Thanksgiving Does Not Have to Ruin Your Diet or Have You Gain Weight

Posted on November 21, 2014 by therapysoup

This is a re-post of my talk about Thanksgiving meals.

I have talked to many people about Thanksgiving food. I am not sure how it came to be that a holiday designed to give thanks and spend time with relatives–has now somehow turned into a carbolicious food fest.

A few years ago, I went to my husband’s cousin’s house for Thanksgiving. I had a tough time finding something decent to eat. The turkey was ok, but there was no salad. There were green beans, but they were smothered in horrible bad GMO Velveeta cheese and not some kind of low-fat bovine growth hormone-free cheese. And there were those horrible processed onion things were on top. There was white bread in unhealthy fattening stuffing, cranberry sauce (sugar fest), white GMO dinner rolls, margarine (where is the organic butter?) and nasty box-made mashed potatoes. No wonder people get fat. Then, there is pie! One small slice of pumpkin pie alone is 300 calories. I think the average amount of calories eaten at Thanksgiving dinner tops 1500, easy.

AND DON’T GET ME STARTED ON THE SUPER-SIZED PORTIONS THAT PEOPLE SERVE THEMSELVES, AND MORE THAN ONE!

Here is what most of the portions looked like at the cousin’s house (throw in a non-nutritious dinner roll):

Next is the proper size of a “Traditional Thanksgiving Meal–made in a more healthy way–and the right measured out portions. At least if you eat this, you will not gain a lot of weight. (4 ounces of protein and keep in mind, only 50-100g of carbs per day. More on the veggies, less on the stuffing and potatoes. In this picture–turkey, a touch of stuffing with mushrooms, just a splash of cranberries (not the canned stuff), and a serving of veggies. Perfect!

It takes 30 minutes of running fast for 3 miles to burn 300 calories, and about an hour to do fast walking to lose 300 calories. You would have to walk for 5 hours to burn off that dinner. It could take many days of exercise to burn off that meal.

What I had for Thanksgiving:

For breakfast, I had a Western Bagel Perfect 10 low carb bagel with egg and cheese on it.

I made turkey meatballs and sauce with spaghetti squash for lunch.

For dinner, my husband and I had the sliced turkey breast that we bought the day before. We had a little gravy and had some great grilled asparagus and baby broccoli, with a great salad with cheese. A nice normal sized portion too.

And my snacks in between were nuts and a protein bar.

For after-dinner dessert, I had low carb ice cream.

I was full, satisfied and happy. I didn’t gain a pound. I will do something similar for Christmas.

If I am stuck at a person’s house again:

I will either eat before I get there and just have some turkey.

I also could ask the host in advance if there are going to be vegetables and salad, and if not, I will bring my own.

**I have NO qualms or embarrassment that I have to eat a certain way. If you are embarrassed, you can just say it is for “doctor’s orders for more greens.”**

You should never have to gain weight or make yourself sick with wheat products, gluten or excessive carbs to make others feel comfortable.

If someone gets their panties in a twist over it, they either do NOT give a damn about you and your quest to be skinny, of they feel guilty because they wish THEY could go on a proper diet and they are either too stubborn, too carb-addicted or afraid to rock the boat in their relationships.

Any way you look at it, YOU have to take care of YOU! There is a good chance that you gained weight because you have trouble saying NO! Learn healthy boundaries for your own happiness and stop worrying about others.

There are always food saboteurs out there. Like the man in my Pilates class, who is thin and brings the class (who are there to get in shape) brownies or chocolate cake. I think he gets some sick, twisted enjoyment out of watching them eat his stuff. He never knows what to do with me, because, I always tell him, “No thank you. I don’t eat sugar anymore.” And the fact that he still asks me, shows how manipulative he is!

What if the problem is your cravings cause the problem with eating fattening things?

Yes, it is hard to get over cravings, but it is possible. I did it! Takes a few weeks, but you have to stick to it and find healthy alternatives (I write about that all of the time in my blog, just do a search).

If someone is having onion rings, I sometimes will allow myself to eat ONE, then I am done. Fried food with breaded batter=unhealthy and fattening.

You have to learn this and get over what McDonalds got you addicted to eating. Those carbs are killing America-and you and me. We have to take charge of our bodies, our mouths and our lives. Eating potato starch, pie sugars, fatty cheese, white breaded stuffing carbs and sugars–even once or twice a year is not showing respect for your body. Even ONE cheat is do-able, but it is nothing but bad food city all the way through on this crazy holiday food fest.

Perhaps Your Choices and Portions at Thanksgiving is Why You Gained Weight

Posted on December 3, 2013 by therapysoup

AND DON’T GET ME STARTED ON THE SUPER-SIZED PORTIONS THAT PEOPLE SERVE THEMSELVES, AND MORE THAN ONE!

Here is what most of the portions looked like at the cousin’s house (throw in a non-nutritious dinner roll):

What I had for Thanksgiving:

For breakfast, I had a Western Bagel Perfect 10 low carb bagel with egg and cheese on it.

I made turkey meatballs and sauce with spaghetti squash for lunch.

And my snacks in between were nuts and a protein bar.

For after-dinner dessert, I had low carb ice cream.

I was full, satisfied and happy. I didn’t gain a pound. I will do something similar for Christmas.

If I am stuck at a person’s house again:

I will either eat before I get there and just have some turkey.

I also could ask the host in advance if there are going to be vegetables and salad, and if not, I will bring my own.

**I have NO qualms or embarrassment that I have to eat a certain way. If you are embarrassed, you can just say it is for “doctor’s orders for more greens.”**

You should never have to gain weight or make yourself sick with wheat products, gluten or excessive carbs to make others feel comfortable.

What if the problem is your cravings cause the problem with eating fattening things?

If someone is having onion rings, I sometimes will allow myself to eat ONE, then I am done. Fried food with breaded batter=unhealthy and fattening.

Portion Control Is Key For Losing Weight and Keeping it OFF!

Posted on November 14, 2013 by therapysoup

You can’t just diet and lose weight. The larger the portion, the more calories for your body to burn off. Here are some suggestions that can help you better portion your food.

1: Use visual aids for common food serving sizes (example)

Meat, fish, or poultry = 3 ounces = deck of cards / iPhone (lowest in carbs)
Pasta, rice, potatoes = one cup = baseball (keep in mind that these are HIGH in carbs)
potato, yam = one unit = computer mouse (again, HIGH in carbs)
Nuts = 1/4 cup = golf ball (watch the carbs!)
Salad dressing or olive oil = 2 Tbsp = shot glass
Peanut butter = 2 Tbsp = shot glass (about 8g of carbs)
Ice cream = half cup = half baseball (high in sugar)
Cheese = 2 ounces = 2 fingers (stick with low carb)

2: Read the serving size information on the Nutrition Facts on the package

Processed foods have a nutrition facts label and the first thing it shows is the serving size. All the calorie and nutrient information that follows is calculated per serving. But sometimes the serving size is tiny compared to what people really eat.

For example, cereals usually list the serving as half a cup (one ounce). Even KIDS eat more than that. Read this carefully!

3: Understand how many servings are in a package
As a follow on to the previous tip, it’s important to know how many servings are in a package.

A small bag of Doritos has about 2.5 servings! (That means two and a half times the calories you were expecting)

A bottle Naked Juice or POM actually has TWO servings of liquid. A serving of juice (or soda, or water) is 1 cup (8 fluid ounces), but these bottles usually provide you with double that amount, 16 ounces. (Share with a friend, or better yet, drink water!)

4: When eating out, ask for the small or kids sized portions

Restaurant and fast food meals have massively increased in the last 30 years.

A 280 calorie Caesar salad in 1985 is now over 700 calories! (The kid’s meals are actually the size of what was an adult meal 30 years ago!)

5: Never eat out of the bag or box

If you bought a family size bag of pretzels, or a gallon tub of ice cream, the worst possible thing to do is eat straight out of the package and especially in front of the TV or computer–or at your desk. It will cause mindless eating!

6: Put ONE SERVING ONLY on your plate in the kitchen and eat in the dining room and USE SMALLER PLATES!

The easiest way to overeat is having the serving dishes on the dining table within arm’s reach. Plate your food in the kitchen then serve it at the table. Don’t eat all over the house, as well.

The plates have increased in size over the years. If you use a smaller plate for your food, it will feel like you are eating more when you fill it. Use smaller plates.

7: Fresh fruits and veggies, eat more of them than the protein and carbs

Put fruit and mostly veggies on half of your plate. The fiber in produce will help you feel full and less hungry.

Portion Control for Weight Control

Posted on October 17, 2013 by therapysoup

I wrote a blog about portion sizes and what you should eat if you want to see yourself lose weight. Here is the link: https://skinny-rules.com/2012/12/15/portiondistortion/

Here is another clip out for you to use to determine portion control: (I do suggest staying away from the Grains, the baked potatoes and raisins or any dried fruit for a diet)

Watch portion sizes and follow what I wrote in the above blog. Also, remember to eat a protein portion about every 3-4 hours, have two small portions of veggies and 2 small portions of fruit per day. Have two cups of salad, twice a day. Watch your carb count in your salad dressing, as well. Watch the carbs that you drink and try to keep that down. You should be able to lose weight if you follow these rules. After a week or so, cravings go away. I promise!

Can Popcorners Help With Your Diet?

Posted on October 14, 2013 by therapysoup

A new trend of snack. Popcorners. All kinds of flavors. Advertised on their website as, “- a sensible snacking solution that is all natural, gluten-free, and non-gmo.”

Great, but natural in the food market could mean just about anything. Gluten-free is great and so is non-genetically modified.

However, how is it for losing weight or keeping weight off?

The nutritional content says that it ranges from about 20-23g of carbs per bag small one ounce bag.

If you want to lose weight, you have to keep your carbs between 50g and 100g a day. The closer to 50g, the better.

If you are eating almost half of your daily allowance in a bag of popcorn (similar to the carb content of a bag of chips), then what the heck can you eat the rest of the day to keep your carb count down?

You will NOT lose weight on chips, pretzels (double the amount of chips), or Popcorners. In fact, I personally stay away from anything that is made from corn, potatoes or rice. Major carbs and starchy, shoots your glucose way up and helps to continue to sugar roller-coaster and cravings. It is just crappy so-called “food.”

One of my clients has stopped sugary carbs for a few weeks now and he no longer craves any of these things. He used to crave shakes, chips and french fries and it went away with time (withdrawal).

Snacks should be protein-based. Low-carb protein bars or shakes, meat, low-fat cheese, eggs, measured out nuts, low-fat chocolate pudding, low-carb Greek yogurt, fruit, etc.

Why not make an omelette with veggies and some low-fat cheese? I do that and it is really good. Get some good turkey bacon or sausage. Stop eating processed foods from a bag. If it can live in your closet for an undetermined amount of time, it is probably NOT good for you. Even protein bars go bad after a while.

Eat better food. Garbage in, garbage out.

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.

You Might Be Fat Because of Label and Size Trickery

Posted on July 8, 2013 by therapysoup

I have written before about portion control. It is important to know that since the 1950s, people have been doubling in size, but that is because portions have doubled in size.

And the food industry does a great job of hiding facts and they have been tricking you into eating TOO MUCH FOOD!

I had a client come to my office with a 15 ounce large bottle of Green Machine Naked Juice (GMO fruits, company owned by Pepsi) and he attempted to drink the entire thing himself. The bottle had at least 5 or 6 small servings for a family at breakfast and because it was in a bottle, he thought he should drink it himself. You have to be careful reading labels. This is what the label says:

1 cup is almost 30g of sugar (almost 8 sugar cubes) and almost 35g of carbs. No wonder diabetes is on the rise.

Stick to cup-sized portions. Get out a measuring cup and get accustomed to the size of it.

HERE IS THE TRICKERY!

So, do you know how much is in a cup? Most people don’t. A cup is 8 ounces. How many ounces are in the bottle? 15 ounces!!!!!!!!!!!! (some of the other Naked Juice drinks are even worse!)

So, if you DOUBLE the amount of nutritional information if you DRINK THE WHOLE THING, then you will realize that you are actually drinking almost 60g of sugar (about 16 sugar cubes) and almost 70g of carbs–about as much as you want for the whole day if you don’t want to maintain or lose weight.

I have seen many people drink these whole bottles as one meal. You need to look at your labels! You could have had a whole plate of spaghetti and meatballs instead and liked it better!

The standard serving for soft drinks is one cup – 8 fluid ounces. But most cans sold in vending machines are 12 ounces. Bottles drinks often come in 20 ounce portions, all for consumption by a single person. That is just way too much in one go. We are eating too much, drinking too much.

At Starbucks, the portion sizes are not only skewed to large, the names are confusing as well: Tall (12 ounces), Grande (16), and Venti (24).

It gets even harder to order the smaller options when you do the financial calculation – the larger portion almost always is cheaper per ounce than the smaller one.

What to do when you’re eating out?

only eat 4 ounces of meat (a palm-sized amount), a cup of vegetables, small salad size.
Ask for a take-out container and put your food in there even before you start to eat so you won’t be tempted to keep eating.
ask your server / waiter what the portion size is for the dish you are ordering
order the smaller option (including kid sized portions, which are the right size for an adult in the first place)
share your dish with your dining partner
drink water – no serving size limit!
I don’t do pasta, but if you do, remember what a cup looks like! (and it is about 43g of carbs! That is a lot and it is just a cup!

Skinny-Rules

Tag Archives: portions

Thanksgiving Does Not Have to Ruin Your Diet or Have You Gain Weight

Perhaps Your Choices and Portions at Thanksgiving is Why You Gained Weight

Portion Control Is Key For Losing Weight and Keeping it OFF!

Portion Control for Weight Control

Can Popcorners Help With Your Diet?

Healthy Restaurants Can Still Make You Fat

You Might Be Fat Because of Label and Size Trickery

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