Tag Archives: weight loss

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

Posted on by

0

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

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

saladgood

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

1.  Regular fat cheese (already covered that).

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

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

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

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

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

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

THEY’RE BAACCKK!

Posted on by

0

proteinbars

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

Emergency Junk Food

Posted on by

0

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

breakfast

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

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

It is your choice.

correctyourmind

Discipline is Better Than Potatoes

Posted on by

0

Discipline quotes:

“Discipline weighs ounces, regret weighs tons.”  ~Author Unknown

“Everyone must choose one of two pains: The pain of discipline or the pain of regret.”  ~Jim Rohn

“Self-respect is the root of discipline:  The sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself. “ ~Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Insecurity of Freedom: Essays on Human Existence, 1967

One of the hardest parts about dieting is getting over past eating styles, styles which got you into the shape you are in right now.  You have to come to realize that you ate crap, didn’t exercise enough and learned BAD habits.  It might have been no fault of your own, but it happened.  You are a grown person, so you have to deal with it.

You have to learn to eat a different way, but like with anything, if you learn how to do it in a way that you don’t find boring, you find things that you like to eat that are better for you and you do it all long enough, it is a lifestyle change and not a diet.

Do you want to be skinny?  Do you want to stop feeling bad that you say you want to do it or you will start tomorrow and never do it?  Then just start.

Go shopping and find all of the necessary ingredients.  Read my past blogs and find out what you can do to make it happen.  Ex:  6 proteins a day (I write all about lists of them), only 50-100 g of carbs per day, 4 small servings of veggies, 2 small servings of fruits (each has different carbs, research…berries and citrus are the lowest), and two small salads a day.  Eat every 3-4 hours and don’t let yourself get too hungry or thirsty.  Drink your non-sugar beverages.  Look at labels.  Count carbs.

Stop procrastinating.  How much do you want to do it?  Do it and stop whining.  It is not hard.  I will answer any questions that you might have, but start it.   Realize that you have the discipline to say “no.”  When I go out to eat and I order my protein meal (meat and salad, eggs and bacon, etc.), I ask for grilled veggies or tomatoes instead of potatoes and I ask for fruit instead of toast or bread.  It is habit now.  I always turn free bread away before they put it on my table.  You have to learn to do it or to just have one.  Don’t let them bring the never-ending bowls of carbs to your table.  JUST SAY NO!

I spent years wondering why I was overweight.  I was overweight because I ate  those bread baskets, and ate the fries, hash browns or the chips that came with a meal.  I don’t allow those in my life anymore.  There is a Russian lady who makes my salads and I told her that I noticed that everyone that came in who was overweight ate a healthy sandwich or salad and had a bag of chips with their meal.  She said, “American’s love potato chips.”  That is true, and there is also a correlation with the potato lovers and that our society is so obese right now.  You want a fry?  Have one or two.  You can’t be thin and eat a serving of potato chips, hash browns, baked potatoes or fries.  I don’t do potatoes, rice and my wheat is limited (no bread or cereal–although, once in a while, I have Western Bagel’s Perfect 10 bagel at 10g net carbs and a low-carb burrito tortilla at about 7 g net carbs–ONCE in AWHILE.).

At first, this all seemed like a sacrifice, but it was actually not so bad after a few weeks.  Now, I feel very disciplined and good that I watched about 40 pounds fall off of me and I will be damned to put them back on.  So, I still follow all of those rules.  My husband backs me and when anyone tries to sabotage me with trying to get me to order something against my rules, I tell them quite frankly, “No, I don’t do sugar or wheat.”  I am proud of it and it makes me feel even better about my self-esteem.  Losing weight and being able to say no are very empowering.  If no one else likes it, too bad.  This is my health, my life and my body.

Now, it is your turn to feel this way!  JUST SAY NO.  You won’t die with low carbs and no potatoes in your life.

nopotatoes

REPLACEMENTS OF POTATOES:

There are tons of cauliflower recipes out there where you can make faux pizza crusts, faux mashed potatoes, etc and they taste great–instead of potatoes.  You can make baked Kale chips instead of eating potato chips.

So learn NEW ways to make things, enjoy them and they will become part of your new skinny lifestyle.  Or you will start to look like a potato.

potatohead

Chocolate Heaven and Still Stay Skinny

Posted on by

0

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

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

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

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

20130418-013447.jpg

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

Emotional Eating Can Hurt Your Diet or Lifestyle Change

Posted on by

0

emo-eating

Emotional eating can sabotage your weight-loss efforts

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

emotional_eating_cycle

The connection between mood, food and weight loss

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

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

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

Tips to get your weight-loss efforts back on track

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

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

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

  • unhealthyeating

healthyeating

Sweet Temptation

Posted on by

0

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

good

Cut Cravings: Eat Protein Rich Breakfasts

Posted on by

0

If you want to get and stay skinny, you have to get your brain to help you in the quest to feel full and not overeat.  As you have heard before, breakfast is THE most important meal of the day.  You will also have MORE energy to do things throughout the day.

There has been a study.  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130326151127.htm

“The consumption of the high-protein breakfast led to increased fullness or “satiety” along with reductions in brain activity that is responsible for controlling food cravings. The high-protein breakfast also reduced evening snacking on high-fat and high-sugar foods compared to when breakfast was skipped or when a normal protein, ready-to-eat cereal breakfast was consumed,” according to Assistant Professor, Heather Leidy.

“Eating a protein-rich breakfast impacts the drive to eat later in the day, when people are more likely to consume high-fat or high-sugar snacks,” Leidy said. “These data suggest that eating a protein-rich breakfast is one potential strategy to prevent overeating and improve diet quality by replacing unhealthy snacks with high quality breakfast foods.

Examples of Protein Rich Breakfasts:

  • Poached organic eggs with smoked salmon, avocado and salad
  • Boiled organic eggs with cold cuts of meat and salad
  • Lightly scrambled eggs with organic bacon and salad
  • Leftover dinner
  • Meat and nuts
  • Protein smoothies (see the protein power example in this article)
  • Full fat organic yogurt with fruit and nuts
  • Canadian bacon, or any other bacon.
  • two tablespoons of a nut butter

Cereal and wheats/grains are NOT a protein rich breakfast, so you will be triggered to eat more later.  Lindora.com sells high protein pancakes, if you are so inclined once in awhile!

Egg Breakfast

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

Posted on by

3

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.

MIDDAY SLUMP: You Have To Eat A Snack Between Lunch and Dinner

Posted on by

0

slump

Ever catch yourself nodding off about an hour or two after lunch?  “If you started your day with nothing more than a cup of coffee or a bowl of cereal, you’re bound to feel your energy start to drop sooner in the day.”  Protein six times a day helps this from happening.

And if your lunch mainly consisted of carbs, then after a meal later on,  there is a huge drop in blood sugar.  However, after any meal, your blood sugar rises for about two hours—and then it drops off.   Your lunch has to contain enough protein and fiber, and if not, then your blood sugar can rise and drop even more quickly, causing you to feel groggy.

Even if you eat a substantial breakfast and a lunch that combines carbs and protein, you might still have the midday slump. Eating raises your body’s core temperature as the body works to digest and metabolize your food.  After you eat a meal, a few hours later, your core body temperature drops, signaling your brain to release melatonin, which causes you to feel tired.

One thing that can help is to exercise.  Regular exercise has been shown to provide more energy throughout the day. If you aren’t able to get in an early-morning or lunchtime workout, try a 15-minute power walk around the time you usually start your slump.   Snacking helps to control blood-sugar levels.  The ideal snack is around 200 to 300 calories and contains a balance of carbohydrates and protein.

If you want to lose weight and keep your metabolism going AND you want to stay awake during the day and be productive, you need to eat your midday snack.

8 suggestions for a snack:

1. A piece of fruit and two tablespoons of peanut butter (or another nut butter).

2. One ounce of almonds and a handful of grapes or a piece of fruit.

3. One ounce of cheese with a few whole-wheat crackers.  Watch the carbs in the crackers.  Look at the box.

4. Two ounces (a moderate handful) of trail mix.

5. Six ounces of greek yogurt with fruit.

6.  A low carb protein bar

7.  A hard boiled egg and a piece of fruit.

8.  A couple of slices of meat, cheese and a piece of fruit.