Healthy in NO TIME!

Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers from JillianMichaels.com

I just LOVE a nice, warm, healthy meal.  But I don't always (or ever lately) have time to start from scratch when I FINALLY have time to start from scratch!  Today I wanted to share a few of our favorite, healthy go-to meals and a link to some yummy-looking freezer meals you can prepare once a month and have when you NEED them!

As a general rule of thumb, we avoid ALL processed and white-flour carbohydrates.  We also try to avoid gluten/limit it to one meal a day/five days a week (including lunches).

Also - when looking at the ingredient list, you want to recognize all of the ingredients, and avoid anything that has sugar - in any form (including corn syrups of any kind) - in the first five ingredients. 

We also follow the MyPlate.Gov guidelines for portion sizes and prepare our food - even freezer meals - in correct portions.

If you have a favorite/go-to meal that is healthy and delicious, please message me!

Here's the link to some good options -- tweak a few of the ingredients for the above guidelines; but otherwise really healthy options!

Avocado Hummus:
Directions: Simply add the following to your food processor:
- 1 can of white beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 avocado, cubed
- Juice from 1/2 of a lime
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt -1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or powered chipolte

Blend until smooth....Serve with veggies - peppers, carrots, celery, etc.!!!

Coconut Chicken and Lemon-Broccoli:
I made this last night, and it was SOOOO good!

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Pan grill 2-4 chicken breasts until the crust outside is golden brown but not fully cooked through. In a separate bowl, mix 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut, 1 TBSP coconut oil or REAL butter (not margarine), and 2 minced garlic cloves, and microwave until oil/butter is melted. After Chicken is done on the stove top, pile your coconut mixture on top and then put in oven for 10-15 minutes or until coconut mixture has browned, but careful not to burn.

Steam broccoli and then add some lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil and S&P.

This dish goes so great together and is really tasty!

Homemade Peanut Butter:
So here's how I make homemade peanut butter if you love having 1-2 Tbsp as a snack with celery like I do! You can buy "natural" peanut butter at the store like Adam's, but I prefer making it myself because I use coconut oil! So dang delish and healthy. You will need a high powered blender (we have a Blendtec).

Ingredients:
dry roasted/non-salted peanuts
unrefined/cold pressed coconut oil

How to:
Melt about 1/2 cup of coconut oil in the microwave and pour a tiny bit into the blender. Add about 1 cup of peanuts and gradually go back and forth with small amounts of coconut oil/1 cup peanuts until a smooth consistency. Don't pour tons of peanuts in there at once because it won't blend! You can add salt in the end, but we like it without since it has such a nice flavor. I use about 4-5 cups peanuts to 1/2 cup coconut oil--it just depends so go with the flow:)

Black Bean Salad:
Cook some ground turkey with a can of black beans (including the juice). Season it with Lemon Pepper Salt, Minced Onions, and a handful of flax meal. Serve over a bed of lettuce/spinach, no salad dressing needed because of the juice from the beans.
Melinda Added: A Black Bean salad like this also makes an amazing Southwest Salad when made with some taco seasoning cooked in with the turkey and some tomatoes, finely-diced cilantro, and cucumbers mixed in with the lettuce/spinach.

Curry Seasoned Chicken Breast:
Place the chicken breasts into a glass dish and sprinkle Curry and Seasoning Salt on them (make sure it's organic/doesn't have sugar in the first five ingredients or MSG's added). Cook in cooking spray, olive oil, coconut oil or just broil in the oven. Cut them up into strips for future easy-access protein. Serve with steamed brown rice, baked sweet potatoes, or quinoa. YUM! 

Spaghetti:
Make with spaghetti squash and a low-sugar marinara sauce, serve with extra lean hamburger, grilled chicken, shrimp, or salmon.

Turkey Burgers:
2 ½ lbs of ground turkey made with 2 finely-diced onions, ¼ red and ¼ green peppers, add in 2 packages of taco seasoning, a few dashes of Worcestershire Sauce, and two eggs. Mix all ingredients together, weigh out into individual portion sizes, grill and freeze extras. It makes 10 servings and is SO GOOD! You could also make this into a meatloaf and cut it into 10 servings.

Tuna, turkey, or chicken wraps, no cheese:
You can use mayonnaise for your fat and do melts/sandwiches for your family.

Marinated Chicken:
We eat this a lot! You can buy the McCormick marinades, tenderize the chicken a bit, poke it full of holes with a fork, and marinade it. 4 days in a Ziploc in your fridge. Cook on the grill and you have the BEST, most tender chicken you have EVER had! ;-D

Beef Stir-Fry:
WinCo actually has a frozen bean mixture – white, yellow, and green beans with carrots. I buy sirloin steak at Costco in bulk and slice, season, and cook it. Then I measure out individual servings of meat in containers and set it aside. Next, I sauté some onions and the frozen bean mixture in a few servings of olive oil, add in some eggplant or zucchini or squash, season it, measure out ½ cup servings, and then add it to the cooked beef. This is great to freeze for later! Actually makes a TON and goes a LONG WAY!

White Chili:
We use lentils, celery, onions, carrots, and green chilis and cook them in a crockpot until they are tender. You can use any beans, or add chicken/turkey, but the chilis really add a lot of flavor. And we use the mild ones for our kids. Then we do just a small amount of plain yogurt/Greek yogurt to give it the creaminess you are expecting. It’s awesome!!!

Black Bean Soup:
Again, just black beans, onions, carrots, celery, seasonings – it’s awesome! Sometimes I add salsa, sometimes I don’t. Always serve with a salad.

"Lasagna":
Steam or sauté your veggies (squash, zucchini, broccoli, green beans, etc.) and layer with cottage cheese and low-sugar marinara sauce. Top with cheese and melt the cheese.  Even my kids love it!  Or you can serve it over Spaghetti Squash! Or layer sliced zucchini in place of the noodles!

No-crust Quiche/Frittata:
I don’t know the difference between the quiche and frittata, so I don’t know what you would call it. ;-D
I just made this last week. I used eggs and egg beaters together, a little water for the fluffy egg/omelet effect, and then filled it with veggies – sautéed peppers, broccoli, onions, and fresh tomatoes. We serve it with salsa.

Taco Salad:
Make a normal taco salad, just leave out the chips and the dressing and add in one serving of your low-sugar dressing when you eat it.  Or use salsa and a little ranch together - awesome!

Omelet:
Make a breakfast omelet with veggies and one serving of protein; or do eggs and turkey or canadian bacon with sauteed green and red peppers.

Chicken Fajitas:
Lots of onions with one red and one green pepper and a low-sugar Fajita Seasoning mix. Serve over a bed of shredded lettuce (any kind) and a serving of ranch.  Or - serve in whole wheat tortillas with a small dollop of sour cream. YUMMY!

Cauliflower Pizza:
 I haven't tried this, but I have seen it pinned all over Pinterest - add some meat/veggies for your topping, and you're set! Makes one 9-12in pizza – 6 slices

Crust:
2 cups shredded cauliflower
1 egg
1 cup finely shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt

Topping:
1/2 cup piza sauce or marinara sauce
1/2 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
topping of choice

Sleep? What's the BIG DEAL, Anyway?

We have all heard that sleep is important to our health - whatever our goals.  But do you know WHY it is so important/what essential things happen when you sleep?  I didn't!  I just heard an interview with Dr. Paul Anderson - a medical doctor in both Canada and the U.S. who specializes in natural remedies/cures to ailments instead of medical ones.  All I can say is - I DEFINITELY need to work on the sleep factor! :-)  Now if someone could give me the magic pills to make my KIDS perfect the sleep factor . . . .
 

10 Things You Probably Don't Know About Sleep But Need To:
1) A good night's sleep means you don't wake up more than once during the night.
2) A good night's sleep is at least 7 hours of natural, deep sleep.

3) During deep sleep, you release your growth hormone (fat-burning hormone).
4) Deep sleep between 12 a.m. and 2 a.m. gives you maximum hormone production, rebuilds neurotransmitters in your brain, and turns off body inflammation. SO GET TO BED EARLY, in other words!
5) Sleeping pills don't allow you to get to deep sleep. They are unnatural. So, though you are technically sleeping, you are never really rested and don't reap the benefits of deep sleep.
6) Not sleeping enough can make you GAIN WEIGHT. The University of Washington took identical twins - one they let sleep more than 7 hours, the other less than 7 hours. The one that didn't get enough sleep put on 5 lbs of FAT (not water retention or inflammation - FAT) in four weeks.
7) If you get adequate sleep, you can reduce your body fat by 33%.
8) Neurotransmitters are our anti-stress system in our brain - they are enhanced/rebuilt when we sleep. So sleep reduces stress/cortisol levels from our brains to our entire system.
9) You can't make up sleep. No sleeping 5 hours one night and 10 hours another and reaping the same benefits. You need 7-12 hours every single night.

10) Increased stress, unhealthy weight gain, disconnected neurotransmitters, etc. all shorten our DNA.  Shortened DNA=Shortened Lifespan.  So getting adequate sleep actually increases your lifespan!

"Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."

Maybe there's more truth to that than I realized! :-)

The "Munchies" Strike

Especially this time of year, we all have those darn munchies hit! So what do you do? What do you reach for? Might I suggest: NOTHING? (Food-related, that is.)





The munchies aren't generally a sign of lack of nutrition or some physical need your body is trying to fill. If you haven't nourished it properly and have them, choose your next "healthy" meal of veggies, protein, etc. Cutting corners on "junk" isn't going to satisfy it physically any more than it will really make you feel better emotionally.  

However, if you HAVE nourished it properly, the munchies are probably just a reaction to you being bored, depressed, anxious, overwhelmed, etc.


So I would really suggest that, instead of scouring your cupboard for the least-offensive thing you can munch on, you re-train your body to react to non-food effects with non-food answers. Maybe you should pick up a holiday craft to work on, a hobby, a good book you can read when you get the munchies. Or if you can/need to, get away from temptation all together and go for a walk or go visit someone (preferably someone who won't have a ton of food laying around for you to grab and mindlessly eat). ;-)


If you physically HAVE to have something, munch on some crushed, softened ice -- and drink lots of water. But try to redirect what you are feeling and get away from the need to solve it/respond to it with food.


That will be one of the best gifts you can give yourself - this Holiday Season and always!

Health: It's a Matter of "DO"-ing

How many times in life do we need a shift in thinking - a change in our focus? EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. OVER. HERE. LOL! And we hope that you will find those shifts in thinking for yourselves here at The Mommy 15. 

Today, I wanted to talk briefly about a shift in thinking about food.  So often, people tell you what you shouldn't eat.  Don't eat sugar, don't eat carbs, don't eat processed foods, don't eat after 7:00 at night, whatever it might be.  It's generally focused around DON'TS.

But it has been my experience that when I focus on the DO'S instead of the DON'TS, I get a lot farther and feel a lot better.  Check this out:

Most of us grew up with the Food Guide Pyramid, which we may - or may not - have paid enough attention to that we could actually talk about it, quote from it, etc.  HOWEVER, with the obesity and downward trends in health in the United States today compared to even 50 years ago, the government has revised the food guide pyramid to show us simply a PLATE and what should be on that plate at each meal:
 

If you take a salad-sized plate and divide it in half - on one half, you should have 1/2 grains (about 1/2 of a cup of most grains) and 1/2 protein (3-4 ounces).  On the other half, you should have 1/4 fruit (a small apple, 1/2 cup of other fruits) and 3/4 vegetables (1 cup raw, 1/2 cup steamed).  And then add in a side of dairy.  For small children, the same visual applies, the plate - and therefore the servings - would just be smaller/adjusted accordingly.  It's GENIUS, really!


If you look at the MyPlate.gov guidelines, American people should be the healthiest people alive!  Why aren't we?  Because we just don't sit down and DO what our bodies need us to do in order to protect them!  We don't like it when someone says that we shouldn't eat this or drink that because our bodies, quite frankly, are so used to being UNhealthy that they crave the things that make us fat, sick, unable to think clearly, and unhappy.

But - since it can be overwhelming to think of all the changes we need to make when we focus on cleaning out our cupboards and re-visiting our pantries and fridges, think instead of what you SHOULD eat in a day and start ADDING those things to your diet.  And once you get all of the "DO" things in, know what?  You probably won't WANT the "DON'TS" because your body will be so SATISFIED by what it has eaten!

Here's a little DIY Activity I made up in college that really helped me - and it's something you can get the ENTIRE family involved in:
1) Take two regular-sized envelopes and tape the backs together so that the openings are facing out and open. Don't tape the flaps together, just the backs.
2) In a document, create a word strip for every serving of food you SHOULD eat in each meal for the entire day.  Do a little research for each member of your family - the recommended amounts are based on age, gender, and physical activity.  For example, a 25-year-old female needs 2 cups of fruit a day, so since 1/2 cup is one serving, she would have four strips of paper that each said "fruit" on them. She also needs 2 1/2-3 cups of vegetables a day.  So three strips of paper that each said "vegetable" on them.
3) Below the opening on one envelope, write the word "EAT" or "DO"; on the opening of the other envelope, write the word "ATE" or "DONE".
4) Place all of the word strips in the "EAT" side.
5) As you plan and eat meals throughout the day, move ALL of your word strips to the "ATE" side BEFORE you eat anything NOT in the envelope.
6) Hang the envelope on the refrigerator so you remember and can easily access it when you are hungry/want to eat something.

You can have each family member decorate their envelope however they want - and even their strips of paper, so they won't get lost.  I also laminated my strips of paper and covered my envelopes with tape so they would last longer.  It's a fun, easy way to switch the focus to what you are "DO"-ing instead of what you shouldn't be!

You can make it a family game - or a competition between you and your spouse or one of your children.

120 Day Healthy Mama/Healthy Baby Challenge

March 6, 2013 - Now that I've been nursing my babe for almost 3 months and established a great milk supply, I am ready to ditch this postpartum baby body for GOOD!  I just embarked on Monday on my own, personal 120-Day challenge (countdown to my 33rd birthday) and am excited to invite all of you to follow along!  Want to do your own challenge?  Here are my step-by-step suggestions of what I've done to ensure success:

1) Start with a Plan and a Buddy!  
My good friend Camille - who lives in Alaska and I have not seen for YEARS - and I decided we were going to hit this together!  We set up some ground rules for our first 30 Days and each put $50 in the pot!  The catch? It's ALL OR NOTHING!!!  This isn't about the highest score at the end of the day -- this is about being IN IT to WIN IT!  So if we fail to complete even ONE of our "ground rules" even ONE day - we lose ALL $50 to the other person!  Know how we're going to keep it really fun?  We're adding $10 each week to the pot!!!  So after we have our PERFECT first week, we move on to week #2 with $60 at stake - and so on and so forth!!!  When we finish without ANY mess-ups, we not only get to enjoy PERFECT health and fitness, we also get to enjoy a girls' weekend and/or shopping spree to celebrate!

2) Focus on Nutrition! 
This is ESPECIALLY important if you are a nursing momma!  Your baby can't get from you what you don't have to give -- and this first year is SO IMPORTANT for those little ones!  In addition to the prenatals, I am starting each day with a delicious, organic, nutrient-dense, perfectly-balanced meal replacement shake to keep up on the minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, and nutrients my body needs but doesn't always get from food!  I mix it with an energizing Orange Electrolyte drink to really boost my energy and focus for the day (tastes like a creamsicle or orange julius and gives me some added Vitamins A, B, and C without any artificial colors, flavors, or sugars).  I am also taking the IsaOmega Supreme (best I've found in purity and quality - and no fish oil burps -- YUCK!) for my and my baby's brain development.  Other than that, though, the FOCUS is on CLEAN eating!  Raw when I can stomach it -- whole foods ALWAYS -- organic when I can afford it! :-)

3) Don't Forget Exercise!
A perfect fitness plan for optimal health includes two things: Cardio and Resistance.

• For Cardio -- especially if you are like me and took a vacation on fitness for your pregnancy or longer -- I HIGHLY recommend the Couch to 5K Running program!  "But Melinda," you say, "I am not a runner!"  PERFECT!  Cuz this running program is for COUCH POTATOES who want to BE runners! :-)  But, to help with your transition, you might consider adding a supplement to your diet to help with cardiovascular health.  I am following the C25K program up with a Half Marathon Training -- running the Legacy Midnight Run on July 19. (WITH GLOW STICKS -- doesn't that sound FUN?  And really, if you were running 13.1 miles in JULY, wouldn't YOU choose a midnight run, too? I thought so!) "But, Melinda," you say, "my knees won't allow me to run like that!"  Well, that's why I'm taking this amazing joint support supplement to help my body adjust to this extra weight I've dumped on it and still carry me to the finish line!
• For Resistance -- I just started doing my morning POWER HOUR!  In that POWER HOUR, I do 20 min. of resistance training.  Since I am a busy mom with 4 kids, ages 4 to 3 months, I rarely have the time for a BIG routine!  And if it includes weights right now -- well, I end up spending the entire workout routine struggling with my kids about why I need my weights more than they do!  Can you relate? So thank goodness my friend Sarah introduced me to Tracy Anderson's routines on YouTube! For this first month, I'll be doing her Arms, Legs, Abs - and in 20 minutes, without props, I can do a little of each (even if my kids join me - no fighting over who gets the fun equipment).  

4) Make sure you SLEEP!
Yeah - I know.  The word sleep holds no meaning to the mother of small children.  BUT - I will explain later how IMPORTANT sleep is to your health and why you -- yes, YOU -- absolutely MUST get enough of it every day.  For yourself, your baby, your whole family!  If you need some help getting into a good sleep routine at first, I highly recommend this all-natural, melatonin-based spray - formulated to help even the most untrained sleeper get his/her body back into the routine.  It's non-habit-forming and will help you get healthy, deep sleep (which synthetic sleep support doesn't do - FYI).   Oh - and I heard you say that melatonin doesn't work for you -- yes, I DID hear you!  Well, I have turned non-believers who thought THEY couldn't get enough power from melatonin-based products into believers and helped them get off their prescription drug dependence for sleep. Don't knock it til you try it -- for only $13 a bottle (which could last you up to 3 months), you can't afford not to! ;-)

5) Get Your Water In!
Water.  Pure, clear, undefiled.  The perfect, most refreshing, health-enhancing drink out there.  You need more than you think!  I'll write about that later as well, but for now -- aim to drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water. So if you weigh 150 pounds, you need to drink 75 oz. of water (minimum).

6) Two Words: Rest and Relaxation
After you've planned all that physical stuff in to help you get healthy, plan in a little R&R for yourself. Studies have shown that even 15 minutes of some form of meditation reduces inflammation in your body immensely!  So - do yourself a favor and plug in some R&R.  If you don't, you'll be coming back and telling me you can't lose weight (not to mention you are incredibly moody, stressed, and un-focused/unhappy in your life) -- and I'll kindly re-direct you to one source of your problems! :-)

7) It's a Kodak Moment
Take a before picture. Not so you can show the world, but so you'll remember if you get back here after the next baby that you were here before - and it wasn't the end of the world. So you can see how far you've come and not get discouraged if your body stalls and adjusts a few times. So you can remember on the days when you feel like you aren't doing anything right that you ARE!  And - in the end - YES! So you can brag your head off about all your hard work, how far you've come, and that it IS possible to any naysayers in your world (and even inspire others to overcome the naysayers in their worlds -- even themselves -- and embark on their own journey to optimal health). Take your measurements, too - the scale is NOT the predictor or definition of HEALTH!

There you go, friends! Welcome to my 120-Day Healthy Baby/Healthy Mama Challenge!  I'm delighted to have you on board!

New Favorites

I have a few new favorite foods I wanted to share.

1) Chicken Fajita Salad.  I take 3 oz of chicken and 1/6 of an onion, 1/3 of a green pepper, 1/3 of a red pepper and dice it all up.  Then I cook it all together with cooking spray until it's pretty tender and stir in one serving of the Fajita seasoning mix with the LOWEST amount of Sodium from my grocery store (McCormick in my grocery store - but I don't know what it would be in yours).  Then take a mixture of salad greens - romaine, iceberg, Spring mix, etc. - and chop it into really fine pieces.  Think shreds of lettuce on your favorite enchilada.  Add the chicken fajita mixture to the salad and mix it all together.  VIOLA!!!  I honestly probably use four cups of salad to that one serving of chicken fajita.  You can also put the chicken fajita mixture in a whole wheat/low carb tortilla with a tsp. of sour cream - hold the cheese - and add a low fat dressing to your greens.  Or you can take the entire salad and put it in a whole wheat/low carb tortilla with a tsp. of sour cream.  Delicious way to get your veggies in when you are NOT in the mood for a salad! *Note: I make up a whole bunch of the fajita mix ahead of time and freeze it.  Then when I want a salad - I get the mix out of my freezer, cook it on the stove, add the seasoning mix, and I'm set for a FAST lunch or late dinner when I don't have time or energy to make anything else.  It's awesome!

2) Banana smoothie.  I place a medium-sized, medium-ripe banana and 1/2 cup of nonfat milk in my blender.  Then add a dash of nutmeg and a dash of cinnamon (careful with the nutmeg - a little goes a LONG way; go to town with the cinnamon, as much as you like).  Blend together.  Add in some ice chunks and blend that together until smooth and VIOLA!  I'm telling you - this is an AMAZING snack!  When I can't get my kids to eat anything else, I add in a small scoop of protein powder and sometimes a little fiber one plain cereal - they drink it RIGHT up!  And I'm not fighting them at the table for an hour to get them to eat their dinner and/or waking up to screaming, hungry two-year-olds in the middle of the night.  Win/win situations are my SAVING grace!

3) Yogurt and cottage cheese.  My mom used to make this fruit/jello salad.  You take some fruit cocktail and mix it into cool whip and then add a package of unprepared jello.  I am sure you have had this in MANY forms.  But the calories and SUGAR in this salad -- um, through the roof, even for a small serving.  So I reformed it: Get 6 oz of low or non-fat plain or vanilla yogurt, add 1/4-1/2 cup of cottage cheese, and mix in a serving of Crystal Light.  You get the same flavor/texture as my mom's old fruit salad jello mix but without all the extra sugar and junk.  And the cottage cheese and yogurt combined give you a good dose of protein while still getting some calcium in your meal.  It's so good my two-year-olds LOVE it!  A perfect pre-bed snack!

My Week

I need somewhere to post a food plan for the week -- cuz I'm starting over yet again. My friend Carrie challenged me to not eat ANY sugar or after 7:00 PM. So I'm going to meet her on her challenge -- even with the ward campout this weekend.

So - I have 24 Weight Watchers points, and here's how I'm going to use them this week:
Wednesday --
B-fast @ 7:00 a.m.
Oatmeal (2 pts)
Egg with Salsa (2 pts)
Banana (2 pts)

Snack @ 10:00 a.m.
Yogurt and Fiber ONE (1 pt)
Cottage Cheese/tomato (2 pts)

Lunch @ 1:00 p.m.
Tuna Fish Sandwich (5 pts)
1 cup grapes (1 pt)
1 cup carrots (0 pts)

Snack @ 4:00 p.m.
Apple (1 pt)
LF Cheesestick (1 pt)

Zumba @ 5:30

Dinner @ 6:30
Ham (3 pts)
Baked Potato w/Parm Cheese (4 pts)
Steamed Green Beans (0 pts)

Thursday
Snack @ 6:00
Apple/Cheesestick (2 pts)

Gravity Group at 6:30

Breakfast @ 9:00
Oatmeal/Egg (4 pts)

Snack @ 12:00
Yogurt/Fiber One/Banana (3 pts)

Lunch @ 3:00
Eng. Muffin/Laughing Cow Cheese/Turkey (3 pts)
Salad w/Cottage Cheese and olives (3 pts)
1 cup grapes (1 pt)

Dinner @ 6:30
Hawaiian Haystacks
Pineapple - 2 pts
Chicken - 3 pts.
Rice - 2 pts
Peas - 0 pts.
Olives - 1 pt.
Tomato - 0 pts.

Friday
Breakfast @ 7:00
Oatmeal/Egg (4 pts)

Snack @ 10:00
Yogurt/Fiber ONE/Banana (2 pts)

Lunch @ 2:00
Soup (3 pts)
Salad w/Cottage Cheese (2 pts)
Eng. Muffin/Cheese (3 pts)

Snack @ 4:00
Apple/Cheesestick (2)

Dinner @ 6:30
Chicken (3)
Potatoes (3)
Beans (0 pts)
Cheese (2)

Saturday
Breakfast @ 7:00
Oatmeal/Egg (4 pts)

Snack @ 10:00
Yogurt/Fiber One/Banana (3 pts)

Gravity Group @ 11:30

Lunch @ 1:00
Black Bean Quesadillas (6 pts)
Grapes (1 pt)

Snack @ 4:00
Apple/Cheesestick (2)

Dinner @ 6:30
Spaghetti (6 pts)
Steamed Green Beans
Watermelon (2 pts)

Sunday
Breakfast @ 7:00
Oatmeal/Egg (4 pts)

Snack @ 10:00
Yogurt/Fiber ONE/Banana (3)

Church from 11:00-2:00

Snack @ 2:00
Apple/Cheesestick (2)

Lunch @ 4:00
Sandwich (7)

Dinner @ 6:30
???? (8)

Monday Weigh-In Results:

Sugar, Sugar --- Oh Honey, Honey

One of our polls asked what was most difficult to change in your diet. The number one answer was cutting out sugar. So I thought I would post a few ideas and ask for your feedback.

1) Try switching to sugar free. I actually can't believe I just typed that, since I have been anti the taste of sugar free for YEARS!!! I could taste it in ANYTHING!!!! And it always left the most disgusting after-taste in my mouth. HOWEVER . . . . things have changed. Food scientists have come a long way with some things, and there are actually sugar-free products I prefer now to the regular stuff. Some of my favorites:
--- Bryer's No Sugar Added Vanilla Ice Cream
--- A&W Diet Root Beer
--- First Two Comined for an AMAZING Root Beer Float
--- Swiss Miss Sensible Sweets No Sugar Added Hot Chocolate
--- Cook and Serve Sugar Free Chocolate Pudding
--- Laughing Cow Oreo Ice Cream Sandwiches
--- Weight Watchers Smart Ones Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough or Chocolate Mint Ice Cream Cups
--- Weight Watchers Oreo Ice Cream Bars
--- Dannon's 80 Calorie Yogurt cups with 1/4 cup of Fiber One

For the last few months I have had a REALLY hard time saying no to sweets -- I LOVE THEM TOO MUCH!!! But I have been surprised to see that when I allowed myself these few simple, sugar-free sweets every day, I felt less guilty. And slowly but surely, I find myself not really wanting them as much. That's FANTASTIC, right?

I think the trick here is to choose healthier options while waiting for my body to balance itself out. I'm still not to a point where I use Sugar Substitutes in things like Oatmeal or baking. That just ISN'T me. And, yes, some of these things are a little more pricey (which helps to not get them so much, right?). BUT, I allowed myself that splurge for a while to keep myself from feeling deprived and just giving up or binging on things that I wanted but couldn't have. And, as I said, I have been surprised to notice that I don't crave them as much.

2) Choose fruit first. You have to be a little careful with this one because you don't want to eat one thing when you are really craving another; you'll just have added calories from the first and over-indulge on the second. But if you can first eat fruit, you may find your post-meal sweet tooth is actually okay with it and doesn't need anything else.

3) Set small limitations. For example, you may not quit sweets cold-turkey. That probably won't lead to success for you. HOWEVER, you can start with small things like limiting yourself to one or two portions. Or maybe all you need to do is decide to look at the nutrition information of everything you eat BEFORE you eat it. That's a cup of ice water in my face sometimes; and the shock alone is enough to stop me when I think about how long I'd have to run to run off that tiny little splurge. Again, slow and steady wins the race. And you might just find yourself NOT craving sweets as much as you thought you would or have previously done.

4) Use portion sizes of sweeteners. For example, I eat oatmeal pretty much every morning, without fail. I used to add sugar to the point that it was like, "Do you want some oatmeal with that sugar?" Now I just add one tablespoon of brown sugar to my bowl of oatmeal and I'm just fine with it! I had to get to that point. But now that I'm there -- VIOLA!!! It's not even a question anymore.

5) Choose fresh over dried EVERY TIME. If you have a sweet tooth and are going to eat fruit, go for fresh fruit instead of dried fruit. Dried just doesn't have the same nutritional value and the sugar in it is so incredibly concentrated. Eating either one will give you that sweet taste in your mouth, so go for fresh.

6) If you don't make or buy it, you won't eat it! If you need help with this, call in the reserves: family, room-mates, friends, etc. Or if you want to make something because you are really craving it, call a friend and make it at their house. Make sure you have an alternate activity going on (like games or a movie or something outside), then you can eat just one and walk away to join the activity. OR you can take the plate of goodies TO the activity and steal one before serving everyone else. AND you can leave all the left-overs with them to find a way to dispose of them.

Foods to Avoid

I was reading on Oprah this morning and found "Bob Greene's Six Foods to Avoid." Thought I'd share! We have already covered a few of these in earlier posts, but it never hurts to brush up a bit; and we'll probably talk about a few of them again! See how you are doing with these. Try making just one change this week. Just one. That's totally possible, no matter how broke or how busy you are! And you may find that some of these are no-brainer, easy foods for you to cut (for example, I don't drink alcohol, and I don't buy anything but skim milk and non-fat cottage cheese and yogurt).

Food #1: Soft Drinks

Bob says that soda is one of the leading sources of empty calories in America. Instead, have plain or flavored water, herbal iced tea or skim milk. If you crave a sweet drink, limit yourself to one glass of fruit juice a day—better yet, cut it with seltzer water. If you feel diet sodas help you lose weight, drink them—but try to get down to one a day or you'll never lose your taste for super-sweet foods.

Food #2: Foods Containing Trans Fat

The biggest offenders are margarine and vegetable shortenings—although, there are trans fat-free versions of both now—and processed food such as frozen meals, crackers, ramen soups, cake mixes, chips and candy. To see if a product has trans fat, check the ingredients list for partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Don't go by the nutrition facts panel: By law, a product can contain up to 0.49 (nearly half a gram) of trans fat per serving but still read "0 g" on the label

Bob's favorite replacements are heart-healthy olive and canola oils.

Food #3: Fried Foods

Don't confuse foods made with trans fat with simple fried foods. There is a difference, but you should do your best to avoid both.

Even when they don't have trans fat, fried foods in restaurants are often cooked in oil that is reused. This can create by-products that have been linked to a variety of diseases. And fried foods are highly caloric. "The point is that [frying] causes a food to absorb more fat and calories," Bob says. "It's why I want you to replace it with some other alternatives."

One alternative you can try is oven-frying. Cut potatoes into strips, toss or spray with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, and cook in a 400° oven until brown. And if you can't live without potato chips, choose baked varieties made without trans fat.

Food #4: White Bread

Don't panic—you can still have your carbs, they just have to be whole grain. Compared with refined white flour, whole grains are not only more nutritious, they also have lots of fiber that will keep you fuller longer.

To get truly "whole wheat" or "whole grain" bread, you need to be on your toes. Packaging can be misleading. Some brown "wheat" breads, for example, don't even contain whole wheat! To make sure you're getting a meaningful amount of whole grains, check that they show up at the beginning of the ingredients list. Bread should have at least two grams of fiber per slice.

Food #5: Alcohol

Alcohol and weight loss don't mix. Obviously, alcohol can add a lot of extra calories to your diet, and it's more caloric than other foods. Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram (carbohydrates and fat contain only 4 calories per gram; fat contains 9 calories per gram). But there are reasons besides the calories to skip sipping.

Alcohol, a depressant, can slow your metabolism. And, it's hard to make healthy eating decisions after you've had a few. Take a break for the first phase, and if you'd like to enjoy a drink on occasion, you can do so later on in the plan.

Food #6: High-Fat Milk and Yogurt

Although milk and yogurt are excellent sources of calcium and protein, there is no reason to have the full-fat version when so many lower-fat versions are available.

A cup of whole milk has 7.9 grams of fat—4.5 grams of it saturated—and 24 milligrams of cholesterol. Compare that to a cup of nonfat skim milk's 83 calories, 0.2 grams of fat, 0.125 grams of saturated fat and 5 milligrams of cholesterol.

Bob recommends fat-free or one percent milk. As for cheese, opt for reduced-fat versions with no more than 5 grams of fat per ounce.

Protein Power

I apologize for the lack of posts lately. I have been out of town for family reasons.

I have been thinking lately about the different categories on nutrition labels, all the things we should be making sure our body has and be keeping out of our bodies. Today I want to talk about PROTEINS.

The Center for Disease Control explains that

"Proteins are part of every cell, tissue, and organ in our bodies. These body proteins are constantly being broken down and replaced. The protein in the foods we eat is digested into amino acids that are later used to replace these proteins in our bodies.

Protein is found in the following foods:

• meats, poultry, and fish
• legumes (dry beans and peas)
• tofu
• eggs
• nuts and seeds
• milk and milk products
• grains, some vegetables, and some fruits (provide only small amounts of protein relative to other sources)

As we mentioned, most adults in the United States get more than enough protein to meet their needs. It's rare for someone who is healthy and eating a varied diet to not get enough protein."

CHECK! So we probably don't have to worry about getting ENOUGH protein. The thing we DO need to think about, however, is how to ensure we are getting the right KINDS of proteins. There are roughly 20 AMINO ACIDS that are found in various types of proteins. ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS are those that are essential for our bodies to function at their optimal level; however, they are also THOSE AMINO ACIDS THAT OUR BODIES DON'T PRODUCE ON THEIR OWN.

Proteins are often referred to as COMPLETE or INCOMPLETE. Have you ever heard someone say that rice and beans together make a complete protein and wondered WHAT IN THE WORLD THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT? I have. Hence the interest in this topic. Well, complete and incomplete refer back to the ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS found in the proteins of certain foods/food combinations. Again, I refer to the Center for Disease Control for the simplest explanation of what each of these labels identifies.

"In the diet, protein sources are labeled according to how many of the essential amino acids they provide:

• A complete protein source is one that provides all of the essential amino acids. You may also hear these sources called high quality proteins. Animal-based foods; for example, meat, poultry, fish, milk, eggs, and cheese are considered complete protein sources.

• An incomplete protein source is one that is low in one or more of the essential amino acids. Complementary proteins are two or more incomplete protein sources that together provide adequate amounts of all the essential amino acids.

For example, rice contains low amounts of certain essential amino acids; however, these same essential amino acids are found in greater amounts in dry beans. Similarly, dry beans contain lower amounts of other essential amino acids that can be found in larger amounts in rice. Together, these two foods can provide adequate amounts of all the essential amino acids the body needs."

Pretty cool, eh? I think they understand this VERY WELL in South America because RICE AND BEANS are a pretty common meal there, as is the rice/chicken combination.

Like I said before, most people DO ACTUALLY GET ENOUGH PROTEIN in their diets every day. However, your food choices may be causing you to get TOO MUCH FAT from your proteins FOR WHAT YOUR BODY NEEDS AND CAN USE on a daily basis.

Here are some ideas for MAKING WISER PROTEIN CHOICES to decrease the amount of fat while maintaining the amount of protein in your diet:

1) As we discussed earlier, choose low- or non-fat dairy products. This includes milk, yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, etc. The lower-fat options do not affect the amount of protein, calcium, etc. that you can get from these products.

2) Always choose lean cuts of meat. Your best options are poultry and fish. Though beef is high in protein, it is also high in fat. It is difficult to cut out fat from even the leanest cuts of meat. So you need to choose from the chicken/turkey/fish categories more often than you do the beef category. Whatever you choose, ALWAYS remove the skin! It's straight fat, and you don't need it. Also, look for preparation ideas that involve baking or roasting or BBQ-ing rather than frying.

3) BEANS, BEANS THE MAGICAL CHOICE -- because they don't have the fat that meat does! Men may balk at this suggestion, but try to substitute beans for meat in some of your favorite recipes. Or, if you can't stand the idea of substituting beans entirely, cut the meat amount in half and insert beans.

When I was growing up, my mom used to make Sloppy Joes with pinto beans and hamburger. I was shocked to leave home and find that Sloppy Joes were made with JUST MEAT almost everywhere else. For me, other Sloppy Joes tasted AWFUL!!!! I just thought the world was really missing out on tasting my mom's Sloppy Joes. A few years ago, I asked her to make "her" Sloppy Joes. She just used meat! I was like, "No, Mom, YOUR Sloppy Joes, the ones with beans in them." She laughed and said, "I only put beans in them because we were too poor to afford meat!" Who knew? To this day, most of my siblings prefer the meat/bean combination. And it is SOOOO much better for you, anyway!

BMR Follow-up

Okay - now that you've figured out your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), now what? You need to decide how many calories you want to cut and how many calories you want to burn through exercise. A few rules of thumb to guide your decisions:

1) ABSOLUTELY NEVER drop below 1200 calories a day.
2) Try to not drop below your BMR each day in your calorie intake. Instead, burn the extra calories through exercise and weight training.
3) Create an exercise plan that works for your lifestyle. Include both cardio and strength training and make sure you exercise AT LEAST 30 minutes a day (though 60 minutes is preferable for maximum results).
4) Start a food journal to track what you eat. You can find some online journal-type sites that will track your calorie intake for you OR you can just buy a small notebook and record everything you eat and start to keep track that way.
5) Go back to our rule from one of the first Mommy 15 posts -- look at where you are now and slowly cut out 250 calories a day from what you are eating (up until you reach your BMR calorie needs, then focus on exercise) and 250 through exercise. Once again, ONCE YOU REACH YOUR BMR IN CALORIE INTAKE, FOCUS ON LOSING WEIGHT THROUGH EXERCISE. If you do more than a 30-minute workout, you may need to add in a few calories to give your body enough energy via calories to keep up with the demands you are placing on it.
6) ABOVE ALL - Listen to your body! Track what you are eating and note how you are feeling from week to week. If you are getting the calories you need but still feel sluggish, consider the foods you are choosing to make up your daily calorie intake. Go back to the Food Guide Pyramid and see where you are slacking in the basic foods you need to function at maximum efficiency.

Remember -- SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE!!!!

Got Milk?

I don't know if my post title is breaking copyright laws or something, but I found some information on milk that I wanted to pass along to you.

You may have heard that milk actually contributes to weight loss. Well, I think I may have found some sound reasoning as to why that is. The following is an excerpt from an article on fluids and weight loss at shapeup.org:

Milk is important because milk is a "floo-id" which means that it is treated like a food (rather than a fluid) when you drink it and it is satiating. For this reason, milk has a special role to play in your weight management efforts. Milk also promotes bone health and it is important for lowering blood pressure.

We live in a country where people do not drink enough milk. Yet, because of advances in medicine and pharmacology, we are living longer and longer. That is why more and more people above the age of 60 have poor bone health and nearly all women (and many men) have osteoporosis in their last decade of life. To make matters worse, when people diet, they tend to drink even less milk.

A large, very important study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine showing how important it is to consume 3 servings of milk and other dairy products each day in addition to a diet rich in grains, fruits and vegetables.² Such a diet was successful in lowering blood pressure in both normal people and in people who are prone to high blood pressure (which is most of us as we grow older). This type of dairy-rich diet also lowers blood pressure in people taking medication for high blood pressure, a finding that took researchers by surprise.

So - if your body recognizes and processes milk as a "food" instead of an empty fluid, you will feel full longer; it becomes a filling food instead of a liquid that simply passes through your body, leaving nothing but the added calories behind. Plus all that other good calcium-boosting information like strong bones and things. Minor benefit, right? ;-D

HOWEVER, the trick is in making smart choices with your dairy products. The basic rule, whether pregnant, breast-feeding, dieting, or just maintaining your weight as you are, is to drink LOW and NON-FAT milk and choose LOW and NON-FAT DAIRY products. Shapeup.org (which I thought was a FANTASTIC site that I never knew existed until yesterday) used cream as an example to show how higher-fat creams (and milk would be included in that) pack on the calories.

For weight management, the big issue is not to eliminate dairy, but to eliminate the fat in dairy - because fat is where the calories are. Cream is really over the top, even light cream is 29 calories per tablespoon. Here are the facts:

• Light cream is 464 calories per cup
• Medium cream is 592 calories per cup
• Heavy cream is a whopping 832 calories per cup (!)

Compared to those numbers, when you consider that skim milk is a mere 85 calories per cup, you realize how extravagant cream really is. Besides the calories, cream is loaded with saturated fat. All that fat is not good for your heart. Who needs cream in the 21st century when almost none of us are physically active on a regular basis? We say, skip it -- unless it is a really special occasion, like a birthday or a holiday, in which case, even we may indulge a little.

Adding dairy to breakfast, lunch, and dinner will give you your "three a day" that your body needs. If you are breastfeeding, you need five a day, so be sure (wherever possible) to cut out the fat. It adds up a lot faster than you think.

Take cheese, for example. A regular piece of cheese has about 110 calories and 9 grams of fat PER ONE OUNCE serving. ONE ounce. Low-fat cheese brings you down the scale to about 80 calories and six grams of fat PER ONE OUNCE SERVING. Fat-free -- well, I've never actually seen fat-free cheese in our grocery stores here, but I have seen what they call "light" mozarella cheesesticks, and those have 50 calories and 2.5 grams of fat PER ONE OUNCE serving.

Milk is very similar. 2% milk has 122 calories and 5 grams of fat PER ONE CUP serving. 1% milk brings you down to 102 calories and 2 grams of fat PER ONE CUP serving. Skim milk brings you down to 83 calories and no fat PER ONE CUP SERVING.

Let's look at yogurt, another popular dairy fill-in. Plain whole yogurt has 149 calories and 8 grams of fat PER ONE CUP serving. Plain, low-fat yogurt has 154 calories and 4 grams of fat PER ONE CUP serving. Plain, fat-free yogurt has 137 calories PER ONE CUP serving.

So - let's add it all up. Choosing low-fat over regular (one milk, one cheese, and one yogurt a day) gives you 336 calories and 12 grams of fat instead of 381 calories and 22 grams of fat. Skim and non-fat products bring you down to 270 calories and 2.5 grams of fat (in the cheese, since we don't have non-fat in my area). That's 120 calories and almost 20 grams of fat if you switch from regular to skim/non-fat! WOW!!! The fat difference alone makes my arteries feel a little less cluttered just from reading all of this great information!

How do you switch? One day at a time! Try cutting back for a month, even, if you need more time. Slowly switch out your regular for low-fat and then your low-fat for non-fat. In the long run, it will help you in more ways than you think. Just one more tid-bit from shapeup.org:

A large, very important study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine showing how important it is to consume 3 servings of milk and other dairy products each day in addition to a diet rich in grains, fruits and vegetables.² Such a diet was successful in lowering blood pressure in both normal people and in people who are prone to high blood pressure (which is most of us as we grow older). This type of dairy-rich diet also lowers blood pressure in people taking medication for high blood pressure, a finding that took researchers by surprise.

They don't say it here, but I don't imagine those people in the study were consuming the extra 20 grams of fat a day and getting those kinds of amazing reductions in their blood pressure, do you? Hmmm . . . . food for thought.

What is YOUR Metabolic Rate?

Okay -- so I have been reading up a lot this last week on METABOLISM!!! Why? Well, cuz I'm kind of a dummy when it comes to all of these health terms I hear all the time and wanted to know what it is all about -- since it IS what everyone talks about when they are talking about weight loss. Then I thought maybe YOU all might want to know something about it as well, and maybe I even found something that you may have wondered about.

For this first post, let me just say that metabolism is essentially the rate at which your body processes and uses food (calories). Pretty simple, right? So if they say you have a slower metabolism, what they mean is that your body doesn't need as much food (as many calories) to sustain itself as the "average" (whatever THAT means) person. If you have a faster metabolism, then you need a few extra calories to meet your body's needs.

So, if you want to lose weight (or keep yourself from gaining weight as you get older, since your metabolism slows about 5% a decade after age 40) - you need to KNOW HOW MANY CALORIES YOUR BODY NEEDS TO SUSTAIN ITSELF. This is your METABOLIC RATE - how many calories you burn without doing ANYTHING at all. That's right -- if you were to just lay around all day long or sleep all day long (yeah. right. MOMS!!!!), the number of calories you would use for that is your BASAL METABOLIC RATE.

Once you figure out what your BASAL METABOLIC RATE is, you can look at how you need to tweak it in order to LOSE weight or MAINTAIN your weight if you are getting a little older or find yourself less "active" (which is ironic and nearly impossible for moms, right?).

So, I have looked at quite a few different calculators online and gotten a few different results. There are two basic formulas used to calculate your metabolic rate, though the one that is presumed to be the most accurate is the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (which is more reliable than the Harris-Benedict equation, or so "they" say).

Here is the formula. Grab a pen/pencil and paper and a calculator and figure out what YOUR METABOLIC RATE is:

1) Take your weight in pounds, divide it by 2.2 and multiply that number by 9.99.
2) Take your height in inches, multiply it by 2.54 and multiply that number by 6.25.
3) Multiply your age by 4.92.
4) If you are female, add the answer for number one and the answer for number two, subtract the answer for number three and subtract 161. TADA!!! There you have it!
If you are male, add the answer for number one and the answer for number two, subtract the answer for number three and add five. TADA!!!! You're set!

My next post will be about what to do with your metabolic rate once you know it. But for today -- just have fun figuring out what it is and feeling just a tad bit smarter the next time you hear people throw around tidbits about metabolism and metabolic rate! And I'm going to go back to using my babies' naptime to figure out a few more things I can share with you to make sure you ARE just a little bit smarter and more confident about how YOUR body works!

not just brown vs. white: the complex carb

So in preparing to write this, I googled complex carbs, and found this article from the diet channel. It's all about simple vs. complex carbs, and explains it better than I thought I could (the address is at the bottom-I couldn't get a link to work)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Simple carbohydrates
These are just what they sound like: simple sugars. Simple sugars are quickly converted to glucose in your body . Simple carbohydrates include naturally occurring sugars and are most usually found in refined and processed foods, including white breads, sugary beverages and candy.

Complex carbohydrates
Complex carbs are more slowly digested and almost always found in foods more healthful than their simple counterparts. You find complex carbohydrates in:

•Fruits
•Vegetables
•Whole grain foods

Health benefits of complex carbohydrates
There are numerous health-related reasons why you should increase your complex carbs, while decreasing the amount of simple sugars in your diet:

1. Complex carbs aid weight management
Foods that are high in complex carbohydrates are often lower in calories. It generally takes more time to eat 100 calories of a banana than it does to consume 100 calories of soda. Calorie for calorie, complex carbohydrates are more satisfying and the calories add up more slowly when compared to simple carbs.

2. Fiber keeps your feeling full longer
Most Americans don’t get the recommended amount of fiber per day: 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men. Increasing your complex carbohydrate foods always means an associated rise in fiber intake. And fiber helps you feel fuller for longer, meaning you’ll feel the need to eat less often.

3. Complex carbs contain nutritional benefits
There is no limit to the amount of nutritional benefits you get from switching to complex carbohydrates. These foods contain vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and other nutrients that are rarely present in simple-sugar food items.

Be a smart consumer: choose complex carbs over simple carbs
People and dieters alike are finally waking up to the fact that carbs are not the enemy . The recent focus on the detriments of low-carb diets has had a positive effect—there’s a renewed interest in the benefits of complex carbohydrates and whole grains.

But beware; food manufacturers are exploiting this interest with numerous ways to confuse complex-carb seekers. A good whole grain food choice should be made primarily from whole grains. It sounds intuitive, but it’s easy to get misled:

Be wary of misleading food labels
Regulation surrounding labeling claims on whole grain foods is weak. Any food with a modicum of whole grain in it can be labeled “whole grain”. Check the ingredient list: if “enriched” is in the first ingredient, put it back on the shelf. Look for the word “whole” in the first ingredient to assure it is indeed a good whole grain food.

Keep an eye out for the fiber content in your food
The truth is in the label, and particularly the “fiber” section of the label. A good serving of whole grains will have 3 grams of fiber or more per serving. Only choose breads, pastas, cereals and grains that meet this requirement.

You can’t go wrong with eating fresh fruit and vegetables
These are your best low-calorie sources of complex carbohydrates. They are packed with nutrients and fiber and make great snacks throughout the day.

Balancing carbs, proteins, and fat is key
Keeping your carbohydrates to 55-60% of your total calories is a good way to divvy up your nutrients. Follow this rule of thumb: “Make half your grains whole” and eat 5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. These strategies will ensure that your complex carbohydrate intake is adequate.

http://www.thedietchannel.com/Good-Carbs-Vs-Bad-Carbs-How-To-Pick-The-Best-Carbs-For-Your-Diet
____________________________________________________________________________________
As for the brown and white argument, it kind of goes hand-in-hand with complex carbs. "Browns" are more difficult for your body to digest than "whites", aiding in helping you feel fuller longer, and burning more calories (basic metabolic rate). This is why we see TONS of arguments for whole wheat, brown rice, oatmeal, and other WHOLE grains.

My best example is found in bread, but can be transferred to anything...White bread is made of white flour, wheat has been striped of its outer shell where only the "insides" are used. Basically, production has eliminated the need for your body to digest the outer layer (bran), making it easier for your body to convert the 'flour' molecule to a glucose molecule (our bodies convert carbs to glucose for energy). The easier the conversion, the faster the digestion process, the less full we feel (because we are only eating part of the wheat kernel), and the less calories we burn, the more we want to eat.

This example can be transferred to rice, and other grains. ANY time you get the WHOLE grain, you are choosing a better product for your health, and increasing your chances for successful, long-term weight loss.

So, in conclusion, carbs are not the bad guy, but you have to be smart in the type of carbs you choose..yes bread is better than a cookie, but if it is white bread, chances are that it isn't that much better.

http://www.thedietchannel.com/Good-Carbs-Vs-Bad-Carbs-How-To-Pick-The-Best-Carbs-For-Your-Diet

Small Meals Throughout the Day

Tonight I wanted to share some more on calories. As I've said before, in general, women need 1800-2200 calories a day. If you eat less than that, your body will start to store fat, fearing that you might stop feeding it at any time.

I've written that pregnant women need 300 extra calories a day. But that is only true if you are eating within the 1800-2200 calorie range already. If you are eating 3,000 calories a day, you don't need an extra 300. You don't want to cut back, or your body might think you are starving it and somehow lash out to protect itself. You don't want your body on the defense while you're pregnant.

If you are breastfeeding, you need to eat at least 1800 calories a day to produce an adequate milk supply. If you want to lose weight AND breastfeed, aim to lose one pound a week. Now, if you are eating 3,000 calories a day, that means that you need to be careful to cut out and burn through exercise ONLY 500 calories a day. More than that could drastically reduce your milk supply.

If you aren't a mommy yet, aren't pregnant yet, or aren't breastfeeding, you should still aim to eat 1800 calories a day. If you want your weight loss to be lasting, sustainable weight loss, you want to slowly cut calories consumed through food and slowly add in calories burned through exercise.

If you are one of the women who has lost weight in the past by drastically cutting back on the number of calories you eat and need to add calories in to reach the 1800-2200 calorie point, you also need to do it gradually. Otherwise, you will just put on a lot of weight.

So - how do we choose what we are going to eat to get these calories? Well, I have read that you should eat six small meals a day. The article on stress and weight gain from the previous post suggested five. For the six small meals a day plan, you need to eat six 300 calorie meals at regular intervals throughout your day. Or maybe you want to eat three 400 calorie meals and three 200 calorie snacks. Whatever your preference, find what balance works with your weight, your needs, your levels of hunger throughout the day, etc. THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU SHOULD HURRY OUT AND START EATING 1800 CALORIES STARTING TOMORROW. Again, gradually cut back and work into it. If you eat around 3000 calories a day (the average in 2003 was 3770 for most Americans), you want to just start cutting 500 calories a day, aiming for 1 pound a week weight loss. Then see how your body handles that and cut back a few more.

To help in this process, we are going to add a new sidebar item: A sample menu for six meals a day. Dinner will be up to you, since dinner is usually something you eat with your family. BUT, since we're giving you great recipe ideas, dinner shouldn't be a problem; and cooking dinner means leftovers for lunches or other small meals throughout the day.

As a general rule, each of our six meals will include a lean protein and a complex carbohydrate. We'll also try to throw some guiltless snacks in there and some dessert options -- but remember, you have your FREE DAY, so whatever you decide to throw in or leave out from our menus, you're bound to LOVE what you eat all week long and get a little bit of EVERYTHING YOU WANT!!!!

FREE DAY -- YEAH!

Sorry I got behind last week -- bad internet connections, sick babies, and not having a computer all caught up with me. But we're back on track now, and I'm excited for another week.

How are you doing? How is your water intake? Are you drinking a glass of water before each meal? Did you take a day and TRACK EVERYTHING YOU ATE to see where you are, on average, and make some goals about where you need to go? I did -- and I was surprised by the results. What about the recipe of the week -- did you try the meatloaf? Did you like it? My friend Stephanie commented that she made it for dinner for herself, her husband, and their friend with success! It's really a favorite of ours, as is the next recipe I'll post tomorrow for the new week!

So - today's post: FREE DAY!!!!

I think with all of the talk about counting calories and making sure our bodies get enough and deciding what we are willing to give up and what we aren't made me think about LIMITING versus INCREASING. The truth is, if we are going to be successful, we can't feel LIMITED in our choices, options, favorite foods, etc. HOWEVER, let's face it: We didn't get where we are by having occasional splurges here and there. So, we aren't going to get past it without cutting out the daily splurges and making them MORE MEANINGFUL by regulating how often they occur. Might I make a suggestion? PICK A FREE DAY EVERY WEEK TO EAT WHATEVER YOU WANT -- GUILT FREE! That's right; that's what I said: WHATEVER YOU WANT -- ABSOLUTELY GUILT FREE! Some of the most successful diets I have researched have some sort of "FREE" day or flexibility in the food routine, so you feel FREE instead of RESTRICTED and have the strength to see it through on HARD DAYS.

The key here is that you have ONE FREE DAY, not a free ticket to use whenever you want to splurge! ;-D That's where you get into trouble and start losing the progress that you work so hard to get the rest of the week.

How will you make sure that your FREE DAY is actually working FOR YOU AND NOT AGAINST YOU? You need to be TRACKING what you eat each day and making sure that you only have ONE FREE DAY A WEEK. If you're like me, you have to sit and really think hard to remember what you DID yesterday, let alone what you ate. So - if you keep track, write it down in a place that will be easy to access and stay on top of, all you have to do from week to week is look to see if you've had your free day yet. OR, BETTER YET, pick one day a week to be your free day, consistently, and just change it on weeks when you have a special occasion -- birthday, anniversary, etc.

Your Calories

According to WikiAnswers, in 2003 the average American ate 3770 calories a day. That's more than twice the low-range recommendation for most women (1800 to 2200 a day). So, how many calories do you eat a day? Take a day and actually write down everything you eat. Then, sometime in the next few days, research how many calories were in the food you ate. Be sure to monitor how MUCH you eat of each food in order to get accurate numbers for the number of servings you ate. On average, we eat two to four times as much as we need.

Here are some common food examples from things I eat on a regular basis:

Oatmeal -- 150 calories for 1/2 cup cooked in water, no milk or sweetener added
Peanut Butter -- 210 calories for 2 Tbl.
Egg -- 70 calories per large egg
2% Milkfat Cheese -- 90 calories for one ounce
Skim Milk -- 90 calories per cup (8 ounces)
Whole Wheat English Muffin -- 120 calories per muffin
Deli Sliced Turkey, 94% Fat Free -- 35 calories per slice
Swiss Miss Sugar Free Hot Chocolate -- 80 calories per 1/4 cup serving
Baby Carrots -- 55 calories in 10
Small Apple -- 55 calories
Large Banana -- 121 calories
Frozen Sweet Peas -- 40 calories in 3/4 cup serving
Fresh Spinach -- 7 calories per cup
Blackberries -- 97 calories per cup
Chicken -- 120 calories per serving

A good resource for finding out how many calories are in some of your favorite foods (besides the label on the back of the food that will also give you the serving size/quantity) is www.calorieking.com. You can also track your food on sparkpeople.com and babyfit.com.

Happy tracking! I think you'll be surprised by how well you are doing in some areas and how much you can improve in others.

Beating Stress Fat

My mom was actually asking me the other day if I had heard anyone talk about weight gain caused by stress. I hadn't . . . yet. But my friend Sara sent me a link to this article. Interesting repeat of some of the things we have already talked about; and I thought it would be a good time to throw this out there. I personally can relate. I managed to only gain 14 pounds with my pregnancy, which is really great -- twins or no twins. Then the babies got here, and the stress, sleepless days, nights, weeks, months, etc., not being able to breastfeed and wondering how to help my babies gain weight, etc. all started to add up. In the following months, I gained weight! Talk about adding insult to injury. I hope this will help some of you put things in perspective and cut the stress and/or beat the stress that is already in your lives!

7 Ways To Beat Stress Fat

High stress can lead to weight gain. Here's how to stop it—fast.

By Nancy Kalish, Prevention

For most of us, stress is a fact of life. Unfortunately, recent research reveals that it's also a fact of fat. "Even if you usually eat healthfully and exercise, chronic high stress can prevent you from losing weight—or even add pounds," says Pamela Peeke, M.D., M.P.H., a Prevention advisor and the author of Body for Life for Women (Rodale Books, 2005).

Here's what happens: Your body responds to all stress—physical or psychological—in exactly the same way. So every time you have a stressful day, your brain acts as though you're in physical danger and instructs your cells to release potent hormones. You get a burst of adrenaline, which taps stored energy so you can fight or flee. At the same time, you get a surge of cortisol, which tells your body to replenish that energy even though you haven't used very many calories in your stressed-out state. This can make you hungry ... very hungry. And your body keeps on pumping out that cortisol as long as the stress continues.

“Even if you usually eat healthfully and exercise, chronic high stress can prevent you from losing weight—or even add pounds” — Pamela Peeke, M.D., M.P.H

Sadly, few of us reach for carrot sticks in these situations. "Instead, we crave sweet, salty, and high-fat foods because they stimulate the brain to release pleasure chemicals that actually do reduce tension," explains Elissa Epel, Ph.D., a researcher on stress eating at the University of California, San Francisco. This soothing effect becomes addicting, so every time you're anxious, you reach for fattening foods.

In addition, with your adrenal glands pumping out cortisol, production of the muscle-building hormone testosterone slows down. "Over time, this drop causes a decrease in your muscle mass, so you burn fewer calories," explains Shawn Talbott, Ph.D., author of The Cortisol Connection (Hunter House, 2007). "This occurs naturally as you age, but high cortisol levels accelerate the process."

Cortisol also encourages your body to store fat—especially visceral fat, which is particularly dangerous because it surrounds vital organs and releases fatty acids into your blood, raising cholesterol and insulin levels and paving the way for heart disease and diabetes.

Obviously, getting rid of all anxiety isn't an option. But by taking these seven steps to beat stress, you can get your cortisol levels and your weight under control, and improve your overall health at the same time.

Drop and do 10

That's right, power out some push-ups. "Moving your muscles is an effective, instant stress reliever. It actually fools your body into thinking you're escaping the source of your stress," says Talbott. "Exercise makes your blood circulate more quickly, transporting the cortisol to your kidneys and flushing it out of your system." But if push-ups aren't practical, just flexing your hands or calf muscles will help move cortisol along, he says. Even taking a stroll on your lunch break is beneficial. In one study, Talbott found that 18 minutes of walking 3 times per week can quickly lower the hormone's levels by 15 percent.

Go slowly at meals

Under stress, we tend to scarf down even healthy food, and research has linked this behavior to bigger portions and more belly fat. But Epel hypothesizes that slowing down, savoring each bite, and paying attention to feelings of fullness may lower cortisol levels along with decreasing the amount of food you eat, thereby shifting the distribution of fat away from the belly.

Stop strict dieting

It's ironic, but research shows that constant dieting can make cortisol levels rise as much as 18 percent. In addition, when your cortisol levels spike, your blood sugar goes haywire, first rising, then plummeting. This makes you cranky and (you guessed it) ravenous. When your brain is deprived of sugar—its main fuel—self-control takes a nosedive, and your willpower doesn't stand a chance. "The only way around this is to stop rigid dieting," advises Peeke. She suggests eating three healthful meals and two snacks spaced evenly throughout the day so that your blood sugar stays level: "You won't be hungry, you won't be stressed about being hungry, and you'll still drop the extra pounds."

Give in to cravings

When stress drives you toward something sweet or salty, it's okay to yield a little. "It's much better to indulge in a small way and cut off your cortisol response before it gets out of control," says Epel. "Have a piece of chocolate. You will feel better. Just stop at one." If you have trouble restraining yourself, take precautions so you won't binge. Buy a single cookie when you're out instead of keeping a box at home; or keep them in the freezer so you have to wait for one to defrost.

Curtail caffeine

Next time you're under duress, choose decaf. When you combine stress with caffeine, it raises cortisol levels more than stress alone. In one study by the University of Oklahoma, consuming the equivalent of 2 1/2 to 3 cups of coffee while under mild stress boosted cortisol by about 25 percent—and kept it up for three hours. When subjects took 600 mg of caffeine (the equivalent of 6 cups of java) throughout the day, the hormone went up by 30 percent and stayed high all day long. You'll experience these effects even if your body is accustomed to a lot of lattes. And because high cortisol levels can contribute to stress eating, you might want to consider quitting caffeine altogether.

De-stress breakfast

Deficiencies in B vitamins, vitamin C, calcium, and magnesium are stressful to your body, leading to increased cortisol levels and food cravings, says Talbott. But you can fight back by eating a breakfast that's high in these nutrients. He suggests some OJ, a grapefruit, or a large handful of strawberries to supply vitamin C; 6 to 8 ounces of low-fat yogurt, which contains calcium and magnesium; and a whole-grain bagel or toast with a bit of peanut butter. Whole grains are bursting with B vitamins, while peanut butter contains fatty acids that can decrease the production of stress hormones.

Sleep it off

The most effective stress-reduction strategy of all: Get enough shut-eye. "Your body perceives sleep deprivation as a major stressor," says Talbott. A University of Chicago study found that getting an average of 6 1/2 hours each night can increase cortisol, appetite, and weight gain. The National Sleep Foundation recommends seven to nine hours. As if that weren't enough, other research shows that lack of sleep also raises levels of ghrelin, a hunger-boosting hormone. In one study, appetite—particularly for sweet and salty foods—increased by 23 percent in people who lacked sleep. The good news: A few nights of solid sleep can bring all this back into balance, and getting enough regularly helps keep it there. Says Talbott, "You'll eat less, and you'll feel better, too."

Provided by Prevention -- Source: http://health.msn.com/weight-loss/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100234589&GT1=31036

Calories Count!

Okay, so I have a little secret to reveal this post. Are you ready? If you want to lose weight, you have to burn more calories than you eat. No. Seriously! You didn't know?

Honestly, though, there really aren't any shortcuts besides cutting calories and increasing activity. And, putting it back into the perspective of being healthy and active and able to ENJOY YOUR LIFE TO THE FULLEST, doesn't it just make sense? Remember how you feel when you eat too much? Think Thanksgiving. What does everyone do after dinner? Sleep! Yeah, no energy to go and do and create memories beyond the turkey and pumpkin pie! That's FABULOUS a few times a year, but every day? Well, you may not be eating Thanksgiving dinner every day, but you may be following the same pattern in your daily living: not eating on a regular basis and then overeating as soon as you get a chance and can stuff everything in sight in your overly anxious face!

Someone told me about a woman who wants very badly to lose weight. She's a veterinarian and is on her feet all day long. So, she decided that she wanted to get surgery done to lose weight. Problem: She found out that she isn't fat enough to qualify for the surgery. Bummer, right? How often do you hear, "I'm sorry, but you are just too thin!"? Know what she did? She started eating milkshakes every break she had, all day long. Know what happened? Well, believe it or not she must have engaged her metabolism because she lost five pounds! Who would have guessed, right?

Well, it makes sense. Our bodies need fuel throughout the day in order to function properly. And really, the only way to make sure it is getting the BEST fuel is to identify what you are getting vs. what you need. I know what you are saying: "Melinda, I am NOT a calorie counter! I don't have time to count calories. I will never BE a calorie counter. It just isn't me." Well, there is something we can work on together because the big secret still stands: Calories out have to exceed calories in; but your body still needs a certain amount of calories to function and run. If you are going to be in control of this, you have to first be aware of it.

I'll write more on how many calories your body needs in order to function in a later post; but for now, here are some simple calculations to help motivate you to get informed and START EATING THE RIGHT KINDS OF CALORIES and BURN THE UNWANTED CALORIES YOU ALREADY STORED.

Number of calories necessary to lose 1 pound of body fat: 3,500
Number of hours of exercise needed to lose 1 pound of body fat: 2 1/2 (more or less)

Now, let's break that down to TODAY:

To lose 1 pound of body fat a week (that's 52 pounds a year - more than most of us need to lose; but still -- perspective), cut 500 calories a day, through food intake and exercise. Divided equally between the two, that means you need to burn 250 calories (about what you would burn running two 10-minute miles a day) and cut out 250 calories (about a bowl of cereal with 1/2 c skim milk and an apple) a day.

If you're pregnant, did you know that you just need an extra 300 calories a day? And that is only if you are already eating only the recommended amount of calories for your fitness, age, activity level. If you are already overeating, you don't need extra calories at all when you get pregnant. If you're overweight and pregnant, you actually need to eat less. Again, we're talking about an extra apple with peanut butter, a bowl of cereal and two apples, 1/2 cup cottage cheese and a banana, etc. If you watch yourself now and don't go overboard, you'll reap the rewards later and have a healthier, easier, happier pregnancy and delivery.

If you are breastfeeding, you need to eat 1800 calories a day. That will be enough to give you an adequate milk supply. And they say the average woman burns 500 calories a day breastfeeding (I didn't, I don't think -- but I'm apparently not average!). I have also read that if you ARE breastfeeding, you really shouldn't lose more than about 1 pound a week in order to keep your milk supply. So - there are some guidelines for us, no matter our category.

There -- now on a day-to-day basis, that doesn't look so bad, does it? Why is it so hard? Well, we miscalculate what we are eating or aren't aware of what we are eating and cannot, therefore, make those few tiny cuts on a daily basis to reach our goals. So - now we know what lies ahead on our journey to success!

Start watching how many calories are in your favorite, daily foods. Just for fun, keep track one day and see where you honestly are in an average day.

Remember: Slow and Steady Wins the Race!

Habit, Habit, Habit

When I was getting my M.A., I studied and read a lot about habit formation. It's an intriguing process and interesting to see how our minds and bodies form and cling to habits.

As we are looking at "weight loss" and building healthy habits for ourselves and generations to come, I think habit is a key part of what will be our success.

It is a common tendency to start a diet by thinking about what you CAN'T EAT and what you HAVE TO LIMIT. However, that isn't really practical and will not lead to lasting results. If, for example, you say that you are not going to eat anything sweet until you lose all of your weight, you need to be prepared to not eat anything sweet for the rest of your life. If you say you are going to eat just 1200 calories a day until you lose your weight, you are -- once again -- setting yourself up to only be able to eat 1200 calories a day for the rest of your life. Why? Let me explain some of the things I have been learning that lead me to these conclusions.

1) Our bodies have fat cells. Though I plan on writing an entire blog on what I am learning about fat cells, the gist is this: At the conference I attended, I heard that there are three times in a woman's life when those fat cells DOUBLE: puberty, pregnancy, and menopause. Once a fat cell is formed, IT WILL NEVER GO AWAY (unless you have surgery to remove it, which doesn't really appeal or apply to us here). HOWEVER, though you cannot get rid of a fat cell, you can PROGRAM YOUR FAT CELLS to be thin or fat. That's funny, isn't it? Have you ever thought of a THIN fat cell? Well, look around you. There are people around you -- somewhere in your family or among your roommates from college or whatever -- who have lost weight and been able to keep their fat cells thin.

Once you have fat cells in your body, you cannot get rid of them; so they will always have at least a little bit of fat in them because they are, indeed, FAT CELLS. HOWEVER, do not despair! Everyone can program their fat cells to be thin or to be fat. But IT TAKES TIME for these things to happen. That's why they tell you to exercise during pregnancy -- to keep your fat cells as THIN as possible or, better yet, to keep your body from creating extra fat cells. SO -- we are NOT JUST LOSING WEIGHT; we are REPROGRAMMING FAT CELLS to be THIN FAT CELLS instead of FAT FAT CELLS and preparing our bodies to NOT form additional fat cells during periods when we cannot help but put on a lot of excess weight (like pregnancy). And that tells me that whatever you do to reprogram them is what you are going to have to do to keep them thin.

#2) My nutrition friend from the seminar I attended said that one of the #1 mistakes women make in this country is that they UNDEREAT. Can that be possible? With obesity on the rise, is it possible that women really under-eat? YES. And, believe it or not, CALORIES ARE GOOD -- CALORIES ARE OUR FRIENDS. Calories are what give our bodies fuel to function every day, fuel to get through the days and nights, to keep our blood pumping and our brain working and our muscles moving, etc. So, if you cut out calories that YOUR BODY NEEDS TO FUNCTION and maintain itself, you are slowly destroying your body.

So how many calories does the average woman need? 1800-2200 a day! Seriously, folks! That is how many we should be eating a day -- fat, fit, and everything in between. It doesn't matter. If you are going to DRASTICALLY CUT CALORIES, you are eventually going to throw your body into survival mode where it feels it needs to horde all of the calories it is getting out of fear that at some point, you are going to stop feeding it altogether and it's going to have to be able to sustain itself. Is that a message you want to send your body when you are trying to LOSE WEIGHT and MAINTAIN A HEALTHY WEIGHT AND LIFESTLYE? No-o-o-o-o! Besides which, if you do take away from your body the calories that it needs to sustain itself, when you stop dieting and stop eating those 1200 calories a day because you are right where you need to be, YOU ARE GOING TO GAIN WEIGHT.


SO ---- THUS WE SEE FROM ALL OF THIS that when we are talking about losing weight and being HEALTHY, we need to use wisdom and do it correctly: SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE!!! Thank you, Mr. Turtle and Mr. Hare, for that great lesson!

As you sit down now and think about what goals you want to set for yourself and how you are going to walk this journey to a healthier, fitter, and slimmer YOU, think about what you are going to CHANGE -- FOREVER -- and decide what you are willing to give up and what you are not.

I AM NOT WILLING TO GIVE UP SWEETS for the rest of my life! So, as I'm losing weight I need to learn to be moderate in my intake of sweets so that I can still eat them and enjoy them without feeling attached to them or having withdrawals from NOT getting enough.

On the other hand, I could just tell myself I'm diabetic and then give them up completely! WRONG!!! No way - my mind knows I'm NOT diabetic; my body knows I'm NOT diabetic, and they are the only things that matter in MY weight loss. So -- sweets are IN -- in moderation!