Stop Your Yo Yo Dieting Already!

Posted on April 1, 2013 by therapysoup

If you want to lose weight, you have to do it the right way. Skipping meals, not starting your day out with breakfast, or following an extremely low-calorie diet is not in any way going to help you lose weight. Calorie deprivation only sets you up for yo-yo dieting, or “weight cycling.” Your weight will continue to go up and down for the rest of your life. You need to learn what to do to have permanent weight loss.

You might have initial success on one of these extreme diets, but the toll it takes on your body is not at all worth it. Extreme diets that promise big weight loss in a short amount of time cut out macronutrients like carbs and fats — which is horrible for your hormone balance and your metabolism. I do not worry too much about fats and my carbs are just kept low and healthy carbs is the way to go.

Some people want to desperately want to lose weight for a special occasion and figure that only a couple of weeks at 800 calories a day can give you results you want. And maybe it does…but when you go back to a normal eating pattern, your body is messed up. According to Jillian Michaels, “While you weren’t taking in enough calories, your levels of T3, the thyroid hormone that boosts your metabolism, plummeted and you slowed down your metabolism. Also, your response to insulin has taken a hit, so instead of glucose entering your cells, where it can be used for energy, your body lets it roam around in your blood, where it can cause trouble. Your sensitivity to leptin (which regulates appetite) is also reduced, so you’re never quite sure when to say, “Enough!” at the table. Plus, the hormone that tells your brain you’re starving, called ghrelin, shoots higher than ever. That is just the beginning of your problems. When you inevitably start gaining back weight, you start the cycle of yo-yo dieting all over again. It gets more and more frustrating every time you do it.”

http://www.jillianmichaels.com/fit/lose-weight/quit-yo-yo-dieting?xid=nl_EverydayHealthHealthyAging_20130331

So, stop calling it a diet and start looking at your choices in eating as a lifestyle change. Shift your thinking from merely “cutting back” to simply eating proper portions of the right, nutritious foods. Whole foods will repair, nourish, and support every cell so that your body will work for you and not against you.

Discipline is Learned, Not Eaten

Posted on March 31, 2013 by therapysoup

At the end of the week of 4 days (usually only 3) of a restricted diet, and one all protein day, I lost 5.5 pounds. I am back to normal carb controlled eating. I will work hard to restrict myself to closer to 50g of carbs a day and try not to go to the upper level of 100g a day because I still want to lose 3 pounds in order to be closer to my all-time weight goal. It is always work. You can’t just give up. If I can lose weight, anyone can. I lose very slowly and my body LOVES holding onto the weight with my sluggish thyroid.

At the end of the day, you have to work on your motivation. It is KEY in weight control.

It is Easter and I am not going to indulge in traditional Easter candy. I have no idea who came up with the idea as candy being attached to high holy holidays. “It is the day Jesus was born–have some chocolate.” “It is the day he has risen, have some chocolate.” And then, “it is your birthday, so have some cake.” We should focus more on spending time on things that we can do physically. “It is a holiday, let’s meet up with family or good friends and go for a walk and talk.” That is so much better for everyone involved.

Do something fun. Change the way you do things. Don’t teach children that when it is a holiday, they have to get a basket of candy or chocolate. They can color eggs and have fun, but come on everyone. Let’s change the way we do things in order to teach ourselves and our children better HABITS.

There is a lady in my Pilates class who discusses holiday foods like they are part of her holiday orgasm, but she also is very heavy and used to be even heavier–plus her husband suffers from diabetes. How has candy and chocolate associations to holidays helped out her life? Everyone who I know who is into all of this candy, has someone larger or ill in their home. So, think about it. What is wrong with special Easter omelets and turkey sausage with some delicious coffee?

If you want to look good and feel good, and teach your family to do the same….take a chance and change the way you do things. Change traditions. Not all are good. Teach motivation and discipline. I often get told that I have amazing discipline. You just have to teach yourself and coming from a disciplined father, I am sure a lot rubbed off on me. Do the same for your family.

Skinny Italiany

Posted on March 25, 2013 by therapysoup

Every now and then, I miss pasta. So, I have been working hard to get back down a few pounds to my goal weight. Today is day two of two hours of exercise (Pilates and Elliptical). I should get to goal soon enough, so I ordered some low-carb lasagna noodles. I am going to attempt to make a low-carb lasagna with these noodles. I ordered them from FiberGourmet.com. 2 ounces of the noodles is 42g of carbs, but the fiber is 18g, making the net total to be 24g of carbs.

However, in the meantime, my caulflower-based pizza was so delish (haven’t done the delish zuccini-based one yet), I am going to attempt to make a low-carb zuccini (replacement of pasta) lasagna this week, since I am taking some time off to do things for the holiday week.

Here is the recipe that I found. If anyone does it first, let me know how it came out.

This low-carb lasagna uses zucchini “noodles” instead of lasagna noodles. The trick to making this work is to take some of the water out of the zucchini first by salting the “noodles”. Then they firm up and are more noodle-like, instead of mushy. This recipe can be made with or without meat.

The picture is what I am HOPING for!

Ingredients:

1¼ – 1½ pounds of zucchini
salt – enough to lightly salt the zucchini – between ¼ and ½ teaspoon
1 lb. ground beef (can be made without the meat)
1 lb. ricotta cheese – whole milk preferred
2 eggs
½ cup chopped fresh basil or 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 cups jarred pasta sauce (any variety with no added sugars)
8 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded (not dried/powdered)

Preparation:

1. Slice the zucchini into strips, length-wise. The strips should be about 1/8 inch thick. I find the best way to do this is with a mandoline. See a vegetable being sliced with a mandoline and find out more about them. Discard any pieces that are mostly peel.2. Put the zucchini strips into a colander and sprinkle the salt on them. Toss to coat. Put the colander over a bowl to catch the juice. After 10-15 minutes, toss the strips again so that the brine will more-or-less evenly coat the strips. Drain for at least an hour.

3. While the zucchini is dripping, cook the meat. Then, combine the ricotta, eggs, and basil or parsley.

4. Spread the zucchini strips on paper toweling or a cotton tea towel to take away most of the surface liquid.

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

1. Put ½ cup of the pasta sauce into the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan, and combine the meat with the rest of the sauce.

2. Begin layering by covering the sauce with a layer of zucchini. Then cover the zucchini with about one third of the ricotta mixture, one third of the sauce, and one third of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat, only arrange the zucchini strips in the other direction, e.g. if in the first layer the strips are lined up along the length of the pan, for the next layer line them up across the width of the pan. Alternate again for the third layer. After the third layer, finish with the Parmesan cheese.

3. Bake until the cheese is golden brown, about 30 minutes. (Note, if you refrigerate the lasagna before baking, cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes covered, then remove the foil and cook an additional 30 minutes, or until cheese is golden brown.)

Makes 8 Servings.

Nutritional Information: Each serving has 8 grams effective carbohydrate plus 2 grams fiber (10 grams total carbohydrate), 25 grams protein, and 408 calories.

For Meatless Version: Each serving has 8 grams effective carbohydrate plus 2 grams fiber (10 grams total carbohydrate), 17 grams protein, and 242 calories.

Weight Management Success Tools

Posted on March 24, 2013 by therapysoup

How much do you want to lose weight? Do you really want to do it? Then, you have to work for it. You can’t do anything half-assed and expect full results. So, here are some suggestions to do it and do it well.

WEIGHT MANAGEMENT SUCCESS TOOLS:

1. Plan and prepare your meals for each day. You gained weight because of BAD choices or UNINFORMED choices, so this is not a diet, this is a change of LIFESTYLE. You have to plan what you will eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner and your three protein snacks in between and after dinner. You have to prepare to eat something with protein every 3-4 hours, four small vegetable servings a day, two small vegetable servings a day and two small salads a day. You can even make part of your plan to go out, but have in mind what you would order that will fill your daily requirements. If you eat pasta, rice, wheat products or starchy vegetables, you might be ruining your chances for success.

2. Your in-between meals can be snacks that are protein-based like a protein bar, but choose snacks wisely. Low carb choices have to be the way to go. Even yogurt needs to be a good choice. Dannon Greek Lite and Fit has 8 g of carbs and Chiobani has 20g of carbs.

3. Try to eat items that have a lot of fiber. Some protein bars have fiber. Good vegetables have fiber. Fiber makes you feel full and less like snacking. You can even use a fiber supplement like Metamucil.

4. Shop smart. “When I go shopping, I read labels. I look at carbohydrates, and I don’t buy anything that’s over 20 carbohydrates. I Don’t buy large quantities of food because then you don’t overeat.

5. Find an enjoyable exercise. I prefer Pilates, Yoga and the elliptical if I can use my IPAD while on the machine (killing two birds with one stone.) Some people hate all of that and love Zumba or dance, or even swimming. Some people like group social hikes. Some people only like walking their dog. Find something and do it. No more excuses. Moving your body is good for being youthful, healthy in body and mind.

6. Portion control! 4-6 ounces of meat/protein per serving, six servings of protein a day. And the alloted vegetables, fruit and salad (see number 1)

7. Educate yourself. I learned a lot by going to Lindora and reading their books. I read online a lot about carbohydrates, glycemic loads, etc. Read Skinny-Rules to learn. You need to learn what to do to lose the weight.

8. Get support. The nurses at Lindora were excellent support for me. Some like groups like Weight Watchers or Overeaters Anonymous. Look into a support group, person or website.

LOW CARB is a LIFESTYLE, NOT A DIET!

Posted on March 23, 2013 by therapysoup

Handy chart to help you remember what is low-carb. Cut it out and hang it on your fridge.

Non-Starchy Vegetables vs. Starchy Vegetables

Posted on March 22, 2013 by therapysoup

When wanting to lose weight and maintain your weight, you need to be conscious of how many carbs you get into your diet daily. YES, you want vegetables, but many people mistakenly think of potatoes of any kind as an innocent vegetable. You need to get 4 small servings of vegetables a day (about half a cup of each serving), but if it is a STARCHY vegetable, not so much. You need to cut down the serving by half if it is carrots and you have to be aware that I gave up starchy vegetables altogether. Now, you can have them if you like, especially in maintenance, but be aware of what they do to your body.

First, the good they do. Potatoes are a very good source of vitamin C and potassium and a good source of folate, vitamin B6, and manganese. They also contain a fairly high concentration of antioxidant phytonutrients.

The problem with potatoes is that they are high on the glycemic index.

Estimated Glycemic Load of Potatoes

½ cup diced raw potato: 6
1 medium potato (2½ to 3½ inches in diameter; about 7.5 oz):17
1 large potato (3 to 4½ inches in diameter; about 13 oz): 29
½ cup mashed potato made with milk (no butter): 8
½ cup mashed potato made from dehydrated (instant) potatoes with milk: 7
The glycemic index gives us an idea of which foods raise our blood glucose fastest and highest.
BY COMPARISON: one serving of broccoli is 8, one serving of cauliflower is 1 , and spinach is 0.
Why is this important?

Many people have problems processing large increases in blood glucose. Having blood glucose that is too high, is on the road to diabetes and the way to correct this is to cut carbs and eat foods lower in glycemic index numbers.

Eating pure glucose is given a ranking of 100 — all other foods are in relation to this. So a food with a glycemic index of 95 raises blood sugar almost as much as pure glucose, but a food with a glycemic index of 20 doesn’t raise blood sugar much at all. It’s important to keep in mind, though, that the glycemic index does not take portion size into account. The actual amount any food raises blood sugar has to do both with how glycemic it is, and how much of it you eat. The glycemic load attempts to combine these concepts, and some diets are using the glycemic load for this reason.

Vegetables LOW in carbs:

Sprouts, alfalfa and other small seeds (sprouted legumes have more carb)
Greens – lettuce, spinach, chard, etc.
Hearty Greens – collards, mustard greens, kale, etc.
Radicchio and endive count as greens
Herbs – parsley, cilantro, basil, rosemary, thyme, etc.
Bok Choy
Bamboo Shoots
Celery
Radishes
Sea Vegetables (Nori, etc)
Mushrooms
Cabbage(or sauerkraut)
Jicama
Avocado
Asparagus
Okra
Cucumbers (or pickles without added sugars)
Green Beans
Fennel
Cauliflower
Brocolli
Peppers
Zuchinni
Summer Squash

So, eat your VEGGIES and choose wisely.

P.S. The carb content of the above mentioned items per serving:

cauliflower, brocoli 1-3g of carbs, spinach is 0-1 g of carbs and a potato is 35g for a medium potato. See the difference? If you want to stay skinny, you can’t have more than 50-100g of carbs a day. 35g is a lot for ONE item for the day.

Weight Plateau War

Posted on March 21, 2013 by therapysoup

I had to go on steroids over a month ago for allergy-related itching and it set me back. I gained a few pounds and they started to go off, but they came back. I am stuck. So, now I have to set myself into a new schedule to fight back this plateau. My body seems to like where I am at right now. This happened every now and then when I was first losing the weight. It happens all of the time and you have to then change your food and exercise routine to fight the body’s weight plateau.

THIS IS WAR.

I just went shopping and bought some grapefruit. So, here is the schedule, starting tomorrow.

1. Breakfast. An egg. Half of a grapefruit.

2. 3 hours later, a protein snack. preferably, a liquid protein snack or a LOW carb protein bar. I will probably have a Protein Crunch.

3. Lunch. Salad with either turkey, chicken or fish. No starchy veggies like carrots. Some steamed or cooked spinach and a half of a grapefruit.

4. 3 hours later, same as number 2.

5. Dinner. Same as lunch.

6. Same as number 2 again, but most likely a Carbolite.

No nuts, no other snacks, no matter how low-carb. I have to do this to lose those pounds. I probably will be drinking a lot of liquids to combat hunger issues and I will always remember to eat every 3-4 hours. Coffee will be my friend.

Goal: 5 pounds from today. I will keep you informed.

Cancer and Sugar!

Posted on March 7, 2013 by therapysoup

Another reason to keep your sugar levels down is to consider the new evidence that links colon cancer to high glycemic index foods and low fiber foods in the diet. And a low glycemic diet is great to be skinny!

http://www.naturalmedicinejournal.com/article_content.asp? edition=1&section=3&article=405&utm_source=Natural+Medicine+Journal+List&utm_campaign=e0793423cb-March+2013&utm_medium=email

Foods that are low on the Glycemic Index: Here is a list http://www.the-gi-diet.org/lowgifoods/

Again, I will state that you should eat things like low fat cheese, low-carb protein bars, nuts, eggs, meat, low carb Greek Yogurt, vegetables, mostly citrus fruits and berries (two small portions a day), salads and lettuce mixes with low carb dressing. Anything else–only in moderation. If you need fiber, stick to nuts, seeds (especially flaxseed), fiber supplements and vegetables. Choosing fresh, non-starchy vegetables you can help increase your fiber intake while keeping your carb intake low. One cup of raw broccoli contains about 6 grams of total carbs, including 2.5 grams of fiber, and 1 cup of raw cauliflower provides about 5 grams of total carbs and 2 grams of fiber. Examples of other non-starchy vegetables include leafy greens, tomatoes, bell peppers and celery. You do not need to eat wheat to get fiber. Most cereals are high in sugar and carbs.

HIDDEN SUGAR IN FOOD! 11 Items You Don’t Even Think About

Posted on March 7, 2013 by therapysoup

There are things that you might eat that have sugar in them and you might not be aware of that fact when you are eating them. Hidden sugar, hidden carbs.

The 11 Items That Have Hidden Sugar:

1. SUGAR: The natural fructose sugar found in fruits and vegetables and lactose sugar in milk and dairy is part of a healthful diet. The problem lies with processed foods packed with high amounts of sugar (namely sucrose and high fructose corn syrup). It is not just in candy, soda and cake. There are a lot of things that use it in the ingredients. Look at labels before you buy.

2. GRANOLA BARS: These contain a lot of added sugar. Instead of a prepackaged granola bar, you could create your own trail mix with a handful of nuts, dry oatmeal or muesli, dried fruit with natural sugar, such as cranberries, and even a few bits of dark chocolate. This will almost guarantee the nutrients and energy you need, while you control the added sugar. however, that could be higher in carbs and not necessarily good for weight loss. I prefer Power Crunch bars, Nature Valley Protein Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter bars or some other LOW carb protein bar.

3. CEREAL: You need to really look closely at cereals. Some so-called healthy and granola-based cereals have as many as 13 grams of sugar per serving, while other cereals have as few as 6 or even 2 grams. Most cereal is high in carbs and I wouldn’t even go near it on a diet and to stay skinny–I don’t do cereal. I have eggs, bacon, sausage, Lindora oatmeal, low-carb protein bars, etc. for breakfast.

4. BARBEQUE SAUCE: The ingredients can include one or more of the “natural sugars,” such as honey, molasses, and brown sugar. Bottled brands can have as many as 11 grams of added sugar per serving.. Every time you slather on barbecue sauce, you are adding sugar to your meat, a naturally sugar-free protein. Seasoning meat before cooking with a tasty blend of spices, called a rub, is a better option for a low-sugar diet.

5. KETCHUP: The label shows it is made up of tomatoes and sugar. Other words that are sugar-type ingredients are corn starch, sorghum, glucose, fructose, lactose, sucrose, galactose, maltose, and concentrated juices, like concentrated grape or apple juice. I usually stick with mustard or just a dash of ketchup.

6. TOMATO SOUP/SAUCE: Like ketchup, tomato sauce and tomato soup may also be foods with sugar added. When cooking these from scratch at home, you might use caramelized onions or carrots, or Splenda for a little sweetness to counter the acidity in tomatoes and forgo the sugar. Not all tomato products contain a lot of added sugar, so get in the habit of checking out the label. Tomato paste, canned diced tomatoes, and salsa are better choices.

7. JUICE: Juice is a concentrated source of sugar and is not very filling or appetite-satisfying. Even if the label says it’s 100 percent natural and contains only natural sugars, you still may be looking at a hefty serving of sugar per portion. For example, a 10-ounce bottle of pure apple juice could have as many as 32 grams of sugar. Instead of a glass of juice, choose fresh fruit — while it still contains sugar, it also has fiber as well. Even juicing at home (which is still better) is way too much sugar. EAT your fruit. Juicing is a lot of carbs! It can ruin your daily carb count.

8. LEMONADE: Lemons are a wonderful source of antioxidants and vitamin C. Instead of lemonade, you can add a squeeze of lemon to water improve taste and it is good for you. But when turned into lemonade, the benefits of lemons may be outweighed by the amount of the added sugar needed to sweeten the beverage, as many as 25 grams per serving. If you really want lemonade, make it fresh at home and control the sugars you use or stick with Splenda to avoid sugar and carbs.

9: SWEET TEA: Same as lemonade, you can make it with Splenda instead to save on the sugar. The reality is that sweet tea often contains just as much sugar and just as little nutrition as soda. Both black and green teas can be good for you because of their antioxidants — just go for the unsweetened variety.

10: ENERGY DRINKS: Same as Sweet Tea. Supposedly good for you, but some of them have 20 or 30 carbs due to the added sugar. Some are ZERO carbs and sugar. Read labels!

11. FLAVORED YOGURT: Yogurt is so good for your digestive tract that it’s hard to think of it as a food with sugar or that the 6 to 7 teaspoons of added sugar in one serving of flavored yogurt could be an issue. But just try to imagine yourself layering that amount of sugar onto plain yogurt. A better option is to go Greek: Drizzle a little honey onto plain, Thick style Greek or simply rely on the natural sweetness of berries or other fresh fruit that you add yourself to liven it up. Also some of the Greek Yogurts have less sugar than others. Dannon Lite and Fit has 8g carbs, Choboni has 20g of carbs. Both taste the same. Again, read labels.

How Do I Carb Thee, Let Me Count The Ways

Posted on March 2, 2013 by therapysoup

In order to lose weight, you have to limit your carbohydrate intake to between 50 and 100g of carbs a day. The closer to 50, the faster you lose it. It is best to have good carbs from vegetables and fruits vs. processed foods.

However, sometimes learning about how many carbs are iin each item and portion can be tedious work until you start doing it enough and remembering numbers, like they do in Weight Watchers with points.

So, I found a shortcut. If you want to count carbs, let an online tracker do it for you or an App on your Smartphone or IPad.

http//www.carbscontrol.com
This is free online, but they charge a small fee for apps.

Https ://itunes.apple.com/us/app/atkins-carb-tracker/id583475512?mt=8
This Atkins carb counter can be purchased for a small fee for an app on your phone or tablet.

This could add to your success in making sure that you count right and stay on track.

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Ingredients:

Preparation:

DIRECTIONS:

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Estimated Glycemic Load of Potatoes

Why is this important?

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