Tag Archives: food

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

Costco brought back my favorite yogurt! Dannon Greek Light and Fit!

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I just came back from Costco and I am so happy.  Less than $10 for a box of 12.  Only 8g of carbs per container.  Only 80 calories and 12g of protein (more than double than that of just regular yogurt) and half the carbs!  A win-win!

danon dannon

The price is great, the protein content is great and the carbs are excellent.  What a great breakfast, snack, lunch or dessert.  Put a few strawberries or blueberries in it and it is a true filling, delish dessert.  It is so creamy and tangy compared to plain boring ole yogurt.

Weight Problems in Your Youth is Linked to Heart Problems Later in Life

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/elements4health/mTrh/~3/Bwab0i3_9fE/weight-problems-in-youth-linked-to-heart-problems-later-in-life.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email

An article came out on research showing that weight problems in your youth is linked to heart problems later in life.

Another solid reason to lose weight, get in shape.  Take care of yourself to live and take care of yourself to teach your children to live.  Whatever you do, you are role-modeling for your children.  Do you want them to die young or suffer from health complications?

I saw this picture on Facebook and this is what is wrong in America right now.  It was meant to be a joke, but this picture is real.

beepbeepIs this your or your child’s future scooter?

Bad Carbs (Refined) are Worse than Good Carbs. Why is that??

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  • Refined carbs are considered unhealthy carbohydrates (bad carbs).  Good carbs that had the fiber stripped away so they act as simple carbohydrates do in the body as they are digested rapidly.  This in turn causes a spike in blood sugar followed by a crash. They are empty calories!

refined-carbs

List of REFINED CARBS

Sweeteners

Table sugar and syrup other than natural maple syrup are refined carbs.

Natural maple syrup and honey are not refined carbs, but they are simple carbohydrates, and therefore, have an effect similar to refined carbs upon blood glucose.

Beverages

Any beverage that contains sugar or refined syrup is a refined carb food.

  • sweetened fruit juice, beer, wine, soft drinks and sweet tea.

Although 100 percent fruit juice does not have refined carbs, it does contain a high amount of carbs per serving size, which is why whole foods are preferred over their juices.

Fruits and Vegetables

Raw fruits and vegetables are an excellent source of good carbs, however, when canned or frozen, sugar is often added,  which turns them into bad carbs.

  • Examples of refined carbs in fruits and vegetables include canned fruit pie filling, applesauce with added sugar, frozen fruit with sugar added and sweetened canned fruit. Some canned or frozen vegetable blends may have sugar included along with other seasonings.

Grains

White flour is a refined carb, and anything made from white flour should be limited in your diet.

  • This includes bagels, bread, muffins and most packaged cereals.
  • White flour combined with sugar adds even more refined carbs to foods like cookies, cakes, cupcakes and donuts.

YOU COULD BE TRICKED!  To be certain grain based foods are not made from refined grains, look for the words “whole wheat” or “whole grain” on the label.

  • Foods with these words on the label are probably made from refined grains: “wheat flour,” “stoned wheat,” “cracked wheat,” “100% wheat,” and “multigrain.”
  • Other refined carbs in this category include white rice and pasta.

Snacks

Snacks are commonly high in refined carbs since they contain white flour or sugar.

  • This includes sweets like pie, candy, candy bars, fudge and jelly,pretzels and potato chips.

I personally keep ALL carbs down to between 50-100 daily to lose weight and higher near the 100 to maintain.  But, I try to just do the unrefined more natural carbs because they tend to put weight on you easier, regardless and the spike in my blood glucose and then the crash is an awful feeling, makes me tired, but then makes me want to eat more crap.  If you want to stay thin, then you have to give your body the ability to fight cravings.  Refined carbs cause cravings.  So, if you do carbs, stick with the good ones and keep grains to a minimum!  But, if you have them, count the carbs on them (Rice, cereal and bread has a lot!) and keep them whole grain or whole wheat.

Look at the SKIN of SKINNY!

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There are foods that are not only bad for your waistline, but also for your SKIN!  The first three are not that bad for weight loss, but 4 through 7 are really bad!

skin

1.  Salt.   It will leave you puffy around the eyes and keep water retention and a bloated look.  It also is terrible for hypertension.  Try to cut down on salt.

2.  Shellfish.    Shrimp, crab, lobster — and also certain leafy greens like seaweed and spinach — are naturally high in iodine, and a diet with too much of this element can lead to acne.   Ok, this one is not high in carbs and you can maintain weight loss, but you could get acne.

3.  Milk.  There is a correlation with Milk and acne and rosacea, specifically skimmed milk.  Now, milk is a protein and you must have it in small quantities over the day.  Not bad on carbs, but it can cause skin issues.

4.  High Glycemic Foods (starches like white breads, pastas and cakes, and even corn syrup) are best avoided for good skin and for weight loss.  Foods that are considered high glycemic can cause rapid spikes in blood sugar.  You also may find yourself breaking out after eating something like French fries, it may be due to the starchy insides of the fries.

5.  Sugar.  If starchy foods that break down quickly into sugar are an issue, it’s no surprise that straight sugar can be problematic for the skin in much the same way.  High blood sugar can , weaken the skin by affecting tissues like collagen,  and leave you more vulnerable to lines and wrinkles.  It also causes a surge of carbs in your diet.

6.  Alcohol.  Not only does it trigger rosacea, but Alcohol is a diuretic, which means the more you drink, the more dehydrated you become. It saps the natural moisture from your skin as well, which can make those wrinkles and fine lines look worse.  Plus, alcohol has carbs and is terrible for weight loss.  You also don’t burn fat when your body is busy burning off the alcohol.

 

Finding low carb goodies

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Some low carb items are easy to find at regular stores.  However, it is hard to go to a store and find low carb pasta, sauces, hot chocolate, etc.  So, you have to go to either a specialty store like LoCarbU.com, a neighborhood one like the Sugar Free Market near my house (go where diabetics go), or other places online like Netrition.com, Carbessentials.net and even Amazon.  Type in what you are looking for, like “Low Carb Tea Crackers.”   Things will pop up.  Not all things are expensive and you can price compare.  You can go to Rite Aid or Lindora.com to buy some of their products.  Once you buy from Lindora.com, you get on their mailing list and they will send you emails on sales.  They do one almost every week.

So, you won’t have that much trouble finding things.  And don’t forget that for bread, the best options for LOW carb bread is one from JulianBakery.com, Sara Lee 45 Calorie Wheat Bread, Western Bagel Perfect 10 Bagel, or Low Carb Tortillas (shop accordingly).  You have to find new things and new places, but after a while, you will learn where to buy what and it will come very easy to you.

You have to start first!  Browse!  Send me your finds!

Can a Plate Help You Lose Weight or Stay Skinny?

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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.

plate sizes

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.

whichplate

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.

plates

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.

portionControl-photo

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!

Want to lose weight? DRINK WATER!

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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)

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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.

8 Ways to Help Yourself From Pigging Out on Carbs at Thanksgiving

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How to avoid the temptation of sugary or carby holiday foods:

Rather than try to overly obsess about our food decisions, it’s better to change the environment so that it works for us rather than against us, making it easier to make decisions to eat less

1.  Let people know in advance that you are eating differently and ask them to have (or you bring) things that you can eat like meat, veggies (not smothered in sauces and soups), fruits, cheese and salad.  (If they don’t care about your diet, then you bring what you have to in order to show some self-love!)

2.  Stay away from crackers, breads, candied fruit items, pies (unless you bring your own low carb pie or ice cream dessert or they provide one for you.

3.  Drink, drink, drink– water and diet drinks a lot.  Stay away from cider and sugary things to drink.

4.  Eat some protein before you go to dinner so that you are not so hungry that you will pig out on whatever is there. (turkey, chicken, cheese, a protein bar, nuts, etc)

5.  Grab the smallest plate and fill that, rather than filling a large plate with food.  No refills, except for salad.

6.  Eat meat and veggies, limit fruits.

7.  Don’t sit close to the food buffet–avoid temptation.

8.  Don’t eat the appetizers and wait for the meal.  Most appetizers are calorie/carb laden.

BE STRONG and know that you are doing something that will make you happier the next day.

Last year, for Thanksgiving, I had a salad, fresh turkey breast, gravy, veggies and a low carb ice cream and I was not only full and happy, but I didn’t gain weight the next day and it was delish.  Can you say the same thing?  This year to spice it up, I am going to try to make twice baked cauliflower and cheese and maybe a low carb pie, not sure yet.  But one thing is for sure, I will be happy on the scale the next day and I didn’t put off my weight loss or maintenance for some lame holiday pig out excuse.  You try it too!

 

Holiday Sabotage

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You are going to be surrounded by holiday candy, pumpkin bread, pies, etc.  I meet a lot of people who give up on their diet at the holidays or don’t even start with the excuse that they will start after the holidays are over.

NO!

You need to take control of your life.  You cannot have this excuse again.  You have had it for years and it is the reason you are heavy or gain the weight back.  Something has to change.  How you view food has to change.

So, it is the holidays.   You think that Mother Mary, Jesus or the Thanksgiving pilgrims thought that you should gorge yourself with carbs at the holidays for them?  NO.  The message behind these holidays is about being grateful and the celebration of a birth.  It has nothing to do with sugary carbs.  Thanksgiving was about sitting down and “breaking bread”, so to speak,  with the American Indians, in the spirit of cooperation.

WHAT THE PILGRIMS ATE:

The first Thanksgiving feast would have looked very strange to our modern eyes, consisting mainly of corn and meat. The spirit of the celebration would be easy for us to understand, because then, as now, Thanksgiving is a reminder of the bounty of the Earth and the importance of hard work and cooperation.

Cheese:

You might be surprised to know how how different the first Thanksgiving dinner was from what we enjoy today.  They might have had cheese made from goat’s milk.

A Variety of Meats

The pilgrims and the Indians had some type of fowl and venison. The pilgrims often hunted fowl for a special feast follwing the harvest. Wild turkeys are native to New England, as are pheasants. Both were enjoyed by the pilgrims and indians alike and were included in the feast. The Indians brought venison; some of the braves went hunting and brought back five deer to share. Other meats that may have been on the table include lobster, seal and swans.

The food was placed on the table, and people helped themselves to it.

Fruits, veggies without sugar, meats, and corn

Thanksgiving today includes many vegetables available, but in the 17th century, vegetables were not always plentiful. Special meals, even the Thanksgiving meal, centered around many different kinds of meat.

Common fruits and vegetables included pumpkin, peas, beans, radishes, carrots, onions, lettuce, plums and grapes. Walnuts, chestnuts and acorns were also plentiful. Though there was no pumpkin pie, the Pilgrims did make stewed pumpkin. They had cranberries, but no sugar, so they did not make cranberry sauce. Sweet potatoes were not common, so those were probably not on the thanksgiving table.

No  pies or other sweets.

They did not have an oven to bake pies, and even though they brought sugar over on the Mayflower, it had all been used by the time of the first celebration.

The Pilgrims had little in the way of grain, they only had wheat flour.

So, try to eat more like a Pilgrim than a Piggy for the holidays!  Tomorrow’s blog is about how to avoid the bad holiday foods.