New Year, New You

Hello all! I hope you had a very happy holiday and a happy new year!

It is hard to believe that 2012 has come and gone. The thought of the New Year brings up thoughts of New Year’s resolutions. What will your New Year’s resolution be this year? Did you know that losing weight is the most popular New Year’s resolution in the United States?  Knowing this, it is hard to believe that over 60% of Americans are still considered overweight or obese. What does this tell me? That year after year Americans are not reaching their weight loss goals. Why you might ask? The reason is because we set unrealistic or unreachable goals. We need more patience. Remember the saying that “Rome wasn't built in a day”. I want you to take a minute and do some math.  How long did it take you to gain your unwanted weight? Not how long have you been this weight but how long did it take you to go from your goal weight to current weight? Realistically, take that amount of time and double it. That might be how long it takes you to lose the weight. I know this news is frustrating to hear. This is the reality. The reason this is true is because once you have added fat cells to your body it is hard to take them off. Your body actually has to increase the size of your organs and grow more blood vessels to fuel, or feed a larger you. It is stated that if you were to stretch out the blood vessels of an average adult, there are about 100,000 miles of blood vessel. As a result, when you gain weight you also gain more blood vessels. When you are trying to lose weight your body has to break down the added blood vessels and adjust to your new weight. Also, research shows that fat cells produce hormones that help regulate appetite. Your body gets acclimated to having a certain level of these hormones in the blood, especially if you have been at your current weight for more than a year. When you lose weight, especially fat, the amount of the appetite regulatory hormones decreases in the blood.  As a result, your body panics and increases your appetite so that you will gain more  fat cells and send the hormone levels back to the level the body has gotten acclimated to. Some people refer to this as the body’s set point.

Here are some tips to help you set a New Year’s resolution that you can meet:

1.       Be Realistic with your weight loss goal. Then break the weight loss goal down into small reachable goals with time frames.

Remember that is takes burning 3500 extra calories to lose 1 pound of weight. As a result, my advice is, do not set a goal to lose more than 8 pounds per month. In fact, I recommend starting with a goal to lose 4 pounds per month. I know that this seems like a slow weight loss, but in the long run it will help you to achieve you overall weight loss goal. The hardest part to weight loss is maintenance. If you lose more than 8 pounds per month, it usually means that you are doing something drastic to lose the weight that realistically you will not be able to maintain over the long haul. Examples of this are severely decreasing you calorie intake or exercising more than 90 minutes per day. This can lead to yo-yo dieting and regaining the weight. Research shows that yo-yo dieting is more detrimental to your overall health than being overweight.

2.       Be Realistic with your exercise goal.

Start out slow. A little bit goes a long way. If you don’t currently exercise, then make it your goal to exercise 15 minutes a day. In fact, it does not even have to be all at once. You could do 8 minutes in the morning and 7 minutes at night. If you currently exercise 30 minutes per day, then make it your goal to exercise 45 minutes per day. In other words, take what exercise you currently do and make it your goal to add 15 more minutes on per day. Remember, In order to consider it “exercise” you need to increase your heart rate enough where you can talk to the person next to you but you cannot sing to them. You should be slightly out of breath.

3.        Find a buddy to help keep you on track.

Research shows that people, who start a weight loss program with a buddy that has the goal to lose the same amount of weight, are more likely to reach their overall goal. You need some who can boost your spirit when you are getting frustrated. You need someone who will keep you accountable, when it comes to what you eat and your exercise plan. I recommended that this person be the same gender and not be a significant other/husband/wife.

4.       At the beginning of each week, make time in your daily schedule to accomplish your exercise goals. This would also be a good time to outline the meal plan for the week. If you drink alcohol, figure out where and how it will fit into your weight loss plan.

The biggest complaint that I hear about why people have trouble losing weight is because of lack of time. By taking time at the beginning of the week to plan the meals for the week you are more likely to stay on track. The easier it is to make meal decisions the more likely you are going to make the right ones. When it comes to exercise you have to figure out where it can fit into your schedule, realistically. A majority of people are not thrilled to exercise. Look at it as part of your daily work schedule that you have to accomplish before you can go home. Once it becomes part of your routine, it will make it easier to stay on track.

5.       Decide ahead of time how you are going to reward yourself after you achieve your goal. Do not use food or alcohol as a reward.

Think of all the money you are saving with each pound you lose. You are spending less money on food, medications, clothes, and stress relievers. I recommend that you come up with an amount of money that you are going to put aside for each pound that you lose. Once you reach your goal, take the money and go spend it on yourself. Whether it is on clothes, shoes, jewelry, a vacation or something you have always wanted. You deserve it for all of your hard work!

6.       Let your family, friends and co-workers in on your weight loss intentions.

Weight loss is not an easy task. There are tons a sabotages all around you. Whether it is commercials, holidays, special events, family, friends or yourself, obstacles will stand in your way and mess with your mind when you are trying to lose weight. If you can explain to family, friends and co-workers why it is important to you to lose weight, they can help you through the weight loss obstacles instead of being part of them. The larger your support network the more successful you will be. This is a good thing to keep in mind for your-self. You never want to be sabotage for family, friends and co-workers in the goals they are trying to reach.

Keep these things in mind when you are deciding on your New Year’s resolutions to help you to be successful in accomplishing your weight loss and overall health goals in the New Year. May 2013 bring you nothing but good health and success in achieving your goals!

XOXO!   The Dietnista

Make Valentine's Day Even Sweeter

Another empty calorie and sugar filled holiday is just around the corner, are you ready? The good news is that the bulk of the holiday season has come and gone. Valentine’s Day is usually the last major holiday of the season that revolves around food.  Let me give you some tips on how to make it through Valentine’s Day without moving the notch out on your belt.

Tips to get you through Valentine’s Day:

1.       If you are going to eat candy, try to eat dark chocolate. Try to avoid all of the sugary based and high fat calorie candies such as milk chocolate.

Unlike other candy, dark chocolate contains antioxidants, which have health benefits when eaten in the right amount. Antioxidants are different minerals, and vitamins that are found in a variety of foods that significantly slow and/or prevent one of the processes that damages our body and it’s DNA.  This damaging, oxidative process forms free radicals, which are thought to contribute to the progression of disease states such as cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes and other diseases that are associated with an aging body. When you consume foods that are high in antioxidants, they counteract the damaging effects that the free radicals have on the body. In fact, it is thought that antioxidants actually convert free radicals to harmless waste, which is then removed from the body. There is still a lot that we need to research and learn about antioxidants and their health benefits before we start recommending that you add supplements of them to your diet.

2.       If you are making desserts for that special someone, try to reduce the amount of fat and sugar in the recipe and increase the fiber.

To increase fiber, use whole wheat flour/pastas/bread and rice in recipes where these products are needed. You can also add in fiber supplements such as Benefiber, Metamucill and Konsol Psyllium fiber to increase fiber content.  In some instances you can use products such as, Fiber One, All Bran or oatmeal to enhance your crust or breading in your recipes.

To reduce fat in recipes, lighten up the ingredients when there are lower fat options available (i.e skim milk/low fat sour cream/fat free condensed milk/2% cheese/light butter/light cream cheese).  Try using pureed fruits, such as prunes, or applesauce as half of the needed oil/shortening/margarine/butter in the recipes. Instead of using fat in recipes to add flavor, try calorie free seasonings and herbs.

To reduce the sugar and keep the recipes sweet, use artificial sweeteners instead of sugar to reduce the overall calories in the recipe. Make sure that you are using the version of sweeteners that can be used in baked goods. Splenda and Equal both make a version of sugar and brown sugar that can be used in cooking.

3.       Portion Control, Portion Control, Portion Control!

Every food can fit into a healthy, weight loss diet when eaten in the right quantity. Just remember that Valentine’s Day is only 1 day out of the year. No need to go overboard.  Moderation is the key!

4.       Try to think outside the box when it comes to Valentine’s Day gifts.

Communicate with your loved one or significant other. Explain to them that this year you are trying to improve your health, eat right and lose weight. Suggest getting each other Valentine’s Day gifts that do not involve junk food.  Consider getting each other gifts that are outside the box yet still romantic, like gift cards or passes to a cooking class you both would enjoy or passes to a dance class that you can learn together or a private boat ride on a lake. Why has candy become the standard gift given at Valentine’s Day? What is romantic about candy? Show your loved one or significant other that you love them by helping them to get healthy and eat right too.

5.       Throw any leftover candy/holiday food away within 2 to 3 days of the holiday.

Remember that the average American will usually gain over 5 pounds between October and March. How did you do?  Many people are shocked when they realize that they have gained weight over the holidays.  It seems like such a short period of time to increase your waist line. The scary thing is that it is not as hard to do as it might seem. As I have said before it takes 3500 extra calories on top of the normal amount of calories that you consume to gain 1 pound of weight. As a result consuming just 120 more calories a day over a 1 month time frame will easily put on 1 pound of weight. This could be the calorie equivalent of eating 2 regular pieces of candy per day. If you have gained some weight over the holidays, there is no time like the present to get rid of it.  There is no need to add extra weight on over Valentine’s Day.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all!

XOXO! The Dietnista

New Year...New You

Hello all! I hope you had a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!  

Can you believe we are almost to 2012? It is hard to believe that 2011 has come and gone. The thought of the New Year brings up thoughts of New Year’s resolutions.  What will your New Year’s resolution be this year? Did you know that losing weight is the most popular New Year’s resolution in the United States?  Knowing this, it is hard to believe that over 60% of Americans are still considered overweight or obese.  What does this tell me? That year after year Americans are not reaching their weight loss goals. Why you might ask? The reason is because we set unrealistic, or unreachable goals. We need more patience. Remember the saying that “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. I want you to take a minute and do some math.  How long did it take you to gain your unwanted weight? Not how long have you been this weight but how long did it take you to go from your goal weight to current weight? Realistically, take that amount of time and double it. That might be how long it takes you to lose the weight. I know this news is frustrating to hear. This is the reality. The reason this is true is because once you have added fat cells to your body it is hard to take them off. Your body actually has to increase the size of your organs and grow more blood vessels to fuel, or feed a larger you. It is stated that if you were to stretch out the blood vessels of an average adult, there are about 100,000 miles of blood vessel. As a result, when you gain weight you also gain more blood vessels. When you are trying to lose weight your body has to break down the added blood vessels and adjust to your new weight. Also, research shows that fat cells produce hormones that help regulate appetite. Your body gets acclimated to having a certain level of these hormones in the blood, especially if you have been at your current weight for more than a year. When you lose weight, especially fat, the amount of the appetite regulatory hormones decreases in the blood.  As a result, your body panics and increases your appetite so that you will gain more  fat cells and send the hormone levels back to the level the body has gotten acclimated to. Some people refer to this as the body’s set point.

Here are some tips to help you set a New Year’s resolution that you can meet:

1.       Be Realistic with your weight loss goal. Then break the weight loss goal down into small reachable goals with timeframes.

Remember that is takes burning 3500 extra calories to lose 1 pound of weight. As a result, my advice is, do not set a goal to lose more than 8 pounds per month. In fact, I recommend starting with a goal to lose 4 pounds per month. I know that this seems like a slow weight loss, but in the long run it will help you to achieve you overall weight loss goal. The hardest part to weight loss is maintenance. If you lose more than 8 pounds per month, it usually means that you are doing something drastic to lose the weight that realistically you will not be able to maintain over the long haul. Examples of this are severely decreasing you calorie intake or exercising more than 90 minutes per day. This can lead to yo-yo dieting and regaining the weight. Research shows that yo-yo dieting is more detrimental to your overall health than being overweight.

2.       Be Realistic with your exercise goal.

Start out slow. A little bit goes a long way. If you don’t currently exercise, then make it your goal to exercise 15 minutes a day. In fact, it does not even have to be all at once. You could do 8 minutes in the morning and 7 minutes at night. If you currently exercise 30 minutes per day, then make it your goal to exercise 45 minutes per day. In other words, take what exercise you currently do and make it your goal to add 15 more minutes on per day. Remember, In order to consider it “exercise” you need to increase your heart rate enough where you can talk to the person next to you but you cannot sing to them. You should be slightly out of breath.

3.        Find a buddy to help keep you on track.

Research shows that people, who start a weight loss program with a buddy that has the goal to lose the same amount of weight, are more likely to reach their overall goal. You need some who can boost your spirit when you are getting frustrated. You need someone who will keep you accountable, when it comes to what you eat and your exercise plan. I recommended that this person be the same gender and not be a significant other/husband/wife.

4.       At the beginning of each week, make time in your daily schedule to accomplish your exercise goals. This would also be a good time to outline the meal plan for the week. If you drink alcohol, figure out where and how it will fit into your weight loss plan.

The biggest complaint that I hear about why people have trouble losing weight is because of lack of time. By taking time at the beginning of the week to plan the meals for the week you are more likely to stay on track. The easier it is to make meal decisions the more likely you are going to make the right ones. When it comes to exercise you have to figure out where it can fit into your schedule, realistically. A majority of people are not thrilled to exercise. Look at it as part of your daily work schedule that you have to accomplish before you can go home. Once it becomes part of your routine, it will make it easier to stay on track.

5.       Decide ahead of time how you are going to reward yourself after you achieve your goal. Do not use food or alcohol as a reward.

Think of all the money you are saving with each pound you lose. You are spending less money on food, medications, clothes, and stress relievers. I recommend that you come up with an amount of money that you are going to put aside for each pound that you lose. Once you reach your goal, take the money and go spend it on yourself. Whether it is on clothes, shoes, jewelry, a vacation or something you have always wanted. You deserve it for all of your hard work!

6.       Let your family, friends and co-workers in on your weight loss intentions.

Weight loss is not an easy task. There are tons a sabotages all around you. Whether it is commercials, holidays, special events, family, friends or yourself, obstacles will stand in your way and mess with your mind when you are trying to lose weight. If you can explain to family, friends and co-workers why it is important to you to lose weight, they can help you through the weight loss obstacles instead of being part of them. The larger your support network the more successful you will be. This is a good thing to keep in mind for your-self. You never want to be sabotage for family, friends and co-workers in the goals they are trying to reach.

Keep these things in mind when you are deciding on your New Year’s resolutions to help you to be successful in accomplishing your weight loss and overall health goals in the New Year. Have a happy and safe New Year! May 2012 bring you nothing but good health and success in achieving your goals!

XOXO!   The Dietnista

Holiday Tips & Tricks – Surviving the Holidays When Trying to Lose Weight

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

Are you ready for the holidays?  I know this week we are supposed to talk about lunch, but with Thanksgiving just around the corner I thought it would be a better idea to discuss some holiday survival tips.

Did you know that the average American gains over 5 pounds during the holidays? What is even more amazing is that it takes consuming 3500 more calories to gain 1 pound of weight. That means the average American consumes over 17,500 calories more during the holidays than throughout the rest of the year. This is most likely due to holiday foods being higher in fat and sugar.  When you stop and think about it, we don’t just consume these higher calorie foods on the day of the holiday itself, but the days to follow because of leftovers. As a result, you can see how easy it is to consume over 17,500 more calories without meaning to. Here are some survival tips to deal with the holidays to help you avoid the increase calorie consumption and its’ unwanted side effects.

First…..Modify your typical holiday recipes so starting out there are fewer calories.  If you are not sure how many calories are in your favorite recipes, check out www.sparkrecipes.com to get the nutritional breakdown.

To reduce sugar:

To keep the recipes sweet, use artificial sweeteners instead of sugar to reduce the overall calories in the recipe. Make sure that you are using the version of sweetener that can be used in baked goods. Splenda and Equal both make a version of sugar and brown sugar that can be used in cooking. Limit/Avoid all sweeteners that contain sugar alcohols. These can cause unwanted side effects such as: gas, bloating, loose stools, and diarrhea. Everyone has a different tolerance level before the side effects take place. Sugar Alcohols are any words that end in “-tol”.  Check the ingredients list of all sugar substitutes and “sugar free” or “no sugar added” foods to see if they contain sugar alcohols. Another way to give the allusion of sweetness is using extracts such as vanilla or peppermint. Some common spices, such as nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and allspice, help enhance the sweetness as well.

When using fruit in recipes, use fresh or frozen fruit and limit the canned or dried. If you do use canned fruits make sure that they are in their own juice instead of in syrup, even if it is light syrup.  This is another way to limit the unwanted calories.

To reduce fat:

Lighten up the ingredients during preparation when there are lower fat options available (e.g. skim milk, low fat sour cream, fat free condensed milk, 2% cheese, light butter, light cream cheese, etc.).  Try using pureed fruits, such as prunes or applesauce as half of the needed oil, shortening, margarine or butter in the recipes. Instead of using fat in recipes to add flavor, try calorie free seasonings and herbs.

Making turkey soup or stew for the holidays? Try to make it ahead of schedule so that you can put it in the refrigerator. The fat will harden on the top of the soup and you can scoop it out before reheating.  This will also work with any canned vegetables or soups that contain fat. You can tell that a canned product contains fat by looking at the food label. Where it says “total fat” anything over 5 grams is considered a serving of fat.

Limit alcohol intake. Remember that all alcohol digests as a fat, not as a carbohydrate like most people think. The other problem with alcohol is the average person has a tendency to consume 60% more calories when drinking. As a result you are getting extra calories from the alcohol itself and the appetite increase that it causes.

To increase fiber:

Use whole wheat flour/pastas/bread and rice in recipes where these products are needed. You can also add in fiber supplements such as Benefiber, Metamucil and Konsol Psyllium fiber to increase fiber content.  In some instances you can use products such as, Fiber One, All Bran or oatmeal to enhance your crust or breading in your recipes.

Add extra vegetables and beans to soups and casseroles. Try to use non-starchy vegetables, such as artichokes, asparagus, green beans, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, eggplant, green onions, greens, mushrooms, stewed okra, onions, pea pods, peppers, radishes, sauerkraut, spinach, summer squash, tomatoes, turnips, water chestnuts, and zucchini, to avoid adding extra calories into the recipe.

To reduce salt:

When using canned foods that contain sodium, pour the contents of the can into a strainer and run water over them. This will help to wash a lot of the salt off the food.

Finally…..to avoid holiday weight gain….. Get moving.

Try to double your exercise routine the weeks before and the weeks right after the holidays. This will help to limit the impact that the unintentional calories can have on weight and overall health. Remember it takes 3500 calories to gain a pound of weight. So when trying to lose, you have to burn 3500 extra calories to lose 1 pound of weight. Frustrating, I know.

Most importantly, enjoy the time with family and friends.  I hope all of you have a Happy Thanksgiving!

XOXO! The Dietnista