tend to lose muscle in your “rapid weight loss” promises, which slows down your metabolism and is unhealthy on your heart, brain, lungs and other organs. We’ll use Sally as an example. Sally goes on a diet, but she’s filled her eating habits with ways of eating she can’t live with when she is “done with diet”. She loses the weight, starts eating “normal” again, now her metabolism has slowed down at least 5% because of all the muscle she lost from the low calorie diet and she hasn’t actually overcome patterns of food abuse (addictions to certain foods, overeating, eating refined sugar sweets, etc.). So she starts eating normal again because she can’t live with the diet she was on. Gradually, because her metabolism has slowed down and she hasn’t dealt with learning how to eat healthy and a way she enjoys, she gradually will start putting the weight back on. Getting frustrated only to have to revert to her box of “fat” clothes, again. A vicious cycle that is all too familiar with most of us. Let’s stop this INSANITY! It doesn’t work! It messes with your metabolism, organs, self-esteem and can affect your relationships. It is not good for your body to constantly gain and lose weight. Long term, it messes up your overall ability to ever maintain a weight you are happy with. Most people that maintain a good weight don’t diet all the time, they just eat healthy.

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Recipe: Turkey Sausage and Cheese Breakfast Cups

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Posted on July 19, 2009 By Samantha Taylor

Ingredients
• 4 oz turkey sausage
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 5 large eggs
• 1 can mushrooms
• 2 oz reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded
Directions
1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Coat a 6-cup non-stick muffin pan with cooking spray, or line with paper baking cups.
2. In a medium non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, cook the sausage, pepper, and onion for 5 minutes or until the sausage is no longer pink.
3. Spoon the mixture into a bowl and let cool slightly. Stir in the eggs and mushrooms.
4. Evenly divide the mixture among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle with the cheese.
5. Bake for 20 minutes or until the egg is set.
6. Note: make these ahead of time and warm them in the microwave for a fast and slimming breakfast treat.

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How many times a day should I eat?

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Posted on July 8, 2009 By Samantha Taylor

I have found the best way to get your metabolism burning fat like wild is to eat smaller meals more frequently. I know we have all heard this but applying it is a whole other thing. Eating every 3 hours is really one of best things to shoot for. The people I see with the most sluggish metabolisms don’t eat very often and are always dieting. They say, “I only eat once or twice a day and I can go 8 hours without being hungry.” This is NOT good because out of the thousands I have worked with, these are the people I see lose weight the SLOWEST. Do you ever see those skinny people that eat all the time? I know that’s annoying sometimes but one reason it’s that way is because their body knows food is plenty and they don’t have to “store fat for the winter”. Now you can’t go eating cookies, pizza and soda every 3 hours for that will make you gain weight but making wiser choices throughout the day is the goal. Of course if you are going to eat every 3 hours then you will need to plan your meals and your snacks. The best way I have seen people lose weight is to eat breakfast, a snack, lunch, a snack and dinner; which equals eating about five times a day. For some of you that have been starving yourself, you may think that is too much food but take my word for it, this is the best way to trick your body into letting go of your fat and to not store it. It also revs up your metabolism because every time you eat your body has to digest all that food. So start eating and make sure you plan some meals and snacks you need to have with you to be prepared. People don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan.

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Weight Loss Mistake

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Posted on July 6, 2009 By Samantha Taylor

From the thousands of people I’ve trained and consulted, I have seen a common thread amongst those who seem to always be on diet, can’t lose weight or lose it slowly. That common thread is that while they are trying to lose weight they reduce their calories too low on a REGULAR basis. Unfortunately many people resort to this method of eating insane low calorie diets of 500-700 calories. If you use this method to lose weight, in the long run it can make it more difficult to keep the weight off. When calories are too low your body thinks it’s starving to death so it will start to break down your muscle tissue for calories. The problem with this is your muscle is what burns most of your fat so if you start losing a lot of muscle when you lose weight, it will slow down your metabolism. This will also create flabbier muscles because your body has been breaking down the muscle fibers. When you eat a diet that consists of extremely reduced calories, it also gets your body into a fat storing mode and programs your body to store fat. Sure you may lose weight on the scale but is your BODY FAT percentage dropping too? You could lose 30 lbs. and your body fat percentage stay exactly the same! Is that an effective fat loss plan? When you lose muscle and water, you lose weight on the scale but how much of that actual weight on the scale was fat? Make sure when you go into a weight loss plan that you focus on FAT loss, not just weight loss. The question should NOT be, “How can I lose weight the fastest?” It should be, “How can I lose weight in a healthy way that is not going to mess up my metabolism and make it more difficult to keep the weight off?”

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How do you feel?

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Posted on June 27, 2009 By Samantha Taylor

I have met many people that don’t feel good and are tired all the time. I had a couple clients before they met me go to a Dr. because they thought there was something wrong with them but the Dr. couldn’t find anything. Once they started eating healthy and exercising they felt great. If you are tired and don’t feel good, your body may be feeling the effects of being unhealthy and run down. If you are not healthy at a cellular level, then your body is not healthy. We age, live and die by how healthy our cells are. Some of this has to do with the amount of nutrients they receive, how toxic they are or if they are acidic. Most people are shocked how good they start to feel when they start moving their body and eating healthy food. Even when you are doing the right things you may still feel run down if you are vitamin and mineral deficient. I had a 23 year old client who was working out with me and eating healthy. She told me she was tired at night when she came home and all she wanted to do was lye on the couch. Once she got on some good absorbable vitamins, she couldn’t believe how much more energy she had and how awesome she felt! Not feeling good can be a result of putting junk food into our bodies, not exercising and not getting the right nutrients. Health is something you have to actively CHOOSE. If you neglect it, you will regret it. Our life is full of decisions. I encourage you to decide to take care of your health. Decide to have abundant energy, feel great, stay in shape and eat healthy. You are the only person you will be with until the day you die so respect the body you’ve been given by taking care of it. Not only do you deserve it but your family needs you to be healthy too.

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Should I cut out all the fat in my diet when I am trying to lose weight?

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Posted on June 24, 2009 By Samantha Taylor

This is one mistake I see many people make when they are trying to lose weight. Sure, in the beginning it can be good to lower your fat intake, especially if you have been eating way too much fat. But one thing I see a lot of “dieters” do is they go on a NO fat diet and hardly eat any fat. Your body needs fat for many functions and if you go for long periods of time without the good healthy fat in the food you eat, you can start to see more problems down the road like problems with your hormones, losing weight, flaky, dry skin, brittle hair and nails.

I’ve had clients come to me that are trying to lose weight and are not eating any fat. They are shocked when I tell them I am going to up their fat intake and they start to lose weight. The pressing question most people have is how will not eating any fat affect my weight loss? Since your body needs fat to function properly, if its not eaten, then the body will actually start to store the fat on your body because it thinks you are starving and food is not plenty. Sure many people think, “Well its okay if I don’t eat fat because I have plenty of it on my body.” Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way, although I too wish it did! Nutritionally, our bodies were made to function off what is given to it on a regular basis through food we eat and digestion. The body uses the fat consumed in the diet through digestion for a lot of processes. Here are a few:

1) Your body fat serves as insulation against cold temperatures.
Now I know in Florida we don’t need much insulation from cold weather here, but when food is over consumed, the body thinks you must be storing up for a cold, hard long winter; like a bear.

2) Fat transports 4 very important vitamins: A, D, K, E
Without ingested fat these vitamins cannot get transported throughout the body as well.

3) Fat helps to regulate your hormones

If you have been on a low fat diet for a long time you may start to see it affect your hormones, which can affect your moods, body temperature and weight loss. If you would like to download a FREE 3 day healthy menu with a shopping list, go to www.PureHealthSudios.com

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Testimonial From Diane

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Posted on June 22, 2009 By Samantha Taylor

“I do want to take this time to thank you for believing in me-thus allowing me to believe in myself. I had decided that I just could not do anything. I was always protecting myself and shielding myself -afraid of any injury. Now I am confident that the best thing that I can do for myself is exercise. Because of “you” and your exercise program of mind and body-I feel confident and strong. My body has changed and I am making far better food choices. Thank you Samantha for working with me and literally changing my life. You are a wonderful person and I am glad that I got to train with you. “YOU ARE THE BEST”! I also cannot forget the wonderful people that I met while there. They are all just so encouraging. We were all very serious about our exercise programs but we had fun.” Diane

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