Downsize Your Dinner

Downsize Your Dinner

1. Trade a cup of spaghetti for a cup of spaghetti squash. Save: 179 calories
2. Plate size-vegies should take up half your plate, startches fill up ¼ of the plate, while protein fills up the last quarter. Save: 250 to 300 calories
3. Prevent late-night binges by dividing your dinner into two separate meals." Save: at least 250 calories
4. Toss your salad with a squeeze of orange and a teaspoon of olive oil instead of two tablespoons of ranch dressing. Save: 100 calories
5. Rather than saute veggies in olive oil, stir-fry them in fat-free vegetable broth and toss with a teaspoon of olive oil after they're cooked. Save: almost 200 calories
6. Instead of using oil to flavor rice, add a tea bag (try jasmine and green tea) to the cooking water. Save: at least 100 calories
7. Make cauliflower and cheese instead of mac and cheese. Save: 192 calories a cup
8. Swap sour cream on a baked potato for nonfat Greek yogurt. Save: more than 60 calories
9. Replace butter on asparagus with grated lemon peel. Save: 200 calories
10. Thicken soups with a cup of pureed white beans, not cream, Save: more than 500 calories a cup

10 Commandments for Weight Loss Success

The 10 Commandments to Weight Loss Success

The 1st Commandment:
Get help from family, friends and me!
Getting support can help you reach your weight loss goals. So tell family and friends about your efforts to lead a healthy lifestyle. Maybe they'll join you in exercising, eating right, and losing weight. When you feel like giving up, they'll help you, keep you honest, and cheer you on -- making the whole experience a lot easier.

The 2nd Commandment:
Be a Slim Shopper
Buy only one portion of a snack like one gourmet cookie instead of a dozen.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind. Out of Reach, Out of Mouth!

The 3rd Commandment:
Stock your kitchen with healthy, convenient foods.
Having ready-to-eat snacks and meals-in-minutes on hand sets you up for success. You'll be less likely to hit the drive-through by throwing together a healthy meal in five or 10 minutes. Here are some essentials to keep on hand: frozen vegetables, whole-grain pasta, reduced-fat cheese, canned beans, pre-cooked grilled chicken breast, whole grain tortillas or pitas, and bags of salad greens.

The 4th Commandment:
Drink Water
Water has 0 calories, creates a sense of fullness, flushes out impurities and rehydrates our highly worked bodies. Limit alcohol to weekends. Alcohol contains empty calories Because our bodies don't use those calories well, they usually get converted directly into fat. If you enjoy an occasional drink, consider a compromise. Enjoy your favorite alcoholic beverage on weekends only, with just one drink for women per day, two for men.

The 5th Commandment:
Always eat breakfast.
Not eating breakfast can make you hungry later, leading to too much nibbling and binge eating at lunch and dinner. Start the day off by starting your metabolism first thing in the morning. To lose weight -- and keep it off -- always make time for a healthy morning meal, like high-fiber cereal, low-fat milk, fruit and don’t forget to add protein like low fat cottage cheese or turkey sausage.

The 6th Commandment:
Understand portion sizes.
To right-size your diet, use a kitchen scale and measuring cups to measure your meals for a week or two. Use smaller plates and glasses to downsize your portions. Split restaurant servings in half -- making two meals out of one big one. Heck, order child size entrees. Portion out snack servings instead of eating them directly from the container.

The 7th Commandment:
Eat Your Vegetables!
Eat protein, fiber and fruits and vegetables at every meal.
Protein fills a person up. It keeps you feeling full longer and preserves muscle mass and encourages fat burning. Incorporate healthy proteins like lean meat, yogurt, cheese and nuts. Fiber aids digestion, prevents constipation, and lowers cholesterol, and can help with weight. Women need 30 grams daily, - nearly twice the current national average. Good fiber sources include oatmeal, beans, whole grain foods, and a variety of fruits and vegetables.
The best "diet" is one where you get to eat more food, not less. If you eat more fruits and vegetables, you shouldn't feel as hungry because these nutrient-rich foods are also high in fiber and water, which can give you a feeling of fullness

The 8th Commandment:
Keep a food diary.
A simple pen and paper can dramatically boost your weight loss. Studies show the act of writing down what you eat and drink tends to make you more aware of what, when, and how much you're consuming -- leading you to ultimately take in fewer calories. One study found that people who kept a food diary six days a week lost about twice as much as those who only kept a diary one day a week or less.

The 9th Commandment:
Less than 100 is Great!
Nite time snacks less than 100 calories, that are low carb, low fat, low sodium and high in fiber are healthy ways to feed that late night craving. Examples are 1 cup of low fat popcorn, ½ cup of low fat cottage cheese with a handful of blueberries, pre-made 100 calorie snacks or a ½ cup low fat ice cream.

The 10th Commandment:
Celebrate success (without food).
You lost five pounds this month and exercised every other day. Time to celebrate! Rewarding weight loss success really can encourage more success, so revel in your achievements. Take in a movie, and set a new goal, determine a prize for the next milestone.

Best Ways to Control Sugar Cravings!

I have incorporated and still use the following best practices to "control" my sugar cravings:

#1-Plan, plan and plan. Eat what you intend to eat instead of eating when you're desperate to eat.
#2-Know what you're eating. Learn how to read and understand food labels.
#3-Get support. Many people turn to sweet foods when they're stressed, depressed, or angry. Food doesn't solve emotional issues. Consider whether emotions are involved in your sugar cravings and whether you need help to find other solutions to those emotional problems.
#4-Mix it up. You may need more than one strategy to detour sugar cravings. One week you may find success with one tactic, and another week calls for an alternative approach. For lack of a better phrase, “have a ‘bag of tricks’ to try”. Figure out what works for you.
#5-Go easy on yourself. It may take time to get a handle on your sugar cravings. It’s difficult to shift into a new lifestyle.
#6-Reward yourself . I reward myself once a week with a special "cheat meal".

As I read over the above ways to control sugar cravings, I realize that I can help you. As a personal trainer and nutritional specialist, and most importantly, a female...I understand what going through the sugar cravings feels like. I know how emotional I can be and eating sugars tastes so yummy at the time and then regret my action afterwards. Let me help you control sugar cravings, I'd love to help.

Do We Really Need Willpower to Lose Weight?

Dieters may not need as much willpower, if they make simple changes in their surroundings that can result in eating healthier without a second thought, said a consumer psychologist at the American Psychological Association’s 119th Annual Convention.

“Our homes are filled with hidden eating traps,” said Brian Wansink, PhD,, who presented his findings and strategies for a healthier lifestyle in a plenary address entitled “Modifying the Food Environment: From Mindless Eating to Mindlessly Eating Better.”

“Most of us have too much chaos going on in our lives to consciously focus on every bite we eat, and then ask ourselves if we’re full. The secret is to change your environment so it works for you rather than against you,” Wansink said

For example,

Wansink’s study of 168 moviegoers, who ate either fresh or stale popcorn from different size containers. People ate 45 percent more fresh popcorn from extra-large containers than large ones and the people who were eating stale popcorn ate 34 percent more from the extra-large buckets than people eating fresh popcorn, according to the study.

They just don’t realize they’re doing it,” said Wansink. This strategy also applies to what we drink. His research found that people pour about 37 percent more liquid in short, wide glasses than in tall, skinny ones of the same volume.

Even a kid’s cereal bowl can be a trap, according to Wansink. One study showed children of different weights who were given a 16 ounce bowl were more likely to serve themselves twice as much cereal than children given an 8 ounce bowl.

Another myth, according to Wansink, is that people know when they are full and stop before they overeat. His Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University tested this by designing a “bottomless bowl.” They brought in 60 people for a free lunch and gave 22 ounce bowls of soup to half, while the other half unknowingly got 22 ounce bowls that were pressure-fed under the table and slowly refilled. The results: people with bottomless bowls ate 73 percent more than those with normal bowls, yet when asked, they didn’t realize they had eaten more. “The lesson is, don’t rely on your stomach to tell you when you’re full. It can lie,” Wansink said.

Simply being aware of such findings can help people make healthier choices, especially those who are already trying to eat healthier foods, according to Wansink. One of his studies showed that people lost up to two pounds a month after making several simple changes in their environment, including:

* eating off salad plates instead of large dinner plates.
* keeping unhealthy foods out of immediate line of sight and moving healthier foods to eye-level in the cupboard and refrigerator.
* eating in the kitchen or dining room, not in front of the television.

“These simple strategies are far more likely to succeed than willpower alone. It’s easier to change your environment than to change your mind,” Wansink concluded.

The Total Diet (Nutrition) Approach

Here are some simple guidelines to approaching a nutrition plan:

• Eat the right number of calories to achieve or maintain a healthy weight.  (1200-1800 calories per day)
• Go for foods that are rich in nutrients.  (Super Foods)
• Balance the food choices with a lifestyle of regular physical activity.  (Train with Lisa two or three times a week...cardio on your own or with a friend 4-5 hours a week.)
• Keep portion sizes within check to help maintain a healthy weight. (Complex carbs cupped palm size, protein palm size, simple carbs less than palm size, fats/oils two finger digits)
• Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy, lean meat, omega rich seafood (8 ounces/week), nuts, beans and healthy fats.
• Eat less refined grains, sugar, salt (sodium), trans fats, cholesterol and saturated fats.
• Avoid solid fats (SoFAS) and added sugars.
• Examples of solid fats include butter, lard, hydrogenated oils, animal fats and coconut oil. Added sugars include all kinds of sweeteners from sucrose to agave.

• Eat less overly processed foods and refined grains, especially those with added sugars and solid fats, as they tend to contain higher amounts of sodium, added sugars and solid fats like those found in cakes, cookies, pastries, crackers and more.
• Hold the salt – Many experts say we consume way too much salt or sodium, which is a risk factor for chronic diseases like hypertension (high blood pressure).
• Making healthier decisions will be easy if you use the simple plate method to make sure half your plate is covered with fruits and vegetables, one quarter with grains (at least half of them whole grains), and the last quarter with lean protein (animal sources or plant proteins from nuts, legumes, tofu). Complement the plate with a source of fat free or low fat dairy.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me!

*WebMED, 2011