- check your dressings and sauces. I've learned from experimentation that fat free salad dressing doesn't taste any different from regular salad dressing. The difference is that I'm only adding 20 or 30 calories to my salad rather than 120. It's a big difference when you eat a lot of salad. It's also important to try and use low calorie marinades. I like to use lime or lemon juice with a variety of spices to keep my marinades low in calories.
- use fruit or veggies more often. today i wanted something sweet for lunch but I didn't want to eat a whole bunch of calories. Solution: 2 tbsp of peanut butter with 1/2 tsp of dark chocolate shavings sprinkled on top then i sliced up a banana and dipped it in the peanut butter chocolate mix. It was delicious and less calories than a typical desert or peanut butter sandwich. Are you craving something salty? try some carrots or cucumbers dipped in homemade ranch dip. (if you use fat free greek yogurt instead of sour cream you can cut down on calories and still enjoy the taste)
- drink water. soda and other drinks have a lot of calories. I think a bottle of root beer is around 340 calories last time I checked. That's bad. Too give some perspective, it's more calories than most of my lunches and you don't even eat anything. If you are trying to limit your calorie intake to a certain number you don't want to waste calories on something that won't keep you full.
these are just a few simple suggestions. What works for you?
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
healthy snack ideas
fruit salad ( kiwis, strawberries, clementines, cantaloupe, grapes, and bananas that's a winning combo right there)
Sliced cucumbers drizzled in lime juice and a dash of salt. (taste like pickles)
3 cups of air popped popcorn
sliced apples with peanut butter
yogurt and granola on top
oatmeal made with water cinnamon and 2 tsp of brown sugar
sugar snap peas
2 slices of whole wheat toast and a chopped boiled egg
1/ 4 cup of fat free greek yogurt with ranch dip seasoning and carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, and cauliflower to dip
frozen banana slices
1 yogurt placed in the freezer for frozen yogurt
3/4 cup of dry cereal (chocolate covered cheerios) = 100 calories and they are delicious
Sliced cucumbers drizzled in lime juice and a dash of salt. (taste like pickles)
3 cups of air popped popcorn
sliced apples with peanut butter
yogurt and granola on top
oatmeal made with water cinnamon and 2 tsp of brown sugar
sugar snap peas
2 slices of whole wheat toast and a chopped boiled egg
1/ 4 cup of fat free greek yogurt with ranch dip seasoning and carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, and cauliflower to dip
frozen banana slices
1 yogurt placed in the freezer for frozen yogurt
3/4 cup of dry cereal (chocolate covered cheerios) = 100 calories and they are delicious
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Arm workout
I'm starting to get in to weight lifting mostly because it's embarrassing anytime I have to exhibit my lack of arm strength, especially my triceps. I'm hoping that if I keep working I may have some nicely toned arms by the end of the summer. Here's what my workout has been, right now it's focused on building strength endurance, which means lighter weight and higher reps.
The first 3 are my letter sets. basically picture the letter in you mind and you raise the weight in that shape. it's not hard and you can find other letters that work for you. I don't suggest something crazy like G or B. non curvy letters are acceptable. :)
V's 3 sets of 10-12 reps
I's 3 sets of 8 reps
T's 3 sets of 10
start with 5 lbs you don't want to go heavier than 10 lbs if you're like me. Remember the contracting muscle, your deltoids, are fairly small so be nice to them. To make this more of a workout go at a 1-3-3 tempo, in other words lift in one second- hold for 3- and lower slowly in 3.
alternating arm curls 3 sets of 12 reps find a comfortable weight
bench press machine 3 sets of 10
rows 2 sets of 15 on each side
triceps extensions- 3 sets of 8
http://www.acefitness.org/exerciselibrary/exercises.aspx?bodypart=2
I do this 2-3 times a week and I can already see a difference in my arms. I'd say I've been at this for about 3 weeks. Happy exercising!
The first 3 are my letter sets. basically picture the letter in you mind and you raise the weight in that shape. it's not hard and you can find other letters that work for you. I don't suggest something crazy like G or B. non curvy letters are acceptable. :)
V's 3 sets of 10-12 reps
I's 3 sets of 8 reps
T's 3 sets of 10
start with 5 lbs you don't want to go heavier than 10 lbs if you're like me. Remember the contracting muscle, your deltoids, are fairly small so be nice to them. To make this more of a workout go at a 1-3-3 tempo, in other words lift in one second- hold for 3- and lower slowly in 3.
alternating arm curls 3 sets of 12 reps find a comfortable weight
bench press machine 3 sets of 10
rows 2 sets of 15 on each side
Preparation
- Kneel over side of bench by placing knee and hand of supporting arm on bench. Position foot of opposite leg slightly back to side. Grasp dumbbell from floor.
Execution
- Pull dumbbell to up to side until it makes contact with ribs or until upper arm is just beyond horizontal. Return until arm is extended and shoulder is stretched downward. Repeat and continue with opposite arm.
- http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/BackGeneral/DBBentOverRow.html
triceps extensions- 3 sets of 8
Step 1
Starting Position: Stand in a split-stance position holding a dumbbell with both hands wrapped around the dumbbell handle. Brace your torso by contracting your abdominal/core muscles. Pull your shoulder blades down and back. Your head and neck should be aligned with your spine.
Maintain these engagements throughout the exercise.
Maintain these engagements throughout the exercise.
Step 2
Upward Phase: Exhale. Slowly press the dumbbell overhead. Straighten your elbows until your arms are vertical to the floor. You elbows are pointing forward and are straight but not locked. The dumbbell should be positioned directly over your head with your palms facing upwards and the dumbbell hanging vertically from your palms. Maintain your balance. Do not change the position of your head, torso, upper arms, wrists or feet.
Step 3
Downward Phase: Inhale. Bend your elbows in a slow and controlled manner, lowering the dumbbell behind your head. Do not allow the upper arms to move. Continue to bend the elbows to a 90 degree bend or until your upper arms begin to move backward. Do not make contact with the back of your head. Do not change the position of your head, torso, upper arms, wrists or feet. Slowly straighten the elbows and return to start position. Repeat.
Attempt to keep your upper arms vertical to the floor throughout the exercise and your elbows shoulder-width apart.
http://www.acefitness.org/exerciselibrary/exercises.aspx?bodypart=2
I do this 2-3 times a week and I can already see a difference in my arms. I'd say I've been at this for about 3 weeks. Happy exercising!
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Eating healthy can taste good
Italian salad
2 cups of lettuce
diced tomatoes
chopped snap peas
sliced carrots
sliced cucumbers
1 tsp of parmesean cheese
2 tsp of fat free italian dressing
pair it with some 2 cups of sliced strawberries, kiwis, and clementine oranges.
this will give you at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables and it's only like 250 calories if my math is right.
2 cups of lettuce
diced tomatoes
chopped snap peas
sliced carrots
sliced cucumbers
1 tsp of parmesean cheese
2 tsp of fat free italian dressing
pair it with some 2 cups of sliced strawberries, kiwis, and clementine oranges.
this will give you at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables and it's only like 250 calories if my math is right.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Are you really hungry?
It's a week night, it's been a long day and your watching some TV, relaxing from your stressful day. You suddenly want something sweet and chocolate. You see the chocolate cake sitting on your counter. You want it but you feel like you shouldn't. These feelings haven't stopped you before though. Before you grab a piece of that chocolate cake (or the entire cake) ask yourself, are you really hungry?
In a society that has an abundance of food we tend to center our lives around food. It present when we celebrate, grieve, and when we give service. This is not a bad thing. What is bad is when we do not understand hunger. We are blessed to have food at our disposal when others go to bed hungry. Hunger is virtually unknown to many people. For the first time in history the number of overweight people globally exceeds the 1.02 billion people who are undernourished and hungry. (Foss, 2011) People confuse boredom and desire for food with hunger. They are different. Learn to ask yourself am I hungry enough to eat an apple(or some type of healthy/ less desirable food)? If you answer is yes, then eat the apple. If no, then do not eat a thing you're not actually hungry.
I recently did a research paper on the relationship between stress and weight gain. I found that psychological stress can lead to overall weight gain by stimulating an increase in consumption of high fat and sweet foods. This is what we know as stress or emotional eating. Some individuals are more susceptible to stress eating than others. One study suggested that this was due to an inability to differentiate “hunger cues from emotional arousal.” People more prone to stress-related eating were less able to cope with the stress. One study illustrated that people with higher waist- hip ratio subjects were “characterized by poorer coping skills.” (Moyer, 1994) These people seemed to indicate a more helpless reaction to stress. Individuals prone to stress eating are more likely to regain weight after successful weight loss than their non-emotional eater counterparts (Moyer, 1994).
Don't freak out though. Stress will not make you gain weight if you learn to deal with it. I found a recent study illustrating that mindfulness training (a program involving yoga stretches, body scan, sitting meditation, loving kindness, and forgiveness) was "successful in increasing awareness and responsiveness, reducing anxiety and eating in response to external cues (such as: emotions or seeing food), and tended to reduce eating in response to emotions.” (Daubenmier, 2011) Mindful practices may improve the ability of people to cope with stress without using comfort food to manage stress. Mindful practices help in the reduction of stress eating which helps promote a better distribution of body fat over time. Results showed that participants who received mindfulness training stabilized their weight among those who were obese. Obese subjects who did not receive mindfulness training gained an average of 3.74 pounds (Daubenmier, 2011). This study shows that stress related eating does have a detrimental effect on weight and that it can be controlled through learning more effective coping techniques than through food.
My overall message to those of you looking to reach or maintain a healthy weight is to learn to distinguish when and why you are eating. Look to see if you can find a pattern in when you indulge in unhealthy foods. If you can identify why you are eating those foods at that time, you can find a way to stop it. Try some yoga, take a walk, or work on a new hobby if you find it's because of stress or boredom. Being healthy is about being aware of your body.
Works Cited:
Foss, Brynjar, and Sindre M. Drystad. "Stress in Obesity: Cause or Consequence?"
Medical Hypotheses 77.1 (2011): 7-10. Print.
Jennifer Daubenmier, Jean Kristeller, Frederick M. Hecht, et al., “Mindfulness
Intervention for Stress Eating to Reduce Cortisol and Abdominal Fat among Overweight
and Obese Women: An Exploratory Randomized Controlled Study,” Journal of Obesity,
vol. 2011, Article ID 651936, 13 pages, 2011. doi:10.1155/2011/651936
Moyer, A. E., C. M. Grilo, N. Cummings, L. M. Larson, and M. Rebuffé-scrive. "Stress-
induced Cortisol Response and Fat Distribution in Women." Obesity Research 2.3
(1994): 255-62. Print.
In a society that has an abundance of food we tend to center our lives around food. It present when we celebrate, grieve, and when we give service. This is not a bad thing. What is bad is when we do not understand hunger. We are blessed to have food at our disposal when others go to bed hungry. Hunger is virtually unknown to many people. For the first time in history the number of overweight people globally exceeds the 1.02 billion people who are undernourished and hungry. (Foss, 2011) People confuse boredom and desire for food with hunger. They are different. Learn to ask yourself am I hungry enough to eat an apple(or some type of healthy/ less desirable food)? If you answer is yes, then eat the apple. If no, then do not eat a thing you're not actually hungry.
I recently did a research paper on the relationship between stress and weight gain. I found that psychological stress can lead to overall weight gain by stimulating an increase in consumption of high fat and sweet foods. This is what we know as stress or emotional eating. Some individuals are more susceptible to stress eating than others. One study suggested that this was due to an inability to differentiate “hunger cues from emotional arousal.” People more prone to stress-related eating were less able to cope with the stress. One study illustrated that people with higher waist- hip ratio subjects were “characterized by poorer coping skills.” (Moyer, 1994) These people seemed to indicate a more helpless reaction to stress. Individuals prone to stress eating are more likely to regain weight after successful weight loss than their non-emotional eater counterparts (Moyer, 1994).
Don't freak out though. Stress will not make you gain weight if you learn to deal with it. I found a recent study illustrating that mindfulness training (a program involving yoga stretches, body scan, sitting meditation, loving kindness, and forgiveness) was "successful in increasing awareness and responsiveness, reducing anxiety and eating in response to external cues (such as: emotions or seeing food), and tended to reduce eating in response to emotions.” (Daubenmier, 2011) Mindful practices may improve the ability of people to cope with stress without using comfort food to manage stress. Mindful practices help in the reduction of stress eating which helps promote a better distribution of body fat over time. Results showed that participants who received mindfulness training stabilized their weight among those who were obese. Obese subjects who did not receive mindfulness training gained an average of 3.74 pounds (Daubenmier, 2011). This study shows that stress related eating does have a detrimental effect on weight and that it can be controlled through learning more effective coping techniques than through food.
My overall message to those of you looking to reach or maintain a healthy weight is to learn to distinguish when and why you are eating. Look to see if you can find a pattern in when you indulge in unhealthy foods. If you can identify why you are eating those foods at that time, you can find a way to stop it. Try some yoga, take a walk, or work on a new hobby if you find it's because of stress or boredom. Being healthy is about being aware of your body.
Works Cited:
Foss, Brynjar, and Sindre M. Drystad. "Stress in Obesity: Cause or Consequence?"
Medical Hypotheses 77.1 (2011): 7-10. Print.
Jennifer Daubenmier, Jean Kristeller, Frederick M. Hecht, et al., “Mindfulness
Intervention for Stress Eating to Reduce Cortisol and Abdominal Fat among Overweight
and Obese Women: An Exploratory Randomized Controlled Study,” Journal of Obesity,
vol. 2011, Article ID 651936, 13 pages, 2011. doi:10.1155/2011/651936
Moyer, A. E., C. M. Grilo, N. Cummings, L. M. Larson, and M. Rebuffé-scrive. "Stress-
induced Cortisol Response and Fat Distribution in Women." Obesity Research 2.3
(1994): 255-62. Print.
why i wouldn't go on the paleo/ caveman diet
A diet should be three things in order to be a good weight loss/ weight maintenance plan. It should be healthy, sustainable, and effective. I am going to use that criteria to examine the caveman style diet craze that I've been hearing so much about.
Benefits:
-get rid of simple carbs (processed foods). These are often high in calories, fat, sugar, and salt.
- reduce dairy intake. This is not bad because it reduces your fat and sugar intake. Dairy products are higher in saturated fat (the bad kind of fat) and low fat dairy products have a lot of sugar. By eliminating or reducing dairy products you are reducing a lot of calories from your diet.
- eat fruits and veggies. This is always a good thing.
- eat until you are full. This is a good guide IF you eat slowly to allow the hormone signals reach you brain to tell you that you are full. Satiety is triggered in the brain hormonally and takes 20 minutes to reach your brain. If you eat to fast then you will end up eating past the point of satiety.
Negatives:
-reduces dairy. this could be bad for your calcium levels if you don't make sure to compensate by eating lots of vegetables that have calcium.
- gets rid of grains. Whole grains are complex carbohydrates which means they are high in fiber. Fiber is very good! It helps you feel full and your body doesn't use it for fuel. This means that fiber is a free food. When foods are high in fiber you consume less calories due to it's magical ability to move the food through your digestive tract faster. Faster movement means less time for your body to absorbs calories. (You may worry that you would be deprived of nutrients this way but don't worry. With the amount of food we eat in a typical American diet it is very rare for a person to not get enough nutrients.)
Also fiber binds with low density
lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol which is the bad cholesterol. Reductions in total and LDL cholesterol in women with higher fiber intakes. (Mumford, 2010) Whole grains increase HDL cholesterol levels which is a good thing. Fiber's effect on your cholesterol does wonderful things for your heart. I wouldn't want to give that up.
Whole grains are higher in calories than fruits and vegetables so I could see maybe that is why they eliminated grains from the diet.Most foods are going to be higher calories than fruits and vegetables. I think that the fiber content and the health benefits from eating whole grains make it a food group you do not want to cut back on.
- focuses on eating a lot of meat- bad, red meats and animal sources of food are high in saturated fat which is very bad for you. High cholesterol is about the fat you eat . A diet high in saturated fats will increase you risk for hypertension, and cardiovascular Diseases. "Red
meat consumption is associated with an increased risk of total, CVD,
and cancer mortality. Substitution of other healthy protein sources for
red meat is associated with a lower mortality risk." (Pan et. al., 2012) Fish is a good choice when eating large amounts of meats due to its omega 3's.
- its premise is that a high fat, high protein, low carb diet will make you lose weight. It may be effective in the short term. I assume it's becoming popular because people are seeing results in the short term. I would like to explain that this premise is not sustainable, healthy, or effective in the long term. The way our body utilizes the 3 macronutrients (carbohydrates, fat, and protein) is key to understanding why this isn't a good idea. When we eat carbs our body has very little storage space for them so all the carbs we eat are basically just used for energy. You do store some in the form of glycogen but it's very little compared to our body's fat storing capability. Protein is not really used for fuel, it's used for amino acids and different proteins the body uses for structure and function. Fat is not typically used for fuel unless we have depleted our carbohydrates sources. So the fat we eat typically goes straight to our adipose cells (where we store fat in our body). A high fat diet equals high fat deposits in our bodies. The reason this diet works for people is because your body has to use your fat stores in order to fuel your body. Sounds good right? Well with the high fat diet you are just supplementing you fat stores whenever you eat. So after a while I imagine you would plateau or begin to gain weight again.
-this caveman diet teaches poor hunger management. http://www.cavemanpower.com/food/caveman_power_diet_stage_two.html Starving yourself is not a good idea. It leads to more binge eating. In stages 1 and 2 you are basically starving yourself all day and binging at night. "Among adolescent girls... who practiced the most extreme weight control behaviors like reducing their meal frequency and/or starvation... were more engaged in binge eating." (Akkermann, 2011)
-this caveman diet teaches poor hunger management. http://www.cavemanpower.com/food/caveman_power_diet_stage_two.html Starving yourself is not a good idea. It leads to more binge eating. In stages 1 and 2 you are basically starving yourself all day and binging at night. "Among adolescent girls... who practiced the most extreme weight control behaviors like reducing their meal frequency and/or starvation... were more engaged in binge eating." (Akkermann, 2011)
-My husband (who is forever scarred by his microbiology class) would like to point out eating with your hands can lead to you eating a lot of bacteria. Which could mean you could become violently ill. My advice is to wash and sanitize your hands if you decide to do this.
My overall review:
If you don't eat healthy this could be a way to ease yourself in. The foods they avoid eating could be a good starting place for people who need to cut out refined and processed foods. I personally would not do it and especially not for a long period of time. I love my heart and want it to work for a long time. I know there are healthier ways to drop some pounds. I especially would not follow the eating plan outlined in the three stages.
My recommendation for healthy, sustainable, and effective weight loss:
focus on plant based food. grains, fruits, veggies all are very good for you and have wonderful health benefits while they are also lower calories.
if you eat meat, eat it sparingly. As meat intake increases, risk of heart disease increases. Meat increases risk of stomach, colon, blood and lymph cancer as well.
eat slowly. You need to allow time for your brain to recognize you aren't hungry anymore.
drink water. Water has no calories which is perfect when someone is trying to reduce their calories. exercise. You will increase the gap between the calories you spend and the calories you take in. Plus you already know its good for you.
Works Cited
Akkermann, Kirsti, Kelli Hiio, Inga Villa, and Jaanus Harro. "Food Restriction Leads to Binge Eating Dependent upon the Effect of the Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor Val66Met Polymorphism." Psychiatry Research 185.1-2 (2010): 39-43. 30 Jan. 2011. Web. 16 May 2012. <http://sfx.lib.byu.edu/sfxlcl3?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&ctx_tim=2012-05-16T18%3A57%3A17IST&url_ver=Z39.88-2004&url_ctx_fmt=infofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rfr_id=info:sid/primo.exlibrisgroup.com:primo3-Article-medline&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Food%20restriction%20leads%20to%20binge%20eating%20dependent%20upon%20the%20effect%20of%20the%20brain-derived%20neurotrophic%20factor%20Val66Met%20polymorphism.&rft.jtitle=Psychiatry%20research&rft.btitle=&rft.aulast=Akkermann&rft.auinit=&rft.auinit1=&rft.auinitm=&rft.ausuffix=&rft.au=Akkermann%2C%20Kirsti&rft.aucorp=&rft.date=20110130&rft.volume=185&rft.issue=1-2&rft.part=&rft.quarter=&rft.ssn=&rft.spage=39&rft.epage=&rft.pages=39-43&rft.artnum=&rft.issn=0165-1781&rft.eissn=&rft.isbn=&rft.sici=&rft.coden=&rft_id=info:doi/&rft.object_id=&rft_dat=%3Cmedline%3E20537407%3C/medline%3E&rft.eisbn=&rft.pub=&rft.place=&rft.date=20110130&rft.edition=&rft_id=>.
Mumford, Sunni L., Enrique F. Schisterman, and Anna Maria Seiga- Riz.
"Effect of Dietary Fiber Intake on
Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels
Independent of Estradiol in Healthy Premenopausal Women." American Journal of Epidemiology 173.2 (2010): 145-46. HBLL. Web. 16 May 2012. <http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/173/2/145.full>.
Pan, An, Qi Sun, Adam Bernstein, and et. al. "Red Meat Consumption and Mortality Results From 2 Prospective Cohort Studies." Archives of Internal Medicine 172.9 (2012): 555-63. Print.
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