Are you a Baking fan?
You'll be happy to know that you need to give up your favourite hobby. Here are tips for some healthy substitutes for common baking ingredients

Sugar substitute               Unsweetened Pureed Apple

Best with:            Cakes and baked goods. 

How to:                Cut the sugar amount in half by adding the same amount of pureed cooked apple plus an extra 1/3. Eg. If recipe calls for 1 cup sugar, you can use ½ cup sugar and about ¾ Cup pureed apple (½ cup +1/3).  Keep in mind that you will need to cut down the recipe’s main liquid by about ¼ for every cup of apple sauce added.

There are so many conflciting pieces of information when it comes to boosting your metabolism. Here we debunk those myths...

1. Fact or fallacy: There’s nothing you can do to speed up a slow metabolism
Fallacy. Whereas many may have a sluggish metabolism due to hormonal problems, many others tend to use this as an excuse for not losing weight. Either way, you can speed up your metabolism by following the “Facts” in this article.
 
2. Fact or fallacy: Drinking water can boost your metabolism
Fact. Yes, you’ve probably heard this one before, but drinking more of the translucent stuff is definitely worth your while. The reasons for this are two-fold. Firstly, water is essential for many of the metabolic processes that take place within the body, so it therefore makes sense that if you don’t drink enough, your metabolism cannot function optimally. Secondly, often one mistakes thirst for hunger, leading to one eating when actually your body is craving hydration. Therefore by drinking enough water you’re also preventing yourself from overeating. So try and drink at least 2 to 2.5l of water a day.

Click here to see the Vegetarian Eating Plan that Lila did for Slimtrack

Click here for Lila's comments on Leptin in relation to weight loss on SHAPE Magazine Online

Monique's guide on how to choose a safe, effective weight loss plan...

The Atkins diet, the Zone diet, the Cookie Diet- fad diets come and go as quickly as fashion changes in New York. If these diets were really effective no-one would ever have a weight problem. Here are some ways to spot a fad diet:

1.      Dramatic statements

This is probably the biggest warning sign of any fad diet. Any diet promising that you will lose 20kg in a month is a fad diet. Weight loss is only healthy and sustainable at a goal of 500g to 1kg per week. Also look out for statements like “eat all you want and still lose weight”, and terms like “effortless,” “easy,” “guaranteed,” “breakthrough formula,” and the like. 

2.      Restricting foods

A diet that tells you to completely eliminate a certain food or food group from your diet should send alarm bells off in your head. Not only is it unsustainable, but restricting a food or an entire food group will exclude vital nutrients and put you at an increased risk for developing nutritional deficiencies in the long run.

Looking for an eating plan to support your gym training while building muscle and losing fat?

Click here to see the eating plan Lila did for Muscle Science Lean Body!