Ever since I blogged about my recent struggle to lose 30 pounds that have refused to budge since I put them on in the first couple of months of my resistance training which began in December 2007, the comments, e-mails, and overall good wishes that so many of you have shared with me have come pouring in and I sincerely appreciate everyone's advice and positive reinforcement for me through this frustrating time. I realize I am not alone in this and that is what drives me to want to get to the bottom of the issue to help others who have a similar predicament.

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(Source: Washington University School of Medicine ) Saturday can be the worst enemy for our waistlines, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. They found that study subjects on strict diet and exercise programs tend to lose weight more slowly than expected because they eat more on weekends than during the week. The investigators report their findings in the advance online publication of the journal Obesity.

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I thought this release from the American Physiological Society was worth sharing -- see below:

Recipe to recover more quickly from exercise: Finish workout, eat pasta, and wash down with five or six cups of strong coffee. Glycogen, the muscle's primary fuel source during exercise, is replenished more rapidly when athletes ingest both carbohydrate and caffeine following exhaustive exercise, new research from the online edition of the Journal of Applied Physiology shows. Athletes who ingested caffeine with carbohydrate had 66% more glycogen in their muscles four hours after finishing intense, glycogen-depleting exercise, compared to when they consumed carbohydrate alone, according to the study, published by The American Physiological Society.

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ERIN O’BRIEN has been working as an exercise specialist for the past 15 years in elite fitness clubs in both New York City and Los Angeles. (Crunch Fitness International, Equinox Fitness, Sports Club LA).  She is certified through AFFA (Group Exercise and Pre/Postnatal), and The Fitness Institute of Training (Personal Trainer) as well as having completed Pilates Mat and Reformer training (Polestar). She became certified for Pre/Post Natal, Post Rehab, and Flexibility Training, through Esquerre Fitness Group. She received the Bally’s Elite Fitness Trainer Award from Crunch in 2003, and  also holds certifications in Urban Rebounding, and Jonny G’s Spinning. She developed and designed her own line of exercise DVDs including PRENATAL FITNESS FIX, POSTNATAL RESCUE, and STRONG BODY, AGELESS BODY(Acacialifestyle.com), as well as developing the Cardio Resistance program for VERSASTICK. She received her Master of Fine Arts at New York University and her Bachelor of Fine Arts at The University of Minnesota – Duluth. Erin is a proud mother of two children, and resides in Los Angeles with her husband James Denton.

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She describes herself as a "foodie who sometimes abuses hair care products." After graduating in 1997 with a B.A. in English , she worked as an interactive art director in advertising for eight years. While serving time behind a desk in midtown Manhattan, she realized she actually liked her job but didn't see it as a career. 

Then, in January 2004, she began the blog, Greek Tragedy, where she "tells things straight up and unfiltered" -- writing about love, relationships, fashion, family, and strength.  Between 2004 and 2005, she was determined to write a memoir about moving on after a failed marriage -- and her first memoir Straight Up And Dirty was born. Her latest book, MOOSE, another memoir is based off her experiences at fat camp. She lives in Austin, Texas.

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The Why:  These fully cooked and ready to serve nuggets taste amazing, but that’s not the good part. They’re made with organic free-range chickens that are fed a certified organic vegetarian diet and raised with no antibiotics, no added hormones and no preservatives.   There’s also no msg, no nitrates or nitrites, no preservatives. Plus, they’re low in calories.

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The Why:  Packed with dried cranberries, raisins, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, almond halves and 16 grams of whole grains. Also, they’re all natural, with no fillers, added oils, artificial colors or preservatives. And they’re vegan and wheat-free. Honest Foods was co-created by Andrew Aussie, a former vice president of marketing at Kashi. (www.Honest-Foods.com)  

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