10 Diet Mistakes

Posted on November 7, 2013 by therapysoup

There are many things that can lead to mistakes when dieting.

DIET MISTAKES

1. No Exercise: Dieting alone is not enough. You need to start out slow if you are out of shape. Take the dog for a walk after dinner. Start walking with friends. Start out with 15 minutes of any aerobic activity. But move your body. It is not normal to just eat a little bit of food and never move. This is not how the cavemen would have done it.

2. Crash Diets: You have to teach your body to lose and maintain weight on normal food and routines. When you eat so few calories in a crash diet, you train your metabolism to slow down. Once the diet is over, you have a body that burns calories more slowly — and you usually regain the weight.

3. Skipping Breakfast: Skipping breakfast seems like a simple way to cut calories, but the result can be insatiable hunger the rest of the day. Then, you are more likely to have unplanned snacking at the office and eating a super-size portion at lunch. Breakfasts that are high in protein and fiber can reduce hunger throughout the day. In fact, studies show people who eat breakfast every morning are more likely to maintain a healthy weight.

4. Snacking Without the Snacks as Part of Your 6 Meal a Day Plan: Mindless munching on carbs, which are not protein-based, could sabotage an otherwise well-planned diet. If you’re serious about counting calories, you may want to use a diet journal to keep track of every bite of food.

AND NOT HAVING PROTEIN-BASED SNACKS between meals and after dinner is also a big mistake. Your body needs protein-based foods every 3-4 hours throughout the day in order to lose/maintain weight. Cars need a constant supply of gas to move and so does your body.

5. Eating Low Fat Food Without Looking at Carb Content: Low-fat products can play an important role in your diet. Just remember that low-fat isn’t the same as low-calorie and it’s not a license to take second and third helpings. You may end up eating more calories than if you had a smaller slice of regular cake. The best way to know how much fat, sugar, and calories you’re getting is to check the nutritional label.

6. Drinking Juice: Juice is full of carbs and sugar and you are better off EATING fruit, not drinking it. You can blow a diet, just by drinking juice.

7. Speaking of Drinking: Not Enough Water and Drinking Alcohol You need water or no calorie drinks throughout the day to keep your metabolism going. If you don’t drink enough fluid, you will not lose/maintain weight. Sometimes, when you are thirsty, you feel hungry and you eat instead of drink. So, hydrate. Also, alcohol is not good for a diet because it slows down your metabolism on burning fat so your body can deal with processing the alcohol. Many drinks are also very high in carbs. Worse case scenario–a vodka or gin and water drink, if you must, is lowest in calories and carbs.

8. Too Much Fatty Dairy: Full-fat milk, cheese, and ice cream are bad for diets, but ditching dairy foods may be counterproductive. Some research suggests the body burns more fat when it gets enough calcium and produces more fat when it’s calcium-deprived. Stick to non-fat or low-fat dairy options. Low-fat Greek Yogurt, Low-Fat Cottage Cheese or Cheese (portion control!) and Breyers Carb Smart Ice Cream.

9. Fast Food for Snacks: Many bad options and who isn’t going to want fries as they order? Only do it in a pinch for their salads or protein-style burgers only. Try to prepare in advance with your own foods and if you can’t refrigerate, then low-carb protein bars, drinks or measured out nuts.

10. Unrealistic goals: You need to know that changing a way of life or eating takes time. There will be areas where you get stuck and you need to exercise more, or cut back more to get your metabolism going. Drink more water. There are plateaus, and if you search on my page for a plateau diet, I have one. But, you may never be stick thin, but that is unhealthy too. Try to go for a healthy weight range.

I Found Delish Protein Bars

Posted on November 6, 2013 by therapysoup

Look, they are 21g of protein, and are delish. 21g of carbs, but 17g of fiber. That means it is 4g net carbs!! And no sugar alcohols–good news for anyone with metabolic syndrome or diabetes.

QUEST NUTRITION BARS!

So far, I have eaten the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough one and it does taste like cookie dough. I love (and miss raw cookie dough, but it is fattening and dangerous with the raw egg in it). But, this is the closest thing and it is a lot of fiber, making the net carbs low.

The Brownie version is very similar with 5g of net carbs. Only 1g of sugar! This is insane, but wonderful!

The info on the Quest Chocolate Cookie Dough bar:

Calories from Fat	70.00

Saturated Fat	3.00 g	15%

Trans Fat	0.00 g

Cholesterol	5.00 mg	2%

Sodium	310.00 mg	13%

Dietary Fiber	17.00 g	68%

Protein	21.00 g	42%

Calories	190.00

Total Fat	8.00 g	12%

Sugars	1.00 g

Erythritol	1.00 g

Potassium	125.00 mg	4%

Total Carbohydrates	21.00 g

You might consider them a bit pricey. Over $26 for a box of 12 at GNC (a little over $2 a bar), $25 at Smart and Final. The prices are similar at Vitacost.com, but there are more flavors to choose from, including fruit flavors and Peanut Butter.

Weight Loss Can Affect a Relationship

Posted on November 3, 2013 by therapysoup

When I finally joined a medically supervised weight loss plan and learned how to eat better and how to lose weight, it was great that my spouse was right on board and he wanted to do it or help me through it. He went along with the change of eating, food and even places to go to eat. We also started to work out more.

He was supportive. This is key.

A study was done on weight loss and the correlation with relationships, and it was found that a partner’s weight loss did not always generate a positive response in relationships. Some were positive responses, but they also found that:

The partner who lost weight was found to insist his or her significant other to follow a new healthy lifestyle, causing a rift in the relationship. Non-weight-loss partners who were not supportive of their other half shedding the pounds felt threatened and insecure. As a result, they made critical comments, were less interested in sex, or tried to sabotage their partner with unhealthy food to derail their efforts as a means to prevent the partner and relationship from changing.

This study found that one partner’s lifestyle change influenced the dynamic of couples’ interaction in a variety of positive or negative ways, tipping the scale of romantic relationships, up or down. http://www.medicaldaily.com/losing-weight-may-be-bad-relationships-partners-have-less-sex-sabotage-diets-and-feel-insecure

Here is the issue. Some people are insecure and if their partner is able to follow the rules and lose weight and the other one either needs to lose too, but doesn’t have the willpower or they are worried that the weight-loss spouse now looks so good that they will no longer want to be with their partner–then those are the reasons that partners will sabotage your diet.

You have to love yourself and your health. If you are in a relationship with someone non-supportive, there are a few things you can try to do.

1. You can still do things with them and go the same places with them, but you must be able to say no to tempting foods, no matter what.

2. You can explain to your partner that you understand that they have fears, but you feel better and you still love them no matter what.

3. You can start to cook things in the house that taste good and are low-carb and support your partner in some weight loss for themselves.

4. You can start getting out to walk with them and tell them that it is your quality talking time together that means a lot to you.

5. You can explain to your partner that you love them and you want them to stay healthy and live longer.

6. You can invite your partner with you to the doctor or center to see what you are doing and let them see that it isn’t so bad and how key their support is for you to be successful.

However, if nothing works, then you might be in an unhealthy relationship. I would suggest counseling, and at the minimum, for you to get through what you need to do to stay focused on your new lifestyle.

You might also realize that perhaps your relationship has been unhealthy and has led you to put the weight on in the first place. This could be a revelation for you. Something to keep in mind. But, remember, this is your body and no matter who tries to interfere with your diet or exercise plan, you are the one who has to feel fat or have trouble buying or wearing clothes. You are the one to have to deal with medical complications. You have to take care of yourself because no one else will. Show some self-love!

Not my favorite guy, but his phrase is spot on:

Abdominal Fat is Dangerous! Save Your Health!

Posted on November 2, 2013 by therapysoup

I have worked with people who feel that it is not a big deal if they are heavy. They say they feel fine. That “feeling fine” could be short-lived….

Researchers about 10 years ago began to notice that high blood sugar and cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease and even certain cancers mostly occurred in people who were overweight or obese and who were mostly sedentary. These problems were eventually called Metabolic Syndrome or Syndrome X.

Further research showed that even people with increased waist size who were not obese were also prone to metabolic syndrome. At this point, the focus of metabolic syndrome research shifted to visceral fat and how different fat locations in our body can make a big difference in metabolic disease.

In fact, excessive visceral fat may be more dangerous and lead to more chronic diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels than obesity.

Your BMI could actually still be normal but if you have excessive visceral fat, as measure by waist size greater than 40 ins in men and 35 ins in women, you have the same increased risk factors as someone overweight or obese.

What To Do About This Type of Fat:

Studies investigating abdominal fat and aerobic exercise have shown that exercising can effectively target this fat area and reduce waist size better than using weight loss alone.

In fact regular aerobic exercise just 30 to 45 mins per day, where you actually sweat, has seen some very positive outcomes.

Supplements that target the satiety, the term used to describe our hunger for food, have become an effective tool for weight loss. We know certain foods depending on their flavors, such as sweet, salty, and sour, can activate appetite centers in the brain in various ways. This is also depends on the type for the food fat, carbohydrates, and protein all cause different reactions.

One of the major reasons attributed to high protein diet’s effectiveness is the ability of protein to reduce our appetite and make us feel full.

Therefore, my Skinny-Rules, which involves only 50 to 100g of carbohydrates per day and around four ounces of Protein consumed every 3-4 hours, six times a day–is enough to help you lose weight…but to lose that extra belly weight, you need to start MOVING! You have to exercise. Even if it is just 30 minutes a day. Walk the dog, walk briskly around the mall…but you have to move. Start with just 10-15 minutes and work your way up. Just 30 minutes a day, at least 3-4 days per week, will help you look your best as you are losing weight.

And if you suffer from fatigue or any illness, then try to take it slowly and do slow walking or swimming. Even chair exercises you find on Youtube can help you. But, don’t give in to your pain, fatigue or fat. Do something about it, even if it is baby steps every day.

Your Diet Could Be Causing Your Depression

Posted on November 1, 2013 by therapysoup

Research was done that shows us that carbohydrates can cause inflammation (besides your waistline)–causing depression!!!

http://www.medicaldaily.com/pasta-and-depression-grains-and-other-carbs-could-be-affecting-your-mood-261266

Results indicated that women who ate red meat and refined grains such as bread, pasta, and chips were at a 29 to 41 percent increased risk of being diagnosed with or receiving treatment for depression. Prolonged use can cause damage to parts of the body and the brain.

The good news is that there are certain foods which boost mood and control inflammation: Olive oil, coffee, wine, fish, and certain vegetables.

So, for those of you who have been fighting to get off of refined flour products and bad carbs, does this information help you want to do it?

If you choose to do it, follow the rules:

https://skinny-rules.com/?s=rules&submit=Search

Jambalaya or Gumbo Low Carb Knock Off

Posted on October 31, 2013 by therapysoup

My friend, Anne, wrote me and told me that she makes a sausage and shrimp dinner that her family likes. I never would think to put those two things together, but she likes it. She puts in vegetables and salad too.

The name of the sausage is Open Nature Smoked Andouille Chicken Sausage.

I found sausage and shrimp jambalaya and gumbo recipes on the internet, but I finally found one that is low carb. I will include that at the end of this blog. Don’t eat the jambalaya or gumbo the way it is done–too many carbs. I am glad Anne does it a low-carb way.

The carb count on the sausage is pretty good. 1g of carb per link. Protein is 16g. So that part is great, but then there is the sodium.

Points to remember:

1. Sodium is not such an issue in losing body fat, but it is an issue in retaining water weight and if you have high blood pressure. One link is 570mg.

It is recommended that adults under age 51, have less than 2300mg of sodium per day and over 51–1500mg. So, one link is a third of an older person’s recommended intake. What if you ate two links and had more sodium in the day too? Sodium hides in many things. You have to be aware that most canned and frozen foods are high in sodium.

To compare, a slice of medium bacon, known to have nitrates and sodium has 185mg of sodium in it.

If you have blood pressure or heart issues, or edema issues, you especially have to watch your intake of sodium and it also stores a lot of water weight.

She also has it with frozen shrimp. Just a note: 3 ounces of fresh shrimp is around 140mg of sodium vs. 300mg for frozen shrimp. But, there are no carbs in shrimp.

2. Put more veggies on the plate and only 4 ounces total of the shrimp and sausage, and it is important to weigh or measure.

The meal looks delicious, but since it is high in sodium, make it a once in a while treat or you will retain water and it will show on your scale.

3. It is best to buy fresh. Fresh sausage and shrimp will probably save at least half of the sodium in frozen foods.

Low Carb Sausage and Shrimp recipe

½ lb cleaned and deveined shrimp

½ lb Kielbasa sausage

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp olive oil

4 large cloves garlic

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup chicken stock

Pinch of dried hot pepper flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the butter and oil in a skillet over med-hot heat. Add the kielbasa and brown on each side. Add the garlic, lemon juice, chicken stock, pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 3 minutes.Add the shrimp. Cook, stirring frequently, for 4-5 minutes until the shrimp are pink. Remove from heat. Place on serving plate and pour sauce over shrimp from the skillet (or serve on the side for dipping).

Sautéed some asparagus with garlic powder and season salt as a side dish. (10g net carbs)

That is on the internet with the low carb recipe….and here is my friend’s plate:

Low-Carb Chicken Piccata

Posted on October 29, 2013 by therapysoup

My sister-in-law sent me this low carb recipe for piccata.
You can make it with turkey or chicken. It is actually quite good.
This particular time, I forgot to do what she suggested and cut
the fillets in half. Next time–makes for cooking through the
center of the meat faster. My husband ate a cutlet and he really
liked it. Consider serving with veggies, salad! Low
Carb Piccata (about 4g of carbs per cutlet) •4
turkey or chicken cutlets (about 5-6oz each) •1/4 teaspoon! salt
•1/4 teaspoon ground pepper •1 tablespoon olive oil, divided •1
tablespoon butter •1 1/2 cup chicken broth •2 tablespoon shallots,
chopped •2 cloves garlic, minced •1 teaspoon flour •1 – 2
tablespoons lemon juice •1 tablespoon capers, drained •1 tablespoon
flat leaf parsley Sprinkle turkey with salt and pepper. Heat a
large skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil to pan. Add
cutlets and cook 2-3 minutes per side or until done. Remove and
keep warm covered with a sheet of foil. Add remaining olive oil and
1/2 tablespoon of butter to pan. Add shallots and garlic cooking
for 1 minute. Stir in 3/4 cup broth. Bring to a boil and cook for 2
minutes, scraping sides of pan. Combine remaining chicken stock and
flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add to pan and bring
to a boil. Cook 5 minutes or until liquid has reduced by half.
Remove from heat and stir in remaining butter, lemon juice, and
capers. Pour sauce over turkey and garnish with parsley.
Nutritional Information Calories: 298
Fat: 10g Saturated fat: 4.1g Monounsaturated fat: 4g
Polyunsaturated fat: 0.6g Protein: 43.3g Carbohydrate: 4.5g Fiber:
0.6g Cholesterol: 83mg Iron: 2.7mg Sodium: 414mg Calcium: 19mg
My Pictures

Losing Weight Means Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone–COOKING!

Posted on October 28, 2013 by therapysoup

On Saturday, I went shopping and bought supplies so that I have decent things to eat next week, things which are low-carb, but delish.

Why? Because I love myself and I love my family.

I bought organic chicken breasts from Trader Joes and made chicken tenders–enough for the whole week (4 ounces a day). I used the recipe that was on my blog and added hemp seed to it (found it at Costco, actually and it is low-carb, high protein). https://skinny-rules.com/2013/08/27/low-carb-almond-and-flax-seed-chicken-tenders/

I never cooked. I spent the first 30 something years of my life only baking. Baking is fun and smells good. Baking is easy.

I have stepped outside of the comfort zone that made me fat and ill–and I am forcing myself to learn. I have started with easy recipes and if I need help, I ask for it. It isn’t hard. The first few times is hard, but what isn’t at first? Having children or a job is hard–did that stop you? Are you conditioned by your family to go out to eat?

Low-carb chicken tenders, made from almond meal, flax-seed meal, hemp and Organic chicken is WAY healthier than getting some Who-Knows-What-It-Is-Made-Of and high sodium bread encrusted so-called chicken from a fast food place or a restaurant. I know so many people, especially parents who don’t take the time to learn to do these things at home for the love of themselves or their children. Saying you “love” and showing that you “love”–are two different things.

Cooking this is so easy–dipping the pieces in the meal and coating them, placing them on tin foil, baking for 10 minutes, turn them, and 10 more minutes and then you can heat them up over the week because you can make a batch of them. And you then know what you are putting into your or your kid’s body. How much love can you have for yourself or your child if you are putting nothing but antibioticed non-organic chicken, encrusted with Frankenwheat and carbs in their mouths?

I just did a batch and they are cooling. They taste good and it wasn’t hard.

Step outside of the box, and start cooking basics like this one. I will put up more easy recipes from time to time, or Google them. When was the last time you ever even tried to turn on your oven and cooked fresh foods that didn’t come already done or out of a box? Or the last time you cooked at all because you bring in (unhealthy) food all of the time?

Could this be part of the reason someone in your home might have medical or weight issues? Think about cooking with love, for love. (And save money too!)

Prevent Halloween Holiday Weight Gain

Posted on October 27, 2013 by therapysoup

The holidays are upon us. This usually means that people start to eat things that are higher-carb and they will put weight on themselves. The “traditions” of the holidays–are man-made–and perhaps should be modified, as our society gets bigger and bigger. I am not sure who came up with the idea that on Halloween–that we need to give a bunch of sugar items to children all night long. I know their teachers are usually not too happy about it the next day because those kids are all wired from the whole event and the toxic poisoning of all of that sugar.

The carb-fest at Thanksgiving and Christmas is a whole other Oprah. Let’s talk about Halloween though.

Here are some guidelines to follow if you are trying to lose weight on Halloween:

At home:

1. Buy candy you don’t like so it will be easier to resist temptation.
2. Purchase candy at the last-minute so you won’t be tempted to sample it.
3. Keep in mind that you will need to walk nearly a mile to burn off that 90-calorie “fun size” or “snack size” candy.
4. Get out and walk with the kids or look at neighbor’s homes so you aren’t tempted to eat candy in your house.

At work:

1. Do not bake and bring Halloween muffins, cookies, etc to work and when they are at work, stay away from them. Have your healthier snacks available to you so you will not be hungry. If you have to be standing or sitting near those sugary items, then eat your snacks before you are there and near them.

2. There are recipes online for low-carb baking items and you should consider that if you need a treat. There is also low-carb chocolate out there. Eat a Power Crunch bar or a Nature Valley Protein Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate bar as a replacement of a regular candy bar.

11 Ways To Deal With Cravings When On A Diet!

Posted on October 24, 2013 by therapysoup

I hear this all of the time and I went through it too. I sometimes still do. How do you get through cravings, especially at home at night. or mid-day?

11 Ways to get you through cravings:
1. You have to set a goal.

I told myself every morning that I was on a MISSION and that mission had to be done, no matter what. I set a goal to lose a certain amount of weight.

2. Recognize that cravings mean something and fix the problem before it becomes a problem.

First off, sometimes you will crave things because you are deficient in a vitamin or mineral. People who crave steak are low in iron, bananas–potassium,chocolate-magnesium, etc. So, take a MULTIVITAMIN AND MULTIMINERAL all through your diet and after to help with unnecessary cravings.

3. Go shopping and only buy the foods you are going to eat on the diet. Do not buy junk.

Oh, you have kids?
You want junk for the kids and you are afraid you will eat it too? Well, I have something controversial to say here. Screw that!
That junk hurts your body and mind, and it is not only BAD for your kids (they need white flour and sugar like a hole in the head), but you are also setting them up on a path of weight gain in their future too by allowing them to get hooked on pure sugar crap! Teach them to enjoy healthy, tasty options for their snacks. Nuts, fruit, cheese, protein bars. The Nature Valley Protein Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter bar (for instance) or their other Protein bars or any of the Power Crunch bars are low in carbs, high in protein. What the heck is wrong with those options? Cheetos, Doritos, Tortilla chips, candy, cheese balls–are all BAD, BAD options and will only make you sick. Buy low-carb baking books, look it up online, buy low carb food books, buy low-carb options at the market or online at places like netrition.com or low-carb stores online. Some items are at speciality stores.
4. Stop baking BAD stuff (look up better low-carb options online.

No more baking crap white flour nonsense in the house. Just knock it off. You don’t need it. Oh, your kid enjoys it? Well, too bad. You all need to find a healthier hobby or learn sugar-free options for baking and look at number one (set a goal) and go shopping (rule 3) and get new stuff to bake. Having bad food baking and wafting through the house is torture on a diet. It will just pull you back into the dark side of bad fattening food. If it is made with white flour–NO! You or your kids have to find recipes using coconut, almond or flax meal and make those things. Step outside of your fattening comfort zone and learn new tricks. Teach your loved ones to eat better WITH you.

YES! YOU WILL HAVE CRAVINGS THAT ARE DIFFICULT THE FIRST WEEK AFTER GIVING UP SUGAR AND SIMPLE CARBS. IT IS THE BODY DETOXING. YOU WILL GET THROUGH IT. JUST KEEP DRINKING WATER (COFFEE WAS MY SAVIOR). IT WILL EVENTUALLY STOP. YOU WON’T DIE. AFTER AWHILE, YOUR BODY WILL JUST CRAVE THE GOOD FOOD. IT IS LIKE GETTING OFF OF ANY DRUG. PEOPLE ARE ADDICTED TO SUGAR. IT IS NOT GOOD FOR YOU AND IT IS MAKING YOU FAT AND UNHEALTHY. GROW SOME BALLS AND DEAL WITH IT. 🙂

5. Tape a picture of yourself looking fat on the refrigerator so that you will be reminded why you are on the diet in the first place.

6. Throw out the bad food or give it away.

If it is there, you are gonna eat it!

7. Drink water and have lots of sugar-free options to drink.

Drink every time you are hungry, to help stop cravings.

8. If you are desperate and it is in between the time of 3-4 hours from your last protein meal (out of six for the day), then have a protein “hit.”

–a piece of low-fat string cheese, a slice of turkey, an egg, a protein drink with few carbs in it–but have a protein “hit”, so you get through the cravings, until your next meal.

9. Find a distraction.

Read, get online, call a friend, or go exercise. Exercise or walking the dog helps me. Exercising at least 30 minutes a day, 3 times a week, not only burns calories, it helps reduce cravings. So, move!

10. Find ways to de-stress.

Meditation, yoga, listening to music. Anxiety can make people eat. They have “emotional” eating. Most emotional eating is from anxiety. This is why I love yoga–between the exercise and the wind down meditative time, I am pretty chill. Take an L-Theanine 200 mg (a totally natural amino acid that
lowers anxiety like nothing I have ever tried and there are NO side effects. Look it up.)

11. Keep a diet journal showing what you ate and the number of carbs per meal and tally it all up daily. Also, use that journal to write when you are emotional and try to process what is bothering you instead of eating.

Consider therapy or a group like Overeaters Anonymous. Or, if you must eat, follow rule number 7 and avoid so-called, “comfort” foods. Those foods will only make you feel UNcomfortable tomorrow when you gained weight!

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