Summer’s just around the corner, and that means bikini season! If you’ve been slacking off lately [anyone remember last night's BBQ dinner?] and want to slim down, check out this weight gain/loss planning calculator. It’s incredibly helpful. By entering in your basic information, such as weight and height, it’ll calculate how many calories you need in order to achieve a goal.

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The best thing you can do for your weight is to gain a few pounds—of muscle! Muscle burns more energy than fat, even when resting. Five extra pounds of muscle lets you eat 375 more calories in a day and not gain weight. If you maintain your calorie intake, energy for new muscle will come from fat stores, so you will actually lose weight.

Don’t be fooled by what the scales say. When clothes start fitting better but the scales show you weigh more, you’ll know the fat that was formerly there has been replaced by muscle elsewhere. Muscle-strengthening exercises include weightlifting, leg-lifts and standard pushups. If you have the space, invest in home exercise equipment.

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Hi everyone! Tried out this recipe last night – it’s fantastic. Check it out, let me know what you think. 

• 1 lb. (500 g) boneless, skinless chicken (or turkey) breast, cut into thin strips
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 cups sliced vegetables (carrots, celery; tomato; sweet red, orange or green bell peppers)
• 1 large onion
• 2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger (optional)
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 2 tsp. teriyaki sauce
• 2 tsp. cornstarch
• Freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in large pan or wok over medium-high heat; stir-fry chicken (or turkey) until the pink colour disappears. Add half the garlic and half the optional ginger root to the pan, along with black pepper as desired. Remove from pan, then add vegetables one at a time in order of hardness. Some may need longer cooking times for example, carrots, peppers, celery, then onions. Add tomatoes last, along with remaining garlic and ginger.

Return chicken or turkey to pan and toss with vegetables. Combine chicken stock, teriyaki sauce and cornstarch in bowl; mix and pour over stir-fry mixture.
Cook until heated through and sauce reaches desired thickness.

Serves: 4
Calories per serving: 220
Carbohydrates: 10 g
Protein: 30 g
Fat: 6 g

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