Do you diet on the sly? Do you feel you need to keep quiet when you’re trying to lose weight because of what your friends or family will say? Do you cringe at the sight of a restaurant menu, or go missing when you catch drift of yet another work birthday party? Those pesky pounds may be the ultimate nemesis, but friends who don’t support your efforts to eat healthy certainly don’t help either. To my surprise, many of us plot our diets in secret to avoid annoying glares and nagging altogether.
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You can lose almost four times more weight when you combine your Workout with a sensible diet. To fight hunger and energize your Workouts it is important to include fiber and protein. Research shows that protein helps with hunger and prevents the loss of metabolism revving muscle which is a common side effect in Weight Loss. Fiber fills you up faster so you eat less. Try this basic eating plan to maximize your Weight Loss while doing your Workout routine.
Stick to 1500 calories a day - If you weigh more than 200 pounds, increase to 1700 calories.
Eat every four hours - Going longer can wreak havoc on your blood sugar and leave you to making poor eating choices. An example would be a 400 calorie breakfast, 300 calorie lunch, 500 calorie dinner plus a 100 to 200 calorie snack.
Have 3 ounces of protein for lunch and dinner - Eat up to 4 ounces if you are on the 1700 calorie plan.
Watch snacks - Have a healthy snack at your high hunger times. You can eat them between any meals or after dinner.
Drink often - Staying hydrated helps keep your metabolism in high gear. Drink water, herbal or black tea.
Try implementing these basic rules in your life and see how much weight you too can lose.
It’s back-to-school time again, and many families are trying to figure out just what to pack in those school lunchboxes! Parents are wondering what foods their kids will eat, which ones offer the best nutrition, and which ones are affordable.
One of the most important lessons to share with our kids is about healthy eating. After all we know that obesity levels in school age children are the highest ever, and that healthy eating habits have been proven to contribute to higher rates of success in school age kids.
The classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich just got an upgrade! This year there is a new product on the shelf it is Naturally More Peanut Butter. This peanut butter features flaxseed for omega-3 essential fatty acids, omega-6, wheat germ for fiber and egg whites for lean protein. Naturally More easily differentiates itself from other natural peanut butters with the added benefits of omega-3, fewer calories, 25 percent more protein and 50 percent more fiber.
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The challenging thing about vacation for me is the loss of routine. Since I am a weekend binger I need some structure to make better choices. Obviously all that goes out the window when you go on vacation. When it comes to vacation and Losing Weight there are a few things I know.
First of all it is ok to eat things you feel are not ok to eat on a diet or part of a healthy lifestyle. It is really more about moderation than anything. So when I go on vacation I do allow myself to have a few things I normally do not eat. The top of my list is ice cream and cookies. I only had them a couple of times so all and all that is not a big deal. I also had french fries a couple of times which I almost never eat. The rest of the time I made reasonable choices. Your mind and body need this time off from your normal daily life. Life is too short to feel like you are restricted to eat certain foods.
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We all have moments of weaknesses when it comes to food. Some of us have a more than others. Then are some like me that have secret obsessions with food. The stress of trying to lose weight or maintain can cause us to do some crazy things. When I feel the binge desire starting it will be anything I can get my hands on. My latest obsession is Reddi Whip. My Mom had jello with Cool Whip at Easter for the kids dessert and I have been crazy for Reddi Whip ever since. At first I purchased it to put on strawberry pie then it quickly changed to just consuming the can all by itself. I’m now buying four to five cans a week. As for as binging goes there are a couple of positives about the whip cream. First of all I buy the fat free version which is very yummy so when I eat the whole can I’m only consuming about 200 calories which for a binger is nothing. Also Reddi Whip has so much air in it that it has a filling effect. It gives the sensation of fullness I need fast to stop me from eating anything else. I realize this is not a healthy habit. The fact of the matter is other than binging from now and again I really eat very healthy. I really am trying to cut back.
In the spirit of my secret obsession I thought I would include a few healthy reminders to help cut your cravings so you can lose weight.
* Eat protein every morning and with every meal
* Eat only whole, real, fresh food
* Eat food with plenty of fiber like beans, nuts, seeds, whole grains, vegetables and fruit
* Eat smaller, more frequent meals (three meals and two snacks) to prevent your blood sugar from ever getting too high or too low
In fact, you can eat much more food and lose weight. But here’s the catch. You have to eat real food. Just imagine what your great great grandmother had to eat. Everything came from a farmer’s field and nothing from a food chemist’s laboratory. Nothing was refined or processed. There was no need for nutrition labels because nothing had labels.
The bottom line is that quality is much more important than quantity. Eating only whole, fresh, real food completely eliminates the need for calorie counting, or measuring fat grams or counting carbs. This works for one simple reason — you eat not only calories but also information. Eat the wrong information and you give your genes instructions to make you fat. Eat the right information and you give your genes instructions to lose weight. This is based on a new understanding of how food talks to your genes called nutrigenomics.
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I am currently approaching the end of eleven weeks in my Walking challenge. So far I have logged an amazing 569 miles which equals 110,243 in steps according to my pedometer. When I see the numbers it seems a little crazy. I guess I never did the quick math on what I do. Although I have to admit since wearing the pedometer I feel I am constantly trying to maintain my previous and strive for more miles the next week. I even find myself a little disappointed when we go out of town because it sometimes makes it more difficult to get my miles in. I get over it pretty quick though because I am always game to get out of town.
The great thing about Walking is you do not have to be an athlete to be successful. It is an Exercise at its purest and simplest form. Also consider participating in a walk for charity and include your friends. So put on your shoes and get out and enjoy the summer weather.
People who kept daily food diaries lost twice as much weight or more as those who didn’t keep track of their meals, finds a new study. In the struggle to lose weight, picking up a pen might be just as useful as putting down the fork.
It seems today there is a feeling that Weight Loss is almost impossible and very few are successful. This study proved that with a simple, straightforward approach nearly 70 percent of the participants were able to lose weight by eating a healthy diet and simply keeping a food diary. Overall, two-thirds of the study subjects lost nine pounds or more during the six month study. But those who kept a food diary every day of the week dropped up to 20 pounds, more than twice as much as those who didn’t record their every bite.
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Are you a weekend binger? I know I am and I’m constantly trying to find new ways to battle this problem.
I have a plan that I stick to during the week. I make healthy choices and work out. Right now it’s me and the kids and we have our routine. It all falls apart on the weekend. I know part of the problem is there is no schedule or routine. My husband is home on the weekend and we go places or do projects together. Sometimes it is the social gatherings and that is always hard to make healthy choices. But I even have trouble when we are just staying home. I’m not sure if in the back of my mind I feel like I deserve a break or that life is short I should be able to indulge if I want to.
One step I have taken to try and help this problem is to make my self accountable. Before when I had a bad weekend and would not be able to get back on the scale for a few days until I was fairly sure the number would be back down. Now I weigh on Monday to check the damage from the weekend. It has helped some. Then there are the times when I get on the scale and I don’t like the number which can sometimes make me spiral the rest of the day. It totally depends on my mood.
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When school’s out, it may be more important than ever for your kids to get regular physical activity and eat a nutritious diet.
Did you know that a recent survey shows that kids tend to gain three times as much weight during the summer months as they do during the school year? I know I personally thought kids were most active in the summer. One reason they gain weight during the summer is the tend to watch more tv and play video games. The other is that they can eat whenever they want, as opposed to school they eat only at set times. My kids do tend to ask me more often than I think they should about eating when they are home. I actually find myself asking them “Would you be eating right now if you were at school?” Television might also be to blame with commercials for high calorie snack foods, fast food, and fattening sweets.
As parents we need to limit the time that our kids spend in front of a screen whether it be a television or a computer. We need to encourage our kids that being active is important so they too can have a strong and healthy body. They should be out enjoying what summer has to offer. Find new ways to make playing outside fun…be creative!
