Today, cookbook author,Devin Alexander discuses her inspirational true weight loss story. After struggling with loss at a young age, Devin turned to food for comfort. She remained overweight until she learned that cutting a small amount of calories can add up to a big loss. Below, Devin tells more about her struggle, the epiphany that changed her perspective, and how she’s using what she learned to help others
Tell me when your weight struggles began: I was around 8 when my struggles began in a way that you could see it on me, but I remember eating five whole hot dogs with buns at a church picnic when I was 6 or 7. By the time I was a teen, I was brutally bullied and had a really hard time. I had been on the cheerleading squad in Little League then got chubby by Jr. High and didn’t make the squad, but ALL of my friends did. I desperately wanted to be back on the team but I just kept getting chubbier. All of my former friends were busy going to cheerleading practice and games, and I wasn’t.
What habits specifically led you to gain weight? I had experienced loss as a kid and the fear that others close to me might also die unexpectedly had me turn to food for comfort. Then, after getting a little bit chubby, I was no longer jumping around as a cheerleader or in other active ways – mostly because it’s just not fun when you’re heavier. Once things spiraled out of control, I didn’t know how to fix it. I felt overwhelmed.
When it comes to a typical healthy and balanced meal, my Italian heritage often shines through! An ideal dinner plate could contain “Three Cheese Spinach Lasagna” from The Biggest Loser Flavors of the World Cookbook, New Favorite Meatballs fromThe Biggest Loser Family Cookbook with Main Event Marinara Sauce from The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook, and Lemon Arugula Salad from The Biggest Loser Quick and Easy Cookbook. And then I recommend eating the pictured blood orange for a snack a couple hours before or after dinner when hunger strikes. This whole plate (including the orange) contains less than 450 calories! (more…)
New year’s resolutions are mostly synonymous with weight loss. It’s not a bad goal to set when you remember that about half of our country is considered obese.
We spoke with some of the diet and fitness world’s A-list to hear what their resolutions are for the coming year. While they are the pictures of health, many of them are also looking at introducing new habits to their lifestyles in the coming year. Many also model using resolutions to simply better themselves, be it a few less f-bombs or more time with family.
Click through to hear how Joy Bauer, Jillian Michaels, Dolvett Quince, Kirstie Alley, Kithe Brewster, Denise Austin, Tracey Mallett, and others will be resolving to make better choices in 2024.
The culinary preferences of Americans are as diverse as our population. Unfortunately, the way most of us enjoy our Mexican, Chinese and even Italian food is very Americanized – fried, greasy and cheesy. When we start thinking about all the things we have to “give up” to lose weight, our favorite internationally inspired dishes are the first to go. However, the newBiggest Loser Flavors of the World cookbookwill put all of your quesadillas, potato pancakes, and even tiramisu right back in your diet. Chef Devin Alexander is the recipe author for the new cookbook, as she has been for all of the Biggest Loser cookbooks (last year she released the Biggest Loser Desserts cookbook). Devin told us “We really dug deep to find ingredients that were really healthy.” She boasts about the book an all-natural cookbook. So, not only are the recipes all under 400 calories, they also use wholesome ingredients. She’s “all about decadence” and “figured out ways not to sacrifice flavor.” Biggest Loser Flavors of the World is a first-of-its-kind cookbook: it’s so all-natural Devin couldn’t even use evaporated cane juice or fructose and the recipes are lower in fat, calories, saturated-fat, cholesterol, etc. Best of all, it’s still really decadent.
Listen now to our interview with Devin. Her enthusiasm for the book is completely contagious. You’ll hear how she and her team worked to put together the recipes, the stringent parameters Biggest Loserhad her working within, and her list of favorite recipes from the book.
When I first opened the new Biggest Loser Dessert Cookbook, I just kept thinking “I want it! I want it! I want it!”. When I told the book’s author, Chef Devin Alexander, she enthusiastically replied “You can have it! You can have it! You can have it!”. The author behind many other Biggest Loser cookbooks and several of her own, says it’s because this is the first cookbook of its kind. All the recipe ingredients are all-natural and unprocessed, not to mention low in calories, fat and with hardly any saturated fat.
Too good to be true? Maybe, but the good news is it’s true!
Devin spent the summer working on this top secret project at the request of Biggest Loser. They gave her some unheard of rules that would have left her with a dessert cookbook without any chocolate syrup or whipped cream, as examples. She told herself to revolutionize, and she did. The results include her own creations for a chocolate syrup (unsweetened cocoa powder and agave nectar), her own “Cut the Crap” Whipped Topping (egg whites and agave), as well as the one recipe in the book she is most proud of, “New”-Tella, a natural alternative to that “other” hazelnut spread that she says “is actually kind of good for you.”
Listen now as Devin talks to us about how these desserts can complement your diet, how she used a variety of ingredients to maintain the textures and flavors people love, and how substitutions can work in your home baking.
Americans are unarguably obsessed with three (at the very least) things: Social networking, body image and celebrities. So when you create a cauldron comprised of this trio of addictions, you have a potion that is as lethal as a malevolent sorcerer’s concoction.
And that is exactly what an article by a Global Shift writer is suggesting when non-famous Americans start following celebrities and their diet chronicles via Twitter. From Megan Fox’s apple cider vinegar shots to Demi Moore’s bikini photos, celebrities have taken to documenting their diet rituals and their effects in 140 characters or less and, unfortunately, many young and impressionable Americans are reading.
Many follow reading these tweets with a trip to the store to pick up the ingredients for a fad-diet juice blend that likely will not cure their weight issues. (more…)
If you’re a fan of Chef Devin Alexander on Twitter, the adorably personable chef behind many of the Biggest Loser cookbooks, then you might have caught her feverishly posting all summer about a top-secret project that had her whipping up a bounty of desserts in her Manhattan Beach kitchen. Well, the mixing beaters are cleaned and she managed to keep her fit figure throughout the course of her culinary inventions, and she can now safely announce what she’s been hiding.
This fall, the newest creation from Biggest Loser will release The Biggest Loser Dessert Cookbook. Inside you’ll find more than 80 sweet tooth-tempting treats created by Chef Devin. Following rules given by Biggest Loser to keep the desserts as wholesome as possible, Chef Devin has created a book full of all-natural ingredients that will satisfy and tempt as well as they will keep you on track.
A sneak peek at some of these new Biggest Loser dessert recipes have whet our appetites and will no doubt have people anxiously awaiting the book’s release. (more…)
Tune in this Wednesday, March 17 to The Dr. Oz Show when Devin Alexander drops by to educate you on the principles of healthy cooking and eating.
Dr. Oz will discuss natural ways to reduce the effects of aging and he congratulates Devin for her “good idea” when it comes to aging and health. Devin will also be sharing her scrumptious recipe for a healthier take on Chicken Parmesan.
Chef Devin Alexander and DietsInReview.com introduce the Cook at Home Challenge, in which we want you to cook five more meals at home during the week than you already do. Then, share your experiences with the Cook at Home Challenge community by posting blogs, videos or photos, and you’re entered to win prizes each week. Prizes include a variety of cookware packages, all leading up to our Healthy Kitchen Makeover grand prize package, valued at $1,895. You could even win a copy of Devin’s new book “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Fattening!”.
Watch now as Chef Devin explains more, then click here to join the challenge or continue reading to learn more.
Those who are very familiar with me and my work know that I have lots of cooking tips and tricks up my sleeve, along with some pretty unique recipes. They also know that I have a deep love for the decadent. Recently, I sent out a “Call for Questions” as part of my monthly newsletter (sign up for free at DevinAlexander.com if you haven’t already)—I wanted my readers to tell me what questions they wanted to me to answer and/or write about in upcoming newsletters and blogs. While I was open to any and all cooking questions, inquiries about my 55-pound weight loss and maintenance, and even questions about my personal tastes, etc., what I did not expect was to receive literally thousands of emails from people asking, “How do you stay motivated?”. I kid you not, though I’m most known for cooking, over 80% of the questions were about motivation.
Since motivation has been on my mind almost non-stop this week and so many people seek “answers,” it seems obvious that this should be the topic of this week’s blog.
I’ve found motivation in tons of places over the years. Being a busy person, like so many of you, I admit that it truly is easy to lose. And I know that motivation is a very personal thing. What motivates one person just might not motivate another. But there are definitely a few key actions that have helped me over the years. Here are the top three: (more…)
So last week I introduced myself (Chef Devin Alexander) and assured you that cooking is the answer to making sure you get and stay healthy. Now you may be thinking, “That’s easier said than done, Devin.” Don’t despair, stick with me right here on DietsInReview.com in the upcoming weeks and not only will I share some healthier versions of your killer favorites (that are just as killer to your taste buds, but not to the rest of you) and I’ll show you all sorts of other novice-chef must-knows for healthy living. Not only will I fill your head with all of the must-have info, I’ll be giving away some awesome (and valuable!) stuff! So don’t miss a week with me!
This week, I’m ready to tackle the kitchen. Whether you consider yourself an avid collector or a newbie when it comes to kitchen tools and gadgets, there are a few basic pieces that I highly recommend to assist you in preparing your healthy meals efficiently. I know it’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you’re deciding which key pieces to purchase for home cooking. Or, if you’re like me, maybe your kitchen gadget collection has grown to encompass so many pieces, it might be time to pull out the essentials and move the rest into storage to free up some space. Whether you’re just getting started on building your equipment arsenal or looking to streamline your current collection, below are the key pieces for making your healthy cooking adventures effortless! (more…)
Published content is provided from businesses that have been compensated by this website. This can potentially affect the appearance of the stated products. Not all companies or products are represented, but efforts are made to offer full transparency. Any and all published editorial content is offered without any sort of influence.
