Barriers to Weight Loss

Posted on February 4, 2013 by therapysoup

Complications can occur when you first try to lose weight and not much is happening. There are barriers to weight loss that cause complications. But, if you know what they are and prepare for them, you can make it!

Barrier 1: Not knowing what diet works for you.

People need to learn a way of losing that works for them. I have a client who swears that Weight Watchers works for her, but wasn’t working for her daughter. reasons that was so was because:

1. Her daughter was compulsively eating in times of emotional stress.

2. Her daughter has an extreme sensitivity to sugar and wheat products and needed a Paleo diet.

Instead of being told this by Weight Watchers, the daughter continued to try their diet and felt like a failure. I stepped in and pushed for the Paleo Diet and sure enough, it helps. But, now the daughter is having to deal with the emotional issues behind the emotional eating through therapy and Overeaters Anonymous. So her diet issues were two-fold. Physical and emotional–mixed in with change of lifestyle choices.

I tried all diets, nothing worked until I went to Lindora and went on a carb-restricted diet. But, by adding in my own restriction of wheat products, I managed to lose it all and keep it off for a year now.

You have to keep trying and not give up. I will tell you though that if you followed the diet that I write about all of the time, you will lose, pretty much no matter who you are, unless you have the emotional barriers in the way. I will write on that soon.

Keep motivated and re-read my blogs on the rules. Here is a quick tip link. https://skinny-rules.com/2013/02/02/eat-lunch-lose-weight-2/

Barrier 2: You Need Some Basic and Easy Food to Prepare:

It is important to find recipes that work for you. You need to not be lazy and prepare meals. I always go shopping once a week minimally and have the ingredients to make easy quick meals. If you don’t shop ahead of time, you are more likely to eat out, pick up junk food or eat something bad at home. The lack of preparation is the number one killer of a diet. I cook some things on Sunday night to prepare.

Barrier 3: You Need a Weekly Basic Shopping List:

SHOPPING LIST:

1. Salad mix and delish salad dressing that is low in carbs.

2. Chicken–bagged and one whole organic bird to cook in the oven. So easy. Throw into a pan of water quarter of the way up, salt the outside with kosher salt, stick a sprig of rosemary inside and cook for 1. 20 hours at 450, How hard is that? It is delicious and smells so good.

3. Cheese–shredded, Baby Bell, string and slices

4. Cauliflower for my cauliflower-based pizza (basil for flavor) and veggies

5. Turkey burgers (I pan fry with seasoning–buy some. Emeril makes a good one. Garlic salt is good too.

6. Turkey slices. Get the better thick good stuff and not the cheap nasty sandwich meat.

7. Ground turkey meat to make meatloaf

8. Shiritaki noodles and spaghettis sauce http://www.amazon.com/Tofu-Shirataki-Noodles-Angel-Shape/dp/B003H26J5I/ref=sr_1_6?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1359834639&sr=1-6&keywords=noodle+shirataki

9. Pizza sauce

10. Eggs (to cook and to have hard-boiled)

11. Low carb bread or the Perfect 10 bagel from Western Bagel (for something different now and then)

12. Low carb tortillas and enchilada sauce–plus taco seasoning. Cheese and turkey is already on the list. Pan fry it all inside of the tortilla. Great food for under 10g of carbs.

13. Low Carb Greek Yogurt like Dannon Light and Fit and some fruit like strawberries to make yourself a yummy dessert.

14. Low Carb Ice Cream for an immediate dessert satisfaction need.

Barrier 4: Being a Lazy Butt and Not Preparing Your Food Choices the Night or Days Before:

You don’t prep, you might eat crap. If you really want to lose the weight, then you have to do this, otherwise, you are setting yourself up for failure. Don’t procrastinate. I buy my stuff at Trader Joes and I am not there for longer than 20 minutes.

Do it for yourself and do it to teach your loved ones how to eat right and how to stay motivated and follow up on something important like your HEALTH! You are more likely to eat the foods if that is all you are buying and you make them because they are all very tasty.

Every weekend, go to the market with your list.

Barrier 5: Not moving and not exercising.

MOVE YOUR BODY. Take the stairs, walk a block if you have to, but MOVE. Excuses that you are tired are excuses. I have Fibromyalgia, work out and eat carefully and sometimes I am pooped and I still go to Pilates class. If you can’t during the week, then do SOMETHING before you join the family for the day and move! Go for a hike, walk, do some exercise from a TV show. Move 3 times a week, if you can.

Barrier 6: TV with food and not liquid–mindlessly eating while watching TV instead of eating with purpose.

Eating in front of the TV, you might mindlessly eat. Try eating with your family and talk. Eat to eat, not to numb out. Pay attention to what you are mindlessly eating and why you are doing it. Have fluids and keep drinking them instead of keep eating.

Buy some jars of things you like or put the right measured amount of something in a cup and only eat that. I know people who eat peanut butter or other things like sauces from the jar–spoon after spoon, mindlessly, without counting the spoons. If you are to have two tablespoons of peanut butter, then you need to COUNT. Or you can buy the foods in small packs like what kids get in their lunch bags. People who buy the big bag of chips (I never recommend chips), and not the small controllable bags are asking for a weight problem. I have even seen little kids eat an entire large bag of Doritos because it was there to eat!

I buy a large thing of nuts from Costco and it would be so easy to mindlessly eat those all day long, but I pay attention the number of pieces I take and I only allow myself a certain amount in a day. So, you have to pay attention.

Try all of these ideas for success!

BLOGGERS NOTE: I am a hugely busy person. I take care of a large house by myself, even the outside. I have three needy dogs and one has diabetes, a busy therapy practice and I even clean my own office–and if I can find time to exercise 5 days a week, shop and prep my diet and still write this blog–and still get enough sleep…then what is your excuse if you can’t do any of this??

Measuring Food Tips

Posted on February 3, 2013 by therapysoup

If you’re on a diet, the best tool to help you start a diet and learn portion control is a food scale. Why? Many people normally eat servings that are much larger than recommended amounts.

Food Scale: How it Works

A food scale will show you that the portion you thought was four ounces may actually weigh eight ounces. That’s the kind of mistake that could derail your diet. Meat portions should be around 4 ounces. Once you use a scale for a while, you can pretty much eyeball food portions and know if it is about 4 ounces or not.

A food scale is only one of the measuring tools you will need; measuring cups and spoons are also essential diet implements. Food scales are best for meat, which should weigh in at 4 ounces per serving, and cheese, 1.5 ounces per serving. Cups are best for fruits and vegetables — a serving is 1/2 cup on most fruits and about a cup on most vegetables, twice a day.

Another Way to Eyeball Sizes:

–A serving of meat is about the size of a deck of cards

–A serving of pasta should fit in the palm of your hand, although I do not recommend pasta or rice on a low-carb diet.

Food Scale: Choosing the Best One

Food scales range from a small plastic cup on a small plastic base to old-fashioned metal scales with weights and measures to expensive, programmable digital scales that can give you the full nutritional information for each serving size. The best food scale for you:

Has numbers you can read easily
Has a cup or bowl large enough to hold the food you need to weigh
Is easy to clean and store

Eat Lunch, Lose Weight

Posted on February 2, 2013 by therapysoup

Of course the nutritional and calorie content of meals clearly affects weight loss, but a new study shows that the timing of meals may also play an important role in weight loss. In a study of a Mediterranean population, those eating lunch later in the day were more likely to be successful in losing weight.

Eating a good breakfast and not skipping it and eating a lunch before 3pm was key to losing more weight and maintaining a balanced metabolism. Timing on lunch was the only meal that really made a difference on weight loss.

So, eat your lunch at lunchtime. NO skipping lunch!

Here is the article about why lunch is key to weight loss!

http://www.elements4health.com/what-and-when-you-eat-affects-weight-loss.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+elements4health%2FmTrh+%28Elements4Health+%29

Can a Plate Help You Lose Weight or Stay Skinny?

Posted on January 25, 2013 by therapysoup

You can gain weight eating healthy foods! Why is that? Because if you look at our mothers or grandmothers, their average calorific content a day was about 1800 calories a day on average. Today, woman are eating about 2200 calories a day. Since the 1950s, portion sizes have increased for women and men.

Portion size is key to staying slim.

Six things you can do to eat the right portion size.

1. Don’t use the regular sized meal plates. If you use a smaller one or use older ones from an antique store, you will fill your plates and subconsciously think that it is a lot because your (smaller) plate is full.

2. Use a plate that doesn’t match the color of your food. You are more likely to eat less asparagus (for example) on a white plate vs. a green plate.

3. Don’t go to buffets. Very dangerous and filling up those large plates again and again is going to make you gain weight.

4. When you fill your plate, the right way to do it for your diet, your body and your health and nutrients is to fill half of the plate up with vegetables, then the other half is divided into two parts–one part starchy vegetable and one part meat. And you can foresake the starchy vegetable because most of us get enough carbs in other foods, so just get more vegetables.

5. Don’t fill your plate with pasta or rice. If you must have those things (hopefully, not often), use the whole-wheat version (not white) and put it in the quarter where your starchy vegetable would go. But, a whole plate of pasta is not the right portion size and this is why you are having weight issues.

6. Eat slowly and chew well. Give your body time to get the signal to your brain that you are full.

Try these ideas and see how well it works for you!

Jamba Juice. Can you stay skinny?

Posted on January 24, 2013 by therapysoup

Jamba Juice smoothies are made with sherbert, fruit, etc.–so there is a lot of sugar in them. Some have more than others. Here is a better one, and even a better one has a LOT of sugar. You can order a Fit N Fruitful version http://www.jambajuice.com/menu-and-nutrition/menu/smoothies/fit-n-fruitful , which has this nutrition info for its Berry Blend Smoothie.

Calories 290
Total Fat 4.5g	7%
Saturated Fat .5g	3%
Trans Fat 0g	0%
Cholesterol 25mg	8%
Sodium 65mg	3%
Total Carbohydrates 52g	17%
Dietary Fiber 6g	24%
Sugar 37g
Protein 11g

That is a good amount of protein. This has 52g of carbs and 6g of fiber. So, that is 46g net carbs. It is 37g of sugar. That is like eating 9 sugar cubes. Yes, it is better food, but it is still fattening and too much sugar. You are better off eating a piece of fruit and getting a 12g net carbs for an orange. And this is the smaller cup at 16 ounces, not their regular cup.

They have a new Make It Light option that you could request, where supposedly it is 1/3 lighter in everything. So, even if that is true. It would still be about 32g of carbs in a drink. Now, if you are only allowed between 50g and 100g of carbs a day to stay thin, then your options for the rest of the day are small.

Again, if you had an orange and two low-fat string cheese sticks–you are looking at 14g net carbs vs. the 32g of net carbs for the Jamba Juice. There are other options too for protein and carbs, but keep in mind that Jamba Juice should not be part of your diet unless you factor in the carbs for the day and you are exercising heavily.

That is my opinion. I haven’t had Jamba Juice in over a year and I could have a few sips, but I would rather eat an In and Out protein style cheeseburger for 11g of carbs and 18g of protein (there are chicken burger options out there too). There are 7g of sugar in it or about 1 1/2 sugar cubes vs. the 9 sugar cubes or possibly 6 with the lighter option.

Seriously, which one will leave you feeling more full and satisfied? Which one will leave you with a sugar high and a huge crash and a desire to pig out later? (I hope you answered the burger for the first question and the juice for the second one)

It is all about knowing what is in what you are eating if you want to stay thin. Healthy juice sounds good, but it can be fattening. Just sayin….

Does Gluten-Free Mean You Will Lose Weight?

Posted on January 19, 2013 by therapysoup

Celiac sufferers and those with non-Celiac gluten sensitivity (and I believe I am gluten sensitive) need to avoid the wheat protein for their health.

You have to look at labels and pick wisely, because many gluten-free items still have a lot of carbs. So, if that blueberry muffin is now only 25g of carbs vs. 50g of the regular muffin, you are still eating 25g of carbs! If there is little to no protein or fiber to balance that out, you are still eating a dessert! If you want to only eat 50 to 100g of carbs a day to lose weight and you have that 25g of carb muffin–well, you do the math on what you have left for the rest of the day.

I found a place that serves gluten-free pizza crust for a one-sized pizza. I called the company and found out the lowest carb item on the menu was this particular pizza that was gluten-free and it was 42g of carbs for the whole pizza. Well, I split that pizza with my husband and had salad with it instead of eating the whole pizza. I ended up with 25g of carbs for this meal and balanced it out the rest of the day with low-carb foods like eggs, meat, veggies and low-fat cheeses. Therefore, I did not gain and I actually lost weight.

If you already have a healthy diet, gluten-free diets will not aid weight loss. For those who subsist mostly on pasta, pizza and other gluten-filled foods, a change to gluten-free lean proteins and veggies will obviously lead to weight loss — though it won’t be the lack of gluten that’s shedding the pounds.

So, please be aware that gluten-free does not mean carb-free!

Want to lose weight? DRINK WATER!

Posted on January 13, 2013 by therapysoup

Easy diet tip! DRINK ENOUGH WATER everyday!

Water is an important part of all body functions and processes, including digestion and elimination. When you’re on a diet and in maintenance, water also acts as a weight loss aid because it can help you eat less. Drinking water also helps flush wastes from the body, which is especially important during times of fat metabolism and weight loss.”

Water can boost your diet.

A general recommendation is to drink eight 8-ounce cups of water per day, for a total of 64 ounces. But, actual fluid needs are affected by diet, physical activity, body composition, and climate.”Recommendations from the Food and Nutrition Board are for women to get 91 ounces per day and men 125 ounces from all sources — water, other beverages, and foods with a high water content. This number goes up if you exercise, which is a key to successful weight loss — and even more so in hot weather. You’ll want to drink water before, during, and after every workout.

Don’t wait to feel thirsty to start sipping — that’s a sign that dehydration has already started to occur. You want to drink water throughout the day, on a regular basis. Also, sometimes when you are hungry, your body is actually thirsty. So, people eat more food without realizing that they are in need of water–thereby eating more unnecessary calories.

Water: Four Tips for Getting Your Fill

Here are some easy tricks for getting enough water while dieting:

Track Your Water: “A water tracker is merely a device which helps you keep track of how much water you drink.Such trackers are available online or can be easily replicated. http://www.diyplanner.com/node/4497

Add water throughout your day. Some carry a 64-ounce container of water and drink throughout the day, with the goal of drinking all the water before they go to bed. Those who spend time away from home may take a portable container with the amount of ounces known, knowing that they need to fill and drink it four times throughout the day. Some people make sure they drink with every activity they do, including walking the dogs.

Get water through food. “Fruits and vegetables can provide fluid to the diet .Melons and citrus fruits also have a very high water content. Like water, clear soups and broths help dieters feel full for very few calories, contributing to weight loss. However, beware of creamy soups. Skim milk, and low-fat and no-added sugar yogurts and puddings also help hydration and nutrition without excessive calories, but keep in mind the calorie content and the carb content.

Flavor your water glass. Many people find that adding low- or non-caloric flavorings to water, such as a wedge of fruit or the flavored low sugar drops like Mio , helps satisfy their appetite cravings. (I also like sparkling water)

If you want your diet to work, you need to drink plenty of water. Water can fill you up, decrease your appetite, and help your body get rid of waste from that fat you’re burning. It is free and it is good for you. So, drink your water! And for those who need caffeine, go ahead and have your diet-soda, your Splenda-flavored coffee or tea, but you still need to drink your water.

Bread! Carbilicious and Dangerous to the Waistline

Posted on January 7, 2013 by therapysoup

So, you want to lose weight. But, are you aware how many carbs is in a slice of bread? How about if you have a sandwich. The average slice of bread has about 14g of carbs. Now, if you have two slices in a sandwich, that means you are eating 28g of carbs–minimally. If you want to have between 50 and 100g of carbs a day to lose weight…then bread can be a problem.

I pretty much gave up bread. I only have it once in a blue moon and when I do, it is carefully selected. I found that I am wheat sensitive and gluten sensitive, so with the way that wheat is made now (Google Frankenwheat or look at my blog on it http://wp.me/p2I06z-a0), I try to avoid it.

My top 5 choices of bread.

1. Western Bagel’s Perfect 10 Bagel. 10 net grams of carbs vs. 45 of a regular bagel and about 30-35g of their alternative bagel.

2. Western Bagel alternative Pita and English muffins are lower in carbs, but I would not eat them often.

3. Tortilla shells that are low carb in the 4-7 net grams of carb range. Trader Joes and Costco does sell them. Markets sell them.

4. Julianbakery.com has breads that are Smart Carb (in the 3 to 5 net gram area) and Paleo Bread that is Zero Carbs. The zero carb ones are pretty bland, but are ok if you make french toast out of them or use them with cold cuts. Toasted is really boring. But, you can go gluten-free this way. Whole Foods and specific low carb food places sell them. Google them. LoCarbsU.com sells them too.

5. Sara Lee 45 Calorie Whole Wheat Bread. Not gluten free, but only 7g of carbs per slice and it is tasty.

So, you can’t complain that you can’t find decent bread choices. But, if you choose to continue to eat regular bread, you might never lose the weight. Most people who I know who have weight isssues seem to continue to eat taco shells, burrito shells, toast, cereal, sandwiches. Maybe they would lose it like I did if they remove it from their diet and only insert one of the above only once or twice a week? It worked for me.

6 strategies for New Year Resolution of Successful Weight Loss

Posted on January 3, 2013 by therapysoup

It is a new year. 2013. What will you do this year for yourself?

What will be your goals? How about working out more and eating well? How a out losing some weight?

How do you make those permanent changes? Six strategies for weight-loss success.

1. Make a commitment

Permanent weight loss takes time and effort — and a lifelong commitment. Make sure that you’re ready to make permanent changes and that you do so for the right reasons.

To stay committed to your weight loss, you need to be focused. It takes a lot of mental and physical energy to change your habits. So as you’re planning new weight-loss-related lifestyle changes, make a plan to address other stresses in your life and don’t allow them to interfere in your personal needs.

2. Find your inner motivation

No one else can make you lose weight. You must undertake diet and exercise changes to please yourself. What’s going to give you the drive to stick to your weight-loss plan? Make a list of what’s important to you to help stay motivated and focused.

While you have to take responsibility for your own behavior for successful weight loss, it helps to have support — of the right kind. Pick people to support you who will encourage you in positive ways, without shame, embarrassment or sabotage. Ideally, find people who will listen to your concerns and feelings, spend time exercising with you or creating healthy menus, and who will share the priority you’ve placed on developing a healthier lifestyle. For addictive issues, comsider joining Overeater’s Anonymous. There are meetings everywhere and they are free. Your support group can also offer accountability, which can be a strong motivation to stick to your weight-loss goals. If you prefer to keep your weight-loss plans private, be accountable to yourself by having regular weigh-ins and recording your diet and exercise progress in a journal.

3. Set realistic goals

It may seem obvious to set realistic weight-loss goals. But do you really know what’s realistic? Over the long term, it’s best to aim for losing 1 to 2 pounds per week, although initially you might lose weight more quickly than that if you make significant changes — just be sure the changes are health supporting. To lose 1 to 2 pounds a week, you need to burn 500 to 1,000 calories more than you consume each day, through a lower calorie diet and regular exercise.

It isn’t essential that you have an outcome goal, but you should set process goals because changing your processes — your habits — is a key to weight loss. Also make sure that your goals are SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-limited. An example of a SMART goal is aiming to walk for 30 minutes a day, five days a week for the next three months, and logging your results.

Weight loss: 6 strategies for success

4. Enjoy healthier foods

Adopting a new eating style that promotes weight loss must include lowering your total calorie intake. But decreasing calories need not mean giving up taste, satisfaction or even ease of meal preparation. One way you can lower your calorie intake is by eating more plant-based foods — fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Strive for variety to help you achieve your goals without giving up taste or nutrition.

In particular, get your weight loss started by eating a healthy breakfast every day; eating at least four servings of vegetables and three servings of fruits daily; and using healthy fats, such as olive oil, vegetable oils and nut butters. In addition, cut back on sugar, choose low-fat dairy products and keep meat consumption to a 3-ounce portion (about the size of a deck of cards).

5. Get active, stay active

The key to weight loss is burning more calories than you consume. Because 3,500 calories equals about 1 pound (0.5 kilogram) of fat, you need to burn 3,500 calories more than you take in to lose 1 pound. So if you cut 500 calories from your typical diet each day, you’d lose about 1 pound a week (500 calories x 7 days = 3,500 calories).

While you can lose weight without exercise, exercise plus calorie restriction can help give you the weight-loss edge. Exercise can help burn off the excess calories you can’t cut through diet alone. Exercise also offers numerous health benefits, including boosting your mood, strengthening your cardiovascular system and reducing your blood pressure. Exercise can also help in maintaining weight loss. Studies show that people who maintain their weight loss over the long term get regular physical activity.

6. Change your perspective

It’s not enough to eat healthy foods and exercise for only a few weeks or even months if you want long-term, successful weight loss. These habits must become a way of life. Lifestyle changes start with taking an honest look at your eating patterns and daily routine. After assessing your personal challenges to weight loss, try working out a strategy to gradually change habits and attitudes that have sabotaged your past efforts. And you have to move beyond simply recognizing your challenges — you have to plan for how you’ll deal with them if you’re going to succeed in losing weight once and for all.

You may have an occasional setback. But instead of giving up entirely after a setback, simply start fresh the next day. Remember that you’re planning to change your life. It won’t happen all at once. Stick to your healthy lifestyle and the results will be worth it.

Eat Lunch, Lose Weight

Posted on January 2, 2013 by therapysoup

So, eat your lunch at lunchtime. NO skipping lunch!

Here is the article about why lunch is key to weight loss!

http://www.elements4health.com/what-and-when-you-eat-affects-weight-loss.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+elements4health%2FmTrh+%28Elements4Health+%29

Skinny-Rules

Tag Archives: diet

Barriers to Weight Loss

Measuring Food Tips

Eat Lunch, Lose Weight

Can a Plate Help You Lose Weight or Stay Skinny?

Jamba Juice. Can you stay skinny?

Does Gluten-Free Mean You Will Lose Weight?

Want to lose weight? DRINK WATER!

Bread! Carbilicious and Dangerous to the Waistline

6 strategies for New Year Resolution of Successful Weight Loss

Eat Lunch, Lose Weight

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