The Confusion Over Sugar in Yogurt!

Posted on April 1, 2018 by therapysoup

I met someone who is upset that their child eats candy. However, this same person thinks that Yoplait yogurt is a healthier choice. The food industry has certainly fooled and convinced a lot of people that the items that they buy are healthy, when in fact, they are not. People have no idea how to read labels. Now, I am not a perfect label reader and yes, I am guilty of using sugar substitutes, which are NOT healthy. HOWEVER, this blog is about weight loss and keeping weight off and not health. But, I will try to cover both a little here.

So, let’s look at it.

Yoplait Mixed Berry: This has about 4-5 tablespoons of sugar in it (not much protein either)

yoplait

Calories	150	Sodium	95 mg
Total Fat	2 g	Potassium	230 mg
Saturated	1 g	Total Carbs	25 g
Polyunsaturated	0 g	Dietary Fiber	0 g
Monounsaturated	0 g	Sugars	18 g
Trans	0 g	Protein	6 g
Cholesterol	10 mg
Vitamin A	15%	Calcium	20%
Vitamin C	2%	Iron	4%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

A Kit Kat bar: This has about 5-6 tablespoons of sugar in it

Servings:
1 bar/4 fingers

Calories	230	Sodium	35 mg
Total Fat	12 g	Potassium	0 mg
Saturated	7 g	Total Carbs	29 g
Polyunsaturated	0 g	Dietary Fiber	1 g
Monounsaturated	0 g	Sugars	22 g
Trans	0 g	Protein	3 g
Cholesterol	5 mg
Vitamin A	2%	Calcium	6%
Vitamin C	0%	Iron	8%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily

Servings: 1 bar/4 fingers

So, is saying no to the candy bar in favor of a yogurt really necessary if the sugar is about the same? Maybe you should just eat the damn Kit Kat if you are going to eat that much sugar…..but if you want ot watch sugar in your diet, you have to read labels!!

If you want to give yogurt to your child, it would be better to find one low in sugar and possibly has the probiotics in it. The plain ones have the least amount of sugar, but not everyone can eat the plain one.

List of yogurts who have probiotics:

Here are some common brands that have lactobacillus acidophilus:

Chobani.
Dannon.
Yoplait.
Fage.
Stonyfield.
Siggi.

List of yogurts, which have low sugar:

This is a link to a list of yogurts to eat instead of what you have been eating:

Better yogurt choices

I have also written that the best tasting low sugar yogurt is this one:

Low sugar, high protein: (mostly the same for all flavors)

SO, the point is to read the labels and get to know what you are eating! Sugar can be disguised in healthy looking packages!

Food Companies are Sneaky and Making Us Fat and We Didn’t Even See It Coming!

Posted on September 19, 2015 by therapysoup

A big problem for many people who have to lose weight or want to gain control over their diet, is that they are addicted to sugar and many don’t even know it! Sugar is hidden in many foods. It is in your cereal, fruit drinks, almond milk, protein bars and drinks, yogurt and other items that you thought were “healthy.” Unless you read labels and look at the grams of sugar in EVERY serving in every item, you may have no idea about what you are eating in sugar! You just eat and you get sucked into the sugar roller coaster.

There are also a lot of different names for sugar, so you might think you aren’t eating it, but you are!

You need to start looking at labels.

If you eat something and it says that there are two servings in it, but you ate the WHOLE thing, then the nutrient content on the label is DOUBLED because you ate the two servings, but it looked like one serving when you ate it. Labels can be designed to mislead you into buying the product–as you THINK it is healthy, but it actually wasn’t.

How can you get over sugar cravings so you won’t keep wanting to eat it? Your brain is going to tell you to eat it because it liked the effect that the first use had on it. Sugar is very addictive. So, go out and get things to munch on that have no to low sugar, and munch on them when you get the cravings:

almonds and other nuts or seeds
whole fruits (small serving)
gluten-free crackers and cheese (watch the number of crackers–high in carbs)
low-sugar protein bars (Try a brand like Quest which contains minimal natural sweeteners)
Carb-Smart ice cream bar
low-sugar yogurt (Greek is good!)
low-sugar chocolate (even Trader Joe’s has some at the check out line)
nice hot cup of coffee or tea
low sugar hot chocolate
go exercise or call a friend

CHANGE! Giving up means Gaining–but not in Weight!

Posted on January 5, 2015 by therapysoup

“One reason that people resist change is that they focus on what they have to give up, rather than what they have to gain.” –Rick Godwin

How many of you don’t like the idea of dieting because you feel like you are giving up your favorite foods or that your diet will be boring and no fun?

Giving up the wrong foods and the wrong way of eating lets you gain so much in self-esteem and being healthy.

Let’s face it, you have been doing it “wrong” for years or you wouldn’t be here right now. I know that is true, I have lived it. And yes, you might have a health issue (like me) or aging (like me) and it is harder to lose weight and you can’t eat nearly all of the same things you used to love to eat.

Look at it this way. How lucky for you to eat all of those so-bad-for-you foods for so long, but now it is time to grow up and learn how to control yourself. You are not a child anymore and you don’t have to eat all of your favorite things every day.

I eat at a salad and sandwich shop a lot and every time I am there, I am shocked to see how many patrons who are overweight, buy a bag of potato chips with their healthy salad or sandwich. If you want to be thin, you must have portion control and you have to count carbs.

I don’t eat sandwiches for lunch anymore because there are anywhere from 11 to 36g of carbs PER slice of bread. And the bag of chips has about 14g of carbs. So, if you eat a sandwich with a bag of chips, you could be eating anywhere from 36 to 86g of carbs per lunch (without counting meat, cheese, etc) and sugary carby soda. If you want to lose weight, you have to eat between 50g and 100g of carbs per day and you just had almost all of it in one sitting. This is why people find it hard to eat right or diet. They have had NO idea how to count carbs and eat in a way that is conducive to a maintaining a normal weight. Now, you can eat all of this if you are going to go for a run later…but how many of you do that?

But, even my own family member who refused to change her food habits has finally changed after she was told she is VERY pre-diabetic. Do you have to wait until you are that sick to finally do the right thing for yourself? Go to Overeater’s Anonymous or a Medically supervised plan (like Lindora), join a workout club or group exercise (like my Pilates and Yoga–start with the beginner classes), but get help and do it right for the New Year–this year should have prosperity and well-being. Do it for yourself.

Old Dogs Can Learn New Diet Tricks!

Posted on April 12, 2014 by therapysoup

My relative, the one I blogged about being near-diabetic or diabetic (not sure what is the truth)….she has lost 8 pounds in three weeks following my rules. She would never listen to my rules until she got sick, but now she is listening and eating the foods that I recommend and the recipes that I have given her and the fat is falling off and she is not hungry.

A lady who works at Costco, (the one I have written about eating dates and not losing weight), she told me she is finally losing weight and lost 8 pounds in a a few weeks. She is very happy about it and she says she will stick to it. She told my husband that someone at Costco, gave her a fresh croissant. Instead of consuming it and ruining her weight loss for the day, she cut it up and shared it with co-workers. I commend her. It is hard to change your ways, but you can teach old dogs new diet tricks. Sometimes they have to be sick or about to be sick before they can commit to making the change.

But, I am telling you. If you follow the rules, you will lose!

I saw three young girls in the park near my house. They were thin, but drinking energy drinks. I started to talk to them and I asked to look at one of their cans. It said that for 8 ounces, there were 19g of carbs and about 14g of sugar in the 8 ounces. But, read the can carefully. There are THREE servings of 8 ounces in this 24 ounce can. Therefore, she was drinking 57g of carbs, 42g of sugar (about 10 sugar cubes!). I told them how if they eat more than 100g of carbs per day, they will start to gain and it is hard to get it off (unless they exercise well). They also said they ate a bag of chips and a bowl with rice in it. So, they more than had their fill of carbs for the day and it was only 2pm (not to mention that there was no protein in this!). The lack of food and nutrition label education and being used to pigging out on carbs/sugar–will surely lead them to being unhealthy and overweight. I asked the girls if they would EAT 10 sugar cubes and they laughed and said, “NO!” I answered, “But, you are drinking them!” They were astounded.

So, please don’t wait until you are older and messed up. Learn as young as you can to change your habits and if you are a sugar addict, there are books on detoxing from sugar. Dr. Mark Hyman, among many, writes on this subject. http://drhyman.com/blog/2014/03/06/top-10-big-ideas-detox-sugar/

Please change your habits before you get sick or you gain even more weight.

My husband has given up wheat and sugar for 30 days to see how he feels and does. He is on day 6 right now. His skin is in better shape, his belly looks less bloated and I can tell he has lost weight. He says he feels good and that the salads that we get with meat in them, taste even better than when the meat is in a bun. He is happy so far. I do wonder if he will want to go back when he reaches day 30. He only wanted to lose 5 pounds, but I can see this is making a difference in many ways for him.

I promise that giving up sugar is do-able–in a few weeks, months–it gets easier and easier with time and becomes a way of life. It is worthwhile and a great thing to do for self-loving!

Some Things You Can Do to Assist In Your Diet

Posted on February 28, 2014 by therapysoup

Want to lose weight, well there are 7 strategies you have to do to psychologically and physically set yourself up to lose weight!

1. Organize Your Home: A disorganized home can interfere with achieving your health and fitness goals. Assess the mess in your home by going through every room and decide what needs to be dealt with (purge too), and then figure out a way to keep it organized permanently.

2. Shop Healthy: Stop buying junk foods and replace them with high-quality nutritious foods. You’ll ultimately save on those doctor bills because you will get healthier. Cut costs by creating a weekly meal plan for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, as well as snacks, and then tally up the ingredients you’ll need and prepare a shopping list.

3. Cook and Prepare Meals in Advance: If a busy schedule is keeping you from making homemade meals, knowing that there is already something healthy in the fridge or freezer that you can simply reheat will help you resist fast food or other unhealthy dining options. Cook a few meals in advance each week to serve midweek or later. Soups, casseroles, and stews made with lean protein and plenty of vegetables and they can be frozen and used later on. I cook things on Sunday and have them throughout the week.

4. Take Time to Eat at Each Mealtime: Taking the time to savor your meals can actually aid your weight-loss. When you sit down to enjoy what you’re eating, thinking about every bite, you’ll feel more satisfied and eat less. Mealtime is also designed to give you a break from your hectic schedule and allow you to catch up on what’s happening in the lives of your family and/or friends. This is also good role modeling for your children.

5. Healthy Snacks: Regular mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacking can be a challenge, particularly when you’re on the go. But with some planning and preparation, you can put together a healthy assortment of snacks to help curb your hunger and prevent cravings. Bring a bag containing healthy options like part-skim mozzarella cheese sticks, chopped veggies, low-carb protein bars or shakes, measured out nuts or nut butter, hard-boiled eggs, and/or lean deli meats.

6. Prioritize Consistent Exercise: I have classes and incorporate them into my weekly calendar. I think of it as like going to my second job. I just do it. Regular exercise can help keep your metabolism revved so you lose weight faster. In addition, exercise can also help prevent the onset of diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, by reducing belly fat, high cholesterol, and high triglycerides. Get at least 20 minutes of either cardio conditioning or core-strengthening exercise on most days of the week. But you should also aim to move more every day. The smallest movements add up and will improve your weight-loss results.

7. Get Sleep! You can never be truly healthy if you don’t get enough quality sleep. Recent studies show that people who sleep less tend to weigh more. Being sleep-deprived can also increase your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems. Also, if you are groggy throughout the day, you are more likely to snack and therefore, mess up your diet. If you continue to have trouble sleeping, see your doctor about assistance. Try taking herbal supplements and turn off the electronics a good 30-60 minutes before bed. The light from these items can affect your sleep.

Holiday Food and Sabotage

Posted on December 16, 2013 by therapysoup

Here is my blog for Holiday Food with Your Family Friends and Low-Carb Substitutions that can be made.

https://skinny-rules.com/2013/11/24/holiday-food-time-and-delicious-low-carb-substitutions/

However, today’s blog is about holiday parties–family, friends or work. This time of year, I hear a lot about people being surrounded by parties with bad food choices, bad drink choices, alcohol and desserts galore. I went to my chiropractor and there were many chocolate items there.

5 Things You Can Do To Not Gain Weight at Holiday Parties!

1. Take a piece of food or dessert, if you must, take a bite and then toss it in the trash when no one is looking. A bite won’t kill your diet, but if you can’t say no to the rest, then this strategy is not for you.

2. Just say “NO!” Seriously, how much do you love yourself and your commitment to your diet? Most of the sugar and GMO products are not good for your health anyway. Do you care at all about how it will affect you? Stop poisoning yourself with white sugar.

3. EAT before you get there. You are more likely to nibble on healthy things because you are not ravenous. You can nibble on fruit and vegetables, and have water or if you must, one hard liquor cocktail. The more you have wine, beer or champagne–and especially fruit cocktails, the more carbohydrates you are consuming unnecessarily. I have had someone tell me that they go to these things and are hungry and then, the bad food looks extra good to them and it is harder to say, “No!” Why tempt yourself? Why drive yourself crazy? Eat an egg, cheese, nuts, a piece of fruit, yogurt–something low carb and healthy before you get there. If you know for sure that there are good low-carb food items, then you need not worry.

4. If you know the host, you could make a request for something like a vegetable platter or low-fat meat and low-fat cheese platter.

5. Don’t succumb to peer pressure to eat badly. Most people NOT on a diet, who know that they SHOULD be on one, can’t wait to watch someone doing well on a diet–fall off of their diet. It makes them feel better about themselves being heavier or enjoying thinking they are the best looking person in the room. So, don’t give them this satisfaction.

I get pleasure in telling people, “NO! Stop pressuring me!” Worse case scenario, just blame your doctor and say you are under a doctor’s care and these are his orders. If they are NOSEY and ask you for what–“tell them that you don’t like talking about it.” And if they ask again, repeat what I just wrote. If they ask the third time, then you have a right to say, “I would appreciate it if you stop trying to delve into my medical history. I like to keep it private.” I hate nosey people.

And the same thing goes for the alcohol. Alcohol has to be very limited to NOTHING during the weight loss process. If your body is busy using its energy to metabolize the alcohol in your liver, then there is no energy left during that period to break down fat.

I want to stay thin, I rarely drink. I gain easily. It is not worth it to me. I prefer being thin. Much more fun than eating something that goes inside in less than a minute. Thin lasts longer.

Healthy Restaurants Can Still Make You Fat

Posted on September 18, 2013 by therapysoup

I saw an article today about how Chipotle has good organic food and grass-fed meat. However, if you still eat one of their burritos, you are getting over 1,000 calories in one meal. If you get a burrito there and have everything in it…the beans, the rice, the guacamole, etc.–it comes out to be over 100g of carbs. That is the most you should have in a whole day if you want to lose weight.

I have written about this before, but I get double salad in a bowl, and I choose to not have the rice and beans (adding up to about 40g of carbs, all by themselves) and I have the cheese, the meat, sour cream, salsa, etc. You have to pay attention to what you are ordering and what you are eating.

Here is the Chipotle calculator here, but I would think that the numbers are pretty much the same wherever you go. http://www.chipotle.com/en-us/menu/nutrition_calculator/nutrition_calculator.aspx

I had a client who wanted to lose weight, who brought a giant chicken burrito into my office and she ate the whole thing. This is why she has not lost weight. It was two to three times the portion that she should have had. She should have split it with her daughter, at the minimum! It was there, so she ate it. But, if she keeps this up, not only will she never lose weight (will gain), but her daughter will eventually have weight issues too if she emulates mother’s overeating style.

Restaurants make big food. You should always break down your food, put half in a box and then it is out of sight–out of mind. Then, just eat the half in front of you. It really is the right size portion that you should have had in the first place–unless you are a very active long-distance runner, an athletic man, etc. But, most people are sedentary and not that large. There is NO way they should be eating those adult-sized portions. It is ok to order from the children’s menu, which actually is the appropriate size portion for the average eater.

AND THEN THERE ARE THE CHIPS: Each chip is about 2g of carbs. If you eat the bag of chips that comes with it, it is an extra 63g of carbs–empty calories!

And don’t forget, you can make your own burrito by using low-carb tortillas. Here is the brand that Costco and other stores has, and it is very low carb. Tastes good too.

Choose wisely!! Don’t suffer and miss out on foods, just realize the restaurants are giving you high calorie crap and you have to be smart and pay attention to what you are eating.

Breakfast Is The Most Important Meal of the Day For Concentration and Skinniness

Posted on July 28, 2013 by therapysoup

Eating a balanced breakfast sets you up to succeed in your healthy eating and your focus for the entire day. Studies support that you need to start your day off with a healthy breakfast because there are many benefits to eating it.

The benefits of breakfast include:

IMPROVED MOOD:

Eating breakfast can lift your mood. People who don’t eat breakfast are more tired and irritable.

MORE ENERGY FOR THE DAY:

Before you eat in the morning, your body (like a car with little gas) is running on empty. You get energy from high-quality protein, carbohydrates, and fats.

BETTER CONCENTRATION:

Eating breakfast also improves your ability to problem solve. You will be more productive and better able to handle tasks that require memory. Going to work or sending your kids to school sets everyone up for a mismanaged workload and poorer performance than those who eat a healthy breakfast (pop tarts is not healthy!)

WEIGHT MANAGEMENT:

Studies show that if you eat breakfast, you’re more likely to be at a healthy weight than people who don’t eat breakfast.

VITAMINS AND MINERALS:

Having an egg or two, with some low fat cheese or turkey (I put vegetables and/or spinach in mine) and a piece of fruit will give you great protein, minerals and vitamins. If you are able to put in some flax, chi or other seeds into your eggs, then you are adding good carbs and fiber. For those who are able to fit in the carbs for the day count of 50 to 100, you can have a slice of whole grain bread or just a small measured portion of oatmeal (depending on the brand is oatmeal, a cup of oatmeal is about 30g of carbs), whole-grain cereal (not the high sugar Honey Nut Cheerios). Try a little almond butter instead of butter. 2 tablespoons of peanut or almond butter equals 6g of carbs. Another great breakfast option is Greek yogurt. Strawberries and blueberries are great in yogurt, cereal and oatmeal.

Please pull out a measuring cup and become acquainted with how small a cup is vs. what you might thing a cup looks like in your mind.

Basics of a Quick and Balanced Breakfast

One of the most common excuses for not eating breakfast is being short on time to get to work or school. But breakfast doesn’t have to be fancy or time consuming. You can wake up just a little earlier to fit in a nutritious breakfast. The small investment in time in breakfast (and in you) pays off through the whole day.

If you really love cereal, then compromise and put a few for flavor and texture in your oatmeal or your yogurt.

Next time you’re racing against the clock, try these effortless and healthy breakfast ideas:

*You can make a quick smoothie with yogurt and fruit, with some ice cubes. Throw in some chi or flax seeds.
*Western Bagel and some low carb places sell low carb bagels. The Western Bagel Perfect 10 bagel is really good. Lots of fiber and protein and 10g net carbs. Get them at Westernbagel.com and refrigerate them.
*Have hard-boiled eggs available and ready to grab on the run. Places like some selected Costco and Trader Joes has them already hard-boiled and peeled, in bags, for those who really are super busy.
*Low carb shakes in a can (like Pure Protein) or low carb protein bars (like Power Crunch or Nature Valley Protein Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate).
*Low carb Greek yogurt in a small ready-to-go containers (like Dannon Greek Light and Fit)
**Come on, scrambled eggs don’t take that long.

Healthy Weight Loss and Lifestyle Challenge

Posted on June 19, 2013 by therapysoup

Saw a healthy 3 week challenge online today and thought I would share it. It actually incorporates all that I do talk about on Skinny-Rules. It is low carb. Remember though, to eat your veggies, salads, proteins, fruits, nuts. Wheat bread, only once or twice a week at one slice each time.

The purpose of this challenge is supposed to help you learn a healthier lifestyle and get a jumpstart to weight loss. The creator of this challenge also suggests cutting out potatoes. (I do! Even sweet potatoes)

There are TWO exceptions to this challenge–
1. NO CHOCOLATE— you can make your OWN chocolates with cacao powder and stevia (or Truvia baking blend)– I am mainly wanting to break the cycle with store-bought, processed chocolate. If you make your OWN desserts from scratch, it is healthier. Dark cacao powder is actually proven to have some extra health benefits as well.

(I still have my chocolate or peanut butter Crunch Bars and I still like my Nature Valley Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Protein bars (dark chocolate is good for you, right?)

2. NO CHIPS— This means NO POTATO CHIPS. (That is a no duh! No potatoes)

(And I still am going to have my diet soda here and there. Sorry, gotta have something!)

3. Also, NO ALCOHOL– if you are trying to lose weight. The body will not break down fat when it is busy breaking down alcohol.

Here is the challenge:

So, you think you are up for it?

Proof Why Fad Diet Don’t Work and Why You Have to Cut Carbs and Learn Portion Control

Posted on May 4, 2013 by therapysoup

http://www.elements4health.com/cutting-calories-changes-the-way-the-brain-makes-food-choices.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+elements4health%2FmTrh+%28Elements4Health+%29

Results suggest that restricting food intake increases the reward value of food, particularly high-calorie, appetizing food , and that the more successful people are at caloric-restriction dieting, the greater difficulty they will face in maintaining the restriction. Additionally, abstaining from food intake for longer durations of time also increases the reward value of food, which may lead to poor food choices when the individual eventually does eat.

The implications of this imaging study show that if people want to lose excess weight, it would be more effective to consume healthy, low-fat/low-sugar foods during regular meals, rather than go for long periods of time without any caloric intake. So, for those who do the cleanses, HCG drops, Protein Shakes all day long type of dieting, they are more likely to gain their weight back than those who do slower low-fat and low sugar/carb diets, which involve regular daily meals.

My daily food plan involves 6 protein based meals a day, with two small salads, four small servings of vegetables (not starchy ones) and two small servings of low carb fruits a day. I also exercise. I have maintained my weight loss for over a year now. This way of dieting is way more successful. It isn’t really a diet, it is just a new way to eat outside of the old stupid way that I ate, which got me fat in the first place. You just have re-train your brain to eat the right and healthy way.

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