Nutrition

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To Cut Calories, Eat Slower

March 2, 2010 in Nutrition by admin | No comments

eating-disorder

In a recent study, scientists found that when a group of subjects were given the same serving of ice cream on different occasions, the subjects who ate it in 30 minutes released more “feeling full” hormones than those who ate the ice cream in five minutes. (Bet it was melty by then)

The scientists took blood samples and measured hormones before, during and after the subjects savored their ice cream. They found that the two hormones that cause you to feel full — glucagon-like peptide-1 and peptide YY — were more pronounced when food was eaten slowly.

This falls in line with a 2008 study published in The Journal of the American Dietetic Association that reported subjects consumed roughly 10 percent fewer calories when they ate slower.

So, if you eat slower, you are going to eat less. I think we knew this one already — it’s sage dieting advice that it takes 20 minutes for your belly to tell your brain you are full, but now you have some scientific jargon to solidify it for you.

Eat slower, eat less.  This only works if you stop eating when you are full (which is a whole other ball of wax) so if you have trouble eating beyond the point of satiety, eat slower and pay attention to how you feel.  When you are satisfied, you are done, but if you scarf your food, you’ll consume more by the time you get the message.

Why Are You Giving Away Your Control?

February 25, 2010 in Nutrition by Dave | No comments

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According to the National Restaurant Assn., 49% of every food dollar in the U.S. is now spent in restaurants.

Basically, half. 

Half of the money spend on food, the substance that nourishes our bodies, provides us energy, vitamins, minerals, controls our metabolism and keeps our body functions going is spent on meals out.

The average meal at a restaurant contains about 700 calories more than if you made the same meal at home.  Those extra calories come from giant portions (which we eat in one sitting anyway) extras like cheese, and prep methods, like extra oil, to just plain make it taste better.

When you eat out, you hand control of your body over to the greased up chef in the kitchen, who’s only worry is about making the food taste good, not good for you.

EAT AT HOME.  For the love of God, cook something, and not in the microwave.  Save money.  Save calories.  Save your waistline, your blood pressure and your self esteem.  Eating out should be an occasional treat.  We’ve got goals, people.  Don’t put half of your diet into someone else’s hands, who you know is going to wreck it for you.

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Eat Clean and Workout Dirty

February 19, 2010 in Fitness, Motivation, Nutrition by Dave | No comments

Eat clean and work out dirty.

Say it again.

Eat clean and work out dirty.

The secret to success.

Eat clean:  No junk.  No extras.  Think fresh, natural, unprocessed and in it’s natural state.  If you can’t pronounce an ingredient in it, it’s not clean.  If it comes wrapped in cellophane, sealed in a bag(most of the time) or a box  or is microwavable, your aren’t eating clean.  If you can pick it from a plant, from the ground, or if it was once attached to an animal, you are eating clean.  Eat like a caveman.  Cavemen didn’t eat sauces, add cheese or have a dinner roll before their meals.  They didn’t bread, dip, smother, drench or fry their food.  They didn’t eat sugar, bleached flour or trans fats.  They ate when they were hungry and stopped when they were full. Eat ingredients not things made from ingredients.

Workout dirty:  Get nasty.  Sweat.  Grunt.  Yell.  Swear. Let it all hang out. Success is cooked in a messy kitchen.   You aren’t supposed to look good working out- working out is supposed to make you look good.  If you don’t have pit stains, smell like crap, messed up hair and a beat red face that’s grimmacing more than smiling, you aren’t working out dirty.   Using the mirrors to check your appearance instead of your form, you aren’t working out dirty. Get on the floor, get off the floor, faster, jump up on benches, drop dumbbells from exhaustion, test yourself, see what you’re made of. Make a bet, push yourself and encourage others.  Don’t worry what people will think. Don’t be intimidated- You’re an animal act like one.

Eat clean and workout dirty.

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This is Your Metabolism. This is Your Metabolism on a Low Calorie Diet

February 16, 2010 in Health, Nutrition by admin | No comments

MetabolismEngine

Oh, Metabolism. You have been our scapegoat for so many years. Our excuse. Our foe. ‘It’s my metabolism’s fault.  I have a slow metabolism.  It changed.  I can’t eat the way I used to.  I try, and gain weight, and blame my metabolism.’

Your metabolism responds based on how you treat it.  So be nice.

There are millions upon millions of books and gurus telling you how to “change” your metabolism. This implies that you were somehow given the wrong one and can swap it out for a new, faster model.

Its not about what metabolism you have, its how well you metabolism is functioning.

There is no better way to explain metabolism than with my infamous Furnace Analogy:

Your metabolism is like the fire in the furnace of a train. Just as a furnace burns coal for fuel to power the train, your metabolism burns energy to power your body. To get the most power from that furnace, you must consistently add fuel to the fire to keep it burning its brightest and hottest. If you don’t put fuel in the furnace, the fire will die out, and the train will stop moving. Then if you come back hours later and throw a shovel full of coal on top, it stacks up- it doesn’t burn. If you continue to shovel coal into the unlit furnace, the coal will pile up, storing for future use.

Along the same lines, if you continue to dump more and more coal onto the fire before it has a chance to burn what you have already added, the extra coal will smother that fire and again, begin to pile up. Too little or too much fuel has the same effect on the fire.

If you don’t eat for hours at a time, your metabolism slows down. Then, next time you eat, your body stores that energy for later use, when your metabolism finally (hopefully) starts up again. A slow metabolism causes your body to store food as fuel for later use, just like that train furnace has turned into a coal storage room.

To keep your metabolism running and revved to power your body like an unstoppable calorie burning freight train, you must consistently feed it a steady stream of healthy food. Small meals and snacks evenly spaced throughout the day will keep your metabolism running at its strongest: never letting the fire die down, and never signaling your body to store fuel.

You cannot “change” your metabolism, but you can definitely make it run more efficiently. Then, if you do occasionally dump a wheelbarrow full of coal into your belly, that fire is burning brightly enough to eat it right up- like it never happened.

No guilt, no blame. Now apologize to your metabolism for the emotional abuse you inflicted upon it, the starvation and the binges, and give it a healthy snack.

Kelly Turner is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and health and fitness writer from Seattle, WA.  Her writing has appeared in numerous magazines, and she currently blogs for Breathe Magazine, Kidglue.com is the Health and Fitness Expert for Twirlit.com and feature fitness writer for FitPeeps.com.  To contact Kelly with any questions, you email her at kellycturner@hotmail.com.

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Guest Post: Valentine’s Day Guilt-Free Treats

February 11, 2010 in Nutrition by admin | No comments

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Yay! Fun stuff!

I don’t think Valentine’s Day was made up by greeting card manufacturer’s, I think I was invented by chocolate and sweat pant manufacturers so you eat and bloat and leaves you definitely not in the mood for any lovin’ that night.

Here are some V-Day snack ideas that will satisfy your sweet tooth and your skinny jeans.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Look! Fruit! and chocolate!  Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Buy microwavable melting chocolate at the grocery store (or go old school and melt down some chocolate chips in a sauce pan.) Wash and dry a carton of strawberries, and leave the stem on. Dip the strawberries into the melted chocolate and place on the wax paper. Place baking sheet in fridge until chocolate sets, or you are ready to serve.  To mix it up, try different fruits, like bananas.

Strawberry Shortcake

Mini angel food cakes (one per person)
Strawberries, sliced and hulled
Fat free whipped topping (like Cool-Whip)
Fat free chocolate syrup (just a drizzle)

Place cakes on four plates. Top with strawberries. Top with whipped topping. Drizzle with chocolate sauce. Yeah, that’s it.

Enjoy!  Sweet, figure friendly sweets for you and your sweet!

Kelly Turner is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and health and fitness writer from Seattle, WA.  Her writing has appeared in numerous magazines, and she currently blogs for Breathe Magazine, Kidglue.com is the Health and Fitness Expert for Twirlit.com and feature fitness writer for FitPeeps.com.  To contact Kelly with any questions, you email her at kellycturner@hotmail.com.

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Guest Post: Is Your Salad Hiding a Dirty Secret?

January 27, 2010 in Nutrition, Tips and Tricks by admin | No comments

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You want to lose weight- so what is your go-to meal?  Salads.  Full of veggies, low on starchy carbs, and toss in a little bit of lean protein and you have a low calorie delicious meal made in weight loss heaven, no?

Probably not.

Most people trying to lose weight, or those trying not to consume their daily allowance in one sitting, will automatically order a salad when they go to a restaurant, feeling like it’s the only safe bet.  More often than not, those salads contain the same amount of calories as a burger.  Seems like a waste.

Just because you throw a bunch of crap on top of a bed of lettuce, doesn’t mean it’s going to be good for you.  To get the most (and the least) from your salads, listen up:

• Choose nutrient-rich dark green, leafy vegetables, such as spinach, romaine, and endive over iceberg lettuce which offers little nutritional value.  It’s pretty much water,m which is low in calories, but doesn’t nothing for your health.
• Fill up with tons of veggies like cucumbers, peppers, broccoli and tomatoes. The brighter the colors, the more nutrient packed the veggie is so look for deep greens, bright reds, yellows and everything in between.
• Add a little lean protein to keep you fuller longer. Opt for beans, lean meat, turkey, and tuna over fatty meats like ham, pepperoni, salami and definitely anything deep fried.
• All salads are not created equal.   Pasta salad, potato salad, tuna salad, chicken salad and macaroni salad are loaded with fatty mayo and oils.  I feel like I shouldn’t even have to say that, but there it is, just in case.
• Skip extras like croutons, crackers, crumbled bacon, and shredded cheeses, and go easy on healthy, but calorie dense extras, like nuts and seeds. These little additions can easily add hundreds of calories to you salad.
• Dressing is probably the easiest way to undo a healthy salad. Choose low fat or fat free dressing, oil based dressings, or just a little vinegar. Always put dressing on the side and dip each bite so you control how much you use.
• Add some sweet with fruits. They are great on the side, or try interesting combinations on top of your salad, like pineapples, blueberries, orange segments or strawberries.

Fast food salads are pre-made and rarely give you the option of choosing your toppings. However, they usually give you the topping in individual packets so you can choose what you put on. Skip crunchy noodles or croutons, bacon and cheese. Always ask for the low fat or fat free dressing choice, even if it isn’t the dressing that comes with your order- most places will accommodate.

Never order an already designed salad for you at a restaurant.  Make substitutions and eliminations.  Their job is to make it taste good, not to ensure you can button your goal jeans, so be your own watch dog.

Salads can be your be your best friend, or your worst diet enemy. Make smart choices with what you load onto your lettuce.

Kelly Turner is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and health and fitness writer from Seattle, WA.  Her writing has appeared in numerous magazines, and she currently blogs for Breathe Magazine, Kidglue.com is the Health and Fitness Expert for Twirlit.com and feature fitness writer for FitPeeps.com.  To contact Kelly with any questions, you email her at kellycturner@hotmail.com.

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Snacks that Travel With You

January 22, 2010 in Nutrition by Dave | No comments

healthy_snacksPeople generally eat the most unhealthy foods when they are stuck in a bind or short on time.  You hit the drive thru to grab something quick on your way home of in the middle of a busy day, you grab a scone in the morning on the way to work instead of making a healthy breakfast at home, or you stock up on freezer meals that basically prepare themselves.

Stocking up on healthy snacks and stashing them in the places you need them most will keep you from consuming unnecessary calories and fat just because you don’t have anything else on hand.

In order for this to work, you have to have portable snacks that you can easily stash anywhere you need them: your car, your purse, your gym bag, brief case, etc.  Here are some delicious, low calorie, healthy and portable snack ideas you can take anywhere:

* Celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins on top

* Low-fat cheese sticks or cubes

* Hard boiled eggs

* Trail mix- make your own with your favorite nuts and dried fruits

* Half a turkey or tuna sandwich on whole wheat bread

* Yogurt and granola

* Healthy fiber rich, whole grain cereal. Eat it right out of a baggie (Quaker Oatmeal Squares are great plain.)

* Dried fruit

* Any fresh fruit is already portable (apples, bananas, oranges, strawberries, etc)

* Whole wheat crackers with low fat cheese

* Skim milk latte (order a “skinny” at Starbucks, they are made with fat free milk, sugar free syrup, 90 calories for a tall)

* Air popped popcorn- sprinkle with taco seasoning, cinnamon, or Parmesan cheese

* Fat free Graham crackers

* Baby carrots with hummus

* Peanuts

* Raw almonds

* Peanut butter and banana sandwich on whole wheat bread

* Leftover chicken or turkey slices (great cold.)

* Cottage cheese with sliced tomatoes- add pepper for more flavor

* Fruit smoothie in thermos

* Veggies with a packet of low fat dip

Yeah, you guessed it: you are going to have to put in a little prep work.  But just like anything worth doing, if you put in the effort, you’ll get the results.

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Don’t Sabotage Yourself.

January 15, 2010 in Motivation, Nutrition by Dave | No comments

The Wothington Ladies

MSNBC.com claims self control is contagious.

Want to be a Winner? Surround yourself with Winners.

Choose your friends and associates carefully.

Self-control is contagious, a new study suggests.

In one study, the researchers randomly assigned 36 volunteers to think about a friend with either good or bad self-control. Those who thought about a friend with good self-control persisted longer on a handgrip task commonly used to measure this behavior, while the opposite held true for those who were asked to think about a friend with no restraint.

And on the other side they say, “people with lousy self-control influence others negatively. The effect is so powerful, in fact, that just seeing the name of someone with good or bad self-control flashing on a screen for 10 milliseconds changed the behavior of volunteers.” They also say that the opposite is true, and thinking about someone with good self control will help others have better restraint.

Its happens.  You go out to dinner with a friend, they order first and get hi-cal appetizers, a huge meal that usually involves fries and possibly a dessert.  Suddenly the salmon and salad you were about to order sounds. Not so tasty, and you say “screw it, I’ll have what their having.”

No one else is responsible for you or the decisions you make.  Don’t allow others to unwittingly sabotage your goals.

Now. Change the stats.  Reverse the order. Your influence will positively impact them. What you do that’s in your best interest weight and health wise. The very choices you make. Helps others that are nearest to you. If you can’t  do it for yourself. Do it for them.

And the easiest thing to adjust. Surround yourself with like minded people with similiar goals. You’ll move farther faster than you ever thought possible.

Dedicated to Your Success,

Dave

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Willpower: What is it, and Where Do I Get Some?

January 8, 2010 in Motivation, Nutrition by Dave | No comments

willpower

Most people view eating right and exercising as an exercise in willpower.

But what is willpower?  Being able to resist eating a cookie?  Not being tempted by the cookie at all?  And how do you get more of it?

According to the NY Times:

“The elusive forces behind a person’s willpower have been the subject of increasing scrutiny by the scientific community trying to understand why some people overeat or abuse drugs and alcohol. What researchers are finding is that willpower is essentially a mental muscle, and certain physical and mental forces can weaken or strengthen our self-control.”

So how do you get more willpower? 

By flexing that mental muscle.  Just like any other muscle in your body, you must exercise willpower in order to make it stronger.

We are a country run by immediate gratification: Blackberries, emails, text messages, fast cars, fast food, credit cards- if we want something, we want it right now, and get cranky if we have to wait.  Sometimes that impulse can carry over into other areas we would rather it didn’t.

Does this sound like you?  “I’m hungry.  I can’t concentrate until I get food.  I need food.  I want chocolate.  I need chocolate.  Must. Find. Chocolate.”  You aren’t going to die of hunger if you don’t have a Hershey’s Kiss, but we have trained ourselves that the second we have an impulse, we must give into it.

The researchers in that same article recommend starting out with small tasks to work your way up to the big ones.  Next time you sit down to a meal, deprive yourself on a small scale.  Wait for 5 minutes before you start to eat.  Put your fork down in between bites.  Eat half, and then go do something else for half an hour and then come back and finish.  Slow down, and show that meal who’s boss: you control what goes into your body.

Now, don’t go on a fast just to see if you can do it, please.  That will only have the opposite effect and before you know it you’ll end up with Cheeto dust in your hair after you ate yourself out of house and home. 

Remember: small resistance, in order to work up to the resistance of the big temptations.  Want that piece of cake at the office party? Nah, you can wait until you get home to make a healthy meal.

Give it a try.  Did you die of starvation?  Did the world come to an end?  Or did you have the feeling of confidence that you are in control of your meal, and how and when to eat it?

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Operation: Don’t Eat it

December 8, 2009 in Motivation, Nutrition, Tips and Tricks by Dave | No comments

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You’ve tried your best, and you’ve done well: you’ve kept all the crap out of the house, you’ve been making your workouts consistently, making smart choices when away from home, and clued in all your friends and family that you are trying to make healthy changes.

You’ve done everything right, but then somehow something sneaks into your house.  Maybe its come cookies left over from your kid’s school party, a jar of candy canes from the office, or a yule log the neighbor pawned off on you brought over.

Great, no it is in your home, probably staring you in the face on your kitchen counter, and tempting you at every turn.  What do you do?

Depends.  Is it there because no one else wants it and is hoping someone else will eat it?

If yes:

Give it away. Pawn it off onto someone else, pronto.

Throw it away. Junk food is a waste anyway, so you can waste it by eating it and ruining your efforts, or you can waste it by throwing it out.  The last one? Calorie-free.

Ruin it. If the cookies on a paper plate wrapped in cellophane is too tempting, even in the trash (it didn’t touch anything!) ruin it.  Pour water on it.  Or coffee grounds. Or crumble them up in make sure they fall deep into the trash.

If no, and it’s something the rest of your family wants, if you don’t devour it first:

Make it hard to get to. Wrap it up extra tight.  a few dozen times. Then  put it in a tupperware.  Each layer is a second chance to say no.

Out of sight, out of mind. Put them in a high cupboard, deep in the pantry, or under some crap in a drawer.

Individually package everything. You can allow yourself one treat, but where people usually get into trouble is when they go back for another one.  And then eat the crumb that dropped which means you have to eat the next one it touched, etc.  If you want one, grab one, but just ONE.

Freeze it. Frozen cookies or brownies are still good if you let them defrost- it just takes a little time and patience. Patience is the enemy of an impulse snack, so the longer something takes to prepare, the less likely you are to inhale it.

Just say no. To someone else.  If you think you might eat it, tell your significant other to keep you away from it, or rather, keep it away from you.  Why should you be in charge of something that is going to tempt you?

Never say “oh well” when temptations try and trip you up.  Get rid of it, or do your best to keep as much distance between it and you as possible.  The occasional treat is fine, if you really want it, but never ever eat something just because its there.

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