Tag Archives: diet

You Might Really Love Fish With This On It

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I took my husband out to his favorite seafood place for his birthday yesterday and I had this marvelous and delicious dip for my fish. I am not really a fish fan, but I eat it to stay thin. But, if I just have a little bit of this dip for my fish every time I eat it, I could eat fish all of the time. It was called, “Aioli.” I never had it before in my life, but I am now a convert. I looked it up online and I found a recipe that is easy. Remember not to use too much. It is for flavor, not a meal, in itself.

Garlic–Cilantro Aioli Dip
2 cloves garlic, cut into slivers
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
1/2 cup mayonnaise

Directions

Garlic–Cilantro Aioli Dip

Put garlic in olive oil and set aside at room temperature to steep for about 30 minutes.
Remove garlic, and combine the oil with fresh lime juice, cilantro, and mayonnaise. Add salt to taste.

YUM!

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How Much Protein Do You Need On a Low Carb Diet?

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Our protein needs depend on our age, size, and activity level. The standard method used by nutritionists to estimate our minimum daily protein requirement is to multiply the body weight in kilograms by .8, or weight in pounds by .37. This is the number of grams of protein that should be the daily minimum. According to this method, a person weighing 150 lbs. should eat 55 grams of protein per day, a 200-pound person should get 74 grams.  I need about 44g a day.

Let’s look at my protein intake on a given day.

YESTERDAY:

An egg has about 6g of protein.

My tuna salad with mozzarella had about 40g of protein (on salad)

(I am already at the amount I need)

I had a burger for dinner (with salad) at 20g of protein

I had some strawberries.

A protein bar with 10g of protein

A small carbolite frozen dessert with 9g of protein.

My total:  145g of protein.  No wonder my nails are so strong!

But, I do get fat and carbs in my diet.  I just try NOT to go over 100g of carbs a day.  My protein bars, fruit, and veggies in my salad had carbs.  My burger, cheese, protein bar and egg all had fat.  I eat the yolk in the egg to get some fat.

So, there you have what I do.  You don’t have to do what I do, but it keeps my weight down, I feel good and my skin, hair and nails are all stronger and better than ever.

It is said that if you have too much protein, your breathe will smell.  So far, so good.  And if you work out, you need even more protein.  I work out a lot, so I am glad that I eat it.

proteinwomen

Power Crunch Choklat is Da Low Carb Bomb

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I got both Power Crunch Choklat bars in the mail.  The dark chocolate and the milk chocolate.  I have had the opportunity to sample both.  The milk chocolate is good and tastes like a good Nestle Crunch bar, only it has 5 grams of protein, 8g of carbs (7g net).  But, the dark chocolate is soooo good.  I love dark chocolate and this is a dark chocolate version of a nestle crunch bar.  Even my husband likes it.  It is worth getting and eating.  I like it even better than the regular crunch bar.

I got mine for the best price on Vitacost.com.  If you find a better price, write me.

Who said you have to suffer eating low carb?

 

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Make a Tasty, Yet Healthy Salad, Not a Fattening Salad

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I had to re-examine why I was stuck on weight loss, and it was because I slowly started to increase some things into salads, which were not conducive to weight loss.

Yes, you are supposed to have proteins six times a day, but if you eat half of a cup of regular cheese and not lite, then you are adding more fat into your diet.  Technically, there are no carbs, but you still have to watch portion size.  You are better off with lite cheese, but if you do regular cheese, you have to use less and less often.  I know that was a problem for me and I will be watching this from now on.

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So, here is a list of items that are basically No-Nos for a salad while trying to get or stay skinny.

1.  Regular fat cheese (already covered that).

2.  Candied nuts.  You already have to watch the amount of nuts you eat in a day because they have carbs, but the added sugar in candied nuts is over the top.

3.  Croutons.  Very high in carbs and they have no nutritional value.  They are made from stripped white bread.  If you must have bread, have a wheat roll or slice (I don’t recommend eating bread while trying to lose weight, but you can eat a   wheat roll or slice once or twice a week instead of having fruit.

4.  Won ton noodles or tortilla strips or chips.  Same as croutons.  Basically, one tortilla chip has about 1g of carb per chip.  Are you willing to sacrifice for that?  Have a serving of carrot in your salad instead.

5.  Sun-dried tomatoes.  Too much sodium.  Get fresh tomatoes.

6.  Watch the salad dressing.  Some are filled with carbs.  Get a good balsamic vinaigrette or lite ranch.

Don’t forget that you can add a protein into your salad like egg, chicken, turkey, etc. and make it tasty.

THEY’RE BAACCKK!

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proteinbars

Nature Valley Protein Bars, Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter.  Can be bought at Target or online, but the big box of 18 is at Costco (which is oly there, here and there, but they are back!).  Turns out to be like 65 cents per bar.  Get them while supplies last.  10 g protein, 14g carbs, 5g fiber–so net carbs is 9g.  I use these as one of my protein snacks throughout the day and it tastes AWESOME!  It is like having a dessert.

Emergency Junk Food

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If I ever get in a bind and need a protein hit in the morning (gotta have breakfast and eat again  a few hours later), I make a sacrifice and stop through a fast food restaurant.  You can order a side of eggs, a side of eggs and bacon, or if you are disciplined enough–you can order a breakfast sandwich and throw away the bread.

breakfast

Yes, I throw away the bread.  I sometimes feed it to birds.

The biscuit itself in this sandwich is about 30g of carbs and less than 2g of carbs for the rest of what is in the biscuit.  Is the biscuit itself (white flour that is SOO not good for you) worth 30g of carbs, when you want to only eat 50g to 100g of carbs to lose and maintain weight?

It is your choice.

correctyourmind

Chocolate Heaven and Still Stay Skinny

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How would you like a protein snack/meal to die for? Something made up of Belgium chocolate, it tastes great, has 10g of protein and only 8g of carbs, 1 g of fiber–making it 7g of net carbs?

Too good to be true? Not if it is made by my favorite protein bar maker, Power Crunch.

Power Crunch Choklat. The company says this about it, “Real chocolate meets real nutrition in Choklat Crunch® – 10 grams of Proto Whey protein in world class Belgian chocolate.
Made with exotic Belgian chocolate and fortified with 10 grams of Proto Whey protein in each bar, Choklat Crunch® is truly a unique offering. With only 100 calories per serving, Choklat Crunch® is an indulgence to feel good about. Made without the use of sugar alcohols, a known cause of gastric distress, Choklat Crunch® is truly a gold standard in both nutrition and taste!”

It comes in dark and milk chocolate. I just ordered boxes of both and I will report on it as soon as I try it. Best deal I have found so far, Vitacost.com. $16.99 for a box of 12. Free shipping on orders over $49. I bought 3 boxes. I don’t mess around. It is chocolate low-carb heaven. My sister-in-law told about it, loved it, and that is good enough for me. I know I already love their regular chocolate and their peanut butter favors.

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I am excited. Forget fattening, non-nutritious candy bars. You can have this and stay skinny, be healthy.

Emergency Hunger Rules and Ideas

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I thought about the lady in yesterday’s blog, who was hungry and perhaps emotionally eating. I thought about what to do in a hunger emergency, so you don’t sabotage yourself in a glucose-low, and fill up on a high sugar item and keep feeding the vicious cycle of the blood sugar roller coaster–which leads to weight issues and poor health.

First of all, you should be eating a protein portion (4 to 6 ounces of meat, an egg or some cup of cheese. If you do this, you will cut down significantly on those lows. But, when you first lower sugar and carb intake, the lows are more felt and more often, until your body gets used to the new lifestyle. This could take around a week.

So, lastly, when you feel hungry, here is what you can do to fill in the gap until your next protein meal out of your minimum of six per day, spread out 3 to 4 hours in-between each meal.

Emergency Food

1. Have one of your four daily half-cup portions of vegetables. Or do two. Have one of your two small portions of salads and/or put your vegetables in it.

2. Have a liquid protein shake, about 6 ounces. This should cut your craving down significantly.

3. Have a small extra portion of a very low carb protein–meat, egg, cheese. You can do Greek yogurt, but keep in mind that if you do a flavored yogurt, pick wisely. One person I know loves Chobani and it is loaded in sugar and carbs. No wonder she likes it. Dannon Lite and Fit flavored Greek Yogurt has less than half of the sugar and carbs. If you eat the Chobani, you probably might as well eat the jelly beans (don’t).

4. Have just a few ounces of nuts or seeds.

5. Have one of your two small fruits that you can have in a day. Stick with lower sugar fruits if you can, like citrus or berries. You can even blend some into that protein shake/drink.

6. Have a low carb protein bar Ike Power Crunch, at 10g of carbs.

7. Make a low carb pizza, made with a cauliflower base. I have blogged about it before, but you can look at this particular recipe. http://www.eatingbirdfood.com/2012/09/healthy-pizza-with-a-cauliflower-crust/

8. The low carb version of a Taco Bell Supreme item. I buy low carb burrito shells at Costco or Trader Joes, but they are at other places. They say low carb on them. Compare and Contrast. But, I make this all of the time and it is delicious. http://www.hungry-girl.com/newsletters/raw/985

9. Have these delicious soy pretend-pasta noodles. I have had them and they are good. Miracle Noodles aren’t good. These are good. They are at Ralph’s and Amazon.com. A little pasta lower sugar pasta sauce and cheese us yummy and filling.

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/products/p/shiratakinoodle.htm

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Writing this blog made me hungry. I am going to go make number 8, right now.

Emotional Eating Can Hurt Your Diet or Lifestyle Change

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emo-eating

Emotional eating can sabotage your weight-loss efforts

Sometimes the strongest cravings for food happen when you’re at your weakest point emotionally and you may turn to food for comfort. Emotional eating can sabotage your weight-loss efforts. Emotional eating often leads to eating too much, and you most likely will eat too much of the wrong things.  I talked to a woman today who ate jelly beans when she knew she had to do a fasting blood test the next day. There are take steps to regain control of your eating habits and get back on track with your weight-loss goals.

emotional_eating_cycle

The connection between mood, food and weight loss

Emotional eating is eating as a way to push down or soothe out negative emotions, such as stress, anger, fear, boredom, sadness and loneliness. Things happening to you in life and the hassles of daily life can trigger negative emotions that lead to emotional eating and disrupt your weight-loss efforts. These triggers may include:

  • Unemployment
  • Financial pressure
  • Health problems
  • Relationship conflicts
  • Work stress
  • Fatigue
  • Also, being on diet or change of lifestyle with food and feeling bad about yourself or frustrated at where you are at–physically.

Although some people actually eat less when stressed,  if you’re in emotional distress you may turn to impulsive or binge eating — you may rapidly eat whatever’s convenient, without even enjoying it. In fact, your emotions may become so tied to your eating habits that you automatically or impulsively reach for a treat or a sweat, whenever you’re angry or stressed without stopping to think about what you’re doing. Food also serves as a great distraction. If you’re worried about a test, or some life event, or brooding over a conflict, for instance, you may focus on eating comfort food instead of dealing with the painful situation. Whatever emotions drive you to overeat, the end result is often the same. The emotions return, and you may also now bear the additional burden of guilt about setting back your weight-loss  or health-related goal. This can also lead to an unhealthy cycle — your emotions trigger you to overeat, you beat yourself up for getting off your weight-loss track, you feel bad, and you overeat again. desserts

Tips to get your weight-loss efforts back on track

You can take steps to control cravings and renew your effort at weight loss. To help stop emotional eating, try these tips:

  • Learn from setbacks. If you have an episode of emotional eating, forgive yourself and start fresh the next day. Try to learn from the experience.  So, make a plan for how you can prevent it in the future, focus on the positive changes you’re making in your eating habits, and give yourself credit for making changes that’ll lead to better health.
  • Stress management: If stress contributes to your emotional eating, try a stress management technique, such as yoga, meditation or relaxation.
  • Have a hunger reality check. Is your hunger physical or emotional? If you ate just a few hours ago, you’re probably not really hungry. Give the craving a little time to pass.
  • Keep a food diary. Write down what you eat, how much you eat, when you eat, how you’re feeling when you eat and how hungry you are. Over time, you may see patterns emerge that reveal the connection between your mood and food.
  • Get support. You’re more likely to give in to emotional eating if you lack a good support network. Lean on family and friends or consider joining a support group.  Overeaters Anonymous is a good group and it is free.
  • Fight boredom. Instead of snacking when you’re not truly hungry, distract yourself. Take a walk, watch a movie, play with your dog or cat, listen to music, read, surf the Internet or call a friend.
  • Take away temptation. Don’t keep supplies of comfort foods in your home if they’re hard for you to resist. And if you feel angry or blue, postpone your trip to the grocery store until you’re sure that you have your emotions in check.
  • Don’t deprive yourself. When you’re trying to achieve a weight-loss goal, you may limit your calories too much, eat the same foods frequently and banish the treats you enjoy.
  • Snack healthy. If you feel the urge to eat between meals, choose a low-fat, low-calorie snack, such as fresh fruit, low-sugar Greek yogurt, vegetables with low-fat dip or unbuttered popcorn. Or try low-fat, lower calorie versions of your favorite foods to see if they satisfy your craving.

Realize there are two different cycles:  Healthy and Unhealthy Eating.  First picture here is unhealthy.  Second is healthy.

  • unhealthyeating

healthyeating

Sweet Temptation

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A great proverb:  ““Good habits result from resisting temptation”

I can’t tell you how annoying it is when you are on a diet and someone (who KNOWS you are on a diet) offers you something NOT on your diet.

It happens all of the time.  Temptation.  Sabotage.  Whatever you want to call it.  It is annoying and it is real.

What can you do to prevent temptation?  10 Ways To Reduce Temptation:

1.  Never go anywhere hungry.  My father was thin and he used to go to dinner after eating a piece of chicken breast at home.  I always wondered why he did such a weird thing.  Eat before going out?  I get it now.  He was a reformed chubby kid and as an adult, he learned how to stay thin.  I didn’t figure it out until after he passed away and I lost my weight.    So, eat some protein before you go out to a dinner with other people.  You will find it easier to pass up the rolls and ordering food based on hunger vs. nutritional need.  Once you get good at doing it, it will become a normal routine or habit.

2.  If you do go out, tell the server to not bring rolls and you will NOT be ordering dessert.

3.  Don’t go shopping hungry and go with a list of items that you need, items that are nutritious and part of your diet.

4.  Don’t keep bread in the house, if at all possible.

5.  Always have protein in the house.  Meat, cheese,eggs, Greek Yogurt, nuts, seeds, protein bars.  If you are hungry, have a protein drink or some cheese/meat slices to kill off the hunger.

6.  Eat protein every 3-4 hours and don’t go longer or you will be more likely to cheat.  You are weaker in your strength of saying “NO” when you are hungry.

7.  Warn people who have invited you over or out that you are on a special diet and just let them know that you need cheese, meat, nuts, eggs and you cannot eat grains like rice or bread and no beans.  If they ask why, tell them it is for something medical or you need to be low sugar and those things convert to sugar.  It is really no one’s business anyway.

8.  Drink plenty of water or some form of sugar free beverage and keep full and hydrated on it.

9.  If someone keeps asking you to try something that is NOT on your diet, don’t be afraid to say something to them.  Don’t cave in.  What they are doing is WRONG.  You can say, “You know, I know you are trying to be nice, but that what they are asking you to eat is not good for your health.  You don’t have to mention weight, just say “health” and they are more likely to back down.  I, personally, have no trouble saying, “Hey, stop trying to sabotage my diet or my health.”

10.  Remember that just because it is a holiday, or someone’s birthday, or the weekend or whatever the excuse–doesn’t meant that you have to eat something that will set you back for days after weeks or months of working so hard.  I never really understood why we have to eat things like cake or ice cream when it is your birthday anyway.  Who came up with that idea?

BONUS ANSWER:  Get sugar free/low carb/gluten-free replacements of items that are sweet.  There are bakeries now that make these things and you can Google and have all kinds of replacements mailed to you.  So look into it and don’t just eat whatever crap comes your way.  You don’t have to do it.  Be strong for YOURSELF!

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