Monthly Archives: September 2013

Do You Know That Stress Can Make You Fat?

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What’s so bad About Stress?

Under normal daily stress conditions, normal cortisol levels (stress hormones) help the body control blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and even inflammation. But, in prolonged stress. When stress becomes chronic, too much cortisol in the body wreaks havoc.

cortisol-chart2 copy

Signs & Symptoms of a Cortisol Imbalance

Chronically elevated cortisol levels may contribute to:

  • Thyroid problems
  • Cognitive decline
  • Sleep disorders
  • Anxiety & depression
  • Compromised immune function
  • Increased blood pressure

Do you think you’re a  victim of increased cortisol levels.  Speak to your doctor, but the following questions may help you discern if you’re suffering from a cortisol imbalance.

  • Do you suffer from depression, anxiety, nervousness or irritability?
  • Do you struggle with sleep waking frequently in the middle of the night, unable to get back to sleep?
  • Do you feel light-headed when standing up quickly?
  • Do you crave carbs?
  • Do you struggle with weight gain?
  • Do you have high blood pressure?

If you answered yes to more than one of those questions, you may have a cortisol imbalance.

Your doctor can conduct  a 4-point salivary test.  Saliva has been proven to be a better source of cortisol testing over blood and offers concrete results.

Tips for Controlling Cortisol Levels

You should always consult your physician when it comes to achieving healthy cortisol levels.

However, these lifestyle changes may be of help when dealing with a cortisol imbalance.

  • Eat REAL food. Limit or avoid packaged, processed and non-organic foods.
  • Avoid additives and dyes. Additives, preservatives, GMOs, dyes, food coloring, hormones, pesticides, and antibiotics increase the toxic load to the liver – adding stress to the body.
  • Avoid sugars. Cortisol causes gluconeogenesis, the production of sugar from non-carb sources – elevating blood sugar levels. Avoid a diet heavy in starchy carbohydrates and added sugars to help counteract the response of cortisol.
  • Eat healthy fats and/or Take Omega 3 Fish Oil. Omega-3 fatty acids, are anti-inflammatory and help counter the inflammatory effects of cortisol. Try adding a quality omega 3 fish oil into your daily diet.
  • Drink water! Water will help hydrate cells and detoxify the body. Stay hydrated!
  • Get Your ZZZ’s. Sleep is the most important thing when it comes to reducing cortisol and restoring the adrenal glands. Aim for  7-8 hours of sleep. Have trouble falling asleep?  Turn off all artificial light. Artificial light tricks the body into releasing more cortisol, suppressing melatonin, making it difficult to fall asleep.
  • Take a multivitamin daily.

Your doctor can conduct a test, but there are some saliva tests you can do yourself through online services like this one.

http://www.redlinepharmacy.com/store/hormone-test-kits.html

Diet Jealousy

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boob-jealousy

You’ve given up most of those high-calorie foods you used to love. Exercised every day–even when you didn’t feel like it.  And finally, it’s all paying off–you’re edging toward your weight loss goal — and looking pretty great!

At the same time, you’ve encountered what seems like a surprising lack of enthusiasm or irritating remarks from some of your family and friends — maybe even your partner — about your new look.

As unusual as this may seem, experts say it’s actually quite common to receive some unexpected reactions when you dramatically change your appearance.

“Human beings are hard-wired to resist change, so it’s not uncommon to encounter some resistance whenever change occurs,

When we accomplish a goal — particularly something as difficult as losing weight– it may serve to remind friends and family of their own failed attempts.  That, too, can spark a bad reaction.

MY OWN EXPERIENCE OF JEALOUS NEGATIVE REACTIONS:

I work harded hard at my weight loss and maintenance is a daily routine.  If I lose sight of it, I would gain it back.  So, I have found ways to eat that I enjoy and I embrace my new way of life.  The old way didn’t make me happy.  I left restaurants feeling bloated and stuffed.  I felt bad trying on clothes and I didn’t like how I looked in my clothes.  I spent times not wanting to go out to social occasions because I didn’t want to be the fat lady at the party.
I worked hard to lose the weight.  I learned the rules, learned how to look at carbs and learned what foods had proteins, fiber and carbs.  I work them daily into my diet.  This took time and effort.  It was not an overnight success.  It wasn’t like after a week of hard work, that I suddenly lost the weight.  I also had to kick my exercise up a notch to burn off calories.  I work out more now than I ever have and I do it because it makes me feel strong and it helps me stay skinny.
Sometimes, I will run into someone who remembers me being fat.  They knew I was on a diet and saw me losing and they even asked me how I did it.  I freely shared the information, but some thought that there was no way they could do it and they gave up before they even tried to do it.  This is an issue in that some people grow resentfu that you could do it and they didn’t have it in them to try.
So, then, in some ways, my weight loss becomes a symbol of their inability to accomplish their goals, so they may begin to act resentful — or even act mean to me — even if it is not intentional.  And if their goes involved weight loss, then the resentment can be twice as strong.

If it is a friend who is resentful, you may find that they are suddenly excluding you from activities,.  Some friends or family can even say mean things, taunt you about your new body or even your new clothes.  And some people who are servers at restaurants or work in exercise studios–or even are members of the same gym you belong to, can treat you in a resentful mean way.

TODAY’S JEALOUS NEGATIVE REACTION:

I went to Western Bagel today for and had a post-Pilates Perfect 10 Egg a la Bagel (Egg, cheese, meat and a 10g net carb bagel).  My special treat for breakfast.  I used to have these all of the time, but I now only allow myself something this large once a week and after a hard workout.  I need energy for the morning because I have clients coming in for the next four hours straight.  This woman, asked me tons of questions about how I was losing at the time I was losing weight.  But, then I lost it, and following that for the next 18 months, she always asks me, “So, you are still on that diet???”  I remember her saying she wanted to lose weight when I was slowly losing, but after seeing me keep it off for two years now, she is pissed off seeing me thin.  It was great when I was fat and trying to lose, but being thin and keeping it seems to be pissing her off.

I find myself wanting to tell her to shut up already.  I want to go in and just order my f’ing bagel.  I now find myself hating going there because she might be there and sure enough, she was there.  She asked me again today about, “So, you are STILL on your diet?”  I answered (for the fourth time now), “I am not on a diet, this is my lifestyle and how I eat and how I want to look.”  She then made a face at me like she was in horror!  And she said as she grabbed her two belly folds, “Well, I like how I look and I feel good, so I am ok.”  It was then apparent to me that it was an issue about her, not me.  She doesn’t give a crap about me.  She is a lady at the bagel shop.  She doesn’t even know my name.  There is no happiness or concern for me.  She is feeling resentful and frustrated with herself.  So, I said, “I had reflux, I lost the weight, and it is gone now.  I can’t have a belly or I get sick.  I am happy this way and I want to stay this way.”  So, that was my end of story comment and she nodded.

Will she bring it up again if I go back?  I think she might!  However, I have to remember this is about her. not me.   I will be prepared in the future and say, “I think we shouldn’t discuss my diet anymore.  It is what it is.  I am happy and healthy and that is all that matters”  Because I am sick of it and she should be too.  What can I do?  I will not put on weight for her to feel happier with her issues.  I am very happy with my body and my work.  My husband compliments me and I know that the people who really care about me and don’t have issues say I look good.  My clothes fit well and that was the goal!

HOW TO COUNTERACT JEALOUS NEGATIVITY:

I just have to remember  how I  would feel in a similar situation, or maybe how I felt when others lost weight and you couldn’t,  If I put myself in their place, then I can see that the resentment is all about them and not about me.  I am just a mirror of what they did not commmit themselves to do.

If you ever find yourself being one of the resentful ones, you have to ask yourself what is holding you back.  Anyone can lose weight.  You have to follow the rules.  Stop saying you can cheat once a week and eat a whole slice of cake.  Stop baking cakes in your house, because you will be tempted to eat more than a small piece.  If you have to cheat, there are alternative ways to bake items using almond flour, unsweetened cocoa, coconut oil, Truvia, Stevia, etc.  You can make these things.  Google recipes.  Don’t be lazy.

You can also buy a small piece of something bad to have once a week.  However, I have seen some people on diets recommend to people to have these cheats in the house and it is a terrible idea.  It sets you up for temptation.  And the people who recommend these things are usually still overweight.  I am at goal, I stay at goal.  I think I know what it takes.  And if you don’t follow these rules, then don’t get mad at me when I come up to you and order an Egg a la Bagel!  It is not my fault that you put a batch of brownies in your house and they are calling your name!

What Kind of Carb-Eating Dieter Are You??

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I had a conversation today with a lady who wants to eat well and keep her weight down, and she thinks you have to eat all carbs in the morning.  I realized how many people really have no idea what is good for a diet or not.

Myth:  You have to eat toast or some kind of grain at breakfast because you need carbs for energy.

Here is the deal.  You need protein!  You get little protein in bread.  Eggs, meat, dairy, nuts, yogurt–they have protein.  Bread is low on the list.  Also,  I told her that I had some fruit with my eggs in the morning and she seemed to not realize that fruit has carbs.  So, to have fruit and bread–I know my body.  It does need so many carbs at once.  Her philosophy, have carbs earlier in the day and little to none later.

Is she right?  Yes and no.

Why?  It depends on your body.  Everyone is different.  Here are some rule of thumbs on carbs throughout the day.   Everyone has a different body type and there is no set rule of thumb for everyone.  Which of these five Carber-types are you?  Are you a late night carber, morning carber, day faster and later one meal carber, few carbs per meal carber or a post-workout carber?

carb eater

1.  THE LATE NIGHT CARBER:

  • Questions: Workout at night? Have diffulty sleeping? Crave starch, salt and/or sweets in the evening? Find yourself ravenously hungry in the morning?

Answer:  If so, save your entire days carb intake for the evening.  If you notice you sleep better and your hunger, energy, and cravings are better controlled the next day AND the end of the week shows improvement in body composition, you have moved one step closer to your metaboloic needs.

2.  THE MORNING CARBER:

  • Questions:  Workout in the morning before eating? Crave coffee and pastries for breakfast? Notice low energy all day if you don’t have morning carbs? Find yourself insatiably hungry at night?

Answer:  Then eat all your carbs in the morning, and skip them the rest of the day.

3.  THE DAY FASTER, LATER ONE-MEAL CARBER:

  • Questions:  Don’t feel hungry for most of the day until after lunch? Have high energy despite not eating? Tend to hold onto your muscle mass?  Get sick and tired of worrying about preparing meals for the day and stressing about what to eat? Are able to go the whole day without food and still eat sensibly at night?

Answer:  Then, consider fasting the entire day and eating only one big meal (including the carbs) in the evening.

4.  THE FEW CARBS PER MEAL CARBER:

  • Questions:  Feel low energy when you don’t eat? Get a foggy head and can’t think clearly unless you have carbs? Are you insulin resistant and tend to “feel hypoglycemic”? Overweight or obese? New to the fat loss lifestyle? Then you will likely be better off eating small frequent meals with each meal containing small amount of carbs (5 to 10 bites).  (THIS IS ME)

Answer:  These meals should also be accompanied with a good portion of protein.

5.  THE POST-WORKOUT CARBER:

  • Questions:  Have difficulty gaining muscle? Train intensely with weights? Having difficulty recovering from exercise? Are an athlete with performance goals?

Answer:  Then eat carbs post-workout as well. 30 to 50g whey protein and a large banana may give you just the right insulin kick at just the right time to take your fat burning and muscle-building game to the next level.

 

So, figure out what kind of carber you are and work with it.  Take your diet to a whole new level, based on your body’s needs!

11 Steps to Help Lose and Manage Your Weight

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11 Steps you Can Take to Lose and Manage Your Weight:

measure

  1. Build more lean muscle.   Muscle has a higher metabolism than fat does, so you want to work out and lose fat, gain lean muscle. Add weights to your exercise program.
  2. Fight off hunger with foods with fiber.  “Keeping that feeling of fullness can be done with foods with fiber— think fruits and vegetables, low-carb whole grains, and lean protein.
  3. Avoid temptation and plan ahead with foods at home and if you go out to eat.  There are many ways to avoid daily temptations, including planning ahead when eating out, eating out less, and banning your worst weaknesses from the house.
  4. Count calories. Use a journal such as My Calorie Counter to keep a running total throughout the day if that helps you keeps track of calorie consumption.
  5. Plan your meals in advance. A maintenance diet has a lot of the same components as a weight-loss diet. Having a meal-by-meal plan that you can stick to, although it has more calories than your diet plan did, can act as a guide to keep you on track.  I shop once a week with meals in mind for the week and plan my foods.  I always have Greek Yogurt, nuts, low-fat cheese, eggs and egg substitutes, low-carb pancake mix and syrup, salad mix, turkey slices, chicken breasts and bacon in the house.
  6. Consider adding minutes to your exercise plan. Experts recommend at least 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week, but emphasize that the more you exercise, the better able you are to maintain a weight loss. Participants in the weight control survey walked for at least 60 minutes daily — or burned the same calories with other activities — so aim for 60 to 90 minutes of physical activity every day.
  7. a. Measure your portions. A huge factor in weight loss success is  measuring portions of proteins and fats, the most caloric foods, in particular. This doesn’t mean you have to carry a food scale everywhere you go, but using it as often as possible at home will teach you how to eyeball portion sizes at restaurants and immediately know how much to eat, and how much to have as to-go.                              b.Let your plate be your guide. First off, use smaller plates.  this helps you to control how big your portions are.  When you can’t count calories or measure portions accurately,  A great tip for dieters, it works just as well for people on a maintenance plan– when you serve yourself using the Plate Method, at least half your plate should be vegetables and the remaining space should be divided evenly between lean protein and whole grains. If you go back for seconds, limit yourself to vegetables, fruit or low-fat dairy.
  8. Weigh yourself daily. You will be more successful in losing weight if you weigh yourself daily. Daily weigh-ins, which can be discouraging when you’re on a diet, can be a boon during maintenance; they let you see, and stop, any slow creep upward as soon as it happens.
  9. Include dairy in your diet.   Women in particular, this has the additional benefit of improving bone health.   However, low-fat dairy helps to fight of hunger pangs.
  10. Watch less TV. Dieters who watch fewer than 10 hours of TV a week were more successful in maintaining weight loss than those who spent more time vegging out in front of the tube.
  11. Eat breakfast. They call it the most important meal of the day for a reason. In the survey, women who regularly ate breakfast were more successful with long-term weight loss than those who skipped the first meal of the day. 

 

Vegetarians Can Do Low-Carb Diets TOO

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A Skinny-Rules reader asked a good question about what to do as a vegetarian!  Thank you for this question!

The Skinny-Rules follows mostly a Paleo diet, but it is basically a high-protein, low carb diet.  So, this can be done as a vegetarian.

protein

Being a vegetarian is a sticky issue with weight loss.   You have to eat veggies that are lower on the carb scale. Here is a site that shows vegetables from lowest to high in the carbs.

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/whatveg.htm

Also, remember that starches that grow underground have a lot of sugar/starch. And stick with vegetables highest in protein, like broccoli and spinach.

http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/vegetables-high-in-protein.php.

Watch soy. It is genetically modified. ALL of it. You can have beans, but watch the carb content.

GREAT SOURCES OF PROTEIN FOR VEGETARIANS:

  • A good protein for vegetarian is eggs.  6g of protein per egg and less than 1g of carbs per egg.
  • Another good source is Greek Yogurt at about 18g of protein per 6 oz, lower in carbs.  Also, UNSWEETENED almond milk is low in carbs (less than 1g of carbs per cup, but only 1g of protein…but still lower in carbs than milk.
  • Cheese is a good source of protein (low-fat).  A skinny cheese stick is about 6 grams of protein, and only 1g of carb.
  • Nuts are high in carbs, but also high in protein.  Just count out what you are eating.  For example, a cup of almonds is 20g of carbs, but it is also 20g of protein.  You have to read labels.
  •  Look at almond butter, etc– as well.  2 tablespoons is 6g of carbs and 7g of protein.
  • Low-carb protein shakes and bars, as I have blogged about many times.   Trader Joes and other health food stores carry protein powder to put into shakes.
  • Trader Joes has a low carb, high protein shake that I recommend.  Vanilla or Chocolate with a whopping 35g of protein and only 4g of carbs.  This is a GREAT way to get in your needed protein.

pure-protein-shake

Everyone is different in their protein needs.  For someone my size, I need about 43-97g of protein per day.  You can calculate your own needs with an online calculator.

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/library/blproteincalculators.htm

So, learn about what foods are high in proteins and make sure you get them daily.  I would think that if you had Egg Beaters or egg whites mixed in with regular eggs (Egg Beaters 3 tbsp is 5g of protein, less than 1g of carbs)….you could make a nice spinach and low-fat cheese omelette and get a lot of protein in that.  In a small omelette, you can get about 13 grams of protein and only a few carbs.

Remember:  The meat-eater has to eat 6 times a day, every 3-4 hours to keep the metabolism going.  The vegetarian might have to do it even more often to keep up with the need of protein to keep the metabolism going.

Eating Too Much or Too Little Food Can Mess Up Your Waistline and Brain

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If you are not eating a balanced diet, it can affect your brain, as well as your waistline.

brainfood
1. No Breakfast

People who do not eat breakfast are going to have a lower blood sugar level.  This not only messes up your metabolism, but this leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the brain causing brain degeneration.

2. Overeating

It fat deposits, and it causes hardening of the brain arteries, leading to a decrease in mental power.

 

3. High Sugar Consumption

Too much sugar will put on fat and interrupt the absorption of proteins and nutrients causing malnutrition and may interfere with brain development.

Time to Eat Some Chocolate Cake and NOT Gain Weight!

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I am reposting a great, quick and easy LOW carb chocolate cake  that I had put up before.  I made these again tonight (makes for 4 small chocolate cakes in mugs).

Dr. Oz had a guest, who spoke about the importance of low sugar in a diet.  Jorge Cruise has great recipes on his site, Jorgecruise.com.  But, he has a recipe for no-sugar, low-calorie chocolate cake.  It is small, it is quick and you cook it in the microwave for 60 seconds.  So, I tried it and even my husband liked it.  I recommend it for those with a sweet or chocolate tooth!

finished-cake

1 minute chocolate cake recipe:

1/4 cup Truvia Baking Blend

1.2 cup almond flour

3 tablespoons unsweetend cocoa powder

1/8 teaspoon baking powder

1/2  teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 egg

2 tablespoons half and half

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, mix, pour 1/4 of mixture into a mug (can make 4 mugs, filled up about 1/5 of each cup because it expands).  Cook mug  in microwave for 60 seconds.

trim a little around the edge of the mug and then pour out onto a plate.  Then put whip cream on top.

Here are pictures of the process.  I would say there is about 2-3g of carbs in this little delicacy for the day!

The pics are posted on my blog:  https://skinny-rules.com/2013/05/28/you-can-have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too/

Misleading Labels and Food Trends Can Make You Fat

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The claim of ‘Fat-Free’ is actually the truth in products such as Mike and Ike and Good & Plenty candies, where you’ll find the claim: “fat-free.” They’re not lying—these empty-calorie junk foods are almost 100 percent sugar and processed carbs. But the makers of such junk, calorific “food” don’t tell you that their product is loaded with sugar and are digested rapidly, sending your blood sugar soaring; as soon as it drops again, you’ll crave more “fat-free” empty calories. In fact, skimmed milk has additives that aren’t even healthy and it has carbs, which will add weight on you, if you don’t count your carbs daily and keep them at a minimum.

skimmed milk story

There are many products that claim to be fat-free, but that means little in the weight loss realm.

If you want to lose weight or maintain weight, you have to carefully read labels and consider sugar and carb content. If you have a product that has little to no fat, but is high in carbs, your weight loss will be taking a huge hit. You do want to aim at low-fat products, like low-fat cheese, but you MUST look at carb content and also look at how what is showing on the label and notice the portion size of your food product.

Misleading Labels

For example, let’s say that you are looking at a jar of peanut butter, and the label says “8g of carbs.” Sounds good, but 8g of carbs per what? Usually that covers 2 tablespoons. To says so at the top of the label.

20130901-234733.jpg

Here is an example label, let’s say it is for cereal in a small box. Oh, the box is only “22g of carbs?” No!! Look again. It says per “cup” and there are TWO servings in the box. So, if you eat the whole thing, then it is 44g of carbs.

I see misleading labels like this all of the time. I see it on sugary drinks- even energy drinks. The bottle might say, “12g of carbs,” but two servings might be in one bottle…so double those carbs if you drink the whole thing. I am pretty wise to this trick, but every now and then a small item, which shows two portions and then the numbers gets me because the product was so small, I forgot to notice the portion size. They tricked me I to thinking the product was low on sugar and carbs.

Remember, I have between 50 and 100g of carbs per day to maintain my weight and the closer to 50g, the more I will lose. Some people can easily go over 100g, but you have to weigh daily and when you see the numbers going up, adjust accordingly on your carb intake and/or increase exercise output.

Read carefully or you won’t lose weight and you will wonder why!