Going out to eat can be tough on your healthy diet, but it doesn’t have to be a wipe out. Look online first before you go. Many restaurants have nutritional information on their websites. If they don’t, you can often find information on calorie websites, such as calorieking.com and thedailyplate.com.
If you don’t know the nutritional information, order smart by ordering grilled, steamed, or broiled entrees. Ask for your food to be prepared without added oils and get all dressings/sauces on the side. And skip the bread, appetizers, and desserts!
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Think one meal can’t be that bad? Think again!
If you eat one of these meals even one time per week, you can blow the effort you put into your diet. If you eat one of these kinds of meals more than once a week, you can load up with a ton of fat, calories, and sodium. This can lead to weight gain and health issues.
Keep in mind that the recommended DAILY allowances for a 2,000 calorie diet plan are: 65 grams fat (20 g. sat.) and 2400 milligrams sodium. Take a look at these nutrition facts and think about it the next time you place your order. [More]
One of my clients is putting careful thought into planning her exercise schedule. She wants to be sure it’s something she can stick with. In the past, she pushed herself to exercise an amount of time that was too difficult to meet with her very busy schedule. Unable to fulfill the expectations she’d placed on herself, she became discouraged. She began a downward spiral and eventually quit exercising all together.
Now she’s back and realizes that her healthy lifestyle changes need to be made in moderation. She’s determined that coming to the gym three times a week and exercising twice at home will work for her. It’s enough to help her reach her fitness goals, but it’s also a plan she feels she can stick with.
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I overheard one lady telling a friend what she eats during the day: cereal for breakfast, a cheese stick and yogurt for lunch, candy in the afternoon, fish or chicken and veggies for dinner, and candy before bed. Some of her food choices are good, but it doesn’t sound like she’s getting enough good nutrition.
Then I heard of a young man who was losing weight by only drinking fluids during the day and eating one meal at night. He certainly wasn’t getting good nutrition. Though he was dropping pounds, he wasn’t doing his body any favors by starving it all day.
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Entering my mom’s house is like entering a diet disaster zone. There are crackers and pretzels in the cupboard next to Hershey’s dark chocolate Bliss candies. Plus almonds, peanuts, and peanut butter. There’s ice cream, cookies, and muffins in the freezer. Not to mention chocolate syrup and whipped cream in the refrigerator.
I can imagine Indiana Jones with his rope and boots and machete trying to wade through a dangerous jungle. Sometimes I feel like I’m wading through a food jungle with quicksand under my feet and a trap waiting to drop over my head.
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Ready for a new ab routine? Try using a large exercise ball. They really work the core and they’re fun too! You can find them in the fitness departments of large stores (like Sears, Walmart, etc.). Look for one that has a guide on getting started.
Here’s an abdominal workout on the exercise ball to target your tummy!
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I enjoy eating healthy foods and rarely miss any of the “bad” foods I used to eat. It’s probably because I’ve found so many tasty foods to replace those old foods.
People often ask me what I eat, so I hope this list will help you find healthy foods that will become your favorites too.
Soy milk: 8th Continent Light original or vanilla (50/60 calories per cup). It’s great for making a protein shake and keeping the calories down. Blend 1 cup soy milk, 1 cup frozen strawberries, 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder.
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I always tell people how important it is to keep their kitchen stocked with plenty of healthy foods. Well, I broke my own rule.
Yesterday I ran out of lettuce – so no salads, only green beans from the freezer. Today I tried to come up with a snack, but was out of too many things. No soy milk for a protein shake, no yogurt (I’m going through Chobani withdrawal), no eggs for an egg white omelet, no berries…I mean the fridge was bare! I ended up microwaving a Weight Watchers meal and eating part of it before I left for the grocery store. Not my usual afternoon snack.
I was very happy to fill up my cart with fresh fruits and veggies, yogurt, almonds, etc. When you don’t have the right kinds of foods for healthy, weight-control eating, it’s tough. You end up eating whatever you can find, which isn’t usually the best. Fortunately I found the frozen dinner in my deep freezer (one I had gotten for my hubby – he’ll never know). It saved me from eating the oatmeal cookies my mom brought over for the kids – they have M&Ms in them
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We all know that eating right and exercising are core principles for both losing weight and maintaining a healthy body weight. What many people do not realize is how much effect sleep can have on body weight as well.
Studies have shown that people who do not get enough sleep gain more weight over time than those who sleep sufficiently!
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Tired of plain old bread? How about adding some variety to your diet with tortillas?
The key with tortillas is to carefully check the nutrition label. They can be loaded with calories! There are great options available though. Look for whole grain, low carb tortillas or wraps. Usually the calorie range will fall between 70-90 calories with 5-9 grams of fiber. They are often quite large too. So you get lots of great taste and nutrition for low calories.
Try switching your bread with tortillas to make some of these tasty sandwiches and wraps:
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For years I put up with the little toe on my right foot being pinched inside my shoe. Even when I thought I had found comfortable sneakers, after wearing them for awhile I would start to feel that pinch.
Several years ago I finally found sneakers with mesh-type fabric on the top and sides. Ahh, perfect. Now my feet can flex with movement and no more pinching. It sure makes long runs a lot more pleasant.
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Everyone knows the great benefits of exercise: heart health, muscle and bone strength, weight control, stress relief, anti-aging, and more! But even if you know the benefits, it can be hard to get into the exercise habit.
Here are 10 tips to help you make exercise a healthy habit in your life. [More]
Bananas are not usually a fruit I go for. I love berries and apples the best, but occasionally I have a super high craving for a banana.
I noticed that my banana cravings usually hit when I am tired, stressed, or irritable. So I checked out some info on the big, yellow fruit and found out they are great mood food!
Why? The serotonin and norepinephrine in bananas can boost your mood and make you feel better. The vitamin B6 calms you and helps relieve stress. The magnesium helps your body recover from fatigue. (Bananas are even said to help alleviate PMS symptoms and hangovers.)
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Imagine having a dream and you are 50 years old. There are two doors in front of you. As you walk through each door, you will be accelerated through time. You must walk through and experience each door.
On one door a sign is posted:
Chips
Burgers
Soda
Donuts
Candy
Butter
TV
Smoke
Sit
Stress
Poor Sleep
Depression
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Have you ever eaten something (that you knew wasn’t a good choice) and just sort of put it out of mind? Like it never really happened?
I know I’ve done that. Or totally minimized how bad it was…or how many calories it had. It was to easier to “forget” or “shrug off” my behavior than face reality.
Because I went against my core values concerning food and health, I felt guilty. To get rid of the guilt, I selectively forgot what I ate – or minimized how unhealthy and full of calories the food was. Or blamed the situation because someone had put ice cream in front of my face.
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In the summer we grill almost every weekend. My hubby loves Angus beef burgers. My kids love hot dogs. I often make chicken for myself, but sometimes I want a “burger” that is healthy and tasty.
Here is a recipe I put together for a lean turkey burger (watch video). Adding veggies keeps the meat moist and gives it tons of great flavor. You can also make the patties ahead and freeze them raw. This works great for when you only need one at a time – like when you need one just for you!
Turkey Garden Burgers
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Finding a healthy weight comes down to finding the correct amount of calories your body needs. Eating less than your body needs will cause weight loss. Eating more than your body needs ends up in weight gain.
If the scale is moving up, the unpleasant truth is you’re overeating.
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Why do so many people lose weight only to gain it back?
I’m sure you’ve heard it a hundred times – diets don’t work; you have to make lifestyle changes. But deep down, it is a diet.
Even if you try to convince your brain that you’re making changes for good, you are making CHANGES. These changes are uncomfortable, they are foreign, and they are mindful.
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Back in my mom’s day, pregnancy was treated almost as a sickness. Expectant moms were supposed to take it easy and were restricted from many activities. Once the baby was born, they were told to stay in bed for two weeks. Yuck.
Even ten years ago, it was unclear whether or not it was healthy to exercise during pregnancy. There were a lot of conflicting opinions. Doctor’s might have encouraged walking, but little else.
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Everyone faces difficulties differently. Some people laugh and “shrug it off” when things get tough. Others dig their heels in and work harder. Then there are those who give up.
I see this with my clients. When we are working through a difficult exercise, some will laugh and say, “Oh, man. This is tough. I can’t do it.” With some encouragement they keep going.
For those who dig in, I can see the concentration on their faces. The harder the exercise set, the harder they push. They are determined to do it.
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Are you celebrating the July 4th holiday with friends… and burgers on the grill? Well, you can have a great party and keep it healthy!
There are many options to make your menu tasty while keeping the fat and calories down. Here are some things to keep in mind.
- Meats: look for lean cuts of beef, extra lean hamburgers, skinless chicken or turkey breast, lean turkey burgers, turkey hotdogs, and soy burgers.
- Rolls: whole grain rolls offer more fiber and nutrition. If you have picky guests, you may have to offer whole grain and traditional white buns.
- Sides: instead of calorie-laden pasta salads serve fresh veggies with dip, a fruit tray, baked potatoes or baked fries, corn on the cob, and low sugar baked beans.
- Condiments: switch to low calorie, low sugar mayo, ketchup, and barbeque sauce. Try using dry spice rubs on your meats or marinating them in fat free Italian dressing. Mustard is always a good choice because it has no fat and very few calories. Use low fat cheese and nonfat sour cream.
- Dessert: let your guests choose any mix of fruits they like, put them in the blender with a scoop of nonfat vanilla frozen yogurt, and a little nonfat milk for a delicious milkshake. Or make a sundae assembly line with frozen yogurt, lite chocolate syrup, fat free Reddi Wip, and cherries.
- Drinks: you can add a ton of calories with drinks so try flavored water with lemon and lime wedges, or low cal drinks like Fuze Slenderize and Propel.
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My six-year-old son loves French fries. Every time we go out to eat, that is what he wants. He asked if I could get a fryer to make French fries at home so he could have them “all the time.”
I explained that though they taste good, French fries are not good for you. “They take a big vat of oil, make the oil really hot, and put the fries down in the oil to cook them. When they take the fries out, they have to let the oil drip off. Then they put lots of salt on them.” We talked about why too much fat is not healthy and why foods like French fries should only be treats, not regular fair.
My son’s eyes got big and he didn’t ask for a fryer again.
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