Category: Healthy Diet

Balance is the Key To Long Term Weight Loss

 

If you’re alive and breathing it’s pretty difficult to get through one single day without media bombardment of the latest and greatest fad diet or workout.  While these various diets, potions, and exercise routines all boast phenomenal results, the reality is that most of these are unrealistic and next to impossible to sustain. In the worst case scenarios they can even be dangerous for your body.

Lost Weight Loss Wisdom?

 

The key to long term weight loss has been and always will  be a healthy, balanced approach. There’s nothing complicated about it and it does not require deprivation, pain, fancy shakes, eliminating whole food groups, or any other fad that’s out in the media.

However, it does require a little bit of knowledge, consistency, and planning.

Six Things to Remember to Find Balance

 

1)  Calories count.  In order to lose a pound of fat per week, a reduction of 500 calories per day is required.  A combination of exercise and adjustments to caloric intake is the most balanced approach to creating a caloric deficit. Free apps like loseit make it easy to track your daily caloric intake based on your weight loss goals.

While counting calories may seem restrictive, it’s actually empowering. If you treat calories like a bank account, knowing how much you can spend each day gives you flexibility. A great tip from celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels is to follow the 80/20 rule. Allow yourself 20% “fun calories” each day. Use the 20% for things like a glass of wine, small dessert, or any other special treat you enjoy.

2)  Meal planning. Have you heard the old saying “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail?” Planning what you will eat for the week takes the guesswork out of whether or not you are staying on track with your calorie cutting and weight loss goals. Use “light” or “low cal recipes” to keep the food choices interesting so you won’t feel deprived.

You don’t have to give up planning when eating out. Check out the menu online before you get to the restaurant. Use apps like loseit or healthy dining finder to help you evaluate menus. Choose your lower calorie meal before you arrive at the restaurant to avoid being tempted by the higher calorie choices.

Allow yourself to go for it once in awhile and forget about the calories. Have fun and don’t allow yourself to feel guilty. Simply get back on your plan the following day.

If you’re on vacation, make it your goal to not gain any weight. Use your loseit app to find out how many calories you can spend.

3)  Regular Exercise. Regular daily exercise combined with a healthy eating plan is the best recipe there is for weight loss and weight management. Shoot for 20 minutes per day of regular activity like walking, hiking, biking,swimming, etc.

5)  Leisure Time Activity. Use leisure time to relax AND burn calories. Try things like a walk on the beach, kayaking, horseback riding, walking your dog, or playing with your kids. You’ll not only feel rejuvenated, but you’ll contribute to your daily weight loss goals.

6)  Make sure your goals are realistic. You may not have the time nor the desire to do what it takes to look like a model on the cover of a health magazine. If you can’t go out to dinner once a week without “blowing” your plan, your weight loss goal will be very hard to maintain. Set a goal to reach a desired weight that allows you to look good, feel good, and enjoy yourself. Then stick to it.

Avoid letting the media or anyone else pressure you into thinking your goal isn’t good enough or that you should be comparing yourself to others. Bodies come in all shapes and sizes. What’s most important is that you are comfortable, happy, and satisfied with your own personal results.

Now, that my friend is balance!

To your health and fitness!

Jennifer

Questions or comments?  Please leave me a note below.  I love to hear from you!

 

 

Sugary Drinks and Weight Loss

What They Say — Is it True?

Everyone has heard it. Cut sugary drinks from your daily diet. It’s supposed to be a popular and effective strategy for weight loss. Just eliminate extra “liquid calories” to create the caloric deficit needed to start shedding those unwanted pounds.

But wait! There is more to it than meets the eye. Current research shows it may not just be cutting the calories that helps you lose weight. It can also have something to do with the type of sugar you are consuming! The latest research reveals that the type of sugar in your beverage could affect whether or not you feel hungry after drinking it.

What’s the Real Culprit?

 

In a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers determined that your brain processes fructose and glucose differently. Apparently, glucose helped participants to feel full — but fructose did not.

You’re probably asking “what was the reason?” The study authors discovered that the glucose drink suppressed activity in the brain that regulates appetite, motivation and reward processing. Fructose based drinks on the other hand, were associated with reduced levels of insulin — a hormone responsible for sending satiety messages to the brain.

In a nut shell, fructose in its simple form may cause you to feel hungry based on the messages that the brain is receiving, but not because you really need food.

Four ways to limit too much fructose in your diet:

 

1)  Skip the soda. Based on the study, it’s best to avoid carbonated drinks with fructose and/or high fructose corn syrup to help you stabilize your appetite and curb overeating. You’ll benefit from the caloric reduction as well!

2)  Eat whole fruit!  It’s important to know that fructose found in fruit is absorbed differently in the body due to the fleshy fiber in the fruit. Skip the juice and eat the whole apple or orange instead.

3)  Add greens to your smoothie. Most smoothies are considered healthy foods, but if you’re noticing you’re ravenous shortly after having one, consider switching the majority of the fruit in the smoothie to greens. Include protein in your smoothie to help sustain you longer.

4)  Read the labels! Sugar comes in many different forms, so make sure to read the labels on drinks before purchasing. If the packaging lists dextrose in the ingredients, that’s glucose. Sucrose is 50% glucose and 50% fructose. If’ the label says “high fructose corn syrup” skip it!

And, don’t forget to make sure to check the serving information and calories before buying. Even if it is a “better” sugar, the drink could still have more calories than you wish to consume.

The more you know about what’s in your food, the easier it gets to make healthy choices that foster weight loss!

Have a question?  Ask me by leaving a comment below.  I love to hear from you!

Blessings!

Jennifer

 

 

 

 

Eat More Vegetables for Easy Weight Loss!

 

Tired of struggling with weight loss and/or maintaining your weight? Eat a diet loaded with vegetables to cut back on calories easily and naturally! It helps you feel more satisfied physically and psychologically. It is a great strategy that curbs things like high calorie snacking, and going back for unnecessary seconds — which can sabotage your healthy eating plan.

Five Ideas for Adding More Vegetables to Your Day


1)  Add an extra serving! Reach for two servings of steamed veggies with your protein and carbohydrate. Steam two different types of vegetables for variety!

Don’t have time to go to the farmer’s market? Buy frozen organic vegetables. They’re easy to cook, usually cost less, and you don’t have to worry about them going bad!

2)  Eat more salad! Get a healthy serving of vegetables by having salad with one of your daily meals! It will keep you from overeating. Just be sure to measure the dressing carefully. Two tablespoons is usually a serving. Choose one hundred calories or less per serving when buying bottled dressings.

3)  Add veggies to your entree! When cooking at home, pick “light” recipes that are loaded with vegetables. Some ideas are pastas, rice bowls, stir-fries, hearty broth-based soups, and stews. These can be veggie rich and still give you the protein and carbohydrates you need to fuel your body properly. Sites like Cooking Light and Eating Well are good resources for recipes.

4)  Snack on them! Try cutting up veggies like  carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, snap peas, & celery for go-to snacks.  Serve them with a single serving of hummus, cheese, peanut butter, or light ranch dressing. Add a serving of pita bread or crackers to help you feel more full and get the carbs your body needs.

5)  Have them for breakfast. Try adding vegetables to your morning fare. Add spinach or last night’s leftover steamed vegetables to scrambled eggs. Or, try putting raw spinach or arugula on an egg sandwich.

Like smoothies in the morning? Try adding kale, celery, cucumber, spinach, or parsley to your blended drink. If you’re too busy to make one, check your local grocery store for smoothies with vegetables in the ingredients. (Check out my friend Christiane Marshall’s smoothie recipe below.)

A healthy eating plan loaded with vegetables is one of the easiest ways to lose weight without dieting or feeling hungry. Add regular exercise and you have the best recipe for long term weight loss there is!

To your health and fitness!

Jennifer

Ginger Snap Kale Smoothie for Two or Three (by Christiane Marshall)

 

Green smoothies are an acquired taste, so I’m sharing a recipe with lots of options! Ginger gives this smoothie a little bit of a snap, so go slowly at first. Taste test it as you go along. (The beauty of ginger is both the taste and its ability to minimize inflammation. I use a lot of it.)

Blend all together: (Chop ingredients more finely if you have a challenged blender!)

1 to 3 cups of ice or water or coconut water (to taste) See tips below.

1 cup washed and chopped organic kale (or collards — kale is sweeter)

1/2 avocado for smoothness and healthy fat

1 cup fresh ripe mango (you can also use banana) for smoothness and sweetness

1/2 organic apple

1 small piece of fresh ginger (to taste)

1/4 cup of chopped celery (and/or carrots)

a pinch of Himalayan salt

Optional: 1 Tablespoon raw almond butter (makes it more hearty)

Tips:

1. Because the water in the fruit and vegetables vary, play around with the amount of liquid. Your texture preference matters too!

2. Begin with 1 cup of water, adding as you go. Blend till smooth with the least amount of liquid to get everything through the blades, but not so little that the blending stops. Add water to taste after everything is smooth.

Enjoy!