• They can be found online and hopefully will list a calorie count.
• Options include peanut butter, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt and fruit. Just remember, the calorie count goes up every time you add something.  In addition adding carbohydrate calories (such as a banana) increases the glycemic index of the shake and may increase your hunger and may make it harder for you to lose weight.

• Half a banana              50-75 calories depending on size
• Honey 1tsp                  22 calories  (honey has more calories than sugar!)
• Plain Yogurt 4 oz          60 calories
• Protein Shake mix        45-200 calories per serving (check the carton)
• Peanut Butter 1 tbsp    90 calories (has 8 g of fat and minimal amounts of protein)
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• 25-35g is recommended
• The insoluble fiber from psyllium husks will increase satiety, reducing your urge to overeat and the soluble fiber from oats, veggies and beans will help to lower cholesterol.

• Soy is a great source of protein and is very low in fat.
• Give soy shakes/bars, soy milk, tofu and Edamame (soy beans) a try.
• 25g a day can lower your cholesterol by 5%.
• There are many soy meal replacement products that can help you lose weight and reduce your cholesterol at the same time.

If you live on the East Coast or the Midwest, you are used to winter warnings. Most of us have learned to bundle up and watch out for dangers such as black ice. For exercise enthusiasts, there are additional things to heed as the cold weather settles in so listen up: Your heart works harder in the cold environment. This could be attributed to wearing heavier clothes, shivering and the rise in resistance in the blood vessels.

So if you exercise in cold weather, here are some winter warnings that will protect you and help to avoid a heart attack:

• Make sure you warm up.
• Make sure you cool down for five minutes. This prevents blood from pooling/staying in the legs.
• Exert yourself less outdoors than you do indoors.
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• Obese individuals are more likely to store vitamin d in fat tissue and have less available for use.
• Vitamin D supplement takers were found to have a 7% reduction in mortality.
• Taking in 10-30 minutes of sunshine will increase your vitamin D levels (without sunblock use) (if you are like me and can only have one arm exposed at a time- you will have to spend more time basking)
• Children are likely to need supplements (800 IU is usually a good dose- check with their pediatrician)
• Adults will need either prescription strength supplements or over the counter doses in the range of 1000-2000 IU per day especially if they are sun avoiders. It is very difficult to get in enough dietary vitamin D; see chart below to see if you are taking enough vitamin D.
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