Monthly Archives: April 2014

Killer Bread On A Diet

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21ts-sm

 

Found this bread at Smart and Final.  It is ORGANIC, safe to eat (unlike the yoga mat in Sara Lee bread), and so healthy.  The delivery had to deliver it cold to keep it from spoiling because of the lack of preservatives in it.

It is low in carbs, has fiber and protein, and it is delish!  I have given up on wheat, but once in a while, I will have something with wheat in it.  Bread has anywhere from 15 to 30g of fiber a slice, but not this one!  12g of carbs per slice, minus 3g of fiber is 9g of net carbs.  And it is healthy and SO good!

21ts-nutr

To locate a store that carries it, use this locator: http://www.daveskillerbread.com/locator/

Ice Cream On A Diet

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How can you have ice cream on a diet or as part of weight maintenance?  This is actually simple.  You have to pick one that is low in sugar and carbs.

Let’s look at some examples of my favorite brand:

Breyer’s Vanilla:  There are four vanillas.  Two have 28g carbs and 28g of sugar per cup.  All of these ice creams have the same sugar grams and carb grams.

(The label says 14g per 1/2 cup.  Pay attention to tricky labels.  So, a cup is 28g.  It is more likely that if you eat a scoop, that it will be the size of a measuring cup.)

This is a cup of ice cream:  Learn the measurement:  Portion control is key.

Vanilla Ice Cream

 

Breyers Homemade Vanilla has 32g of carbs per cup and the Extra Creamy has 36g of carbs per cup.

There is no fiber or sugar alcohols to subtract from the numbers to get a net carb.  So, those are the carbs.  Those are really high, so if you want to keep your carb grams between 50 to 100g a day to lose weight, that really messes up your count for the day.

 

BETTER CHOICES:

HOWEVER:  Breyers No Sugar Added Vanilla has 26 g of carbs per cup and 8g of sugar.  That is a lot less sugar and honestly, it tastes creamy and really good!  You won’t really notice a difference from the majorly sugary one.  There is 8g of fiber and 8g of sugar alcohols.  So, per cup, the net carb is 10g of carbs.

Breyers CarbSmart vanilla. Only has 4 grams of net carbs per serving!  13g total carbohydrate, subtract 5g of sugar alcohols and 4g of fiber.
Breyers has chocolate CarbSmart, but not all stores carry it and you should ask your store to order it.  They also have bars.
Other companies have better no sugar added choices.  Read the labels.  You can have a treat that won’t ruin your diet, if you do the work and read the labels and make proper choices.

 

 

Just Say No Mas to the Bad Mexican Food Choices

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My husband and I went to Poquito Mas tonight and ate low-carb. We had tostadas, but without beans and rice-and we did not eat the shell or the chips. The tostada eaten this way should be under 10g of carbs.

However, there were a lot of larger people eating differently than we were eating. Burritos with rice and beans, chips, etc.

Let’s look at this way, if you want to lose or maintain your weight, you have to count carbs. Between 50 to 100g of carbs per day does the trick.

If I eat 6 protein meals a day and keep my count between those numbers, I am fine. However, what about what those other people are eating?

Chips: add on another 20 to 30 g of carbs.
Beans: add on another 20 to 30 g of carbs.
Rice: add on another 20 to 30g of carbs.
The burrito shell: add on another 30g of carbs.
Taco shell: add on 15g of carbs.

There are nutrition calculators online to check for accuracy. But. Can you see how easy it is to gain weight?

You have to educate yourself and make better choices. Fillers like rice, chips and flour and corn products will bulk you up fast. You could end up eating over 109g of carbs in just one meal! And the meatless vegetarian stuff is even more carbolicious.

Stick with protein, salad and veggies. This means meat, cheese, vegetables, salad, avocado (good carb, but watch the amount), sour cream. A few beans are ok, they are a good carb, but watch the amount.

The world is getting fat because of the filling carbs. Watch your choices, stop eating purely based on taste and find better and newer things to enjoy. Get off of unnecessary carbs for awhile and you will feel and look better.

And put those chips they bring to you in the garbage before you are tempted to eat them. They are about 1g of carb per chip. There is no nutrition there and the salt on it is the basis of the addiction. Throw them out.

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No Sugar Challenge

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eatbetter

My husband is on day 6 of his 30 day no sugar challenge.  He feels better, looks better.  He stopped eating bread and his sugar consumption is cut substantially (it is only in the protein bars he has now and then, and they are low sugar protein bars).  He is losing weight and his skin irritations cleared up and his skin is glowing.  He is less bloated and when he had too much sweet potato the other day, he bloated and noticed it.  He is realizing that sugar has not been good for him.  His goal is to feel and look better.  After the 30 days, I think he will continue to watch the bread/sugar intake.  I have been doing it for 3 years now and I am skinny, healthier and look and feel better!  My Irritable Bowel Syndrome (had it since I was a kid) disappeared, as well as my GERD (Gastro-Esophogeal Reflux Disorder)

There was an article last week about a family who gave up sugar for a year.  Here is the article:  http://www.everydayhealth.com/columns/my-health-story/year-of-no-sugar-one-family-grand-adventure/?pos=1&xid=nl_EverydayHealthWomensHealth_20140413

The article explained how well the family did with no sugar.  The mother even said that her kids were WAY less sick than before too. We just have too much sugar in our society and everyone is getting sick, fat and unhealthy.

Have you thought of trying a no-sugar challenge?  Give it up for 30 days and see how you do.

30day

Challenge Rules:

For 30 days we will avoid sweets of any kinds: desserts, candy, sweetened beverages, and even foods that have “hidden sugars” in them!  If you accidentally eat something that has a hidden sugar in it, just keep on going with the challenge.  It happens easily, because so many things have these sugars in them.

We will find new foods that give us energy, without the sugar!  Many people shy away from eating a banana because they have heard that it’s so high in sugar, but yet will fill their pantries with all kinds of processed foods that are supposedly “healthy” and have loads of added sugars!  You can have fruit, but the citrus fruits and berries are lowest in sugar and carbs.  The higher ones are the tropical fruits, including bananas.  Two fruit servings a day is sufficient.  Bread turns to sugar, so limit it to one slice of whole grain at the max, once a day…..but don’t eat white flour–turns to sugar with no fiber.  No nutritional value and adds sugar to your system.

Here are some “sugar” terms to look for in the ingredients lists:

  • Maltose
  • Molasses
  • Corn Syrup
  • High fructose corn syrup
  • Evaporated cane juice
  • Organic cane sugar (just because it is organic doesn’t mean it’s good for you!)
  • Invert sugar
  • Raw sugar
  • Sucrose
  • Brown sugar
  • Corn sweetener (watch eating starches like potatoes, corn, peas, carrots, etc.)
  • watch out for some dressings and ketchup (lots of added sugar)

So what is allowed?

  • Fruit
  • 100% fruit juice (but not all day, too much sugar)
  • Honey in moderation (try to stick to 2 tsp or less/day)
  • Artificial sweeteners

Give it a shot and see how you feel and look at the end of the 30 days.

 

Old Dogs Can Learn New Diet Tricks!

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My relative, the one I blogged about being near-diabetic or diabetic (not sure what is the truth)….she has lost 8 pounds in three weeks following my rules.  She would never listen to my rules until she got sick, but now she is listening and eating the foods that I recommend and the recipes that I have given her and the fat is falling off and she is not hungry.

A lady who works at Costco, (the one I have written about eating dates and not losing weight), she told me she is finally losing weight and lost 8 pounds in a a few weeks.  She is very happy about it and she says she will stick to it.  She told my husband that someone at Costco,  gave her a fresh croissant.  Instead of consuming it and ruining her weight loss for the day, she cut it up and shared it with co-workers.  I commend her.  It is hard to change your ways, but you can teach old dogs new diet tricks.  Sometimes they have to be sick or about to be sick before they can commit to making the change.

But, I am telling you.  If you follow the rules, you will lose!

I saw three young girls in the park near my house.  They were thin, but drinking energy drinks.  I started to talk to them and I asked to look at one of their cans.  It said that for 8 ounces, there were 19g of carbs and about 14g of sugar in the 8 ounces.  But, read the can carefully.  There are THREE servings of 8 ounces in this 24 ounce can.  Therefore, she was drinking 57g of carbs, 42g of sugar (about 10 sugar cubes!).  I told them how if they eat more than 100g of carbs per day, they will start to gain and it is hard to get it off (unless they exercise well).  They also said they ate a bag of chips and a bowl with rice in it.  So, they more than had their fill of carbs for the day and it was only 2pm (not to mention that there was no protein in this!).  The lack of food and nutrition label education and being used to pigging out on carbs/sugar–will surely lead them to being unhealthy and overweight.  I asked the girls if they would EAT 10 sugar cubes and they laughed and said, “NO!”  I answered, “But, you are drinking them!”  They were astounded.

So, please don’t wait until you are older and messed up.  Learn as young as you can to change your habits and if you are a sugar addict, there are books on detoxing from sugar.  Dr. Mark Hyman, among many, writes on this subject.  http://drhyman.com/blog/2014/03/06/top-10-big-ideas-detox-sugar/

Sugar-Addiction-Cycle

Please change your habits before you get sick or you gain even more weight.

My husband has given up wheat and sugar for 30 days to see how he feels and does.  He is on day 6 right now.  His skin is in better shape, his belly looks less bloated and I can tell he has lost weight.  He says he feels good and that the salads that we get with meat in them, taste even better than when the meat is in a bun.  He is happy so far.  I do wonder if he will want to go back when he reaches day 30.  He only wanted to lose 5 pounds, but I can see this is making a difference in many ways for him.

I promise that giving up sugar is do-able–in a few weeks, months–it gets easier and easier with time and becomes a way of life.  It is worthwhile and a great thing to do for self-loving!

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Want to Lose Weight? Eat a Salad Twice a day, but don’t put these 10 things in it!

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A salad with two cups of lettuce and a half cup of two vegetables each in your salad, with 4 ounces of a protein in it is great for losing weight. Eat this twice a day.  But, you will not lose weight if you sabotage it with high-carb items, which can :

1.  Croutons

2. Tortilla strips

3.  A starchy vegetable like corn or peas

4.  Pasta

5:  Sun-dried tomatoes (eat fresh ones)

6.  Candied nuts

7.  High-carb salad dressing

8.  Barbeque sauce (high in sugar)

9. Don’t eat it with bread

10.  Rice or beans (a few beans are ok, but high in carbs, so watch it).

 

A good salad can also be delicious and filling.  Eat healthy and you will enjoy it!

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A Moment on the Lips, A Lifetime On The Hips

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Over three years ago, I began my weight-loss journey.  I call it a journey because it is a long road traveled and it is never really over, even when you reach your weight destination. Because if you ever get there, then you have to learn what to do to keep it off and that is a journey in itself.  Starting today and keep going day by day and inch along, even if it is at a snail pace.  You will eventually get there….

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So, let’s say you begin with a diet or following the Skinny-Rules to lose weight (https://skinny-rules.com/2014/03/18/my-weight-loss-rules-that-made-me-skinny-and-kept-me-skinny-and-i-eat/). You follow the rules and change your eating style.  You add in some exercise to make it happen even faster and to get fit and healthy (because skinny flabby is not attractive or healthy either).  Then, you are looking different and people start to notice.

Good people who notice changes in you say nice things and compliment you on your efforts and results.  Not-good-people will find ways to discourage what you are doing and what you have done.  You will hear comments that range…..Here are a few……and most of these are said by overweight people who have tried diets and give up too easily and have no willpower over their carb addiction.

  • “You have gone too far.”
  • “You don’t look good.”
  • “Oh, you will gain it back.  Everyone does! ”  (not if you stick to the rules and don’t go back to your old bad habits)
  • “You are anorexic.”
  • “It is unhealthy” (like fat or diabetes is healthy!)
  • “You are too old to be so skinny!”
  • “You have an unhealthy relationship to food.”
  • “You can’t keep eating like that!”
  • “You can’t stay on a diet forever!”  (it isn’t a diet, it is a lifestyle change because the way you eat before was wrong learning or you wouldn’t have gotten larger!)

So, I have heard all of these, but my BMI is 22.  (normal is between 18.5 and 24.5 and I am 22. I would prefer 21, but my body seems to like 22.  I exercise regularly (Pilates 4 days a week, yoga one day a week and elliptical about 5 hours a week).  My Lindora consultant told me that because I work out so much, my muscle is more dense.  She took my measurements the other day and they were the same as when my BMI was 19.  I have been BMI of 22 for a year now and still look good, so I guess this is where I need to be.

I eat between 50 and 100g of carbs per day and I follow the rules.  My deserts consist of things that are low-carb like my One Minute cake recipe from Jorge Cruz.  (I will put it up on my next blog again, but I have it on Skinny-Rules from earlier on.  https://skinny-rules.com/2013/09/04/time-to-eat-some-chocolate-cake-and-not-gain-weight/  I enjoy my eating style and I look hot doing it (so I am told!  :))

So, anyone can say anything or try to guilt me into eating or drinking their calorific food or drink item to make them feel better about doing it, but I worked too hard and care too much about myself to let someone SABOTAGE me.

You have to love yourself and learn to say, “NO!”  That is a hard word to say if you are not used to it and many women are trained to be obliging to people.  If you care about yourself at all and have any self-esteem, you have to learn to say no to saboteurs and to bad food.

A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips!

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And you know what?  If friends are not supportive because you are doing what they can’t do and they are jealous–then they are not your real friends and you need some new ones!

 

Protein bars to go Nuts Over

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Bethenny Frankel has done it again.  She has made a new SkinnyGirl product that is worthy of notice!  I found two types of protein bars of hers in Target.  I bought both boxes.  $6 got 5 bars per box.  A fair price for protein bars.  Both types are 23g of carbs and about 5g of fiber (net carbs is 18g) and has about 5 or 6g of protein.

I have not had the Banana Oatmeal Chocolate bar yet, but today, I sampled the Peanut butter, chocolate and salt bar and it had a bit more sugar in it, but OMG.  It was SO good! And I just had the banana one. So good too. These are keepers. Even my husband likes them!

The salt really plays tricks with your tongue and makes it so YUMMY!  It was more like a desert, than a protein bar.  It is also Kosher and gluten free!  I hope Target keeps carrying it!  Beautiful design, nice packaging, tastesskinnycount great and is priced right.

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skinnyfront

 

Skinny Break

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I took a break to deal with Skinny-Rules to deal with a close relative.  She called me scared because she is pre-diabetic and almost diabetic, after many warnings.

The issue is that she lives to eat and she has hardly moved her body since I have known her.  She eats whatever she wants and gives to thought to looking at labels and doesn’t really even know what to look for.  She eats what she likes and it hasn’t helped her health.

I had weight problems as a kid with this as a learned eating style in my family.  And if anyone with bad eating habits doesn’t change their ways, they will affect others too-like their children.

As a kid, my mother tried to give us vegetables, but they were all starches–peas, carrots, corn and potatoes.  Her meat was really fatty or processed, lots of white pasta, sauces, bread, sandwiches, Hawaiian rolls, fried chicken, pizza dripping in oil, Hostess items, Ritz crackers, movie popcorn, iceberg lettuce and thousand island dressing, pies, bundt cake, etc.  She knew little about nutrition and didn’t really care.

The weight issue was always with me, minus when I was in college and ate salads a lot…but as soon as I was around home more, I gained it back.

I learned the rules and weight fell off, but my relative’s bad eating habits  continued.  And yes, your choices affect your health, as well as your body.  My thyroid kicked out and I got Fibromyalgia and gained weight.  My relative has ended up with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood glucose.  I could have ended up like her and worse–and she is still in danger of a stroke at 60 pounds too heavy.

So, I have supplied her with the tools.

The rest is now up to her.  She is stubborn and she might die soon because of it…or suffer horrible complications from diabetes.  This is happening because she is addicted to sugar.  I wish she had more fortitude to fight it.  I understand it because I was addicted too.

You have to go out of your way to find low sugar replacements and cut out sugar for weeks before it gets better.  I hardly ever have a craving anymore for any sugar.  This does happen when you get your brain off of this killer substance.  I am healthier, stronger and I look better than ever.  It can be done. Thank GOD I did it and I continue to share my knowledge with others, in hopes that I will help more than one person!

So, please don’t wait until you are 80-years-old or sick to do it!  Love yourself!  Eat food to live and don’t live to eat.  Exercise.

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