Tag Archives: diet

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:

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  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. 

 

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.

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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!

Picnics Can Be Delicious and You Can Still Lose Weight

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Does going to a picnic mean we are stuck with potato salad, coleslaw and chips?  My husband, sister-in-law and friend are joining me tonight in an outdoor concert, where we will “picnic’ in our seats before the concert.  In the past, we would order food, which was delectable, but devilish in calories.  But, that was 40 pounds ago.  And my family and friend are all on board with eating and living a better lifestyle (very important to surround yourself with people like that) and if not, then you have to prepare your own food your way).  However, in this case, we all decided to order food that was good for us, as well as good-tasting.

We could make them ourselves, but we are ordering salads with veggies and chopped grilled chicken and my vegetarian friend will be having the salad with sautéed tofu.  We will also have sparkling and regular water, coffee and I am bringing a long Low-Carb chocolate cookies for dessert.

Here is what the salad looks like, but without the grilled 4 ounces of chicken. And also here is a picture of my Kot chocolate crackers.  (13g or net carbs, from Lindora.com)  Looking forward to my meal and my coffee!!

salad

 

 

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Low-Carb Almond and Flax Seed Chicken Tenders

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I love chicken tenders, but I don’t want a lot of carbs and I don’t want it breaded.  I am avoiding wheat because it makes my belly stick out and it is full of carbs.

Here is a South Beach version of chicken tenders.  I made them and they are really good and SUPER easy to make.  Less than 30 minutes.

Don’t forget to get some dipping sauce (low-carb of course).  Mustard-based is a good choice.

There is probably less than 3g of net carbs in this entire batch of chicken that I made!  Almond and flax are good for you too!  Here are my pictures of the finished product.  Recipe follows.

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LOW-CARB CHICKEN TENDERS:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1-2 T olive oil (enough to generously coat the baking sheet)
1/2 cup almond meal
1 tsp. paprika (not smoked or hot)
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Turn on the oven to 400F/205C. Brush a baking sheet liberally with olive oil and put the pan in the oven to heat as the oven preheats.

Trim all visible fat and tendons from chicken breasts, then cut each breast into 5 nugget pieces (or more if you have a very large breast.) Use a meal mallet or something heavy to pound the thicker nugget pieces so they’re all the same thickness.

Combine the almond meal, paprika, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper in a bowl, mixing together well. Dip each nugget piece into the almond meal mixture, pressing on with your fingers so it coats the chicken. Coat all the nuggets before you remove the baking sheet from the oven.

When all nuggets are coated, lay them on the hot baking sheet and cook 8-10 minutes, or until the side touching the pan is lightly browned. Remove pan from oven, turn nuggets, and bake 10-12 minutes more on the second side, until nuggets are lightly browned and cooked through. (Don’t overcook.) Serve hot, with mustard or ranch dipping sauce if desired.

Middle Age Midsection Spread! Why and How to Fix It!

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midsection

I had the midsection spread.  I had women asking me when my baby was due and I was NOT pregnant!  That is so devastating.  I changed my diet right after that!  I will discuss how this happens and how to fix it.

What caused the midection spread:

Muscle loss, lower metabolism,  and an increase in white fat all play a part in causing waist lines to grow as we age.  Also people exercise less and add stress-eating to their routines, and it becomes much easier to gain weight compared to when we were young and could drink and eat more crap.

But, once we turn 40, our metabolic rate  (ability to burn calories) drops.  We lose muscle tone. We get stressed out and eat more calories than we need, despite needing to eat less calories and work out.

I have also written about how the new ways that wheat is grown and processed is bad for people’s midsections, hence the book written by a medical doctor, called “The Wheat Belly.”  I do think that once I cut wheat MOSTLY out of my diet and tried to stay away from products primarily made with it or from it, then my midsection decreased substantially.  And if I eat wheat products, my stomach distends hugely.

How to fix the spread:

We just cannot eat the way she did in her our 20s and 30s and we need to make a change in our lifestyle and steer away from foods rich in carbs and calories, and also stay away from the stress-eating time period between 3 p.m. and 12 a.m., when energy levels drop (and women in particular tend to overeat).

But is it ever possible to remain the same weight you once were in your 20s? Yes, but exercise is key.  I weigh what I weighed in my 20s right now since I changed my eating style and added more exercise.  Consume less calories, less sugar, less carbs.  More protein, more vegetables, more salad, more portion control, eat less, more often (6 times a day).

RULES:

Palm of the hand-sized protein choices 6 times a day, 2 small servings of fruits per day (a cup), 4 small servings of vegetables a day (avoid starches), salads twice a day, drink water all day.  No (low) sugar products.  Keep carbs within 50g to 100g per day.  I personally avoid wheat products and rice now.  A piece of toast is allowed once or twice a week.  Exercise at least 15- 20 min. per day or a few hours a week.  Always eat breakfast and every 3-4 hours–another protein!  And seriously, watch those  carbilicious wheat products, and if you must some–go for Gluten-free.

 

21 Day Challenge!

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All over Facebook is a 21 Day Challenge.  I have done this 21 Day Challenge for the most part now since Sept 8, 2011.  Here is the challenge:

21 Day Challenge!!!
NO CHIPS
NO SODA
NO DIET SODA
NO CHOCOLATE
NO CANDY
NO WHITE BREAD
NO COOKIES OR BISCUITS
NO FAST FOOD
NO CAKES/PASTRIES/MUFFINS

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How I have done this challenge, but my way!

–I have done fast food, but I make choices that involve salad and not-so-fast-foodish.

— I only have chocolate in protein bars or low-carb items.  Best low-carb chocolate bars in my opinion, Power Crunch (Trader Joes, Smart and Final and Vitacost.com) and Nature Valley Protein Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate bars (Target and Costco).  And this one is delish!  http://www.vitacost.com/bionutritional-research-group-choklat-crunch-protein-crisp-bars

–I never have had regular soda, but I admit to diet soda and even though it is bad for ending cravings, I still have a couple a day.  You still have to drink water.

— I never do candy or anything made with wheat products, unless they are special low-carb ones that I have purchased through Lindora.com or some low carb outlet, and even then, that is rare.  I usually have low-carb frozen yogurt or fruit with whipped cream or low-fat Greek Yogurt.

–I never have potatoes, rice or beans.  Just too full of carbs and starches and puts me on a sugar rollercoaster.

SugarRollerCoaster

The good part of this challenge is to get you to get over craving sugar or things that turn to sugar. It is basically, a sugar detox.  But, if you eat sugars and cheat, then you are NOT detoxing.

The bad part of this challenge is that it offers no assistance in dealing with those torturous cravings.  Even on a medically supervised weight loss program, like the one I did (Lindora), they offered me appetite suppressants.  But, after one day of that and feeling jittery, I researched and found my own way to get over it.  There are plenty of books that explain it, like Dr. Mark Hyman, whose book and information is on the blog before this (August 23. 2013).  However, how to get over cravings in a nutshell:

1.) Balance blood sugar.

When blood sugar is low, you’ll eat anything. To better balance blood sugar, eat a small meal or snack that includes healthy protein, like seeds or nuts (measured out because they are high in carbs) , low-fat Greek Yogurt, two tablespoons of almond or peanut butter, or eat any meat, a protein bar or drink (check on the ones that are lowest in carbs) and cheese, every 3 to 4 hours.

2.) Eliminate liquid calories and artificial sweeteners.

Sodas are full of chemicals and high fructose corn syrup. Processed fruit juices are awash in sugar. Try sticking with water and green tea. Green tea contains plant chemicals that are good for your health. And, last but not least, don’t succumb to the diet-drink trap. The artificial sweeteners in diet drinks fool the body into thinking it is ingesting sugar, which creates the same insulin spike as regular sugar.  I have to admit, I use artificial sweetener in my coffee and soda and I still lost weight, but this can spike cravings….just sayin’.  Reason why I also take fiber to feel full.

3.) Eat a high-quality protein at breakfast.

Ideally, you’re eating quality protein at every meal, but, if you need to prioritize one meal, choose breakfast. Studies show that waking up to a healthy protein, such as eggs, nuts, seeds, nut butters or a protein shake help people lose weight, reduce cravings and burn calories.

4.  Increase fiber.  Helps you feel full and keeps you from overeating.

5.  NO wine or beer.  If you MUST have a drink, stick with a vodka mixed drink and keep it to a minimum.  Wine and beer have sugar and alcohol takes so much energy in your body to be processed, then your body doesn’t have the energy to also burn fat, so you won’t lose much weight if you drink.  Remember that.

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And as in any addiction, if you fall off the wagon, then get back on!  Never give up.

Feeling full!

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I read a post by a woman in a room where there is a weight loss challenge.  In the challenge, there are no chips.  That is because potatoes are so high in carbs.  In fact, I don’t even do potatoes anymore for two reasons:

1.  High in carbs.

2.  Terrible on the glycemic index for the sugar rollercoaster, which causes addiction.

This lady ate at Wendy’s.  The fast food places do not have the best choices for food.  Definitely not organic or hormone-free, but not many diet-friendly choices.  However, she had the BLT salad there and I was surprised to see that it only had between 10 and 13g of carbs.  That is really good.  If you want to lose weight, keeping your carbs between 50 and 100g is the way to go.  So, 10g for a meal is awesome.  But, the lady might be addicted to sugar, because she felt the need to get a baked potato too.  Many people think of baked potatoes as healthy.  I know that I did.  However, root vegetables are HIGH in starch, meaning sugar.  So, the carb count on a medium baked potato is 37 grams.  A lot for one half of a meal.  Also, terrible for trying to get over cravings.  She said she got the potato to feel full!

GasGaugeFull

I get the whole, “wanting to feel full” thing.  That is what kept me addicted to bad foods.   Dr. Mark Hyman talks about how to get through the addiction and withdrawal in his book, “The Blood Sugar Solution. ”

“When you eat simple carbohydrates, whether as sugar or as starch, they pass almost instantaneously from the gut into the bloodstream. Within seconds, blood sugar levels start to rise. To counter the increase in sugar, the body releases insulin. Insulin is the key that unlocks the cells and allows sugar to enter. As sugar enters the cells, the amount of sugar in the blood declines and the body restores homeostasis.  An abundance of simple sugars in the diet goads the body into releasing more and more insulin. Eventually, the cellular locks get worn down from overuse. Like a key that’s lost its teeth, insulin loses its ability to easily open the cellular door. The cells become numb to the effects of insulin. As a result, the body pumps out more and more of the hormone to keep its blood sugar levels in check. Eventually, this cycle leads to a dangerous condition called insulin resistance. Insulin resistance—at the root of diabesity—causes you to gain belly fat, raises your blood pressure, messes up your cholesterol, makes you infertile, kills your sex drive, makes you depressed, tired, and demented, and even causes cancer.”

3 Ways to Reprogram your Brain

Luckily there are ways to rewire the primitive parts of your brain by making good food choices.

1.) Balance blood sugar.

Blood sugar highs and lows drive primitive food cravings. If you get famished between meals, that’s a sign that your blood sugar is crashing. When blood sugar is low, you’ll eat anything. To better balance blood sugar, eat a small meal or snack that includes healthy protein, like seeds or nuts (measured out because they are high in carbs) , low-fat Greek Yogurt, two tablespoons of almond or peanut butter, or eat any meat, a protein bar or drink (check on the ones that are lowest in carbs) and cheese, every 3 to 4 hours.

2.) Eliminate liquid calories and artificial sweeteners.

Early humans didn’t reach for soda or fruit juices when they got thirsty.  Sodas are full of chemicals and high fructose corn syrup. Processed fruit juices are awash in sugar. Try sticking with water and green tea. Green tea contains plant chemicals that are good for your health. And, last but not least, don’t succumb to the diet-drink trap. The artificial sweeteners in diet drinks fool the body into thinking it is ingesting sugar, which creates the same insulin spike as regular sugar.  I have to admit, I use artificial sweetener in my coffee and soda and I still lost weight, but this can spike cravings….just sayin’.  Reason why I also take fiber to feel full.

3.) Eat a high-quality protein at breakfast.

Ideally, you’re eating quality protein at every meal, but, if you need to prioritize one meal, choose breakfast. Studies show that waking up to a healthy protein, such as eggs, nuts, seeds, nut butters or a protein shake help people lose weight, reduce cravings and burn calories.  This is actually very true and important!  I also found that the low carb version of pancake mix from Lindora.com or Netrition.com, and sugar-free maple syrup helps with that need to sometimes have something a little more substantial without killing my diet.  Using alternatives and learning new tricks to eating and enjoying food is what you need to do to lose weight.  This is why I started this blog.  This blog is to put out there for others all of the work I have done to discover how to lose weight and keep it off!

Ultimately, you may not control your genes, but you do control what and how you eat.  Since taking control and changing my diet, my brain no longer caves into the cravings and urgings that seduce the reptilian brain. The most powerful tool you have to transform your health is your brain and your fork!