Losing weight can be challenging and excess hunger is one of the biggest obstacles most of us encounter when we try to slim down. If you’re focused on losing a few pounds before heading out to the beach, check out this article for foods that will help manage appetite without sacrificing flavor.
Celebrate Heart Health Month!
A heart healthy diet can be delicious and simple to follow. The American Heart Association offers a number of free resources on their website (http://www.heart.org) to help you get started.
Eating healthy doesn’t mean dieting. Instead, it’s best to aim for making your diet part of an overall healthier lifestyle. A great way to begin is to become more aware of what you’re eating.
Read Nutrition Labels
Many of us think we know what we’re eating until we actually look at the nutritional information. Pay particular attention to portion size per serving, saturated fat, and sodium. Tread lightly when it comes to foods higher in saturated fat (above 7% of calories) and sodium. Most of us should consume less than 1500 mg of sodium eat day but sadly the typical American diet contains about 3 times that amount and not from excessive salt shaker use but rather from the ready prepared and restaurant foods that many of us rely so heavily upon.
Here’s a few more ideas to get you started:
Get Moving
If you’re currently sedentary and your doctor feels it’s safe for you to do so, slowly begin to incorporate more movement into your daily life. This doesn’t mean you have to hit the gym everyday but with a little regular physical activity, you’ll find it easier to control weight and reduce hunger while decreasing your risk of chronic disease.
Examine Your Plate
Aim to fill half your plate with fruit and vegetables. This will help fill you up on less calories and provide vital nutrients that play a role in blood pressure regulation.
Your Friend Fiber
Choose fiber rich foods including plenty of whole grains, fruits and veggies. Aim for breads and cereals that have a minimum of 3 or more grams of fiber per serving. Oat bran found in certain cereals and abundantly in old-fashioned oatmeal, is a wonderful addition to any breakfast lineup- as this particular fiber is has been found especially helpful to lower LDL (“bad cholesterol”) levels.
Get An Oil Change
The type of oil we consume can have a big impact on our health. Focus on the mono-unsaturated, heart-healthy oils such as olive and canola while aiming to incorporate those wonderful omega-3’s a couple times a week found in fatty fish such as salmon or tuna. You also find omega 3’s in non-animal sources as well such as walnuts and flaxseeds.
A heart healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to be complicated. With a bit of planning, you’ll not only reduce your risk of heart disease, but feel so much better knowing you’ve taken a few steps to improve the quality of your life.
Looking to drop some holiday weight? You’re not alone. This time of year marks the largest amount of people trying to shed those extra pounds that have crept on over the holiday season. One of the easiest and most effective ways to begin is to simply track what you eat. A 2008 study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine indicated that those who maintained a daily food log lost twice as much weight as those who kept no records at all. Keeping a food journal seems to have a big impact on the amount of food consumed as people are much less likely to overeat when they commit to recording their intake.
To assist Americans in their effort to lose weight and make healthier choices, the USDA has developed a completely free online tool that provides a quick way to track your foods and physical activities. The program is called SuperTracker and it complements the already released MyPlate nutritional education program.
Whereas MyPlate was developed to help Americans put together appropriately balanced meals based on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the new SuperTracker takes the concept one step further by offering users an opportunity to track their dietary intake and physical activity while providing feedback and analysis via reports to bring you closer to your goals.
Once you begin tracking food intake, you’ll not only see what you’re eating but gain insight as well into the relationship between what you eat, when you eat, and how it relates to your weight loss. Sometimes when we make New Year’s resolutions, we build a process that is so demanding we are doomed to fail. Keeping your weight loss efforts simple by monitoring what you eat and gaining an understanding of the role of food in your life, you will lose the weight not with a short term diet but with an effective lifestyle change.
Halloween is here. It’s time to carve the pumpkins, don the costumes, and buy treats for the kiddies. But here’s the thing, if you are trying to manage your weight, do you really want 5 pounds of candy sitting around your house continuing to haunt you long after the trick or treaters have left? Do yourself favor and try a few of these not so tricky Halloween treats.
1.) Microwave Popcorn Mini Bags
2.) Small Toys/Party Favors (Think Spider Rings, Plastic Eyeballs & Vampire Teeth)
3.) Peanut Butter & Cracker Packs
4.) Crayons/Mini Coloring Books
5.) Individually Packaged Rice Cereal Treats
6.) Stickers or Washable Tattoos
7.) Granola Bars
8.) Fun Decorated Pencils and Erasers
9.) Bubbles
10.) Mini Deck of Playing Cards
Warehouse stores and party supply houses are great sources for quantity shopping of small items. If you’ve already bought several pounds of candy and are beginning to regret it, fear not! Here are a few ideas to keep your little goblins happy and your waistline in check.
As we begin moving toward all the parties and food-centered festivities, let’s make this time of year one that we can enjoy and also feel better about ourselves in January.
What member of the rose family is a great tool in the battle of the bulge? If you guessed apples, you’d be right! Believe it or not, apples truly are a member of Rosaceae or the rose family and with the Fall season in “full bloom” it’s no wonder we turn our attention to this versatile fruit Malus domestica, otherwise known as the common apple.
Quick Facts
Besides being in the rose family, here are a few other apple tid bits:
Your Weight Control Partner
Apples are a sweet way to add fiber to your diet and help you feel full. This is important if you are trying to shed a few pounds before the holidays get into full swing. Also, pectin, a form of fiber found in apples has been shown to reduce blood cholesterol levels in many scientific studies.
There are a number of foods that pair well with apples including sharp cheeses, nuts and nut butters, or even a little dark chocolate. Here’s a simple fall recipe to get you started.
Speedy Baked Apple
This is a super easy recipe using your microwave that quickly delivers a delicious fall treat with 5 grams of fabulous fiber for only 140 calories. Makes the house smell nice too!
Serves: 1
Ingredients:
Directions:
Core the apple and place it in a small covered microwave safe dish. Mix the Splenda© Brown Sugar Blend, nutmeg, cinnamon and cranberries in another bowl. Spoon the mixture into the center of the apple, top with the butter and almond extract; microwave on high for about 3-4 minutes.
So enjoy the bounty that apples have to offer this fall knowing that you are eating both nutritiously as well as deliciously. Isn’t that the way it should be?
It’s that time of year again. The kids are back in school, the holidays are right around the corner and it’s time to recommit to taking care of yourself. The difficult part always begs the question, where do I begin?
One of the first things that I ask my clients seeking weight management is why it’s important for them to manage their weight and what does it mean to them personally. At first glance, this seems like a simple question but actually the answers are very unique for everyone. We each have personal reasons for wanting to make lifestyle changes. Some may be based on health issues, others on physical appearance and confidence. Whatever the reason, it’s important to have a clear picture as to what motivates you and if possible to get those thoughts down on paper.
One place to start would be with creating a simple “Top 10 List” that highlights a few of the most important reasons why you would like to lose weight. This is your personal list and doesn’t need to be shared with anyone so it’s best to be specific and candid. It’s amazing how different we view our thoughts and feelings when they come out of our head and put onto paper. This simple process not only legitimizes our efforts, but also helps us sort through our priorities. You’ll know that you’ve created a meaningful list if upon re-glancing at it in the future, it takes you back to the feelings you had the day you created it.
Another strategy I use to help clients begin their journey is through a simple tool that I created called the Commitment Worksheet. This worksheet acts as a self-contract by outlining your short term goals, exploring potential roadblocks and setting a plan for rewarding your accomplishments.
These items are not just an exercise in listing your thoughts and goals, but tools used to help keep you on track when your motivation begins to wane. Everyone, and I mean everyone, goes through cycles of highs and lows in their motivation. Much of the variance is related to your individual stress level and pressures of daily living. Simple everyday distractions always seem to threaten our best efforts to stay on track. Take control of your life by ensuring your goals are personally meaningful and visibly available; especially when you need a little extra help committing to taking better care of yourself.
When we think of summer, we usually think backyard barbeques. What a better way to gather friends and family to share up some good eats. This year why not try grilling up more than just the standard fare of burgers and dogs-lets grill up some color. Brightly colored fruits and veggies can be grilled up and turned into fantastic side dishes (or main dishes) which can add a beautiful touch to your backyard feast. Here are a couple of my favorites:
Grilled Fruit Kabobs
Alternate sliced fresh peaches, strawberries and canned chunk pineapple on skewers that have been soaked in water for at least 15 minutes. Lightly grill while brushing with a simple balsamic honey glaze.
Grilled Fruit Kabob Glaze
(makes enough for 8 kabobs)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon of honey
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Firecracker Veggies
Alternate quartered onions, 1 inch slices of yellow squash and zucchini, as well as red and yellow bell pepper along the soaked skewers as above. While grilling, brush with this tangy sweet sauce that packs a little peppery kick.
Firecracker Sauce
(makes enough for 8 kabobs)
1/4 cup(s) fresh lime juice
1/4 cup(s) honey
2 tablespoon(s) ketchup
2 tablespoon(s) olive oil
2 tablespoon(s) soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon(s) crushed red-pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
These are just a few suggestions, get creative! Try other vegetables such as mushrooms, potatoes, and asparagus which are all delicious when grilled. Think outside the box and color up your meals this summer.
Lifestyle Bytes 