We're paying more these days not only at the gas pump but also at the grocery store. Blame it on rising oil prices, disappointing crop yields, global warming, and/or the weak dollar. What it all means is that shoppers are looking for ways to save money when they're food shopping without sacrificing nutrition.
Planning Can Help You Save Money on Food
Planning ahead is the most important step to getting more bang for your buck at the grocery store. Take inventory of what you have on hand so you don’t overbuy, create a detailed shopping list based on your needs and weekly menu plan, and take into account how you plan on using leftovers.
Have a light snack before you go shopping, and stick to your grocery list to help avoid impulse purchases or costly mistakes like falling for the displays at the end of the aisles. Before you plan your weekly menu, check the ads to see what’s on sale and use coupons to take advantage of sales and money-saving coupons. You can even sign up online to receive coupons and email alerts from your favorite grocers.
Healthy Food Is Cheaper Food
Eating healthier foods can actually save you money. The researchers found that when families went on weight loss diets, they not only lost weight but reduced their food budgets. The savings came from reducing portion sizes and from buying fewer of the high-calorie foods that tend to increase the amount spent at the grocery store. People tend to spend a lot on those "extras" -- foods that add calories but little nutritional value, like sodas, bakery items, and chips.
You can get more for your money if you consider the nutritional value of food for the price. For example, sodas and flavored drinks deliver mostly empty calories and could easily be replaced with less expensive sparkling water with a splash of a 100% fruit juice like cranberry.
Compare food prices based on the number of servings you'll get, along with the food's nutritional contribution. The ideal food is nutrient-dense, not calorie-dense, and the least expensive may be fresh, frozen or canned.
And if you're craving something sweet?
Save money by passing on calorie-dense cakes and cookies; instead, opt for seasonal fruit. Fruit is fat-free, high in nutrients and fiber, and a natural energizer. Look for sales or coupons for light ice cream or nonfat frozen yogurt to enjoy with your fruit, and you have a delicious, fat-free, low-calorie dessert.
Here are 10 simple strategies to beat the rising cost of food and help your grocery dollars go further:
1. Buy produce in season. Check the food section in your newspaper to find the best buys for the week, based on fresh produce in season. Food in season is usually priced to sell. During the summer months, corn on the cob can cost as little as 10 cents an ear; at other times of the year, it may cost 10 times as much. Also, shop your local farmers' market for great deals on local produce.
2. Use sales and coupons. Planning meals around what's on sale can lower your grocery bills, especially if you also use coupons (make sure they're for item you would buy anyway). Sunday newspapers are full of coupons and sales circulars to get you started. It's also a good idea to stock up on staples when they're on sale. "Buy one, get one free" is basically a technique to get you to buy twice as much as you need at half the price. At some markets, though, the product rings up half-price -- so you don't have to buy more than one to get the savings. Use your freezer to store sale items that can be used at a later date.
3. Brown-bag it. Making lunch and taking it with you is a great money-saver and an excellent use of leftovers for meals at work, school, or wherever your destination. Packing your lunch not only saves you money, but you can control all the ingredients so they are healthy and low in calories. Pack a simple sandwich, salad, soup, wrap, and/or a hearty snack of cheese. Use freezer packs and containers to keep food at the proper temperature unless you have access to a refrigerator.
4. Think frozen, canned, or dried. Next time you're gathering ingredients for a recipe, try using frozen, canned, or dried foods. They may be less expensive than fresh, yet are equally nutritious. Produce is typically frozen, canned, or dried at the peak of ripeness, when nutrients are plentiful. Fish and poultry are often flash-frozen to minimize freezer damage and retain freshness. With frozen foods, you can use only the amount you need, reseal the package, and return it to the freezer. If it's properly stored, there's no waste. Canned foods are often sitting in a bath of juice, syrup, or salty water, and usually require rinsing. Dried fruits are concentrated in flavor and a great substitute for fresh fruit. Also consider using powdered or evaporated versions of milk in soups, casseroles, mashed potatoes, or desserts. Buy the form that gives you the best price for your needs.
5. Save on protein foods. When possible, substitute inexpensive, vegetarian sources such as beans, eggs, tofu, and legumes for more expensive meat, fish, or poultry. Eat vegetarian once a week or more to increase your consumption of healthy plant foods while saving money. Eggs are an excellent, inexpensive source of protein that can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner. You could also try using a smaller portion of meat, fish, or poultry and extending the dish with whole grains, beans, eggs, and/or vegetables.
When you do buy meat, choose smaller portions of lean cuts. For example, lean cuts of beef are those that include the terms "loin" or "round." (You can tenderize lean cuts of meat mechanically or by marinating it.) You can also buy a whole chicken and cut it up instead of paying the butcher to do it for you, or buy the cheaper "family pack" and portion it into airtight freezer bags.
6. Waste not, want not. Before you toss perishable food into your grocery cart, think about exactly how you'll use it. Using leftover vegetables, poultry, or meat in soups, stews, salads, and casseroles minimizes cost and demonstrates your creativity in the kitchen. For example, have a roasted chicken for dinner one night, and use the leftovers for dinner the next night. Try topping a bed of fresh greens with vegetables, fruits, and slices of leftover chicken. Add a loaf of whole-grain bread, and presto! You've got a nutritious meal in minutes. You can also eat leftovers for breakfast or take them with you for lunch.
7. Go generic. Consider buying store brands instead of pricier national brands. Many grocery companies buy national-brand products made to their specifications and simply put their own label on the products. Read the ingredient list on the label to be sure you're getting the most for your money. Ingredients are listed in order by weight. So when you're buying canned tomatoes, look for a product that lists tomatoes, not water, as the first ingredient. Also look for simpler versions of your favorite foods.
8. Buy prepackaged only if you need it. Unless you have a coupon or the item is on sale, buying prepackaged, sliced, or washed products comes with a higher price tag. Still, people living alone may find that smaller sizes of perishable products or bags of prepared produce eliminate waste and fit their needs best, despite the extra cost. You can also save money (and boost nutrition) by passing up the aisles with processed foods, cookies, snack foods and soda.
9. Buy and cook in bulk. Joining a bulk shopping club, like Sam's or Costco, can be cost-effective if you frequent the club regularly. Bulk purchases can be a great way to save money -- as long as they get used. You might also look in your community for shopping cooperatives that sell food in bulk at a substantial savings. Prepare food in bulk and freeze into family-sized portions, which saves time in the kitchen.
10. Plant a garden. For benefits that go beyond cost savings, plant your own produce. There's nothing better than a summer-fresh tomato from the garden. Tomatoes even grow well in containers if you don't have space for a garden, and some neighborhoods offer community gardening spaces. Start small, and see how easy it is to grow fresh herbs or a few simple vegetables. And if you invest a little time in freezing or canning your harvest, you can enjoy summer's bounty all year long.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
How to Raise Metabolism
1. Take regular exercise
This should be aerobic exercise that makes you breathe more heavily. Exercises that build muscle are also useful. The harder you work, the faster your metabolic rate will be.
2. Eat Breakfast
To stop the "fast" from the evening, to "start" your metabolism going and ensure that your body burns calories willingly, eat breakfast and then eat regularly throughout the day. If you do not break the "fast" your body will think it needs to conserve energy and slow down your metabolism.
3. Eat a Balanced Diet
This helps to maintain a good supply of nutrients which in turn keeps your metabolism working smoothly.
4. Avoid Pills
For the sake of your health and weight, avoid all supplements that claim to offer fat-burning and weight loss benefits. Remember, if you do not take your eating and exercise habits, you will not keep your weight off.
5. Increasing Lean Muscle Mass
This is probably the best and most obvious way to create a more constructive metabolism. It is natural that the more muscle we have the more calories we will burn...even at rest! Muscle takes energy to make it work but fat does not, it just sits there. Try moderate resistance training to start off. Even 15 minutes of stretching will help get you started in the right direction.
6. Engaging In Aerobic Exercise
Aerobics are great! This will ensure that your body fat will decrease while at the same time your lean muscle mass will increase. Even after you have finished exercising your metabolism will remain higher for a period of time, working more efficiently. You will then burn more calories no matter what you're doing…working, driving, even watching television!
7. Make Sure to Eat and Eat Regularly
Yes, that's right, eat! Also, make sure you avoid crash diets where you starve yourself. Restricting your calories too much will result in a loss of lean muscle tissue slowing your metabolism down. And we don't want that! Make sure to also spread your meals out evenly throughout the day. Smaller, more frequent meals are generally considered better. Try a minimum of four. This way, your body will not think it's starving itself and won't be as likely to store the food as fat. This is usually the case when you only eat two or three meals during the day.
One of the number one mistakes that individuals make when trying to lose weight is not eating enough foods. In other words, reducing calorie intake less than the Basal Metabolic Rate required for their body. The formula for determining your BMR is below.
Increase metabolism by eating smaller meals through the day. Eat 4 to 6 six small meals, 2 to 3 hours apart. Include energy foods such as whole grains, beans, vegetables and fruits in your diet.
8. Park further away and walk. Use the stairs instead of the elevator when possible. Walk to the post office instead of getting into the car. Take your dog on a daily walk. Do more activities around the house to burn energy instead of wasting money on pills and potions that don't work.
Incorporate a walking routine to increase metabolism at least three to four times a week. Walk 30 to 40 minutes each time. This is the best way to increase your metabolism.
9. Never eat sporadically, plan each meal. The common mistake is to skip meals and eat too little during the day. This makes you vulnerable for eating junk food later in the day. Eating to lose weight takes planning.
_________________________________________
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) Formula
Your Basal Metabolic Rate shows the number of calories your body needs to operate. This doesn't account for any activity, it's simply the energy needed to sustain a heartbeat, breathing and normal body temperature. It measures the body at rest, not sleep, at room temperature.
Formula:
BMR for males = 66 + (13.7 x w) + (5 x h) - (6.8 x y)
BMR for females = 655 + (9.6 x w) + (1.8 x h) - (4.7 x y)
where:
h = height in centimeters (inches x 2.54)
w = weight in kilograms (pounds ÷ 2.2)
y = age in years
This should be aerobic exercise that makes you breathe more heavily. Exercises that build muscle are also useful. The harder you work, the faster your metabolic rate will be.
2. Eat Breakfast
To stop the "fast" from the evening, to "start" your metabolism going and ensure that your body burns calories willingly, eat breakfast and then eat regularly throughout the day. If you do not break the "fast" your body will think it needs to conserve energy and slow down your metabolism.
3. Eat a Balanced Diet
This helps to maintain a good supply of nutrients which in turn keeps your metabolism working smoothly.
4. Avoid Pills
For the sake of your health and weight, avoid all supplements that claim to offer fat-burning and weight loss benefits. Remember, if you do not take your eating and exercise habits, you will not keep your weight off.
5. Increasing Lean Muscle Mass
This is probably the best and most obvious way to create a more constructive metabolism. It is natural that the more muscle we have the more calories we will burn...even at rest! Muscle takes energy to make it work but fat does not, it just sits there. Try moderate resistance training to start off. Even 15 minutes of stretching will help get you started in the right direction.
6. Engaging In Aerobic Exercise
Aerobics are great! This will ensure that your body fat will decrease while at the same time your lean muscle mass will increase. Even after you have finished exercising your metabolism will remain higher for a period of time, working more efficiently. You will then burn more calories no matter what you're doing…working, driving, even watching television!
7. Make Sure to Eat and Eat Regularly
Yes, that's right, eat! Also, make sure you avoid crash diets where you starve yourself. Restricting your calories too much will result in a loss of lean muscle tissue slowing your metabolism down. And we don't want that! Make sure to also spread your meals out evenly throughout the day. Smaller, more frequent meals are generally considered better. Try a minimum of four. This way, your body will not think it's starving itself and won't be as likely to store the food as fat. This is usually the case when you only eat two or three meals during the day.
One of the number one mistakes that individuals make when trying to lose weight is not eating enough foods. In other words, reducing calorie intake less than the Basal Metabolic Rate required for their body. The formula for determining your BMR is below.
Increase metabolism by eating smaller meals through the day. Eat 4 to 6 six small meals, 2 to 3 hours apart. Include energy foods such as whole grains, beans, vegetables and fruits in your diet.
8. Park further away and walk. Use the stairs instead of the elevator when possible. Walk to the post office instead of getting into the car. Take your dog on a daily walk. Do more activities around the house to burn energy instead of wasting money on pills and potions that don't work.
Incorporate a walking routine to increase metabolism at least three to four times a week. Walk 30 to 40 minutes each time. This is the best way to increase your metabolism.
9. Never eat sporadically, plan each meal. The common mistake is to skip meals and eat too little during the day. This makes you vulnerable for eating junk food later in the day. Eating to lose weight takes planning.
_________________________________________
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) Formula
Your Basal Metabolic Rate shows the number of calories your body needs to operate. This doesn't account for any activity, it's simply the energy needed to sustain a heartbeat, breathing and normal body temperature. It measures the body at rest, not sleep, at room temperature.
Formula:
BMR for males = 66 + (13.7 x w) + (5 x h) - (6.8 x y)
BMR for females = 655 + (9.6 x w) + (1.8 x h) - (4.7 x y)
where:
h = height in centimeters (inches x 2.54)
w = weight in kilograms (pounds ÷ 2.2)
y = age in years
Aging and Metabolism
Weight gain is a common occurrence as people get older because the body's metabolism slows as we age. Thankfully, exercise can help mitigate this weight gain.
After age 45, the average individual loses around 10% of their muscle mass per decade. This equates to losing about one-third to one-half a pound of muscle each year and also gaining that much in body fat. Because muscle mass burns a lot of calories compared to fat, the total number of calories needed goes down.
How Aging Impacts Metabolism
Many studies have been done to understand why people gain weight as they age and the answer is clear – the change in body composition accounts for the vast majority of the decline in metabolism.
There are also a growing number of studies, however, that suggest that body composition does not account for all of the weight gain associated with the aging process. Decreases in the calories used by the body's organs, such as the heart and liver, also seem to occur as the body ages.
Physical activity plays a role in both body composition and metabolism during the aging process. Research shows that most individuals gradually reduce their level of physical activity as they age, which further reduces their number of calories needed to maintain weight. Less activity also means less use of the body's muscles, which contributes to the general decline in muscle mass and subsequent changes in body composition.
Overall, these age-related changes means that the average 50 year-old woman needs around 300-500 fewer calories per day than she did in her twenties to maintain the same body weight. So for those who gain weight while aging, the reason is not necessarily eating more; but rather eating the same, while needing fewer calories.
Aging and Exercise
Is there anything that can help to slow this part of the aging process? Fortunately yes. Exercise appears to help a lot. Several studies have shown that resistance (i.e. weight) training alone can boost metabolism and offset the decline seen with aging. There is also some research that suggests that endurance (i.e. aerobic) exercise can be beneficial in offsetting the decline in metabolism and associated weight gain with aging. ---Weight Watchers Research Department
Stay tuned to tomorrow's post, I will tell you even more ways to increase your metabolism!
After age 45, the average individual loses around 10% of their muscle mass per decade. This equates to losing about one-third to one-half a pound of muscle each year and also gaining that much in body fat. Because muscle mass burns a lot of calories compared to fat, the total number of calories needed goes down.
How Aging Impacts Metabolism
Many studies have been done to understand why people gain weight as they age and the answer is clear – the change in body composition accounts for the vast majority of the decline in metabolism.
There are also a growing number of studies, however, that suggest that body composition does not account for all of the weight gain associated with the aging process. Decreases in the calories used by the body's organs, such as the heart and liver, also seem to occur as the body ages.
Physical activity plays a role in both body composition and metabolism during the aging process. Research shows that most individuals gradually reduce their level of physical activity as they age, which further reduces their number of calories needed to maintain weight. Less activity also means less use of the body's muscles, which contributes to the general decline in muscle mass and subsequent changes in body composition.
Overall, these age-related changes means that the average 50 year-old woman needs around 300-500 fewer calories per day than she did in her twenties to maintain the same body weight. So for those who gain weight while aging, the reason is not necessarily eating more; but rather eating the same, while needing fewer calories.
Aging and Exercise
Is there anything that can help to slow this part of the aging process? Fortunately yes. Exercise appears to help a lot. Several studies have shown that resistance (i.e. weight) training alone can boost metabolism and offset the decline seen with aging. There is also some research that suggests that endurance (i.e. aerobic) exercise can be beneficial in offsetting the decline in metabolism and associated weight gain with aging. ---Weight Watchers Research Department
Stay tuned to tomorrow's post, I will tell you even more ways to increase your metabolism!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Recognizing Hunger Signals
One reason that many of us are not at a healthy weight is because, somewhere along the line, we stopped listening to our body signals that naturally tell us when we're hungry and when we're full. The signals are still there, but we're out of practice when it comes to paying attention to them. Learning to recognize those signals again can help you get to a healthy weight and stay there.
Hunger signals tell us when to eat, what to eat, and when to stop. There are three types of hunger signals:
1. Hunger is a sensation (stomach growling, feeling hunger pangs) that makes you want to eat. It is partly controlled by a region of your brain called the hypothalamus, your blood sugar level, how empty your stomach and intestines are, and certain hormone levels in your body.
2. Fullness is also called satiety (say "suh-TY-uh-tee"). It's a feeling of satisfaction. Nerves in your stomach send signals to the brain that the stomach is filled. Increased blood sugar, the activity of the hypothalamus, and the presence of food in the intestines all lead to this feeling of fullness.
3. Appetite is a desire for or an interest in food. It is linked with the sight, smell, or thought of food. Appetite can override hunger and satiety, such as when you continue to eat even after you feel full. You can also have no appetite for food even though you are hungry, which may happen in a stressful situation or during an illness.
Distractions get in our way
As we grow up, lots of distractions lead us away from a natural way of eating:
...For most of us, food is everywhere-in grocery stores, corner markets, vending machines, and the office break room, to name just a few. It can be hard to pay attention to your hunger signals as you go about your day.
...You may skip breakfast because you'd rather sleep in. So when lunchtime rolls around, you're extra hungry and eat more than you should.
...You may watch TV, read, or use the computer while you eat. This can distract you so that you stop paying attention to what or how much you're eating or whether you're full enough to stop eating.
...You may often eat so fast that you barely even taste your food or pay attention to how full you really are.
...Stress or other emotions cause many of us to reach for food-not because we're hungry, but because food comforts us or helps us celebrate.
...Most of us are influenced by larger serving sizes. Research shows that when people are given larger portions, they eat more.
All these distractions can cause you to ignore your body's signals. You stop paying attention to how hungry you are or how full you are. Over time, you lose the skill of listening to and obeying your body's signals. Learning to get back in touch with your hunger signals can be one of your best tools for getting to a healthy weight and staying there. Your hunger and fullness signals are still there. You just have to learn how to listen to them again.
Figure out where you are now
First, find out what signals you are following. Keep a food journal for 2 weeks, or longer if you need to. Write down not only when and what you eat but also what you were doing and feeling before you started eating. Using the hunger scale below, write down where you were on the scale before you ate and where you were afterwards.
When you look back at your food journal, you may see some eating patterns. For example, you may find that you almost always eat dinner in front of the TV. You may find that you always eat an evening snack, even when you're not hungry. You may find that you often snack when you "feel" like you want to eat (because of boredom, stress, or some other emotion), but you're not truly hungry.
Use a hunger scale
A hunger scale can help you learn how to tell the difference between true, physical hunger and hunger that's really just in your head. Psychological hunger is a desire to eat that is caused by emotions, like stress, boredom, sadness, or happiness. When you feel hungry even though you recently ate, check to see if what you're feeling is really a craving brought on by something psychological.
When you start feeling like you want something to eat, rate your hunger on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being starving and 10 being so full you feel sick. A rating of 5 or 6 means you're comfortable-neither too hungry nor too full.
1-Starving, weak, dizzy
2-Very hungry, cranky, low energy, lots of stomach growling
3-Pretty hungry, stomach is growling a little
4-Starting to feel a little hungry
5-Satisfied, neither hungry nor full
6-A little full, pleasantly full
7-A little uncomfortable
8-Feeling stuffed
9-Very uncomfortable, stomach hurts
10-So full you feel sick
To eat naturally, the way a baby does, eat when your hunger is at 3 or 4. Don't wait until your hunger gets down to 1 or 2. Getting too hungry can lead to overeating. When you sit down to a scheduled meal, stop and think how hungry you are. If you feel less hungry than usual, make a conscious effort to eat less food than usual. Stop eating when you reach 5 or 6 on the scale.
When it's time to eat, make healthy choices
For your body to be truly satisfied, your meals need to be balanced. This means that each meal should contain:
...Carbohydrate. You get this from grains, fruits, and vegetables.
...Protein. You get this from meat, fish, eggs, milk, yogurt, cheese, dry beans, and nuts.
... Fat. You get the kinds of fat that help you stay healthy from: Fish, walnuts, flaxseeds and flaxseed oil; Olive, canola, and peanut oils; most nuts; avocados; and olives. These have monounsaturated fats. Safflower, corn, sunflower, sesame, soybean, and cottonseed oils. These have polyunsaturated fats.
Learn when to stop eating
Try to stop eating before you get too full. Too full is uncomfortable. It means you ate too much. Get in touch with what "satisfied," or "pleasantly full," feels like for you.
...Relax before you start eating, and then eat slowly. Remember that it takes about 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that you're full.
...Stop a quarter of the way through your meal, and check your hunger level. If you're still hungry, keep eating, but stop again at the halfway point. No matter what your parents taught you, you don't have to clean your plate.
...Learn what proper portions are. We're used to restaurant portions, but restaurant portions usually contain much more food than we need.
Don't deny yourself
Lots of people think that healthy eating means never having dessert or french fries or any of the things they love to eat. That's wrong. Your appetite, which can include a desire for sweets or other less-than-healthy treats, is a strong body signal. And part of keeping your body at that "satisfied" level on the hunger scale is eating tastes that you like and want.
If we try to have an eating plan that cuts out all treats, we probably won't stay with that plan. In fact, we're more likely to go "off the wagon" and eat too much of those foods. But it's important to recognize when it's your appetite talking instead of your true hunger. Knowing which body signal is talking can help you control what you are eating.
If you're eating healthy and listening to your body signals, a piece of birthday cake or an occasional order of french fries can fit into your healthy eating plan. When the holidays come around, it's okay to eat the traditional foods you love. Just keep listening to your body signals and eat only enough to reach that "satisfied" level.
A few more tips
...Let yourself feel some hunger between meals. Mild hunger is a good thing. After all, it's a sign that you're not overeating. Teach yourself to appreciate hunger pangs as a natural part of life, as a sign that you're a healthy eater.
...Give cravings 10 minutes. When you suddenly feel the need to eat, tell yourself that you will wait 10 minutes. If it was only a craving, you will have forgotten about it by then, and the urge will be gone. If 10 minutes goes by and you still have the urge to eat, you may be starting to get hungry.
...Don't eat more now because you think you might not have time to eat later. Eat what your body needs now, and worry about later, later.
...Some people find that it's easier to schedule lots of small meals throughout the day. Other people do better with "three square meals." Whichever you choose, try to eat on a regular schedule every day, according to how hungry you usually get. Eating regular meals can help you be more aware of hunger and fullness.
...Does leaving food on your plate drive you nuts? Take smaller servings. Save leftovers for another meal. Share plates with someone. Ask yourself what's more important-a few bites of "wasted" food, or your health?
...When you eat, make your food the main attraction. Sit down at the table with your family. Don't eat in front of the TV. Don't read while you eat. Give your attention to what you are putting in your mouth, how it tastes, and how your body reacts to what and how much you're eating.
Now that you have read this information, you're ready to start listening to your body's hunger signals!
Hunger signals tell us when to eat, what to eat, and when to stop. There are three types of hunger signals:
1. Hunger is a sensation (stomach growling, feeling hunger pangs) that makes you want to eat. It is partly controlled by a region of your brain called the hypothalamus, your blood sugar level, how empty your stomach and intestines are, and certain hormone levels in your body.
2. Fullness is also called satiety (say "suh-TY-uh-tee"). It's a feeling of satisfaction. Nerves in your stomach send signals to the brain that the stomach is filled. Increased blood sugar, the activity of the hypothalamus, and the presence of food in the intestines all lead to this feeling of fullness.
3. Appetite is a desire for or an interest in food. It is linked with the sight, smell, or thought of food. Appetite can override hunger and satiety, such as when you continue to eat even after you feel full. You can also have no appetite for food even though you are hungry, which may happen in a stressful situation or during an illness.
Distractions get in our way
As we grow up, lots of distractions lead us away from a natural way of eating:
...For most of us, food is everywhere-in grocery stores, corner markets, vending machines, and the office break room, to name just a few. It can be hard to pay attention to your hunger signals as you go about your day.
...You may skip breakfast because you'd rather sleep in. So when lunchtime rolls around, you're extra hungry and eat more than you should.
...You may watch TV, read, or use the computer while you eat. This can distract you so that you stop paying attention to what or how much you're eating or whether you're full enough to stop eating.
...You may often eat so fast that you barely even taste your food or pay attention to how full you really are.
...Stress or other emotions cause many of us to reach for food-not because we're hungry, but because food comforts us or helps us celebrate.
...Most of us are influenced by larger serving sizes. Research shows that when people are given larger portions, they eat more.
All these distractions can cause you to ignore your body's signals. You stop paying attention to how hungry you are or how full you are. Over time, you lose the skill of listening to and obeying your body's signals. Learning to get back in touch with your hunger signals can be one of your best tools for getting to a healthy weight and staying there. Your hunger and fullness signals are still there. You just have to learn how to listen to them again.
Figure out where you are now
First, find out what signals you are following. Keep a food journal for 2 weeks, or longer if you need to. Write down not only when and what you eat but also what you were doing and feeling before you started eating. Using the hunger scale below, write down where you were on the scale before you ate and where you were afterwards.
When you look back at your food journal, you may see some eating patterns. For example, you may find that you almost always eat dinner in front of the TV. You may find that you always eat an evening snack, even when you're not hungry. You may find that you often snack when you "feel" like you want to eat (because of boredom, stress, or some other emotion), but you're not truly hungry.
Use a hunger scale
A hunger scale can help you learn how to tell the difference between true, physical hunger and hunger that's really just in your head. Psychological hunger is a desire to eat that is caused by emotions, like stress, boredom, sadness, or happiness. When you feel hungry even though you recently ate, check to see if what you're feeling is really a craving brought on by something psychological.
When you start feeling like you want something to eat, rate your hunger on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being starving and 10 being so full you feel sick. A rating of 5 or 6 means you're comfortable-neither too hungry nor too full.
1-Starving, weak, dizzy
2-Very hungry, cranky, low energy, lots of stomach growling
3-Pretty hungry, stomach is growling a little
4-Starting to feel a little hungry
5-Satisfied, neither hungry nor full
6-A little full, pleasantly full
7-A little uncomfortable
8-Feeling stuffed
9-Very uncomfortable, stomach hurts
10-So full you feel sick
To eat naturally, the way a baby does, eat when your hunger is at 3 or 4. Don't wait until your hunger gets down to 1 or 2. Getting too hungry can lead to overeating. When you sit down to a scheduled meal, stop and think how hungry you are. If you feel less hungry than usual, make a conscious effort to eat less food than usual. Stop eating when you reach 5 or 6 on the scale.
When it's time to eat, make healthy choices
For your body to be truly satisfied, your meals need to be balanced. This means that each meal should contain:
...Carbohydrate. You get this from grains, fruits, and vegetables.
...Protein. You get this from meat, fish, eggs, milk, yogurt, cheese, dry beans, and nuts.
... Fat. You get the kinds of fat that help you stay healthy from: Fish, walnuts, flaxseeds and flaxseed oil; Olive, canola, and peanut oils; most nuts; avocados; and olives. These have monounsaturated fats. Safflower, corn, sunflower, sesame, soybean, and cottonseed oils. These have polyunsaturated fats.
Learn when to stop eating
Try to stop eating before you get too full. Too full is uncomfortable. It means you ate too much. Get in touch with what "satisfied," or "pleasantly full," feels like for you.
...Relax before you start eating, and then eat slowly. Remember that it takes about 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that you're full.
...Stop a quarter of the way through your meal, and check your hunger level. If you're still hungry, keep eating, but stop again at the halfway point. No matter what your parents taught you, you don't have to clean your plate.
...Learn what proper portions are. We're used to restaurant portions, but restaurant portions usually contain much more food than we need.
Don't deny yourself
Lots of people think that healthy eating means never having dessert or french fries or any of the things they love to eat. That's wrong. Your appetite, which can include a desire for sweets or other less-than-healthy treats, is a strong body signal. And part of keeping your body at that "satisfied" level on the hunger scale is eating tastes that you like and want.
If we try to have an eating plan that cuts out all treats, we probably won't stay with that plan. In fact, we're more likely to go "off the wagon" and eat too much of those foods. But it's important to recognize when it's your appetite talking instead of your true hunger. Knowing which body signal is talking can help you control what you are eating.
If you're eating healthy and listening to your body signals, a piece of birthday cake or an occasional order of french fries can fit into your healthy eating plan. When the holidays come around, it's okay to eat the traditional foods you love. Just keep listening to your body signals and eat only enough to reach that "satisfied" level.
A few more tips
...Let yourself feel some hunger between meals. Mild hunger is a good thing. After all, it's a sign that you're not overeating. Teach yourself to appreciate hunger pangs as a natural part of life, as a sign that you're a healthy eater.
...Give cravings 10 minutes. When you suddenly feel the need to eat, tell yourself that you will wait 10 minutes. If it was only a craving, you will have forgotten about it by then, and the urge will be gone. If 10 minutes goes by and you still have the urge to eat, you may be starting to get hungry.
...Don't eat more now because you think you might not have time to eat later. Eat what your body needs now, and worry about later, later.
...Some people find that it's easier to schedule lots of small meals throughout the day. Other people do better with "three square meals." Whichever you choose, try to eat on a regular schedule every day, according to how hungry you usually get. Eating regular meals can help you be more aware of hunger and fullness.
...Does leaving food on your plate drive you nuts? Take smaller servings. Save leftovers for another meal. Share plates with someone. Ask yourself what's more important-a few bites of "wasted" food, or your health?
...When you eat, make your food the main attraction. Sit down at the table with your family. Don't eat in front of the TV. Don't read while you eat. Give your attention to what you are putting in your mouth, how it tastes, and how your body reacts to what and how much you're eating.
Now that you have read this information, you're ready to start listening to your body's hunger signals!
Monday, September 26, 2011
Why weight loss requires strength training
Did you know that basic strength training (weight-bearing exercise) is crucial for successfully losing weight and keeping it off?
Calories in, calories out. If you have a calorie deficit, you're going to lose weight, if you consume extra calories, you'll gain body fat. While that's true, it's only part of the picture. Sure, you need a calorie deficit to lose weight, but how does your body actually use calories? It's your lean body mass, that muscle mass underneath your body fat, that burns calories 24/7, allowing you to actually eat more calories without gaining weight.
If you manage to keep all of that muscle mass and bone density in place while you are losing body fat, then you can maintain the high metabolism that's associated with that lean body mass even while you are dropping body fat. But if you starve yourself, you're going to lose all the muscle resources you already have. It's a mistake a lot of people make. They try to lose body fat by starving themselves, and as the body fat vanishes from their body, their muscle mass also disappears.
While it eliminates this muscle mass, your metabolism begins to slow. Remember, it's the lean body mass that's burning calories day in and day out, even when you're doing nothing. If you reduce that muscle mass by allowing it to go away (by not challenging your muscles), then your metabolism is going to slow. A lot of people end up at a place where they've lost the body fat and they're lighter, but it's suddenly so much easier to put on body fat. They don't have the muscle mass they once did, they're not automatically burning calories, and if they overeat just a little bit, they'll start packing on the body fat again.
The solution to all of this, the strategy I want to focus on here, is to engage in strength training while you are losing body fat. If you get rid of enough body fat in this way, then those muscles may begin to show -- if you're a man. If you're a woman, don't worry, you're never going to bulk up. A lot of women are mistakenly afraid of strength training. They think they're going to have this competition muscle-bound body from lifting a couple of weights. That is not the case at all. Women are not built to puts on lots of muscle mass, so don't be afraid that you'll bulk up.
When you have a high percentage of body fat, that body fat is stored not only in the tissues that are obvious -- such as your hips and your midsection, your arms and legs and so on -- it's also stored intramuscularly, which means it's stored within the muscles of your body. It's sort of like the marbling of beef from a cow. If you slice a muscle from a cow, there's some fat inside the muscle -- that is the same kind of fat that's in our muscles when we have a high percentage of body fat.
That fat takes up a lot of space in the muscle, so it actually makes the muscle look bigger, because there's fat inside. When you start losing body fat, even if you're engaged in strength training, that intramuscular fat will begin to vanish. So even if your muscle mass begins to grow -- which, again, is very difficult for women to accomplish -- your overall muscle size is probably going to be smaller when you're at a lower percentage of body fat. The net change in your muscle size is going to be almost nothing, unless you really start to do strength training on a regular basis for a period of a year or two, and then you might actually begin to put on a little bit more muscle.
It's very easy for your body to shed useless muscle. So if you're not using a muscle, your body will get rid of it over a few months. It's gone. But to gain that muscle back -- now that takes some effort! That could take months or years of strength training. So, if you decide you're going to starve yourself while you lose weight and get down to the minimum weight possible, and afterwards you engage in strength training, then you're going to find that it's a much more difficult process to gain lean body mass than it was to slim away what you had to begin with. Building lean body mass is a huge challenge.
One thing to keep in mind when you're using the bathroom scale is that when you first start limiting your calories, your body is going to start burning through its glycogen stores. Glycogen is basically a fuel stored in your body. It stores sugars together with water and locks them up in the tissues and organs of your body like an energy battery, ready for you to use at a future time.
There's water locked in with those calories. That water weighs a lot. So when you start restricting your calories, the first thing your body burns is this extra storage of energy, this extra glycogen. And the glycogen causes you, as it's burned, to shed water. You might look at the scale and think, gee, I lost 5 lbs, but you really lost no body fat whatsoever. It was just water, because your body released glycogen. What usually happens to people when their glycogen store has reached zero is they get really hungry, they think they're in a starvation panic, and then they overeat. Their glycogen stores fill right back up, they gain the 5 lbs back, and usually they overate to such an extent that they store another half a pound of body fat or so. Now they're half a pound heavier than when they began and they lost no body fat whatsoever. It was just a game of glycogen and water storage they saw reflected on the bathroom scale.
There's a system of strength training called static contraction training that is outstanding for maintaining current muscle mass and even enhancing it if you choose to go that far. The best thing is that it takes very little time. Just 15 seconds per muscle group per week. If you engage that muscle for 15 seconds with high intensity contraction, then your body gets the signal that, hey, it needs that muscle. It needs to keep it around. And your body decides NOT to let that muscle go. It just keeps it, because it figures you need it.
Remember, your body has a lot of wisdom, and it's trying to conserve calories. The body wants to get rid of muscles it doesn't need, and in order to keep those muscles, you have to prove to your body that you need them. You can essentially fool your body by engaging in strength training, giving it the message that it needs to hold on to those muscles in order to survive. So in as little as 15 seconds per muscle group, you can tell your body to hold on to your muscle mass. That's a 15 second bicep curl, for example, or a 15 second chest press, or a 15 second leg curl…you get the idea.
Women are additionally benefiting from this system -- when you're dealing with the potential for osteoporosis when you get up in your years, bone density becomes crucial for your overall health. There is no better way in the world to make sure you have strong bone density than to engage in high intensity, short duration strength training exercises.
The key is, as with all forms of exercise, to be sure to work with a qualified health professional before attempting this, especially some of the more high intensity exercises. You may want to ease your way into it and check with your naturopath, doctor or physical therapist to make sure you're ready for this. You don't want to injure yourself -- that would set you back weeks. So take it a little bit at a time. Remember, your body will adapt slowly, so ease into it slowly. By doing all of this, you'll be able to conserve the incredible muscle mass that you have underneath that body fat right now.
The other benefit to doing this is that strength training will greatly increase the speed of your weight loss effort. It will double the effectiveness of any weight loss program you're on. Losing weight by calorie restriction alone is very, very difficult.
Calories in, calories out. If you have a calorie deficit, you're going to lose weight, if you consume extra calories, you'll gain body fat. While that's true, it's only part of the picture. Sure, you need a calorie deficit to lose weight, but how does your body actually use calories? It's your lean body mass, that muscle mass underneath your body fat, that burns calories 24/7, allowing you to actually eat more calories without gaining weight.
If you manage to keep all of that muscle mass and bone density in place while you are losing body fat, then you can maintain the high metabolism that's associated with that lean body mass even while you are dropping body fat. But if you starve yourself, you're going to lose all the muscle resources you already have. It's a mistake a lot of people make. They try to lose body fat by starving themselves, and as the body fat vanishes from their body, their muscle mass also disappears.
While it eliminates this muscle mass, your metabolism begins to slow. Remember, it's the lean body mass that's burning calories day in and day out, even when you're doing nothing. If you reduce that muscle mass by allowing it to go away (by not challenging your muscles), then your metabolism is going to slow. A lot of people end up at a place where they've lost the body fat and they're lighter, but it's suddenly so much easier to put on body fat. They don't have the muscle mass they once did, they're not automatically burning calories, and if they overeat just a little bit, they'll start packing on the body fat again.
The solution to all of this, the strategy I want to focus on here, is to engage in strength training while you are losing body fat. If you get rid of enough body fat in this way, then those muscles may begin to show -- if you're a man. If you're a woman, don't worry, you're never going to bulk up. A lot of women are mistakenly afraid of strength training. They think they're going to have this competition muscle-bound body from lifting a couple of weights. That is not the case at all. Women are not built to puts on lots of muscle mass, so don't be afraid that you'll bulk up.
When you have a high percentage of body fat, that body fat is stored not only in the tissues that are obvious -- such as your hips and your midsection, your arms and legs and so on -- it's also stored intramuscularly, which means it's stored within the muscles of your body. It's sort of like the marbling of beef from a cow. If you slice a muscle from a cow, there's some fat inside the muscle -- that is the same kind of fat that's in our muscles when we have a high percentage of body fat.
That fat takes up a lot of space in the muscle, so it actually makes the muscle look bigger, because there's fat inside. When you start losing body fat, even if you're engaged in strength training, that intramuscular fat will begin to vanish. So even if your muscle mass begins to grow -- which, again, is very difficult for women to accomplish -- your overall muscle size is probably going to be smaller when you're at a lower percentage of body fat. The net change in your muscle size is going to be almost nothing, unless you really start to do strength training on a regular basis for a period of a year or two, and then you might actually begin to put on a little bit more muscle.
It's very easy for your body to shed useless muscle. So if you're not using a muscle, your body will get rid of it over a few months. It's gone. But to gain that muscle back -- now that takes some effort! That could take months or years of strength training. So, if you decide you're going to starve yourself while you lose weight and get down to the minimum weight possible, and afterwards you engage in strength training, then you're going to find that it's a much more difficult process to gain lean body mass than it was to slim away what you had to begin with. Building lean body mass is a huge challenge.
One thing to keep in mind when you're using the bathroom scale is that when you first start limiting your calories, your body is going to start burning through its glycogen stores. Glycogen is basically a fuel stored in your body. It stores sugars together with water and locks them up in the tissues and organs of your body like an energy battery, ready for you to use at a future time.
There's water locked in with those calories. That water weighs a lot. So when you start restricting your calories, the first thing your body burns is this extra storage of energy, this extra glycogen. And the glycogen causes you, as it's burned, to shed water. You might look at the scale and think, gee, I lost 5 lbs, but you really lost no body fat whatsoever. It was just water, because your body released glycogen. What usually happens to people when their glycogen store has reached zero is they get really hungry, they think they're in a starvation panic, and then they overeat. Their glycogen stores fill right back up, they gain the 5 lbs back, and usually they overate to such an extent that they store another half a pound of body fat or so. Now they're half a pound heavier than when they began and they lost no body fat whatsoever. It was just a game of glycogen and water storage they saw reflected on the bathroom scale.
There's a system of strength training called static contraction training that is outstanding for maintaining current muscle mass and even enhancing it if you choose to go that far. The best thing is that it takes very little time. Just 15 seconds per muscle group per week. If you engage that muscle for 15 seconds with high intensity contraction, then your body gets the signal that, hey, it needs that muscle. It needs to keep it around. And your body decides NOT to let that muscle go. It just keeps it, because it figures you need it.
Remember, your body has a lot of wisdom, and it's trying to conserve calories. The body wants to get rid of muscles it doesn't need, and in order to keep those muscles, you have to prove to your body that you need them. You can essentially fool your body by engaging in strength training, giving it the message that it needs to hold on to those muscles in order to survive. So in as little as 15 seconds per muscle group, you can tell your body to hold on to your muscle mass. That's a 15 second bicep curl, for example, or a 15 second chest press, or a 15 second leg curl…you get the idea.
Women are additionally benefiting from this system -- when you're dealing with the potential for osteoporosis when you get up in your years, bone density becomes crucial for your overall health. There is no better way in the world to make sure you have strong bone density than to engage in high intensity, short duration strength training exercises.
The key is, as with all forms of exercise, to be sure to work with a qualified health professional before attempting this, especially some of the more high intensity exercises. You may want to ease your way into it and check with your naturopath, doctor or physical therapist to make sure you're ready for this. You don't want to injure yourself -- that would set you back weeks. So take it a little bit at a time. Remember, your body will adapt slowly, so ease into it slowly. By doing all of this, you'll be able to conserve the incredible muscle mass that you have underneath that body fat right now.
The other benefit to doing this is that strength training will greatly increase the speed of your weight loss effort. It will double the effectiveness of any weight loss program you're on. Losing weight by calorie restriction alone is very, very difficult.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Week Three Results!!
Total pounds lost this week 21.8!! Good Job everyone! After a couple of weeks of dieting, you are starting to make healthy eating a habit. So keep it up! If you are on the opposite end and getting bored, read up on the blog to keep motivated!
We also have an 18th person joining our team!!
Cheryl McClellean -1
Linda Bayliss -1
Sandy Bayliss -1.9
Chelsey Best -1.6
Amy Walsh -0.2 FF
Andy Walsh -2.5
Jodi Beachy -2.5
Jenn Vaske +1.2 FF
Angie Michel -1
Camille Opp -1
Erin Maxwell -1.2
Todd Maxwell -2.6
Tom Jackson -6.8
Lori Becker +0.5 FF
Katrina Brown +0.8 FF
Isiah McGee -1
Devin Rowling 0 FF
We also have an 18th person joining our team!!
Cheryl McClellean -1
Linda Bayliss -1
Sandy Bayliss -1.9
Chelsey Best -1.6
Amy Walsh -0.2 FF
Andy Walsh -2.5
Jodi Beachy -2.5
Jenn Vaske +1.2 FF
Angie Michel -1
Camille Opp -1
Erin Maxwell -1.2
Todd Maxwell -2.6
Tom Jackson -6.8
Lori Becker +0.5 FF
Katrina Brown +0.8 FF
Isiah McGee -1
Devin Rowling 0 FF
Thursday, September 22, 2011
8 Common Diet Mistakes and how to Fix them!
1. One-Food Wonders
One diet promises that you can lose 10 pounds in a week by eating as much as you want -- as long as what you're eating is cabbage soup. Or grapefruit. Or cookies.
Bad idea.
If you go on an extreme, short-term diet, you're setting yourself up to be very hungry and then bingeing. By cutting out entire food groups, you're also prone to nutritional shortfalls and boredom. Eventually, you're going to crave the foods you're missing. Even when the diet works...it doesn't teach you how to maintain your weight loss. It's just a gimmick to restrict calories.
Some of the one-food diets can also have unpleasant side effects. Grapefruit acts as a diuretic, which can lead to dehydration. It can also make you gassy and can interact with some drugs, such as those that treat high blood pressure and abnormal heart rhythms.
Fix It: The bottom line is, if a product or diet sounds too good to be true, it probably is, steer clear of any diet that promises fast results. Weight loss should be a gradual process in which you lose no more than half a pound to 1 pound a week by eating a well-rounded diet.
2. Misguided Vegetarianism
More than 7 million people in the U.S follow a vegetarian diet. Most of them do it with the best of intentions. Either they love animals too much to eat them, or they're opting for what they see as a healthier lifestyle. A healthy vegetarian diet has been linked to lower rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
What many people don't realize is that vegetarian doesn't necessarily mean low-fat or low-calorie. If you're eating carbohydrate- or starch-rich foods, calorically, you might be eating more. In other words, if cheese, pasta, and smoothies are the foundations of your vegetarian diet, you can still gain weight and be unhealthy.
Fix it: Make vegetables the centerpiece of each meal. Add whole grains, fruit, and other healthy non-meat foods. Make sure you get enough protein from vegetable sources like beans, nuts, and tofu and essential amino acids from foods like brown rice.
3. Too Much of a Good Thing
A steady stream of research touts the benefits of one food or another. Chocolate, red wine, olive oil, avocados, and nuts have all had their day in the dietary sun.
True, these foods have health benefits and are nutrient rich, but that doesn't mean more is better. For instance, chocolate, olive oil, avocados, and nuts are all high in calories. One tablespoon of olive oil has 120 calories. Red wine is alcohol, which in large quantities can raise your risk for heart problems and cancer.
Fix It: It's OK to add a healthy ingredient into your diet. But do it in moderation and as part of an overall healthy eating plan. That means a little olive oil, not a couple of glugs. Or a handful of nuts, not the whole bag. You get the idea.
What about so-called superfoods, like the açai berry -- an antioxidant-rich fruit from Central and South America -- which supposedly have amazing health benefits? Take the hype with a grain of salt. There is no such thing as a superfood, the benefit of the food is only going to be as good as your entire diet. Different foods work synergistically for your entire health. The big picture is what counts.
4. Snubbing Carbs
On the flip side of the so-called superfoods are foods that get demonized. If you purge your diet of them, you could pay a price, nutritionally. Carbohydrates are a prime example. You do want to cut down on white bread and white rice, because these and other refined grains are low in nutrients. The U.S. government's guidelines recommend that at least half of your grains are whole grains.
Fix it: Don't cut carbohydrates entirely from your diet. Carbs are the primary foods for energy. Whole-grain bread, oatmeal, and brown rice are high in fiber and rich in B vitamins like folic acid, which are nutritional essentials.
5. Fat-Free Fallacy
There was a time when "low-fat" and "fat-free" were dieters' mantras. Food manufacturers catered to this trend by introducing trimmed-down versions of their products, such as fat-free cookies and low-fat salad dressings -- and many people promptly went overboard. But fat is no longer the dietary bad guy. Doctors and dietitians stress that fats are good for us. We need them.
Fat is a component of every cell in our body. In order to be as effective as possible metabolically for our cells to do their jobs, we need to have fat in our diet. Fat is especially important at every meal when you're dieting, fat helps you stay full. It satiates you. If you cut all of the fat out of your diet or have very little fat, your blood sugar doesn't stay stable for as long a period of time and you notice that you're hungry sooner.
Fix it: Choose healthier fats -- unsaturated fats from plant sources -- and not too much. Nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils like canola or olive oil are the healthiest kinds. Fatty fish are a great source of heart- and brain-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
6. Diet Martyrdom
How many of us have punished ourselves for putting on a few pounds by going into a state of denial? We deny ourselves sweets, fats, and just about every food that makes us happy. Cutting out your favorite foods only sets you up for failure. When you feel hungry all the time, you're more likely to binge.
Fix it: Don't give up your favorite foods. Just eat them in moderation.
It's all about small splurges without being overindulgent when it comes to very calorie-dense foods, combine sweets with healthy foods, like drizzling melted chocolate over strawberries, or adding a few chocolate chips into your granola.
7. Gorging on Grazing
Another recent dieting trend is substituting six small snacks for the old three meals a day. Grazing does have advantages. It keeps your blood sugar level stable throughout the day, so you don’t get as hungry. The trouble with grazing is that you're eating throughout the day, which can spell calorie trouble. If you're used to eating fuller meals and then you start grazing, it's very easy to graze on larger quantities than what you should be eating, so you might end up eating more calories.
Fix it: Pace yourself. Eat mini-meals about every two to three hours, limiting each to 200-300 calories.
8. Unsustainable Approach to Weight Loss
If you're trying to lose weight, do it in a way that's going to last. Or the pounds are going to come back. When you're going on a diet, the most important thing is to find a way of eating that suits your lifestyle. Ask yourself when it comes to any new diet, 'Can I eat this way for the rest of my life?' If the answer is 'no,' that's probably not the diet for you.
Fix it: If you want to lose weight, instead of going on a radical diet, make tiny changes in your life. Add more fresh fruits and vegetables to your meals. Eat a healthy breakfast every morning -- a habit that research shows can help control your weight. Move more, too. Aim for 30-60 minutes of exercise into every day.
One diet promises that you can lose 10 pounds in a week by eating as much as you want -- as long as what you're eating is cabbage soup. Or grapefruit. Or cookies.
Bad idea.
If you go on an extreme, short-term diet, you're setting yourself up to be very hungry and then bingeing. By cutting out entire food groups, you're also prone to nutritional shortfalls and boredom. Eventually, you're going to crave the foods you're missing. Even when the diet works...it doesn't teach you how to maintain your weight loss. It's just a gimmick to restrict calories.
Some of the one-food diets can also have unpleasant side effects. Grapefruit acts as a diuretic, which can lead to dehydration. It can also make you gassy and can interact with some drugs, such as those that treat high blood pressure and abnormal heart rhythms.
Fix It: The bottom line is, if a product or diet sounds too good to be true, it probably is, steer clear of any diet that promises fast results. Weight loss should be a gradual process in which you lose no more than half a pound to 1 pound a week by eating a well-rounded diet.
2. Misguided Vegetarianism
More than 7 million people in the U.S follow a vegetarian diet. Most of them do it with the best of intentions. Either they love animals too much to eat them, or they're opting for what they see as a healthier lifestyle. A healthy vegetarian diet has been linked to lower rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
What many people don't realize is that vegetarian doesn't necessarily mean low-fat or low-calorie. If you're eating carbohydrate- or starch-rich foods, calorically, you might be eating more. In other words, if cheese, pasta, and smoothies are the foundations of your vegetarian diet, you can still gain weight and be unhealthy.
Fix it: Make vegetables the centerpiece of each meal. Add whole grains, fruit, and other healthy non-meat foods. Make sure you get enough protein from vegetable sources like beans, nuts, and tofu and essential amino acids from foods like brown rice.
3. Too Much of a Good Thing
A steady stream of research touts the benefits of one food or another. Chocolate, red wine, olive oil, avocados, and nuts have all had their day in the dietary sun.
True, these foods have health benefits and are nutrient rich, but that doesn't mean more is better. For instance, chocolate, olive oil, avocados, and nuts are all high in calories. One tablespoon of olive oil has 120 calories. Red wine is alcohol, which in large quantities can raise your risk for heart problems and cancer.
Fix It: It's OK to add a healthy ingredient into your diet. But do it in moderation and as part of an overall healthy eating plan. That means a little olive oil, not a couple of glugs. Or a handful of nuts, not the whole bag. You get the idea.
What about so-called superfoods, like the açai berry -- an antioxidant-rich fruit from Central and South America -- which supposedly have amazing health benefits? Take the hype with a grain of salt. There is no such thing as a superfood, the benefit of the food is only going to be as good as your entire diet. Different foods work synergistically for your entire health. The big picture is what counts.
4. Snubbing Carbs
On the flip side of the so-called superfoods are foods that get demonized. If you purge your diet of them, you could pay a price, nutritionally. Carbohydrates are a prime example. You do want to cut down on white bread and white rice, because these and other refined grains are low in nutrients. The U.S. government's guidelines recommend that at least half of your grains are whole grains.
Fix it: Don't cut carbohydrates entirely from your diet. Carbs are the primary foods for energy. Whole-grain bread, oatmeal, and brown rice are high in fiber and rich in B vitamins like folic acid, which are nutritional essentials.
5. Fat-Free Fallacy
There was a time when "low-fat" and "fat-free" were dieters' mantras. Food manufacturers catered to this trend by introducing trimmed-down versions of their products, such as fat-free cookies and low-fat salad dressings -- and many people promptly went overboard. But fat is no longer the dietary bad guy. Doctors and dietitians stress that fats are good for us. We need them.
Fat is a component of every cell in our body. In order to be as effective as possible metabolically for our cells to do their jobs, we need to have fat in our diet. Fat is especially important at every meal when you're dieting, fat helps you stay full. It satiates you. If you cut all of the fat out of your diet or have very little fat, your blood sugar doesn't stay stable for as long a period of time and you notice that you're hungry sooner.
Fix it: Choose healthier fats -- unsaturated fats from plant sources -- and not too much. Nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils like canola or olive oil are the healthiest kinds. Fatty fish are a great source of heart- and brain-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
6. Diet Martyrdom
How many of us have punished ourselves for putting on a few pounds by going into a state of denial? We deny ourselves sweets, fats, and just about every food that makes us happy. Cutting out your favorite foods only sets you up for failure. When you feel hungry all the time, you're more likely to binge.
Fix it: Don't give up your favorite foods. Just eat them in moderation.
It's all about small splurges without being overindulgent when it comes to very calorie-dense foods, combine sweets with healthy foods, like drizzling melted chocolate over strawberries, or adding a few chocolate chips into your granola.
7. Gorging on Grazing
Another recent dieting trend is substituting six small snacks for the old three meals a day. Grazing does have advantages. It keeps your blood sugar level stable throughout the day, so you don’t get as hungry. The trouble with grazing is that you're eating throughout the day, which can spell calorie trouble. If you're used to eating fuller meals and then you start grazing, it's very easy to graze on larger quantities than what you should be eating, so you might end up eating more calories.
Fix it: Pace yourself. Eat mini-meals about every two to three hours, limiting each to 200-300 calories.
8. Unsustainable Approach to Weight Loss
If you're trying to lose weight, do it in a way that's going to last. Or the pounds are going to come back. When you're going on a diet, the most important thing is to find a way of eating that suits your lifestyle. Ask yourself when it comes to any new diet, 'Can I eat this way for the rest of my life?' If the answer is 'no,' that's probably not the diet for you.
Fix it: If you want to lose weight, instead of going on a radical diet, make tiny changes in your life. Add more fresh fruits and vegetables to your meals. Eat a healthy breakfast every morning -- a habit that research shows can help control your weight. Move more, too. Aim for 30-60 minutes of exercise into every day.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
The WORST Restaurant Foods
1. PF Changs Pan-Fried Noodles Combo
By the Numbers: 1,820 cal; 7,690 mg sodium -- five times the daily limit.
2. Five Guys Bacon Cheeseburger Meal
Jumbo-sized meals promote "caloric extremism." The burger alone has 30 grams of saturated fat and 920 calories -- the equivalent of two Quarter Pounders from rival burger chain McDonald's. A large order of fries adds 1,460 calories.
By the Numbers: 2,380 cal -- more than the 2,000-calorie daily limit for most adults.
3. California Pizza Kitchen Tostada Pizza
Despite some healthful ingredients like black beans and shredded lettuce, this Pizza with Lime Chicken makes the list. Just the crust of this "personal" pizza packs from 442 to 614 calories.
By the Numbers: 1,366 cal; 22 g sat. fat; 2,441 mg sodium.
4. California Pizza Kitchen Pesto Penne
Pesto sauce usually contains heart-healthy olive oil, but this dish also contains loads of cream. That contributes to the surprisingly high saturated fat content, more than twice the daily limit.
By the Numbers: 1,397 cal; 50 g sat. fat; 725 mg sodium.
5. Cheesecake Factory Pasta Carbonara
This pasta provides 25% more calories than many adults should consume in a whole day. Bacon and cream sauce help boost the saturated fat content to about four times the daily limit.
By the Numbers: 2,134 cal; 81 g sat. fat; 1,246 mg sodium.
6. Cheesecake Factory Chocolate Tower
Of all the cakes at the Cheesecake Factory, the Chocolate Truffle Tower Cake is the most fattening. One slice weighs three-quarters of a pound. Splitting an order with a friend could limit the damage, but would still approach nearly 900 calories.
By the Numbers: 1,679 cal; 49 g sat. fat.
7. Bob Evans Stuffed Hotcakes
The Cinnamon Cream Stacked & Stuffed Hotcakes draw extra scorn. The meal includes sugary "chips," cream-cheese-flavored filling, cream sauce, and whipped topping.
By the Numbers: 1,380 cal; 27 g sat. fat; 7 g trans fat.
8. Chevy's Crab and Shrimp Quesadilla
These "Frisbee-size" white-flour tortillas are stuffed with cheese and cream sauce and topped with guacamole and sour cream. This quesadilla offers nearly a full day's worth of calories in a single meal.
By the Numbers: 1,790 cal; 63 g sat. fat; 3,440 mg sodium.
9. Outback Rack of Lamb Meal
The rack is equal to about eight lamb chops and comes with garlic mashed potatoes, wine sauce, and veggies.
By the Numbers: 1,007 cal; 31 g sat. fat; 2,348 mg sodium.
Ways to avoid some of these meals in restaurants:
Find Hidden Calories
Diners can avoid the most fattening restaurant meals by reading the menu closely. The following descriptions are clues that fat -- and a lot of extra calories -- may have been added during preparation: pan-fried, sautéed, battered, breaded, au gratin, cheesy, creamy, buttered, deep-fried, béarnaise, or crispy. "Crisp" items are often deep-fried in oil.
Ask How It's Cooked
Fish baked with herbs, veggies, and lemon juice is one cooking method that adds very little fat or calories to a meal. Other healthy cooking methods include:
grilled, broiled, roasted, baked, poached, steamed
Go á la Carte
Avoid the super-sized portions of restaurant meals by ordering side orders instead. In a Mexican restaurant, you could try one soft-shelled taco of grilled meats, a cup of chicken-tortilla soup, a side salad, and a fruit dessert. You get exactly what you want. And you avoid mindlessly munching on the fried rice and refried beans that usually come with a standard restaurant meal.
Downsize
When only a hamburger will do, or a drive-through is your only option, think small. Try the child's meal or a junior burger. The following substitutions can provide a fast-food fix with fewer calories:
Double cheeseburger: 600 | Cheeseburger: 320
Super fries: 540 | Small fries: 210
Large soda: 310 | Small soda: 150
Hide Temptations
Many restaurants present a picture of abundance, starting with an overflowing basket of bread or chips. To prevent mindlessly inhaling a few hundred calories before your main meal, wave the waiter away when he swoops in with the basket of carbs. Or ask the waiter to remove the basket as soon as you've had a small portion.
Pasta
Pasta swimming in cream sauce can be an unhealthy choice -- it's packed with fat, calories, and cholesterol. Eat a small portion and top with better sauces, such as:
Red clam sauce
Marinara sauce without meat
Primavera sauce without cream
Marsala sauce with wine, not butter
Pizza
Pizzerias are accustomed to special orders -- and the following tactics can significantly reduce the calories and fat in pizza:
Order a thin crust.
Pile on veggies, and skip the meat.
Ask for extra sauce and half the cheese.
After a slice or two, take the rest home.
Dessert
Fresh fruit is available at many restaurants now, including fast-food chains, thanks to demand from health-conscious diners. If it's not listed with the desserts, check the side dishes -- or ask for a special order. Even the Cheesecake Factory offers a Goblet of Fresh Strawberries as a light alternative to their over-the-top confections. It provides a sweet finish for just 110 calories.
By the Numbers: 1,820 cal; 7,690 mg sodium -- five times the daily limit.
2. Five Guys Bacon Cheeseburger Meal
Jumbo-sized meals promote "caloric extremism." The burger alone has 30 grams of saturated fat and 920 calories -- the equivalent of two Quarter Pounders from rival burger chain McDonald's. A large order of fries adds 1,460 calories.
By the Numbers: 2,380 cal -- more than the 2,000-calorie daily limit for most adults.
3. California Pizza Kitchen Tostada Pizza
Despite some healthful ingredients like black beans and shredded lettuce, this Pizza with Lime Chicken makes the list. Just the crust of this "personal" pizza packs from 442 to 614 calories.
By the Numbers: 1,366 cal; 22 g sat. fat; 2,441 mg sodium.
4. California Pizza Kitchen Pesto Penne
Pesto sauce usually contains heart-healthy olive oil, but this dish also contains loads of cream. That contributes to the surprisingly high saturated fat content, more than twice the daily limit.
By the Numbers: 1,397 cal; 50 g sat. fat; 725 mg sodium.
5. Cheesecake Factory Pasta Carbonara
This pasta provides 25% more calories than many adults should consume in a whole day. Bacon and cream sauce help boost the saturated fat content to about four times the daily limit.
By the Numbers: 2,134 cal; 81 g sat. fat; 1,246 mg sodium.
6. Cheesecake Factory Chocolate Tower
Of all the cakes at the Cheesecake Factory, the Chocolate Truffle Tower Cake is the most fattening. One slice weighs three-quarters of a pound. Splitting an order with a friend could limit the damage, but would still approach nearly 900 calories.
By the Numbers: 1,679 cal; 49 g sat. fat.
7. Bob Evans Stuffed Hotcakes
The Cinnamon Cream Stacked & Stuffed Hotcakes draw extra scorn. The meal includes sugary "chips," cream-cheese-flavored filling, cream sauce, and whipped topping.
By the Numbers: 1,380 cal; 27 g sat. fat; 7 g trans fat.
8. Chevy's Crab and Shrimp Quesadilla
These "Frisbee-size" white-flour tortillas are stuffed with cheese and cream sauce and topped with guacamole and sour cream. This quesadilla offers nearly a full day's worth of calories in a single meal.
By the Numbers: 1,790 cal; 63 g sat. fat; 3,440 mg sodium.
9. Outback Rack of Lamb Meal
The rack is equal to about eight lamb chops and comes with garlic mashed potatoes, wine sauce, and veggies.
By the Numbers: 1,007 cal; 31 g sat. fat; 2,348 mg sodium.
Ways to avoid some of these meals in restaurants:
Find Hidden Calories
Diners can avoid the most fattening restaurant meals by reading the menu closely. The following descriptions are clues that fat -- and a lot of extra calories -- may have been added during preparation: pan-fried, sautéed, battered, breaded, au gratin, cheesy, creamy, buttered, deep-fried, béarnaise, or crispy. "Crisp" items are often deep-fried in oil.
Ask How It's Cooked
Fish baked with herbs, veggies, and lemon juice is one cooking method that adds very little fat or calories to a meal. Other healthy cooking methods include:
grilled, broiled, roasted, baked, poached, steamed
Go á la Carte
Avoid the super-sized portions of restaurant meals by ordering side orders instead. In a Mexican restaurant, you could try one soft-shelled taco of grilled meats, a cup of chicken-tortilla soup, a side salad, and a fruit dessert. You get exactly what you want. And you avoid mindlessly munching on the fried rice and refried beans that usually come with a standard restaurant meal.
Downsize
When only a hamburger will do, or a drive-through is your only option, think small. Try the child's meal or a junior burger. The following substitutions can provide a fast-food fix with fewer calories:
Double cheeseburger: 600 | Cheeseburger: 320
Super fries: 540 | Small fries: 210
Large soda: 310 | Small soda: 150
Hide Temptations
Many restaurants present a picture of abundance, starting with an overflowing basket of bread or chips. To prevent mindlessly inhaling a few hundred calories before your main meal, wave the waiter away when he swoops in with the basket of carbs. Or ask the waiter to remove the basket as soon as you've had a small portion.
Pasta
Pasta swimming in cream sauce can be an unhealthy choice -- it's packed with fat, calories, and cholesterol. Eat a small portion and top with better sauces, such as:
Red clam sauce
Marinara sauce without meat
Primavera sauce without cream
Marsala sauce with wine, not butter
Pizza
Pizzerias are accustomed to special orders -- and the following tactics can significantly reduce the calories and fat in pizza:
Order a thin crust.
Pile on veggies, and skip the meat.
Ask for extra sauce and half the cheese.
After a slice or two, take the rest home.
Dessert
Fresh fruit is available at many restaurants now, including fast-food chains, thanks to demand from health-conscious diners. If it's not listed with the desserts, check the side dishes -- or ask for a special order. Even the Cheesecake Factory offers a Goblet of Fresh Strawberries as a light alternative to their over-the-top confections. It provides a sweet finish for just 110 calories.
Ideal Weight or Happy Weight?
How much weight do you really need to lose?
Maybe you've been struggling -- without success -- to get down to the size you were in high school or on your wedding day. But do you really need to go that low? The truth, experts say, is that you can weigh more than your ideal weight and still be healthy (not to mention happy).
If you're overweight, losing just 10% of your body weight is associated with a myriad of health benefits, including lowering blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood sugar, and reducing your risk for heart disease. Not only that, experts say, but this kind of weight loss is easier to attain and maintain, setting you up for success in the long run.
Your Weight "Set Point"
Just as your body temperature is programmed to stay around 98.6 degrees, your body weight is naturally regulated to stay within a range of 10%-20%. This weight range is known as the "set point."
A complex set of hormones, chemicals, and hunger signals help your body naturally maintain your weight within this range. It is not just a matter of genetics, though. Your eating and exercise habits can also help to determine your set point.
Overeating swamps the internal regulatory system, and, as a result, the set point increases -- which is much easier to do than it is to lower it. The body adjusts to the higher weight and "resets" the set point to defend the new weight. It is difficult, but not impossible, to set your range lower. With changes in healthy eating and exercise behavior, you can lower your set point.
The 10% Solution to Weight Loss
A recent book, Break Through Your Set Point: How to Finally Lose the Weight You Want and Keep It Off, by George Blackburn, MD, suggests that maintaining a 10% loss for six months to a year helps your body adjust to the lower weight and thus reset the set point.
When you lose large amounts of weight at once, you set up an internal struggle and hormones like ghrelin spike to make you hungrier as your body tries to defend its comfortable range. Instead, experts recommend that you try losing 10% the old-fashioned way -- by slowly changing eating and exercise behaviors -- then maintain this new weight for a few months before trying to lose more. Not only will your body get the signal to lower its "set point," but you'll give yourself a chance to get used to new food choices, smaller portions, and regular exercise.
When people lose 10% it may not be the pant size they want, but they start to realize how a little weight loss impacts their health in very positive ways. They feel better, sleep better, have more energy or less joint pain, and some people are able to reduce medications.
How Much Should I Weigh?
Most people overestimate how much weight they can realistically lose, which leads to frustration. To find your happy or healthy weight, look back on your weight history as an adult and identify a weight you were able to maintain naturally and fairly easily.
And if you've gained more than a few pounds since your wedding day, forget trying to fit into that bridal gown. As you gain weight, you experience an increase in fat cell size and number, which will probably prevent you from getting back to your married weight.
Instead of focusing on the numbers on the scale, set behavioral goals: Eat breakfast every day, go for daily walks, eat more fruits and vegetables -- when you set behavior goals, they are easier to accomplish and they make you feel good. Stick with these behaviors for 3-6 months and they will become part of your life.
Based on your current weight, eat about 10 calories per pound of nutritious food (low in fat, rich in lean protein, high in fiber), get regular exercise, and assess your weight after a month or so. Your weight will settle out and typically you will lose 10%, then hit a plateau, which is a good time to maintain the weight loss. As you get to a healthy weight, you can go up to 12 calories per pound.
Tips for Weight Loss Success
Here are some tips for weight loss success:
Eat regular meals. People who eat regular meals consume fewer calories than those who eat irregular meals.
Use a plate, sit down, and enjoy your meals. Folks who do this eat 43% smaller portions than those who eat out of containers or on the run.
Get at least 30 minutes of moderate activity each day.
How much and what you eat makes a big difference. Enjoy normal portions of foods that are high in fiber (fruits, veggies, whole grains) and rich in lean or low fat protein is the secret to feeling full.
Think positive: Focus on the benefits of a healthier lifestyle rather than the scale.
Maybe you've been struggling -- without success -- to get down to the size you were in high school or on your wedding day. But do you really need to go that low? The truth, experts say, is that you can weigh more than your ideal weight and still be healthy (not to mention happy).
If you're overweight, losing just 10% of your body weight is associated with a myriad of health benefits, including lowering blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood sugar, and reducing your risk for heart disease. Not only that, experts say, but this kind of weight loss is easier to attain and maintain, setting you up for success in the long run.
Your Weight "Set Point"
Just as your body temperature is programmed to stay around 98.6 degrees, your body weight is naturally regulated to stay within a range of 10%-20%. This weight range is known as the "set point."
A complex set of hormones, chemicals, and hunger signals help your body naturally maintain your weight within this range. It is not just a matter of genetics, though. Your eating and exercise habits can also help to determine your set point.
Overeating swamps the internal regulatory system, and, as a result, the set point increases -- which is much easier to do than it is to lower it. The body adjusts to the higher weight and "resets" the set point to defend the new weight. It is difficult, but not impossible, to set your range lower. With changes in healthy eating and exercise behavior, you can lower your set point.
The 10% Solution to Weight Loss
A recent book, Break Through Your Set Point: How to Finally Lose the Weight You Want and Keep It Off, by George Blackburn, MD, suggests that maintaining a 10% loss for six months to a year helps your body adjust to the lower weight and thus reset the set point.
When you lose large amounts of weight at once, you set up an internal struggle and hormones like ghrelin spike to make you hungrier as your body tries to defend its comfortable range. Instead, experts recommend that you try losing 10% the old-fashioned way -- by slowly changing eating and exercise behaviors -- then maintain this new weight for a few months before trying to lose more. Not only will your body get the signal to lower its "set point," but you'll give yourself a chance to get used to new food choices, smaller portions, and regular exercise.
When people lose 10% it may not be the pant size they want, but they start to realize how a little weight loss impacts their health in very positive ways. They feel better, sleep better, have more energy or less joint pain, and some people are able to reduce medications.
How Much Should I Weigh?
Most people overestimate how much weight they can realistically lose, which leads to frustration. To find your happy or healthy weight, look back on your weight history as an adult and identify a weight you were able to maintain naturally and fairly easily.
And if you've gained more than a few pounds since your wedding day, forget trying to fit into that bridal gown. As you gain weight, you experience an increase in fat cell size and number, which will probably prevent you from getting back to your married weight.
Instead of focusing on the numbers on the scale, set behavioral goals: Eat breakfast every day, go for daily walks, eat more fruits and vegetables -- when you set behavior goals, they are easier to accomplish and they make you feel good. Stick with these behaviors for 3-6 months and they will become part of your life.
Based on your current weight, eat about 10 calories per pound of nutritious food (low in fat, rich in lean protein, high in fiber), get regular exercise, and assess your weight after a month or so. Your weight will settle out and typically you will lose 10%, then hit a plateau, which is a good time to maintain the weight loss. As you get to a healthy weight, you can go up to 12 calories per pound.
Tips for Weight Loss Success
Here are some tips for weight loss success:
Eat regular meals. People who eat regular meals consume fewer calories than those who eat irregular meals.
Use a plate, sit down, and enjoy your meals. Folks who do this eat 43% smaller portions than those who eat out of containers or on the run.
Get at least 30 minutes of moderate activity each day.
How much and what you eat makes a big difference. Enjoy normal portions of foods that are high in fiber (fruits, veggies, whole grains) and rich in lean or low fat protein is the secret to feeling full.
Think positive: Focus on the benefits of a healthier lifestyle rather than the scale.
Everyday Calorie Burners
Is your day jam-packed with commitments -- work, school, errands, housecleaning, child care? Do you laugh at the notion of even having 30 minutes to fit in an exercise DVD, much less time to run to the gym?
That doesn’t mean you can’t get a good workout every day, just as part of your daily routine. Find out which everyday activities burn the most calories and how you can make them just a little bit more challenging, to raise your fitness level.
Stay Active Outdoors
This is the place where you can really burn some calories and build strength, so don’t hire out all your yard work. How many calories do typical outdoor activities burn? It varies a lot depending on your size (the heavier you are, the more you burn), age (younger people burn more calories), and how much muscle you have (muscle burns more calories than fat). But on average, here’s what you might expect to burn per hour while cleaning up your yard:
Shoveling snow: 400-600 calories per hour
Heavy yard work (landscaping, moving rocks): 400-600 calories per hour
Raking and bagging leaves: 350-450 calories per hour
Gardening (pulling weeds, planting flowers): 200-400 calories per hour
Mowing the lawn: 250-350 calories per hour
Raking and bagging leaves is particularly good because you also do a lot of bending, twisting, lifting, and carrying -- all things that can build strength and engage a lot of muscle fibers. How can you amp up the calorie-burning power of your yard work? Go old school:
Turn in your power mower for a push mower. You’ll probably burn about 100 calories more per hour and it’s better for the environment!
Exchange electric hedge trimmers for hand-held clippers.
Make everything a little more challenging. When you bring home plants from the garden store, take them back to the yard one flat at a time rather than stacking them on a wheelbarrow and moving them all at once.
Household Chores
Cleaning house is definitely a calorie burner, but it’s not quite as challenging as most outdoor work. Unless there’s a new sport I haven’t heard of called speed vacuuming, you aren’t really elevating your heart rate much. The approximate average calorie count of typical housecleaning activities is:
Major cleaning (turning mattresses, washing windows, washing the car): 175-250 calories per hour.
Moderate housecleaning (laundry loads, mopping and sweeping, vacuuming): 150-200 calories per hour
Light housecleaning (dusting, straightening up, taking out the trash): 120-170 calories per hour.
Child care (depending on how old the kids are and how active they are): 300-600 calories per hour
Just as with outdoor chores, to make these housecleaning tasks more of a workout, you’ve got to get back in time. Turn to an old-fashioned mop and a bucket full of soapy water that you have to carry and occasionally dump and wring out.
Scrub! Switching arms -- if you’re left-handed, scrub with your right and vice versa. It makes it harder to do and tires out your muscles faster. Trying to become ambidextrous will burn more calories, help you move your body in a new and challenging way, and keep your brain alert.
You’re probably trying to be efficient when you haul three loads of laundry up the stairs all at once -- but you’re not burning that many calories. Instead, take advantage of your built-in “home Stairmaster,” and take the clothes up one load at a time.
Taking care of your kids is perhaps one of the best ways to burn extra calories while doing chores around the house. Make your toddler giggle by pressing him up and down like a barbell 10 or 20 times.
And don’t just sit there watching them: do what they do. “Mimic the child’s movements: if he rolls on the ground, you do it. If she climbs on the monkey bars, you do it. If he spins in a circle until he falls down, you do it.
If you’re running errands, be a little bit inefficient. Don’t organize your grocery list by aisle -- so if you have to run back and forth a few times to get all the things you need, that’s just fine.
Next time you go shopping, park at the farthest space, and when you come back, take your cart all the way to the corral nearest the door. Get one more that someone else has left behind and bring it back too. You’ll burn a few extra calories and do a little good deed too.
Stay Active at Work
There are still some jobs where you’ll get a lot of exercise: farming, stocking shelves, doing personal training. But these days, 80% of us work jobs that either confine us to our desks or require only light physical activity -- burning about 120-150 calories an hour. So how can you keep your work from broadening more than your mind?
If you’re really committed to getting more exercise in your daily life, you could ask your boss to invest in the newly popular “treadmill desks” -- they cost $2,000 and up and let you work and work out at the same time. Or if you have a treadmill of your own, there are desks that fit over a treadmill and cost under $500. Buy an extra-tall desk that lets you stand while you type on the computer (you burn more calories standing than sitting).
Not that committed or can’t spare that much extra cash? A stability ball is a lot cheaper than a new desk, and depending on where you work, you could use it as a desk chair. It will burn a few extra calories an hour, but its real benefit is building the core strength in your abdomen and back muscles.
Or just set the timer on your computer calendar to go off every 50 minutes. When it rings, stand up and walk around your office for the next 10 minutes. (Get a cordless phone so you can keep up with your calls.)
Any time you don’t have to sit, don’t, if you’re on the phone and don’t have to be looking at the computer, stand up and walk around your office or cubicle. Need to send a message to a colleague? Walk down the hall and talk to them instead of using interoffice email.
Try to make your commute more of a workout as well. If you ride the train or bus, get off a stop earlier than usual and add a few walking blocks to your day on each end. If you drive, park as far away in the lot as possible.
To get the most calorie burn out of all of your everyday activities, there are three key principles:
Be old-fashioned. Don’t use a motor when a hand tool will do.
Be inefficient. Don’t make one trip when you can make three. Or five.
Do it yourself.
We’ve reached a point in our society where we can have so much done for us: groceries delivered, our houses cleaned, our dogs walked, but the more you outsource these tasks, the more sedentary you become. ---web md
That doesn’t mean you can’t get a good workout every day, just as part of your daily routine. Find out which everyday activities burn the most calories and how you can make them just a little bit more challenging, to raise your fitness level.
Stay Active Outdoors
This is the place where you can really burn some calories and build strength, so don’t hire out all your yard work. How many calories do typical outdoor activities burn? It varies a lot depending on your size (the heavier you are, the more you burn), age (younger people burn more calories), and how much muscle you have (muscle burns more calories than fat). But on average, here’s what you might expect to burn per hour while cleaning up your yard:
Shoveling snow: 400-600 calories per hour
Heavy yard work (landscaping, moving rocks): 400-600 calories per hour
Raking and bagging leaves: 350-450 calories per hour
Gardening (pulling weeds, planting flowers): 200-400 calories per hour
Mowing the lawn: 250-350 calories per hour
Raking and bagging leaves is particularly good because you also do a lot of bending, twisting, lifting, and carrying -- all things that can build strength and engage a lot of muscle fibers. How can you amp up the calorie-burning power of your yard work? Go old school:
Turn in your power mower for a push mower. You’ll probably burn about 100 calories more per hour and it’s better for the environment!
Exchange electric hedge trimmers for hand-held clippers.
Make everything a little more challenging. When you bring home plants from the garden store, take them back to the yard one flat at a time rather than stacking them on a wheelbarrow and moving them all at once.
Household Chores
Cleaning house is definitely a calorie burner, but it’s not quite as challenging as most outdoor work. Unless there’s a new sport I haven’t heard of called speed vacuuming, you aren’t really elevating your heart rate much. The approximate average calorie count of typical housecleaning activities is:
Major cleaning (turning mattresses, washing windows, washing the car): 175-250 calories per hour.
Moderate housecleaning (laundry loads, mopping and sweeping, vacuuming): 150-200 calories per hour
Light housecleaning (dusting, straightening up, taking out the trash): 120-170 calories per hour.
Child care (depending on how old the kids are and how active they are): 300-600 calories per hour
Just as with outdoor chores, to make these housecleaning tasks more of a workout, you’ve got to get back in time. Turn to an old-fashioned mop and a bucket full of soapy water that you have to carry and occasionally dump and wring out.
Scrub! Switching arms -- if you’re left-handed, scrub with your right and vice versa. It makes it harder to do and tires out your muscles faster. Trying to become ambidextrous will burn more calories, help you move your body in a new and challenging way, and keep your brain alert.
You’re probably trying to be efficient when you haul three loads of laundry up the stairs all at once -- but you’re not burning that many calories. Instead, take advantage of your built-in “home Stairmaster,” and take the clothes up one load at a time.
Taking care of your kids is perhaps one of the best ways to burn extra calories while doing chores around the house. Make your toddler giggle by pressing him up and down like a barbell 10 or 20 times.
And don’t just sit there watching them: do what they do. “Mimic the child’s movements: if he rolls on the ground, you do it. If she climbs on the monkey bars, you do it. If he spins in a circle until he falls down, you do it.
If you’re running errands, be a little bit inefficient. Don’t organize your grocery list by aisle -- so if you have to run back and forth a few times to get all the things you need, that’s just fine.
Next time you go shopping, park at the farthest space, and when you come back, take your cart all the way to the corral nearest the door. Get one more that someone else has left behind and bring it back too. You’ll burn a few extra calories and do a little good deed too.
Stay Active at Work
There are still some jobs where you’ll get a lot of exercise: farming, stocking shelves, doing personal training. But these days, 80% of us work jobs that either confine us to our desks or require only light physical activity -- burning about 120-150 calories an hour. So how can you keep your work from broadening more than your mind?
If you’re really committed to getting more exercise in your daily life, you could ask your boss to invest in the newly popular “treadmill desks” -- they cost $2,000 and up and let you work and work out at the same time. Or if you have a treadmill of your own, there are desks that fit over a treadmill and cost under $500. Buy an extra-tall desk that lets you stand while you type on the computer (you burn more calories standing than sitting).
Not that committed or can’t spare that much extra cash? A stability ball is a lot cheaper than a new desk, and depending on where you work, you could use it as a desk chair. It will burn a few extra calories an hour, but its real benefit is building the core strength in your abdomen and back muscles.
Or just set the timer on your computer calendar to go off every 50 minutes. When it rings, stand up and walk around your office for the next 10 minutes. (Get a cordless phone so you can keep up with your calls.)
Any time you don’t have to sit, don’t, if you’re on the phone and don’t have to be looking at the computer, stand up and walk around your office or cubicle. Need to send a message to a colleague? Walk down the hall and talk to them instead of using interoffice email.
Try to make your commute more of a workout as well. If you ride the train or bus, get off a stop earlier than usual and add a few walking blocks to your day on each end. If you drive, park as far away in the lot as possible.
To get the most calorie burn out of all of your everyday activities, there are three key principles:
Be old-fashioned. Don’t use a motor when a hand tool will do.
Be inefficient. Don’t make one trip when you can make three. Or five.
Do it yourself.
We’ve reached a point in our society where we can have so much done for us: groceries delivered, our houses cleaned, our dogs walked, but the more you outsource these tasks, the more sedentary you become. ---web md
Ways to Combat Mindless Eating
Ever eat a whole bag of chips when you’re not even hungry? If so, count yourself among the millions who are victims of mindless eating. That's the phrase to describe subconscious eating habits that can lead to unnecessary weight gain.
The good news: You can turn mindless eating into mindlessly eating better -- and maybe even weight loss -- simply by making little changes such as eating off smaller plates.
Larger Plate = Larger Meal
One problem, at least in the U.S., is that our eyes really are bigger than our stomachs. The dish size influences how much we eat.
In one test, 168 moviegoers who had just finished dinner were given fresh or stale popcorn from different-size containers. People ate 34% to 45% more popcorn if it was served in "extra-super-size ginormous buckets" than in regular large containers -- even if the popcorn was stale.
Another test, found that people pour about 37% more liquid in short, wide glasses than in tall, skinny ones of the same volume. Even a kid's cereal bowl can be a trap. Children poured about twice as much cereal into a 16-ounce bowl than into an 8-ounce bowl.
In another experiment, 30 people were served soup out of a "bottomless bowl" that was pressure-fed under the table and slowly refilled from the bottom without them knowing. Another 30 people were served soup in regular bowls. The people with bottomless bowls ate 73% more than those with regular bowls, but they didn't rate themselves as any more full than those who ate less. Don't rely on your stomach to tell you when you're full. It can lie.
The Solution: Mindful Eating
To combat mindless eating, get rid of things in your immediate environment that are biasing you toward eating too much.
Since people eat more off of large plates, serve meals on salad plates rather than large dinner plates.
Keep the candy dish out of view and move healthier foods to eye level in the cupboard and refrigerator.
Eat in the kitchen or dining room, rather than in front of the TV, where you're likely to lose track of how much you've eaten, he says.
We can train ourselves to better know when we’re full. Start with this simple mindful eating technique. Pour yourself a 20-ounce glass of water, drink half, and concentrate on what it feels like in your stomach. Then drink the other half.
People notice an immediate difference. The water stretches the stomach and they feel full.
The good news: You can turn mindless eating into mindlessly eating better -- and maybe even weight loss -- simply by making little changes such as eating off smaller plates.
Larger Plate = Larger Meal
One problem, at least in the U.S., is that our eyes really are bigger than our stomachs. The dish size influences how much we eat.
In one test, 168 moviegoers who had just finished dinner were given fresh or stale popcorn from different-size containers. People ate 34% to 45% more popcorn if it was served in "extra-super-size ginormous buckets" than in regular large containers -- even if the popcorn was stale.
Another test, found that people pour about 37% more liquid in short, wide glasses than in tall, skinny ones of the same volume. Even a kid's cereal bowl can be a trap. Children poured about twice as much cereal into a 16-ounce bowl than into an 8-ounce bowl.
In another experiment, 30 people were served soup out of a "bottomless bowl" that was pressure-fed under the table and slowly refilled from the bottom without them knowing. Another 30 people were served soup in regular bowls. The people with bottomless bowls ate 73% more than those with regular bowls, but they didn't rate themselves as any more full than those who ate less. Don't rely on your stomach to tell you when you're full. It can lie.
The Solution: Mindful Eating
To combat mindless eating, get rid of things in your immediate environment that are biasing you toward eating too much.
Since people eat more off of large plates, serve meals on salad plates rather than large dinner plates.
Keep the candy dish out of view and move healthier foods to eye level in the cupboard and refrigerator.
Eat in the kitchen or dining room, rather than in front of the TV, where you're likely to lose track of how much you've eaten, he says.
We can train ourselves to better know when we’re full. Start with this simple mindful eating technique. Pour yourself a 20-ounce glass of water, drink half, and concentrate on what it feels like in your stomach. Then drink the other half.
People notice an immediate difference. The water stretches the stomach and they feel full.
Week 2 Results!!
SMALL CHANGE THIS WEEK...one scale reading was off.
So second week is definitely harder as some of us figured out. But all in all, we all together lost 22.7 lbs this week! Great job to everyone and don't get discouraged if you didn't lose anything this week. Just start fresh and try, try again.
Cheryl McClellean -1
Linda Bayliss 0.5 FF
Sandy Bayliss 0 FF
Chelsey Best 0.2 FF
Amy Walsh -0.2 FF
Andy Walsh -2.5
Jodi Beachy -2.2
Jenn Vaske -2.4
Angie Michel -1.8
Camille Opp -0.8 FF
Erin Maxwell -5
Todd Maxwell -2
Tom Jackson -2
Lori Becker -1.1
Katrina Brown -3.4
Isiah McGee +1 FF
So second week is definitely harder as some of us figured out. But all in all, we all together lost 22.7 lbs this week! Great job to everyone and don't get discouraged if you didn't lose anything this week. Just start fresh and try, try again.
Cheryl McClellean -1
Linda Bayliss 0.5 FF
Sandy Bayliss 0 FF
Chelsey Best 0.2 FF
Amy Walsh -0.2 FF
Andy Walsh -2.5
Jodi Beachy -2.2
Jenn Vaske -2.4
Angie Michel -1.8
Camille Opp -0.8 FF
Erin Maxwell -5
Todd Maxwell -2
Tom Jackson -2
Lori Becker -1.1
Katrina Brown -3.4
Isiah McGee +1 FF
Friday, September 16, 2011
New to Exercise?
Losing weight is all about calories in and calories out, so if you are having trouble sticking to fewer calories, another way to burn calories is to get moving!!
If you want to start an exercise program, check out some of these tips!
There are many types of exercises that can be incorporated into your everyday life without taking a lot of time or costly resources. The hardest part is getting started!
Different Types of Exercises
There are three main types of exercises for beginners: aerobic exercise, flexibility exercises and strength training. Try different types of exercises to see which ones you like. You may want to spend one week doing an aerobics program and another week walking. Not only are you figuring out which program suits you and your lifestyle the best, but you are losing weight while experimenting!
Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise for beginners is a type of exercise that increases blood flow and uses the larger body muscles. The American Heart Association offers a great heart health program called Choose to Move. This free program shows women how to exercise regularly, eat healthy, love their bodies, and select nutritious foods.
To keep your heart healthy, aerobic exercise is fun and exciting. Forget joining a gym or riding tirelessly on a stationary bike if that’s not your thing. Go cross training, cycling, walking, jogging, and swimming. Remember to keep the exercise fun and light impact at first; you do not want to strain yourself.
Flexibility Exercises
Flexibility exercises for beginners are the types of exercise routines that shape the body and stretch the muscles. Pilates and yoga are good examples of flexibility exercises. This reduces the occurrences of back pain and muscle pain. According to Pilates.com, Pilates gets the mind and body in tune by emphasizing breathing technique, correct spinal and pelvic alignment, and concentration on the naturally flowing movements of the body so that its movements can be better managed and controlled. If you do not have time or are not physically able to join a Pilates group, try the great flexibility exercises located at The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, Aetna InteliHealth, and MedLine Plus. Each of these resources has pictures, instructions, and precautions to help you maintain a healthy flexibility exercise routine.
Strength Training Exercises
Strength training is lifting weights. A strength training exercise routine can help build and maintain healthy muscles, bones, and joints along with many other areas, like strength, balance, functional ability, psychological well-being, and enhanced sport performance. Remember to be careful with strength training---it is very easy to over strain your muscles. Proper stretching and knowing your limits is very important.
Duration of Exercises
Think about the duration of your exercise routine by using the FIT acronym: Frequency, Intensity and Time.
Frequency is how often you plan on exercising. Most experts recommend exercising at least three days a week, but some doctors feel that exercising five days a week will bring the best results. Exercise should not be more than you are comfortable with. A good frequency is three to five times per week with one to two days between exercise sessions.
Intensity is the amount of energy and strain placed on the body during exercise. The longer you get your heart-rate elevated, the more calories you are burning. Be careful with intensity---your exercise should never be painful, but a good muscle burn is normal.
The amount of time you will spend exercising is also important when you begin an exercise routine. Do not think that you will be able to spend an hour doing high-impact aerobics when you first start out exercising. Exercise for beginners should last at least 15 minutes, but no more than 30 minutes for moderate to high intensity exercise and 30 minutes to an hour for low intensity exercise routines such as walking.
Everyday Ways to Exercise
Adjusting an exercise routine to your lifestyle is definitely a good way to start working out. There are small things that we do, or could be doing, on a daily basis that can help with weight loss and slowly increase your fitness level.
-Up your cleaning
Cleaning the house is a great way to lose weight and exercise. Have you ever tried to speed-dust? What about marathon vacuum sessions? Heavy cleaning is a great way to lose weight and keep your house sparkling.
-Park further away
Do not spend 15 minutes looking for the perfect parking space; spend only three minutes parking further away from the store and walk or jog. Not only will you be exercising, you will actually be saving gas and money!
-Skip the elevator
Most large buildings have elevators and escalators that are designed to make us lazy. Unless you are carrying a large load or supervising a dozen children, take the stairs.
-Love commercials
Most people dread watching commercials and will channel surf, or fast-forward if you have the program recorded. Don’t do it! Get up and walk the stairs or hallway. Doing this for an hour program will get you almost 20 minutes of exercise!
The most important thing to remember about exercise is to have a support system of family, friends, co-workers cheering you on. These people can help keep you motivated and stay on course with your new exercise routine.
What’s Your Fitness Style?
Some people find it easy to set the alarm clock for 4:30 a.m. and jump out of bed for a five-mile run, while others hit the snooze button so many times that the chance of a morning workout becomes obsolete. There are specific aspects of your personality that determine what kind of exerciser you are, so if you've found yourself in a fitness rut, it's time to put your unique interests back into the equation.
If you want to start an exercise program, check out some of these tips!
There are many types of exercises that can be incorporated into your everyday life without taking a lot of time or costly resources. The hardest part is getting started!
Different Types of Exercises
There are three main types of exercises for beginners: aerobic exercise, flexibility exercises and strength training. Try different types of exercises to see which ones you like. You may want to spend one week doing an aerobics program and another week walking. Not only are you figuring out which program suits you and your lifestyle the best, but you are losing weight while experimenting!
Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise for beginners is a type of exercise that increases blood flow and uses the larger body muscles. The American Heart Association offers a great heart health program called Choose to Move. This free program shows women how to exercise regularly, eat healthy, love their bodies, and select nutritious foods.
To keep your heart healthy, aerobic exercise is fun and exciting. Forget joining a gym or riding tirelessly on a stationary bike if that’s not your thing. Go cross training, cycling, walking, jogging, and swimming. Remember to keep the exercise fun and light impact at first; you do not want to strain yourself.
Flexibility Exercises
Flexibility exercises for beginners are the types of exercise routines that shape the body and stretch the muscles. Pilates and yoga are good examples of flexibility exercises. This reduces the occurrences of back pain and muscle pain. According to Pilates.com, Pilates gets the mind and body in tune by emphasizing breathing technique, correct spinal and pelvic alignment, and concentration on the naturally flowing movements of the body so that its movements can be better managed and controlled. If you do not have time or are not physically able to join a Pilates group, try the great flexibility exercises located at The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, Aetna InteliHealth, and MedLine Plus. Each of these resources has pictures, instructions, and precautions to help you maintain a healthy flexibility exercise routine.
Strength Training Exercises
Strength training is lifting weights. A strength training exercise routine can help build and maintain healthy muscles, bones, and joints along with many other areas, like strength, balance, functional ability, psychological well-being, and enhanced sport performance. Remember to be careful with strength training---it is very easy to over strain your muscles. Proper stretching and knowing your limits is very important.
Duration of Exercises
Think about the duration of your exercise routine by using the FIT acronym: Frequency, Intensity and Time.
Frequency is how often you plan on exercising. Most experts recommend exercising at least three days a week, but some doctors feel that exercising five days a week will bring the best results. Exercise should not be more than you are comfortable with. A good frequency is three to five times per week with one to two days between exercise sessions.
Intensity is the amount of energy and strain placed on the body during exercise. The longer you get your heart-rate elevated, the more calories you are burning. Be careful with intensity---your exercise should never be painful, but a good muscle burn is normal.
The amount of time you will spend exercising is also important when you begin an exercise routine. Do not think that you will be able to spend an hour doing high-impact aerobics when you first start out exercising. Exercise for beginners should last at least 15 minutes, but no more than 30 minutes for moderate to high intensity exercise and 30 minutes to an hour for low intensity exercise routines such as walking.
Everyday Ways to Exercise
Adjusting an exercise routine to your lifestyle is definitely a good way to start working out. There are small things that we do, or could be doing, on a daily basis that can help with weight loss and slowly increase your fitness level.
-Up your cleaning
Cleaning the house is a great way to lose weight and exercise. Have you ever tried to speed-dust? What about marathon vacuum sessions? Heavy cleaning is a great way to lose weight and keep your house sparkling.
-Park further away
Do not spend 15 minutes looking for the perfect parking space; spend only three minutes parking further away from the store and walk or jog. Not only will you be exercising, you will actually be saving gas and money!
-Skip the elevator
Most large buildings have elevators and escalators that are designed to make us lazy. Unless you are carrying a large load or supervising a dozen children, take the stairs.
-Love commercials
Most people dread watching commercials and will channel surf, or fast-forward if you have the program recorded. Don’t do it! Get up and walk the stairs or hallway. Doing this for an hour program will get you almost 20 minutes of exercise!
The most important thing to remember about exercise is to have a support system of family, friends, co-workers cheering you on. These people can help keep you motivated and stay on course with your new exercise routine.
What’s Your Fitness Style?
Some people find it easy to set the alarm clock for 4:30 a.m. and jump out of bed for a five-mile run, while others hit the snooze button so many times that the chance of a morning workout becomes obsolete. There are specific aspects of your personality that determine what kind of exerciser you are, so if you've found yourself in a fitness rut, it's time to put your unique interests back into the equation.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Conquer your food cravings!!
When you can safely give in...
Have a little bit of really good stuff.
You're more likely to be satisfied with a small amount of the real thing. Otherwise, what can happen is that you say to yourself, "I want chocolate, but I don't want the calories," so you start with some cocoa, then go on to other foods that don't satisfy your craving, and you end up having the chocolate anyway.
Never eat a treat by itself.
Feed your yen for chips, but have only a few with a low-fat dip (like hummus or a yogurt-dill mix). Include something healthy and low-calorie, too, like red pepper strips and celery. Filling out your snack will help you resist downing a bag of chips. And the veggies are full of fiber, which will make you feel full — all for a few calories.
Go the distance.
Don't keep treats in the house. You won't be able to resist them. If you really want something special, go to the store and buy a snack-size amount — just one small pack of cookies or chips.
Clear your palate.
Once you've had your little taste, have a drink of water or brush your teeth. If the taste of that food lingers in your mouth, it will trigger more eating.
Schedule your delights.
Plan your daily menu, and include a couple of 100- to 150-calorie treats. A group of dieters not only gained more control over their trigger foods doing this, but also lost, on average, 22 pounds in 16 weeks on a 1,400-calorie diet.
If You Need to Give It Up...
Tap your forehead.
It may sound woo-woo, but there's science behind this five-second trick to displace your craving thoughts. Since the working memory is small, you can crowd out your food desires by placing the five fingers of one hand on your forehead, spaced slightly apart, and then, at intervals of a second, tapping each finger while looking upward and watching it. You may need to do some reps "until your thoughts go elsewhere."
Walk for 15 minutes.
That's how long it took for a group of 25 chocoholics to exercise off their desire for a chocolate bar. And their resistance was severely tested: In the University of Exeter study, the scientists had teased the subjects with mental challenges (stress triggers cravings) and an actual chocolate bar — which participants had to unwrap.
Take a whiff of mint.
A study at Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia found that people who sniffed peppermint periodically throughout the day ate 2,800 fewer calories during the week. When you focus on the scent, your attention is driven away from cravings.
Call a friend.
Studies in rats suggest that eating comfort food reduces stress response, which may explain why turmoil sends you to the kitchen for your best friend, cookie. It does help you temporarily, but better to vent with a friend. That always works.
Be at peace with your cravings. A study done at Drexel University found that people who'd been taught to use techniques similar to mindfulness meditation were better able to resist a treat — in this case, a package of Hershey's Kisses — than those who didn't have the training. Mindfulness teaches that thoughts are just thoughts and don't require any rush to judgment or to action. If you try to make them go away, all your focus is on the food, but if you just exist with the thought, it loses its power. One way to make that easier: Think about what you want out of life that feeding your craving might deny you. To be fit enough to hike with your kids? Slim enough to wear a slinky red dress to your cousin's wedding? Identifying what's ultimately important to you will allow that goal to direct your behavior, rather than a food craving.
Never be hungry.
It's the one tip that will allow you to go from depriving to indulging yourself — even having chocolate every day if you like — without fear of bingeing. If you eat the right foods, you won't be hungry, people eating three meals a day with two snacks, and almost 100 percent of them said their cravings weren't bothering them anymore. Won't it feel nice to finally get that Chunky Monkey off your back?
---web md
Have a little bit of really good stuff.
You're more likely to be satisfied with a small amount of the real thing. Otherwise, what can happen is that you say to yourself, "I want chocolate, but I don't want the calories," so you start with some cocoa, then go on to other foods that don't satisfy your craving, and you end up having the chocolate anyway.
Never eat a treat by itself.
Feed your yen for chips, but have only a few with a low-fat dip (like hummus or a yogurt-dill mix). Include something healthy and low-calorie, too, like red pepper strips and celery. Filling out your snack will help you resist downing a bag of chips. And the veggies are full of fiber, which will make you feel full — all for a few calories.
Go the distance.
Don't keep treats in the house. You won't be able to resist them. If you really want something special, go to the store and buy a snack-size amount — just one small pack of cookies or chips.
Clear your palate.
Once you've had your little taste, have a drink of water or brush your teeth. If the taste of that food lingers in your mouth, it will trigger more eating.
Schedule your delights.
Plan your daily menu, and include a couple of 100- to 150-calorie treats. A group of dieters not only gained more control over their trigger foods doing this, but also lost, on average, 22 pounds in 16 weeks on a 1,400-calorie diet.
If You Need to Give It Up...
Tap your forehead.
It may sound woo-woo, but there's science behind this five-second trick to displace your craving thoughts. Since the working memory is small, you can crowd out your food desires by placing the five fingers of one hand on your forehead, spaced slightly apart, and then, at intervals of a second, tapping each finger while looking upward and watching it. You may need to do some reps "until your thoughts go elsewhere."
Walk for 15 minutes.
That's how long it took for a group of 25 chocoholics to exercise off their desire for a chocolate bar. And their resistance was severely tested: In the University of Exeter study, the scientists had teased the subjects with mental challenges (stress triggers cravings) and an actual chocolate bar — which participants had to unwrap.
Take a whiff of mint.
A study at Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia found that people who sniffed peppermint periodically throughout the day ate 2,800 fewer calories during the week. When you focus on the scent, your attention is driven away from cravings.
Call a friend.
Studies in rats suggest that eating comfort food reduces stress response, which may explain why turmoil sends you to the kitchen for your best friend, cookie. It does help you temporarily, but better to vent with a friend. That always works.
Be at peace with your cravings. A study done at Drexel University found that people who'd been taught to use techniques similar to mindfulness meditation were better able to resist a treat — in this case, a package of Hershey's Kisses — than those who didn't have the training. Mindfulness teaches that thoughts are just thoughts and don't require any rush to judgment or to action. If you try to make them go away, all your focus is on the food, but if you just exist with the thought, it loses its power. One way to make that easier: Think about what you want out of life that feeding your craving might deny you. To be fit enough to hike with your kids? Slim enough to wear a slinky red dress to your cousin's wedding? Identifying what's ultimately important to you will allow that goal to direct your behavior, rather than a food craving.
Never be hungry.
It's the one tip that will allow you to go from depriving to indulging yourself — even having chocolate every day if you like — without fear of bingeing. If you eat the right foods, you won't be hungry, people eating three meals a day with two snacks, and almost 100 percent of them said their cravings weren't bothering them anymore. Won't it feel nice to finally get that Chunky Monkey off your back?
---web md
Benefits of Breakfast
What's for breakfast - coffee? Most mornings, we barely glance at the kitchen. Fixing breakfast takes up precious time that's in short supply. But there's ample evidence that the simple act of eating breakfast -- every day -- is a big part of losing weight, lots of weight.
"People skip breakfast thinking they're cutting calories, but by mid-morning and lunch, that person is starved," says Milton Stokes, RD, MPH, chief dietitian for St. Barnabas Hospital in New York City. "Breakfast skippers replace calories during the day with mindless nibbling, bingeing at lunch and dinner. They set themselves up for failure."
Eating breakfast is a daily habit for the "successful losers" who belong to The National Weight Control Registry. These people have maintained a 30-pound (or more) weight loss for at least a year, and some as long as six years.
A research group analyzed government data on 4,200 adults. They found that regular breakfast eaters were more likely to exercise regularly. And women who ate breakfast regularly tended to eat fewer calories overall during the day. Those men and women who ate breakfast cereal had lower overall fat intake -- compared to those who ate other breakfast foods.
It makes sense: Eating early in the day keeps us from "starvation eating" later on. But it also jump-starts your metabolism, when you don't eat breakfast, you're actually fasting for 15 to 20 hours, so you're not producing the enzymes needed to metabolize fat to lose weight.
Those researched say that before having breakfast regularly, they would eat most of their calories after 5 p.m., now, they try to distribute calories throughout the day. It makes sense that the body wants to be fueled.
The Smart Breakfast
If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it's best to make wise food choices. That's where fruits, vegetables, and whole grains come into the picture. Because these are high-fiber foods, they fill you up - yet they bring less fat to the table.
These high-fiber foods allow you to eat more food yet get fewer calories. It's a concept called "energy density" - the number of calories in a specified amount of food.
Some foods - especially fats - are very energy dense, which means they have a lot of calories packed into a small size. However, foods that contain lots of water have very low energy density. Water itself has an energy density of zero. High-fiber foods like fruits, vegetables, and grains have low energy density.
Translation: If you eat foods with high energy density, such as bagels, you rack up calories quickly. If you eat high-fiber, low-energy-density foods - such as oatmeal, strawberries, walnuts, and low-fat yogurt -- you can eat more and get fewer calories.
A breakfast made up of 1 cup of oatmeal, 1/2lf cup of low-fat milk, 1 cup of sliced strawberries, and 1 tablespoon of walnuts has only 307 calories total. Two multi-grain waffles, with 1 cup of blueberries, 3 tablespoons of light syrup, and 1 cup of plain low-fat yogurt have about 450 calories total. That's almost equal to the standard bagel-and-cream-cheese breakfast - yet it is more food and much lower in fat.
Breakfast Fast and Easy
A high-fiber cereal - 3 to 5 grams of fiber per serving -- is optimal. As for sugary cereals, "it's better than nothing." Some breakfast is better than no breakfast. The last thing anyone should do is skip breakfast. Otherwise, you'll be eating something even worse later on - candy bars and potato chips -- because you're starving.
Smart Breakfast Made Simple
Breakfast doesn't need to be elaborate, a good philosophy is, the simpler the better. Keep frozen blueberries or peaches on hand, they're even more nutritious than fresh anyway because they are picked at peak time, and frozen immediately. Peanut butter, eggs, low-fat yogurt/milk are other good choices.
Quick breakfast suggestions:
Banana with peanut butter
Banana sliced into yogurt
Oatmeal with fruit -- like apples, blueberries, or peaches
Small tortilla with a few tablespoons of peanut butter and chopped strawberries. Roll it up, slice it.
Breakfast smoothies -- berries, ice, and milk or yogurt.
As for the much-beloved bagel - sadly, it's the calorie equivalent of five slices of bread. Just eat half. Better yet, don't bring them into your home. You'll just end up eating the whole thing so it won't go bad.
Best option: Go for the smaller bagels, the little ones that are like hockey pucks. Spread some almond or cashew butter on it instead of cream cheese. People think cream cheese is a dairy food, but it's not -- it's fat. If you must have cream cheese, buy low-fat. Honestly there is no difference in taste. Add a little bit of jam, some sliced strawberries.
If on-the-run fast food breakfast sandwiches are your downfall, here's how to indulge in a healthy way: whole-grain English muffins, a cooked egg, low-fat cheese melted on top - ham or Canadian bacon optional. It's portable. You can drive with that.
Eating breakfast may help with hunger the rest of the day and get you started on a good note in the morning. ---web md
Good choices lead to more good choices!! That is my motto and I am sticking to it!
Amy
"People skip breakfast thinking they're cutting calories, but by mid-morning and lunch, that person is starved," says Milton Stokes, RD, MPH, chief dietitian for St. Barnabas Hospital in New York City. "Breakfast skippers replace calories during the day with mindless nibbling, bingeing at lunch and dinner. They set themselves up for failure."
Eating breakfast is a daily habit for the "successful losers" who belong to The National Weight Control Registry. These people have maintained a 30-pound (or more) weight loss for at least a year, and some as long as six years.
A research group analyzed government data on 4,200 adults. They found that regular breakfast eaters were more likely to exercise regularly. And women who ate breakfast regularly tended to eat fewer calories overall during the day. Those men and women who ate breakfast cereal had lower overall fat intake -- compared to those who ate other breakfast foods.
It makes sense: Eating early in the day keeps us from "starvation eating" later on. But it also jump-starts your metabolism, when you don't eat breakfast, you're actually fasting for 15 to 20 hours, so you're not producing the enzymes needed to metabolize fat to lose weight.
Those researched say that before having breakfast regularly, they would eat most of their calories after 5 p.m., now, they try to distribute calories throughout the day. It makes sense that the body wants to be fueled.
The Smart Breakfast
If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it's best to make wise food choices. That's where fruits, vegetables, and whole grains come into the picture. Because these are high-fiber foods, they fill you up - yet they bring less fat to the table.
These high-fiber foods allow you to eat more food yet get fewer calories. It's a concept called "energy density" - the number of calories in a specified amount of food.
Some foods - especially fats - are very energy dense, which means they have a lot of calories packed into a small size. However, foods that contain lots of water have very low energy density. Water itself has an energy density of zero. High-fiber foods like fruits, vegetables, and grains have low energy density.
Translation: If you eat foods with high energy density, such as bagels, you rack up calories quickly. If you eat high-fiber, low-energy-density foods - such as oatmeal, strawberries, walnuts, and low-fat yogurt -- you can eat more and get fewer calories.
A breakfast made up of 1 cup of oatmeal, 1/2lf cup of low-fat milk, 1 cup of sliced strawberries, and 1 tablespoon of walnuts has only 307 calories total. Two multi-grain waffles, with 1 cup of blueberries, 3 tablespoons of light syrup, and 1 cup of plain low-fat yogurt have about 450 calories total. That's almost equal to the standard bagel-and-cream-cheese breakfast - yet it is more food and much lower in fat.
Breakfast Fast and Easy
A high-fiber cereal - 3 to 5 grams of fiber per serving -- is optimal. As for sugary cereals, "it's better than nothing." Some breakfast is better than no breakfast. The last thing anyone should do is skip breakfast. Otherwise, you'll be eating something even worse later on - candy bars and potato chips -- because you're starving.
Smart Breakfast Made Simple
Breakfast doesn't need to be elaborate, a good philosophy is, the simpler the better. Keep frozen blueberries or peaches on hand, they're even more nutritious than fresh anyway because they are picked at peak time, and frozen immediately. Peanut butter, eggs, low-fat yogurt/milk are other good choices.
Quick breakfast suggestions:
Banana with peanut butter
Banana sliced into yogurt
Oatmeal with fruit -- like apples, blueberries, or peaches
Small tortilla with a few tablespoons of peanut butter and chopped strawberries. Roll it up, slice it.
Breakfast smoothies -- berries, ice, and milk or yogurt.
As for the much-beloved bagel - sadly, it's the calorie equivalent of five slices of bread. Just eat half. Better yet, don't bring them into your home. You'll just end up eating the whole thing so it won't go bad.
Best option: Go for the smaller bagels, the little ones that are like hockey pucks. Spread some almond or cashew butter on it instead of cream cheese. People think cream cheese is a dairy food, but it's not -- it's fat. If you must have cream cheese, buy low-fat. Honestly there is no difference in taste. Add a little bit of jam, some sliced strawberries.
If on-the-run fast food breakfast sandwiches are your downfall, here's how to indulge in a healthy way: whole-grain English muffins, a cooked egg, low-fat cheese melted on top - ham or Canadian bacon optional. It's portable. You can drive with that.
Eating breakfast may help with hunger the rest of the day and get you started on a good note in the morning. ---web md
Good choices lead to more good choices!! That is my motto and I am sticking to it!
Amy
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Food Frauds
Thought these foods were healthy?? Think again!
1. Caesar Salad
Just a small bowl has 300-400 calories and 30 grams of fat, thanks to loads of dressing.
Food Fix: Use only 1 Tbs. dressing and 2 Tbs. tangy, Parmesan cheese.
2. Fresh Smoothies
That "healthy" berry blend at a smoothie shop can have a whopping 80 grams of sugar, 350 calories or more, little protein, and often no fresh fruit. Fruit "concentrates" are often used instead of fresh fruit. And sorbet, ice cream, and sweeteners can make these no better than a milkshake.
Food Fix: Get the "small" cup. Ask for fresh fruit, low-fat yogurt, milk, or protein powder to blend in protein and good nutrition.
3. Energy Bars
Many of these are simply enhanced candy bars with more calories (up to 500) and a higher price tag. Their compact size also leaves many people unsatisfied.
Food Fix: Choose bars that have 200 calories or less, at least 5 grams of protein, and some fiber, which helps provide energy when the sugar rush fades.
4. Chicken Burrito
With healthy beans and no red meat, what's the problem? About 1,000 calories and plenty of saturated fat -- cheese, sour cream, and the fat in the jumbo flour tortilla all contribute. And when the burrito is as big as your forearm, the serving is just too big.
Food Fix: Share one. Or try a soft taco with fajita-style grilled meats and veggies on a corn tortilla with tasty low-calorie salsa.
5. Sugar Free Foods
Sugar-free foods sound like a no-brainer for weight loss. But a problem arises when we choose an artificially sweetened food or drink, then feel that we deserve a large order of fries or a jumbo dessert. Upsizing the fries adds nearly 300 calories to your meal. If your calorie intake exceeds what you burn off, you'll still gain weight -- and you can't blame the sugar-free foods.
Food Fix: Watch your total calorie intake.
6. Enhanced Water
Vitamins are commonly added to bottled water and advertised on the front label. But some brands also add sugar, taking water from zero calories to as much as 125.
Food Fix: Refrigerating tap water may make it more appealing to family members. Or try packets of crystallized lemon to add flavor without calories.
7. 2% Milk
Two percent milk sounds healthier than "whole" milk. But it still has more than half the saturated fat of whole milk. Here's what's in a cup of milk:
Whole Milk (3.25%) = 150 cal., 8g fat, 5g sat. fat
Reduced-fat (2%) = 130 cal., 5g fat, 3g sat. fat
Skim (nonfat) = 80 cal., 0g fat, 0g sat. fat
Food Fix: If you like whole milk, blend it with 2% for a while, then 1%, then skim, until you get used to the taste of nonfat milk.
8. 2% Milk Latte
It's tempting to choose "reduced-fat" milk in a latte and reward yourself with whipped cream on top. Sadly, this trade-off still adds up to 580 calories and 15 grams of saturated fat in a 20 ounce white chocolate mocha. That's worse than a quarter-pound burger with cheese.
Food Fix: A sweetened, frothy beverage is a diet splurge. Limit the damage with nonfat (skim) milk and no whipped cream. You'll avoid 130 calories and two-thirds of the bad fat.
9. Turkey Hot Dogs
The nutritional content of turkey hot dogs varies from brand to brand. It may say "less fat" on the front label, but when you check the fine print on the back, you find there's still plenty of fat left in each sausage.
Food Fix: Compare nutrition labels for the lowest fat content; there are some really good choices now available. Or only eat them a few times a year.
10. Breakfast Muffins
Muffins masquerade as a healthy choice for breakfast. They beat doughnuts, they're still mainly sugary little cakes of refined flour. One store-bought muffin can hit 500 calories with 11 teaspoons of sugar.
Food Fix: Go no larger than 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Or look for 100-calorie muffins at the store. They limit calories, and some brands are a surprisingly good source of whole grains and fiber.
11. Low Fat Granola
The low-fat version of this crunchy cereal has only 10% fewer calories and is still full of sugar. Plus, the low-fat label can easily lead you to overeat.
Food Fix: Look for low-sugar, whole-grain cereal, and sweeten it with fresh fruit.
12. Low Fat Yogurt
Too often this nutritional superstar — rich in protein and calcium — contains shocking amounts of added sugar. Some brands add 30 or more grams of fructose, sucrose, or other sweeteners Compare plain to fruited yogurts to see the difference between naturally-occurring milk sugar and added sugar listed on the nutrition facts panel.
Food Fix: Six ounces should be 90-130 calories and under 20 grams of sugar. Avoid sugary "fruit on the bottom," or blend sweetened yogurt with plain, nonfat yogurt.
13. Multigrain
When you see "multigrain" or "seven grain" on bread, pasta, or waffles, flip the package over and check the nutrition label. Even with more than one type of grain, the product could be made largely from refined grains — such as white flour — which have been stripped of fiber and many nutrients.
Food Fix: Look for "100% whole grain" (oats, wheat) as the first ingredient. Or choose the brand with more fiber.
14. Light Olive Oil
Anything labeled "light" is enticing when you're watching your weight. But often the food is not what you expect. Light olive oil, for instance, has the same calorie and fat content as other types -- it's just lighter in color and taste.
Food Fix: Some light foods do provide significant calorie savings. Compare the labels in the store.
15. Added Omega-3
Some yogurt, milk, eggs, cereal, and other foods boast of added omega-3. But most don't contain the kinds of omega-3 best known to help your heart -- EPA and DHA. Or there's only a smidgen -- about as much as in one bite of salmon. Instead, they contain ALA from vegetable sources. Vegetable sources of omega-3 from ALA are not as potent or beneficial as DHA/EPA.
Food Fix: Try 6 ounces of salmon. It has 100 times more omega-3 than is in a serving of fortified yogurt.
16. Iced Tea
The antioxidants in iced tea don't make it a health food. Too much added sugar can turn a tall glass into a health hazard. A 20-ounce bottle can have more than 200 calories and 59 grams of sugar.
Food Fix: Skip "sweet tea" in favor of unsweetened iced tea. Lemon or artificial sweeteners add zing without calories. Herbal and berry teas taste mildly sweet without sugar.
17. Microwave Popcorn
The word "snack" can be a little misleading on microwave popcorn. One popular brand packs 9 grams of bad fat, including 6 grams of trans fat, into each "snack size" bag.
Food Fix: Compare nutrition labels and get a lower-fat popcorn that has no trans fat at all. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese or low-salt spice blends for added flavor without a lot of fat.
18. Iceberg Lettuce
This popular lettuce is big on crunch but a big "zero" when it comes to vitamins and flavor. And its boring taste leads many people to overdo it on the dressing and toppings.
Food Fix: Add spinach or arugula to the mix. Crumble 2 tablespoons (100 calories) of blue cheese or feta on top. Then splash the salad with a little oil and vinegar to spread flavor without a lot of calories.
19. Salad Toppings
Processed artichoke hearts, chickpeas, and olives are just a few of the salt shockers lurking on the salad bar. To avoid an unhealthy amount of sodium, limit anything that comes out of a can. Also pass up cured meats. Choose beans or tuna, but not both.
Food Fix: Radishes, bell peppers, cucumbers, and other fresh vegetables are low in sodium. Rinse canned beans to remove a lot of the salt.
20. Cole Slaw
Cabbage can be dandy for weight loss, but cole slaw can be a diet disaster. At one popular restaurant, a small cup (4.5 ounces) has 260 calories and 21 grams of fat — a third of most people's daily limit — thanks to copious mayonnaise.
Food Fix: Some places make a healthier slaw, so ask for nutrition information. At home, try low-fat mayonnaise or mix with nonfat yogurt.
21. A little Trans Fat
One cinnamon roll can have 2 grams of trans fat -- hitting the daily limit for this unhealthy type of fat before you have the second one. Pastries, cookies, and crackers often contain trans fat -- and have ridiculously small serving sizes. And in a trick of labeling, less than 0.5 grams per serving can be labeled "trans-fat free." Eating too many servings may add up to too much trans fat when you think you're not getting any.
Food Fix: Check the back label for trans fat per serving. Don't eat out of the bag or box. Doing so leads to overeating.
22. Banana Chips
Deep-fried bananas are probably not what the doctor envisioned when she told you to eat more fruits and veggies. These don't look greasy, but just one ounce has 145 calories, 9 grams of fat, and 8 grams of saturated fat -- about the same as a fast food hamburger.
Food Fix: Try a fresh banana: four times more food, 0 grams of fat, all for about 100 calories.
23. Cracker Sandwiches
Some cracker sandwiches now say "whole grain" -- a step in the right direction. But what you see on the front label may be only a tiny portion of what you eat. When a whole grain does not appear in the first three ingredients, there's not much of it. "Wheat flour" is usually just a different name for refined, white flour -- a name intended to sound healthier than it is and fool customers.
Food Fix: Limit portions. Or keep a low-fat cracker like a crisp bread and peanut butter in your desk drawer.
1. Caesar Salad
Just a small bowl has 300-400 calories and 30 grams of fat, thanks to loads of dressing.
Food Fix: Use only 1 Tbs. dressing and 2 Tbs. tangy, Parmesan cheese.
2. Fresh Smoothies
That "healthy" berry blend at a smoothie shop can have a whopping 80 grams of sugar, 350 calories or more, little protein, and often no fresh fruit. Fruit "concentrates" are often used instead of fresh fruit. And sorbet, ice cream, and sweeteners can make these no better than a milkshake.
Food Fix: Get the "small" cup. Ask for fresh fruit, low-fat yogurt, milk, or protein powder to blend in protein and good nutrition.
3. Energy Bars
Many of these are simply enhanced candy bars with more calories (up to 500) and a higher price tag. Their compact size also leaves many people unsatisfied.
Food Fix: Choose bars that have 200 calories or less, at least 5 grams of protein, and some fiber, which helps provide energy when the sugar rush fades.
4. Chicken Burrito
With healthy beans and no red meat, what's the problem? About 1,000 calories and plenty of saturated fat -- cheese, sour cream, and the fat in the jumbo flour tortilla all contribute. And when the burrito is as big as your forearm, the serving is just too big.
Food Fix: Share one. Or try a soft taco with fajita-style grilled meats and veggies on a corn tortilla with tasty low-calorie salsa.
5. Sugar Free Foods
Sugar-free foods sound like a no-brainer for weight loss. But a problem arises when we choose an artificially sweetened food or drink, then feel that we deserve a large order of fries or a jumbo dessert. Upsizing the fries adds nearly 300 calories to your meal. If your calorie intake exceeds what you burn off, you'll still gain weight -- and you can't blame the sugar-free foods.
Food Fix: Watch your total calorie intake.
6. Enhanced Water
Vitamins are commonly added to bottled water and advertised on the front label. But some brands also add sugar, taking water from zero calories to as much as 125.
Food Fix: Refrigerating tap water may make it more appealing to family members. Or try packets of crystallized lemon to add flavor without calories.
7. 2% Milk
Two percent milk sounds healthier than "whole" milk. But it still has more than half the saturated fat of whole milk. Here's what's in a cup of milk:
Whole Milk (3.25%) = 150 cal., 8g fat, 5g sat. fat
Reduced-fat (2%) = 130 cal., 5g fat, 3g sat. fat
Skim (nonfat) = 80 cal., 0g fat, 0g sat. fat
Food Fix: If you like whole milk, blend it with 2% for a while, then 1%, then skim, until you get used to the taste of nonfat milk.
8. 2% Milk Latte
It's tempting to choose "reduced-fat" milk in a latte and reward yourself with whipped cream on top. Sadly, this trade-off still adds up to 580 calories and 15 grams of saturated fat in a 20 ounce white chocolate mocha. That's worse than a quarter-pound burger with cheese.
Food Fix: A sweetened, frothy beverage is a diet splurge. Limit the damage with nonfat (skim) milk and no whipped cream. You'll avoid 130 calories and two-thirds of the bad fat.
9. Turkey Hot Dogs
The nutritional content of turkey hot dogs varies from brand to brand. It may say "less fat" on the front label, but when you check the fine print on the back, you find there's still plenty of fat left in each sausage.
Food Fix: Compare nutrition labels for the lowest fat content; there are some really good choices now available. Or only eat them a few times a year.
10. Breakfast Muffins
Muffins masquerade as a healthy choice for breakfast. They beat doughnuts, they're still mainly sugary little cakes of refined flour. One store-bought muffin can hit 500 calories with 11 teaspoons of sugar.
Food Fix: Go no larger than 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Or look for 100-calorie muffins at the store. They limit calories, and some brands are a surprisingly good source of whole grains and fiber.
11. Low Fat Granola
The low-fat version of this crunchy cereal has only 10% fewer calories and is still full of sugar. Plus, the low-fat label can easily lead you to overeat.
Food Fix: Look for low-sugar, whole-grain cereal, and sweeten it with fresh fruit.
12. Low Fat Yogurt
Too often this nutritional superstar — rich in protein and calcium — contains shocking amounts of added sugar. Some brands add 30 or more grams of fructose, sucrose, or other sweeteners Compare plain to fruited yogurts to see the difference between naturally-occurring milk sugar and added sugar listed on the nutrition facts panel.
Food Fix: Six ounces should be 90-130 calories and under 20 grams of sugar. Avoid sugary "fruit on the bottom," or blend sweetened yogurt with plain, nonfat yogurt.
13. Multigrain
When you see "multigrain" or "seven grain" on bread, pasta, or waffles, flip the package over and check the nutrition label. Even with more than one type of grain, the product could be made largely from refined grains — such as white flour — which have been stripped of fiber and many nutrients.
Food Fix: Look for "100% whole grain" (oats, wheat) as the first ingredient. Or choose the brand with more fiber.
14. Light Olive Oil
Anything labeled "light" is enticing when you're watching your weight. But often the food is not what you expect. Light olive oil, for instance, has the same calorie and fat content as other types -- it's just lighter in color and taste.
Food Fix: Some light foods do provide significant calorie savings. Compare the labels in the store.
15. Added Omega-3
Some yogurt, milk, eggs, cereal, and other foods boast of added omega-3. But most don't contain the kinds of omega-3 best known to help your heart -- EPA and DHA. Or there's only a smidgen -- about as much as in one bite of salmon. Instead, they contain ALA from vegetable sources. Vegetable sources of omega-3 from ALA are not as potent or beneficial as DHA/EPA.
Food Fix: Try 6 ounces of salmon. It has 100 times more omega-3 than is in a serving of fortified yogurt.
16. Iced Tea
The antioxidants in iced tea don't make it a health food. Too much added sugar can turn a tall glass into a health hazard. A 20-ounce bottle can have more than 200 calories and 59 grams of sugar.
Food Fix: Skip "sweet tea" in favor of unsweetened iced tea. Lemon or artificial sweeteners add zing without calories. Herbal and berry teas taste mildly sweet without sugar.
17. Microwave Popcorn
The word "snack" can be a little misleading on microwave popcorn. One popular brand packs 9 grams of bad fat, including 6 grams of trans fat, into each "snack size" bag.
Food Fix: Compare nutrition labels and get a lower-fat popcorn that has no trans fat at all. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese or low-salt spice blends for added flavor without a lot of fat.
18. Iceberg Lettuce
This popular lettuce is big on crunch but a big "zero" when it comes to vitamins and flavor. And its boring taste leads many people to overdo it on the dressing and toppings.
Food Fix: Add spinach or arugula to the mix. Crumble 2 tablespoons (100 calories) of blue cheese or feta on top. Then splash the salad with a little oil and vinegar to spread flavor without a lot of calories.
19. Salad Toppings
Processed artichoke hearts, chickpeas, and olives are just a few of the salt shockers lurking on the salad bar. To avoid an unhealthy amount of sodium, limit anything that comes out of a can. Also pass up cured meats. Choose beans or tuna, but not both.
Food Fix: Radishes, bell peppers, cucumbers, and other fresh vegetables are low in sodium. Rinse canned beans to remove a lot of the salt.
20. Cole Slaw
Cabbage can be dandy for weight loss, but cole slaw can be a diet disaster. At one popular restaurant, a small cup (4.5 ounces) has 260 calories and 21 grams of fat — a third of most people's daily limit — thanks to copious mayonnaise.
Food Fix: Some places make a healthier slaw, so ask for nutrition information. At home, try low-fat mayonnaise or mix with nonfat yogurt.
21. A little Trans Fat
One cinnamon roll can have 2 grams of trans fat -- hitting the daily limit for this unhealthy type of fat before you have the second one. Pastries, cookies, and crackers often contain trans fat -- and have ridiculously small serving sizes. And in a trick of labeling, less than 0.5 grams per serving can be labeled "trans-fat free." Eating too many servings may add up to too much trans fat when you think you're not getting any.
Food Fix: Check the back label for trans fat per serving. Don't eat out of the bag or box. Doing so leads to overeating.
22. Banana Chips
Deep-fried bananas are probably not what the doctor envisioned when she told you to eat more fruits and veggies. These don't look greasy, but just one ounce has 145 calories, 9 grams of fat, and 8 grams of saturated fat -- about the same as a fast food hamburger.
Food Fix: Try a fresh banana: four times more food, 0 grams of fat, all for about 100 calories.
23. Cracker Sandwiches
Some cracker sandwiches now say "whole grain" -- a step in the right direction. But what you see on the front label may be only a tiny portion of what you eat. When a whole grain does not appear in the first three ingredients, there's not much of it. "Wheat flour" is usually just a different name for refined, white flour -- a name intended to sound healthier than it is and fool customers.
Food Fix: Limit portions. Or keep a low-fat cracker like a crisp bread and peanut butter in your desk drawer.
Exercise Excuses & How to Beat them
You know you should be exercising. We've all heard that physically active people are healthier. They're less likely to develop heart disease, diabetes, and some cancer, they sleep better, and they feel happier and more energetic. Of course, a fit body looks better, too. But when it comes time to actually get out there and start moving, many of us have a long list of excuses not to exercise -- too little time, too little energy, or we simply don't like to work out. How can you get past the excuses and get moving? Here are six top exercises excuses cited by fitness experts -- along with tactics for overcoming them.
Exercise Excuse No. 1: "I Don't Have Time."
How much television do you watch? During your shows, use resistance bands, or walk in place. Or use Tivo so you can skip the commercials and see a one-hour show later in just 40 minutes.
If it's work that's sapping all your spare time, try exercising on the job. Close your office door and jump rope for 10 minutes, or walk in place.
Your exercise doesn't have to be a formal workout either. Try making small lifestyle changes that help you move more: take the stairs instead of the escalator, don't drive when you can walk, and get a pedometer and try to increase the number of steps you take throughout the day.
The U.S. Surgeon General recommends at least 150 minutes of aerobic activity per week, which may sound daunting, but actually works out to a little over 20 minutes each day. The good news is that three 10-minute exercise sessions work just about as well as one 30-minute one, and can be much easier to fit into your schedule.
People who exercise regularly "make it a habit," They haven't bought any more time during the day than anyone else, what they've done is prioritize it.
Exercise Excuse No. 2: "I'm Too Tired."
It may sound counterintuitive, but working out actually gives you more energy, once you get moving, your fatigue will likely disappear.
You're getting the endorphins [feel-good hormones in your body] to release, and you're getting the circulation going -- as opposed to coming home and crashing on the couch.
It may help to work out in the morning, before you get wiped out by a demanding workday. But if you're just not a morning person, don't worry. Just do it whenever you feel best.
Exercise Excuse No. 3: "I Don't Get a Break From the Kids."
The answer is to multitask. Take the kids with you, while they're swinging, you can walk around the playground or the backyard, or jump rope. Walk the kids to school instead of driving them. During their soccer games or practices, walk briskly around the field.
Use your family time for active pursuit. Go biking with your kids, put up a badminton net in the yard, sign up as a family for "fun runs," or just walk around the neighborhood with your children. When the weather's bad, try active video games like Dance Dance Revolution, Wii Sport, and Wii Fit.
Exercise Excuse No. 4: "Exercise Is Boring."
Exercise should be like sex, you should want it before you do it, it should feel good while you're doing it, and you should feel good about it when it's over.
So how do you get there? First, find an activity you love. Think outside the box: try inline skating, dancing, or gardening. Join a sports league. Or, if you love music, try ballroom dancing. There's an exercise for everyone, it doesn't have to be onerous or unpleasant.
If it makes exercise more enjoyable for you, it's OK to watch TV or read while you're on the exercise bike or treadmill -- just don't forget to pedal or run.
Working out with a group also helps many people. Not everybody's cut out to put on their iPod and go on a six-mile run by themselves.
And, every once in a while, try something totally new. Mix it up so you don't get bored.
Exercise Excuse No. 5: "I Just Don't Like to Move."
There are people who really enjoy not moving, they prefer to knit, read books, or watch TV. If it's sweating you don't like, you can get a good workout without perspiring excessively. You can work out indoors, where it's air conditioned. You can swim so you won't notice any perspiration. Or, try a low-sweat activity like yoga.
If exercise hurts your joints, try starting by exercising in watert. The stronger your muscles get, the more they can support your joints, and the less you'll hurt.
If you don't like to move because you feel too fat, start with an activity that's less public, like using an exercise video at home. Walk with nonjudgmental friends in your neighborhood while wearing clothes that provide enough coverage that you feel comfortable.
Exercise Excuse No. 6: "I Always End up Quitting."
Set small, attainable goals. Then you're more likely to feel like a success, not a failure. If you exercise for five minutes a day for a week, you'll feel good -- and more likely to want to try 10 minutes a day the next week.
It also helps to keep a log and post it somewhere public -- even on Facebook. A log also helps you see if you're starting to fall off the wagon (or the treadmill).
Having an exercise buddy keeps you accountable as well. When you back out of a scheduled workout, you're letting down your buddy as well as yourself.
And look toward the future. It's harder to start exercising than to stick with it once you've got your momentum going, I bet you after two weeks of this, you'll feel really good!!!! ---web md
Exercise Excuse No. 1: "I Don't Have Time."
How much television do you watch? During your shows, use resistance bands, or walk in place. Or use Tivo so you can skip the commercials and see a one-hour show later in just 40 minutes.
If it's work that's sapping all your spare time, try exercising on the job. Close your office door and jump rope for 10 minutes, or walk in place.
Your exercise doesn't have to be a formal workout either. Try making small lifestyle changes that help you move more: take the stairs instead of the escalator, don't drive when you can walk, and get a pedometer and try to increase the number of steps you take throughout the day.
The U.S. Surgeon General recommends at least 150 minutes of aerobic activity per week, which may sound daunting, but actually works out to a little over 20 minutes each day. The good news is that three 10-minute exercise sessions work just about as well as one 30-minute one, and can be much easier to fit into your schedule.
People who exercise regularly "make it a habit," They haven't bought any more time during the day than anyone else, what they've done is prioritize it.
Exercise Excuse No. 2: "I'm Too Tired."
It may sound counterintuitive, but working out actually gives you more energy, once you get moving, your fatigue will likely disappear.
You're getting the endorphins [feel-good hormones in your body] to release, and you're getting the circulation going -- as opposed to coming home and crashing on the couch.
It may help to work out in the morning, before you get wiped out by a demanding workday. But if you're just not a morning person, don't worry. Just do it whenever you feel best.
Exercise Excuse No. 3: "I Don't Get a Break From the Kids."
The answer is to multitask. Take the kids with you, while they're swinging, you can walk around the playground or the backyard, or jump rope. Walk the kids to school instead of driving them. During their soccer games or practices, walk briskly around the field.
Use your family time for active pursuit. Go biking with your kids, put up a badminton net in the yard, sign up as a family for "fun runs," or just walk around the neighborhood with your children. When the weather's bad, try active video games like Dance Dance Revolution, Wii Sport, and Wii Fit.
Exercise Excuse No. 4: "Exercise Is Boring."
Exercise should be like sex, you should want it before you do it, it should feel good while you're doing it, and you should feel good about it when it's over.
So how do you get there? First, find an activity you love. Think outside the box: try inline skating, dancing, or gardening. Join a sports league. Or, if you love music, try ballroom dancing. There's an exercise for everyone, it doesn't have to be onerous or unpleasant.
If it makes exercise more enjoyable for you, it's OK to watch TV or read while you're on the exercise bike or treadmill -- just don't forget to pedal or run.
Working out with a group also helps many people. Not everybody's cut out to put on their iPod and go on a six-mile run by themselves.
And, every once in a while, try something totally new. Mix it up so you don't get bored.
Exercise Excuse No. 5: "I Just Don't Like to Move."
There are people who really enjoy not moving, they prefer to knit, read books, or watch TV. If it's sweating you don't like, you can get a good workout without perspiring excessively. You can work out indoors, where it's air conditioned. You can swim so you won't notice any perspiration. Or, try a low-sweat activity like yoga.
If exercise hurts your joints, try starting by exercising in watert. The stronger your muscles get, the more they can support your joints, and the less you'll hurt.
If you don't like to move because you feel too fat, start with an activity that's less public, like using an exercise video at home. Walk with nonjudgmental friends in your neighborhood while wearing clothes that provide enough coverage that you feel comfortable.
Exercise Excuse No. 6: "I Always End up Quitting."
Set small, attainable goals. Then you're more likely to feel like a success, not a failure. If you exercise for five minutes a day for a week, you'll feel good -- and more likely to want to try 10 minutes a day the next week.
It also helps to keep a log and post it somewhere public -- even on Facebook. A log also helps you see if you're starting to fall off the wagon (or the treadmill).
Having an exercise buddy keeps you accountable as well. When you back out of a scheduled workout, you're letting down your buddy as well as yourself.
And look toward the future. It's harder to start exercising than to stick with it once you've got your momentum going, I bet you after two weeks of this, you'll feel really good!!!! ---web md
The Power of Positive Thinking
It can be hard to get to and stay at a healthy weight. It takes healthy eating and regular exercise. These can be hard changes to make. But you can help yourself succeed just by thinking that you can succeed. If you tell yourself negative things-"I can't do this. Why bother?"-change will be harder. But if you encourage yourself with thoughts like "I can do this," you can raise your chance of success.
With time and practice, you can change what you say to yourself. You can learn to think in a positive way even when you make a mistake.
Key points
Negative thoughts can make it harder to reach and stay at a healthy weight.
Changing your thinking will take some time. You need to practice healthy thinking every day. After a while, it will come naturally.
Positive thinking, or healthy thinking, is a way to help you stay well by changing how you think. It’s based on research that shows that you can change how you think. And how you think affects how you feel.
1.Stop. When you notice a negative thought, stop it in its tracks and write it down.
2. Ask. Look at that thought and ask yourself whether it is helpful or unhelpful right now.
3.Choose. Choose a new, helpful thought to replace the negative one.
The goal is to have positive thoughts come naturally. It may take some time to change the way you think. So you will need to practice positive thinking every day.
Positive thinking-along with healthy eating and being active-helps people reach a healthy weight.
It can help you stay on track when you have a slip-up. And it can keep you from getting discouraged.
Say you've been limiting your portions and eating more vegetables and fruit. But you go to a party one night and eat several slices of pizza and a big piece of cake. All the way home, you get angry at yourself for eating so much. "I don't know why I bother trying to lose weight. I have no will power. I might as well forget about it."
The more you talk in a negative way to yourself, the harder it is to stay focused on all the good changes you've made. The negative thinking makes you feel bad. And that can lead to having more slip-ups and more bad thoughts about yourself. It's a cycle that's hard to break.
But with practice, you can retrain your brain. After all, you weren't born telling yourself negative things. You learned how to do it. So there’s no reason you can't teach your brain to unlearn it and replace negative thinking with more helpful thoughts.
Positive thinking is good for your health in other ways. If you feel bad about yourself, you could feel anxious or depressed. Positive thinking also can help you handle stress better. Many people eat too much because they are stressed.
Too much stress can raise your blood pressure and make your heart work harder, which can increase your risk for a heart attack. Stress also can weaken your immune system, which can make you more open to infection and disease.
How to "Retrain your brain"
Stop your thoughts
The first step is to stop your negative thoughts or "self-talk." Self-talk is what you think and believe about yourself and your experiences. It's like a running commentary in your head. Your self-talk may be positive and helpful. Or it may be negative and not helpful.
Ask about your thoughts
The next step is to ask yourself whether your thoughts are helpful or unhelpful. Look at what you're saying to yourself. Does the evidence support your negative thought? Some of your self-talk may be true. Or it may be partly true but exaggerated. There are several kinds of irrational thoughts. Here are a few types:
Focusing on the negative: This is sometimes called filtering. You filter out the good and focus only on the bad. You don't give yourself credit for the positive things you do. Example: "I ruined my eating plan this week by having so much pizza tonight." Reality: Did you stick to your eating plan most of the week? If you did, then you're not giving yourself credit for all the positive things you did that week.
Should: People sometimes have set ideas about how they "should" act. If you hear yourself saying that you or other people "should," "ought to," or "have to" do something, then you might be setting yourself up to feel bad. Example: "I should never have pizza or dessert." Reality: If you really don't ever want to have pizza or dessert again, that's fine. But many people find a way to work those foods into their eating plan and stay at a healthy weight. They try to have a flexible eating plan.
Overgeneralizing: This is taking one example and saying it's true for everything. Look for words such as "never" and "always." Example: "I can never stick with an exercise plan." Reality: Have you ever made a vow to exercise and stuck to it? If you did it before, you can do it again. And even if you weren't able to do it in the past that doesn't mean you can't stick to a plan in the future.
All-or-nothing thinking: This is also called black-or-white thinking. Example: "If I can't stay on my eating plan all the time, I'll just give up." Reality: Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. One slip-up doesn't mean you can't get back to your plan the next day.
Choose your thoughts
The next step is to choose a positive, helpful thought to replace the unhelpful one.
Keeping a journal of your thoughts is one of the best ways to practice stopping, asking, and choosing your thoughts. It makes you aware of your self-talk. Write down any negative or unhelpful thoughts you had during the day. If you think you might not remember them at the end of your day, keep a notepad with you so that you can write down thoughts as they occur. Then write down helpful messages to correct the negative thoughts.
If you do this every day, helpful thoughts will soon come naturally.
But there may be some truth in some of your negative thoughts. You may have some things you want to work on. If you didn't perform as well as you would like on something, write that down. You can work on a plan to correct or improve that area.
If you want, you also can write down what kind of irrational thought you had. Your journal entries might look something like this:
Stop your negative thought
Ask what type of negative thought you had
Choose a positive, helpful thought
"I ruined my eating plan by having so much pizza tonight."
Focusing on the negative
"I wish I didn't eat so much pizza. But it's only one meal. I stuck to my eating plan really well the rest of the week."
"I should never have pizza or dessert." Should "Having dessert or pizza now and then is okay if it's part of my eating plan."
"I can never stick with an exercise plan."
Overgeneralizing
"I've had some problems sticking with an exercise plan in the past. But that doesn't mean I can't do it in the future. I've made other changes in my life."
"If I can't lose 10 pounds this month, then I'm going to give up this eating plan."
All or nothing
"I'm going to try to set a realistic goal. It may be a smaller goal than before, but I'm still working toward a healthy weight."
Practice positive thinking! If you have a day where you ate too much, have a positive mindset and start fresh the next day...don't beat yourself up too much!
With time and practice, you can change what you say to yourself. You can learn to think in a positive way even when you make a mistake.
Key points
Negative thoughts can make it harder to reach and stay at a healthy weight.
Changing your thinking will take some time. You need to practice healthy thinking every day. After a while, it will come naturally.
Positive thinking, or healthy thinking, is a way to help you stay well by changing how you think. It’s based on research that shows that you can change how you think. And how you think affects how you feel.
1.Stop. When you notice a negative thought, stop it in its tracks and write it down.
2. Ask. Look at that thought and ask yourself whether it is helpful or unhelpful right now.
3.Choose. Choose a new, helpful thought to replace the negative one.
The goal is to have positive thoughts come naturally. It may take some time to change the way you think. So you will need to practice positive thinking every day.
Positive thinking-along with healthy eating and being active-helps people reach a healthy weight.
It can help you stay on track when you have a slip-up. And it can keep you from getting discouraged.
Say you've been limiting your portions and eating more vegetables and fruit. But you go to a party one night and eat several slices of pizza and a big piece of cake. All the way home, you get angry at yourself for eating so much. "I don't know why I bother trying to lose weight. I have no will power. I might as well forget about it."
The more you talk in a negative way to yourself, the harder it is to stay focused on all the good changes you've made. The negative thinking makes you feel bad. And that can lead to having more slip-ups and more bad thoughts about yourself. It's a cycle that's hard to break.
But with practice, you can retrain your brain. After all, you weren't born telling yourself negative things. You learned how to do it. So there’s no reason you can't teach your brain to unlearn it and replace negative thinking with more helpful thoughts.
Positive thinking is good for your health in other ways. If you feel bad about yourself, you could feel anxious or depressed. Positive thinking also can help you handle stress better. Many people eat too much because they are stressed.
Too much stress can raise your blood pressure and make your heart work harder, which can increase your risk for a heart attack. Stress also can weaken your immune system, which can make you more open to infection and disease.
How to "Retrain your brain"
Stop your thoughts
The first step is to stop your negative thoughts or "self-talk." Self-talk is what you think and believe about yourself and your experiences. It's like a running commentary in your head. Your self-talk may be positive and helpful. Or it may be negative and not helpful.
Ask about your thoughts
The next step is to ask yourself whether your thoughts are helpful or unhelpful. Look at what you're saying to yourself. Does the evidence support your negative thought? Some of your self-talk may be true. Or it may be partly true but exaggerated. There are several kinds of irrational thoughts. Here are a few types:
Focusing on the negative: This is sometimes called filtering. You filter out the good and focus only on the bad. You don't give yourself credit for the positive things you do. Example: "I ruined my eating plan this week by having so much pizza tonight." Reality: Did you stick to your eating plan most of the week? If you did, then you're not giving yourself credit for all the positive things you did that week.
Should: People sometimes have set ideas about how they "should" act. If you hear yourself saying that you or other people "should," "ought to," or "have to" do something, then you might be setting yourself up to feel bad. Example: "I should never have pizza or dessert." Reality: If you really don't ever want to have pizza or dessert again, that's fine. But many people find a way to work those foods into their eating plan and stay at a healthy weight. They try to have a flexible eating plan.
Overgeneralizing: This is taking one example and saying it's true for everything. Look for words such as "never" and "always." Example: "I can never stick with an exercise plan." Reality: Have you ever made a vow to exercise and stuck to it? If you did it before, you can do it again. And even if you weren't able to do it in the past that doesn't mean you can't stick to a plan in the future.
All-or-nothing thinking: This is also called black-or-white thinking. Example: "If I can't stay on my eating plan all the time, I'll just give up." Reality: Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. One slip-up doesn't mean you can't get back to your plan the next day.
Choose your thoughts
The next step is to choose a positive, helpful thought to replace the unhelpful one.
Keeping a journal of your thoughts is one of the best ways to practice stopping, asking, and choosing your thoughts. It makes you aware of your self-talk. Write down any negative or unhelpful thoughts you had during the day. If you think you might not remember them at the end of your day, keep a notepad with you so that you can write down thoughts as they occur. Then write down helpful messages to correct the negative thoughts.
If you do this every day, helpful thoughts will soon come naturally.
But there may be some truth in some of your negative thoughts. You may have some things you want to work on. If you didn't perform as well as you would like on something, write that down. You can work on a plan to correct or improve that area.
If you want, you also can write down what kind of irrational thought you had. Your journal entries might look something like this:
Stop your negative thought
Ask what type of negative thought you had
Choose a positive, helpful thought
"I ruined my eating plan by having so much pizza tonight."
Focusing on the negative
"I wish I didn't eat so much pizza. But it's only one meal. I stuck to my eating plan really well the rest of the week."
"I should never have pizza or dessert." Should "Having dessert or pizza now and then is okay if it's part of my eating plan."
"I can never stick with an exercise plan."
Overgeneralizing
"I've had some problems sticking with an exercise plan in the past. But that doesn't mean I can't do it in the future. I've made other changes in my life."
"If I can't lose 10 pounds this month, then I'm going to give up this eating plan."
All or nothing
"I'm going to try to set a realistic goal. It may be a smaller goal than before, but I'm still working toward a healthy weight."
Practice positive thinking! If you have a day where you ate too much, have a positive mindset and start fresh the next day...don't beat yourself up too much!
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