Ok so your fat. I'm fat. I need to lose that weight! For my health and for my self esteem.
My husband is a diabetic. Have you ever seen what happens to diabetics?? That's right they end up losing parts of their body.
Why is it that we can tell ourselves that we need to lose weight, so we don't end up like that...but yet we don't do anything about it.
My husbands blood sugar was running around 300 this week. I know he is just in his forties, but it scares me to think of what will happen if he doesn't get it under control. It scares me to think of getting it because I can't get it under control.
I found this on a diabetic website....if you think that over eating isn't that bad read this.
DPP Data finds 1 in 12 "Prediabetics" Develop "Diabetic" Retinopathy
Diabetes Prevention Project data reported at the ADA 65th Annual Scientific Sessions showed that "Over three years of subsequent follow-up of 302 DPP participants, 13% of prediabetics who developed type 2 disease were found to have diabetic retinopathy, and nearly 8% of "prediabetics" also were found to have diabetic retinopathy, though they never developed diabetes per diagnostic criteria."
The diagnostic criteria used by the DPP to define "prediabetic" was a fasting plasma glucose test result that ranged between 100 and 125 mg/dl (5.5-6.9 mmol/l and/or a glucose tolerance test result showing impaired glucose tolerance: glucose tolerance test values at two hours that fell between 150 and 199 mg/dl (8.3-11 mmol/l).
This finding would suggest that prolonged exposure to post-challenge blood sugars over 150 mg/dl are highly dangerous to your retina, with or without a diabetes diagnosis, but even more so with a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. Follow this link to read more.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Crunch in Bed
This by far has been the best tip so far that I have found for this weight loss endeavor. How easy is it crunch in bed?
Chips....pretzels...popcorn..even healthy foods like carrots, celery and cucumbers can be crunched in bed!!!
JUST KIDDING!
Seriously if you put this "Crunching" into practice, it makes a huge dent in your abdomen. (see previous post)
Chips....pretzels...popcorn..even healthy foods like carrots, celery and cucumbers can be crunched in bed!!!
JUST KIDDING!
Seriously if you put this "Crunching" into practice, it makes a huge dent in your abdomen. (see previous post)
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Encouraging article for dieters!
Master Diet
Getting Started
Trying to lose, gain, or maintain your weight? Monitoring your diet for medical reasons? Maybe you are training for sports? It makes no difference why you are dieting, it is always true: Getting started is the hardest step, especially if you have never seriously dieted before. It's like learning how to eat, what to eat, how much to eat, all over again.
After eating the way you have all of your life, you find yourself faced with trying to break the hardest habit you ever had to break. To make it worse, you have to do it in a world that encourages you to do it all wrong.
It's important that you read these next few pages. You might even consider printing them so you can refer to them as you plan your diet.
You may also email me to discuss any questions you might have at: John@Masterdiet.com
- The "Mind Set" -
You have to make a conscious decision that you are going to do this, and that you will not develop a negative attitude about it.
People usually say something like, "That's great!" when you tell them you are on a diet, but they act like they are offering their condolences.
Many of us feel like we got caught and now we are being punished for being fat.
Don't fall into that trap! Training yourself in Proper Dietary Habits is like going to school/college. It is for your future good. It's like fixing something that is broken.
You should look at dieting as though you're taking a class in nutrition and collecting lab data.
Now take the computer, this program and all the resources available to you and enjoy this real life experiment. It will make you look, feel, and perform better. Don't worry about failures, don't worry about mistakes, and don't act like this is medicine. Play with it to learn about you.
Positive attitudes equal SUCESS, Negative attitudes equals FAILURE.
Learn what you can eat, not what you can't eat.
- Simplicity vs. Consistency -
Simplicity is the key to starting a diet. It is the old K.I.S.S. theory in action, (Keep It Simple Stupid). However, if I had one perfect food that would meet all of your nutritional needs and gave you the quantity required to maintain your desired body weight, and if I instructed you to eat nothing but this one food three times a day, experience has shown us that you would probably not do it.
A recent survey showed "Diet In-Consistency" among the top reasons for diet failure. The same survey showed "Diet Consistency" was among the top reasons for diet success.
There are times when simplicity is needed and other times when it is not easily tolerated. Consistency certainly can make things simpler, but it can also make things very boring.
Humans don't want variety, they need it! So what do you do? Compromise is the wrong word. What you do is carefully balance consistency with variety.
Simplicity is needed more in the beginning, when you know the least, while you are still learning what to do. At that stage you are too busy learning, to be bored, besides, you are probably at your highest state of motivation then. Later, as you learn more, you can experiment and enjoy more variety without risking the success of your diet.
You can also, mix consistency and variety in the course of one day by being very consistent during one part of the day and enjoying variety in the other. For instance, you might eat the same things every morning, lunch and snack, but vary the supper meal a lot.
- Learning the Basics -
If you are like most of us, you don't want to use scales, books or charts at home every time you eat. And who can measure how much less you want to do it in public.
You can avoid all of this by simply learning how to recognize what a serving looks like. With Master Diet, once you learn what a 1/2 cup of green beans looks like on the plate, you won't have to measure it.
It's easy to learn how to estimate servings and I've found, that a little practice (in the privacy of your home) is all it takes to get pretty accurate. Then, check yourself every once in a while to keep yourself sharp.
In actuality it doesn't make a lot difference if you are a little off. Sometime you are little over, sometime a little under but overall things tend to even out.
- Relax -
Don't get all up tight about your diet. There are so many variables in the nutritional values of food that it is impossible to know exactly what you are doing anyway. Relax and enjoy your diet. If you are out eating somewhere and you don't know the size of a serving, don't panic. Take your best guess and enter it into the computer.
Although accuracy is important, it is not worth getting all upset over. Honest estimates and guesses seem to work almost as good as precise measurements.
Relax - you are dieting for your health, and your mental and emotional health is important too. Don't get excited the day you lose a whole pound or depressed the day you gain two pounds. The body works on 72 hour averages, not single events.
There is more of this article to come...Here is the link where I found this helpful information!
Getting Started
Trying to lose, gain, or maintain your weight? Monitoring your diet for medical reasons? Maybe you are training for sports? It makes no difference why you are dieting, it is always true: Getting started is the hardest step, especially if you have never seriously dieted before. It's like learning how to eat, what to eat, how much to eat, all over again.
After eating the way you have all of your life, you find yourself faced with trying to break the hardest habit you ever had to break. To make it worse, you have to do it in a world that encourages you to do it all wrong.
It's important that you read these next few pages. You might even consider printing them so you can refer to them as you plan your diet.
You may also email me to discuss any questions you might have at: John@Masterdiet.com
- The "Mind Set" -
You have to make a conscious decision that you are going to do this, and that you will not develop a negative attitude about it.
People usually say something like, "That's great!" when you tell them you are on a diet, but they act like they are offering their condolences.
Many of us feel like we got caught and now we are being punished for being fat.
Don't fall into that trap! Training yourself in Proper Dietary Habits is like going to school/college. It is for your future good. It's like fixing something that is broken.
You should look at dieting as though you're taking a class in nutrition and collecting lab data.
Now take the computer, this program and all the resources available to you and enjoy this real life experiment. It will make you look, feel, and perform better. Don't worry about failures, don't worry about mistakes, and don't act like this is medicine. Play with it to learn about you.
Positive attitudes equal SUCESS, Negative attitudes equals FAILURE.
Learn what you can eat, not what you can't eat.
- Simplicity vs. Consistency -
Simplicity is the key to starting a diet. It is the old K.I.S.S. theory in action, (Keep It Simple Stupid). However, if I had one perfect food that would meet all of your nutritional needs and gave you the quantity required to maintain your desired body weight, and if I instructed you to eat nothing but this one food three times a day, experience has shown us that you would probably not do it.
A recent survey showed "Diet In-Consistency" among the top reasons for diet failure. The same survey showed "Diet Consistency" was among the top reasons for diet success.
There are times when simplicity is needed and other times when it is not easily tolerated. Consistency certainly can make things simpler, but it can also make things very boring.
Humans don't want variety, they need it! So what do you do? Compromise is the wrong word. What you do is carefully balance consistency with variety.
Simplicity is needed more in the beginning, when you know the least, while you are still learning what to do. At that stage you are too busy learning, to be bored, besides, you are probably at your highest state of motivation then. Later, as you learn more, you can experiment and enjoy more variety without risking the success of your diet.
You can also, mix consistency and variety in the course of one day by being very consistent during one part of the day and enjoying variety in the other. For instance, you might eat the same things every morning, lunch and snack, but vary the supper meal a lot.
- Learning the Basics -
If you are like most of us, you don't want to use scales, books or charts at home every time you eat. And who can measure how much less you want to do it in public.
You can avoid all of this by simply learning how to recognize what a serving looks like. With Master Diet, once you learn what a 1/2 cup of green beans looks like on the plate, you won't have to measure it.
It's easy to learn how to estimate servings and I've found, that a little practice (in the privacy of your home) is all it takes to get pretty accurate. Then, check yourself every once in a while to keep yourself sharp.
In actuality it doesn't make a lot difference if you are a little off. Sometime you are little over, sometime a little under but overall things tend to even out.
- Relax -
Don't get all up tight about your diet. There are so many variables in the nutritional values of food that it is impossible to know exactly what you are doing anyway. Relax and enjoy your diet. If you are out eating somewhere and you don't know the size of a serving, don't panic. Take your best guess and enter it into the computer.
Although accuracy is important, it is not worth getting all upset over. Honest estimates and guesses seem to work almost as good as precise measurements.
Relax - you are dieting for your health, and your mental and emotional health is important too. Don't get excited the day you lose a whole pound or depressed the day you gain two pounds. The body works on 72 hour averages, not single events.
There is more of this article to come...Here is the link where I found this helpful information!
Friday, January 18, 2008
Blogging what I eat/ dieters don't quit!
Blogging what I eat has proven to not work. I can't get on the computer every time I stuff something into my mouth.
Harder to do than I thought. That and if the computer isn't up and running....I don't think about blogging my food choices.
Back to the diet drawing board.
I will be joining the Y-soon. We will see how that goes!
Fellow dieters....hang in there!
Harder to do than I thought. That and if the computer isn't up and running....I don't think about blogging my food choices.
Back to the diet drawing board.
I will be joining the Y-soon. We will see how that goes!
Fellow dieters....hang in there!
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
What I ate this morning
5. Become a diary dieter. Keep a daily journal of what and when you eat. It's easier to stick to goals when you are recording every nibble…and you are also less likely to scratch the whole day after one overindulgence. Review your entries from time to time to identify eating trends. Include affirming notes about goals, exercise accomplishments, etc.
Tip number 5 on my last list was a great idea! I think I will try it.
Ok...well, just to let you know this wouldn't normally be my breakfast, but my husband had to leave for work and couldn't eat his breakfast. I didn't want to waste it. So here it is
Breakfast: 3 small pancakes, margarine and syrup and a fried egg.
a cup of coffee with 2% milk. (large coffee) More to come...
Tip number 5 on my last list was a great idea! I think I will try it.
Ok...well, just to let you know this wouldn't normally be my breakfast, but my husband had to leave for work and couldn't eat his breakfast. I didn't want to waste it. So here it is
Breakfast: 3 small pancakes, margarine and syrup and a fried egg.
a cup of coffee with 2% milk. (large coffee) More to come...
Ten Tips for a Healthier New You
Ten Tips for a Healthier New You
By: Light & Tasty Magazine
Keep these easy ideas in mind when you're trying to improve the way you eat, cook and live!
1. Savor foods slowly. Not only are you more likely to overeat and neglect portion control when you are quickly shoveling in your supper, but you are also less likely to enjoy the food. Don't eat in front of the television or (even worse) standing over the sink. Instead, sit down to your meal and give the food and its flavor your full attention.
2. Eat regularly and snack often. Skipping meals will most likely cause you to eat more at a later time. Healthy snacks and nutritious mini-meals not only boost your metabolism and energy, but help you keep dinner portions in tow.
3. Reconsider mealtime lineups. What constitutes a meal in your home? Meat, potatoes and bread? Does supper always involve three courses? Rethink your dinner options and get creative with menu planning. A salad that's chock-full of veggies and cubed cooked chicken, for example, is a one-dish meal that cuts back on the calories, fat and sodium often found in traditional dinners.
4. Interview yourself. When the vending machine or other tempting delights come calling, ask yourself if you are truly hungry or simply eating out of habit. If you're really hungry, address that issue with a nutritious option. If you are stressed, bored or angry, however, find a way to deal with those emotions without involving food.
5. Become a diary dieter. Keep a daily journal of what and when you eat. It's easier to stick to goals when you are recording every nibble…and you are also less likely to scratch the whole day after one overindulgence. Review your entries from time to time to identify eating trends. Include affirming notes about goals, exercise accomplishments, etc.
6. Focus on how your body feels. When it comes to weight loss, the numbers on the bathroom scale are not always motivating, so reflect on other changes that your body is experiencing. Do your clothes fit looser? Has your energy increased? Are your workouts easier? Remember these benefits when it feels like the pounds aren't coming off as quickly as you'd like.
7. Walk on by. To avoid future temptations, bypass sugary sweets and salty treats while grocery shopping. Keeping these foods out of the pantry may also help you find healthier snacking options. If you buy treats for the kids, purchase items that they enjoy but that don't interest you. Avoid buying unhealthy snacks in bulk.
8. Get moving. You may not be ready to run a marathon, but why not take a walk on your lunch break or practice some stretches or yoga positions at night? Exercise is a key component to overall well-being, so find a fitness routine you like and make it a regular part of your day.
9. Pack on the produce. Study after study verifies that a diet full of fruits and vegetables results in a healthier body, wards off disease and delays the effects of aging. Get your five servings a day by adding good-for-you produce to breakfast, lunch and dinner. Enjoy some fresh veggies for an afternoon snack and have a piece of fruit sometime after supper.
10. Fill up on fiber. Most people don't get nearly the amount of fiber they need. That's unfortunate, since fiber can lower blood pressure and cholesterol. It also reduces the risk of heart disease and diabetes, and it leaves folks feeling full and satisfied. Strive to work beans, grains and high-fiber breads and cereals into your daily menu.
These are all great tips. The key to losing weight, I believe is never giving up that focus...keep trying!
By: Light & Tasty Magazine
Keep these easy ideas in mind when you're trying to improve the way you eat, cook and live!
1. Savor foods slowly. Not only are you more likely to overeat and neglect portion control when you are quickly shoveling in your supper, but you are also less likely to enjoy the food. Don't eat in front of the television or (even worse) standing over the sink. Instead, sit down to your meal and give the food and its flavor your full attention.
2. Eat regularly and snack often. Skipping meals will most likely cause you to eat more at a later time. Healthy snacks and nutritious mini-meals not only boost your metabolism and energy, but help you keep dinner portions in tow.
3. Reconsider mealtime lineups. What constitutes a meal in your home? Meat, potatoes and bread? Does supper always involve three courses? Rethink your dinner options and get creative with menu planning. A salad that's chock-full of veggies and cubed cooked chicken, for example, is a one-dish meal that cuts back on the calories, fat and sodium often found in traditional dinners.
4. Interview yourself. When the vending machine or other tempting delights come calling, ask yourself if you are truly hungry or simply eating out of habit. If you're really hungry, address that issue with a nutritious option. If you are stressed, bored or angry, however, find a way to deal with those emotions without involving food.
5. Become a diary dieter. Keep a daily journal of what and when you eat. It's easier to stick to goals when you are recording every nibble…and you are also less likely to scratch the whole day after one overindulgence. Review your entries from time to time to identify eating trends. Include affirming notes about goals, exercise accomplishments, etc.
6. Focus on how your body feels. When it comes to weight loss, the numbers on the bathroom scale are not always motivating, so reflect on other changes that your body is experiencing. Do your clothes fit looser? Has your energy increased? Are your workouts easier? Remember these benefits when it feels like the pounds aren't coming off as quickly as you'd like.
7. Walk on by. To avoid future temptations, bypass sugary sweets and salty treats while grocery shopping. Keeping these foods out of the pantry may also help you find healthier snacking options. If you buy treats for the kids, purchase items that they enjoy but that don't interest you. Avoid buying unhealthy snacks in bulk.
8. Get moving. You may not be ready to run a marathon, but why not take a walk on your lunch break or practice some stretches or yoga positions at night? Exercise is a key component to overall well-being, so find a fitness routine you like and make it a regular part of your day.
9. Pack on the produce. Study after study verifies that a diet full of fruits and vegetables results in a healthier body, wards off disease and delays the effects of aging. Get your five servings a day by adding good-for-you produce to breakfast, lunch and dinner. Enjoy some fresh veggies for an afternoon snack and have a piece of fruit sometime after supper.
10. Fill up on fiber. Most people don't get nearly the amount of fiber they need. That's unfortunate, since fiber can lower blood pressure and cholesterol. It also reduces the risk of heart disease and diabetes, and it leaves folks feeling full and satisfied. Strive to work beans, grains and high-fiber breads and cereals into your daily menu.
These are all great tips. The key to losing weight, I believe is never giving up that focus...keep trying!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Fatty Fatty Two by Four
Ok, so here is how the diet is going. I am re-committed to doing this!
Eat when I am hungry, stop when I am full!
We are joining a gym as soon as I get a job!
I will go on more walks-in-spite of the bitter cold weather and the ice on the roads!
I will drink more water.
I will eat breakfast.
I will make healthier choices!
Have more sex (Try out the calorie Calculator and you will see what I mean!)
Eat when I am hungry, stop when I am full!
We are joining a gym as soon as I get a job!
I will go on more walks-in-spite of the bitter cold weather and the ice on the roads!
I will drink more water.
I will eat breakfast.
I will make healthier choices!
Have more sex (Try out the calorie Calculator and you will see what I mean!)
Saturday, January 12, 2008
I...Can't....breathe!!!
Asthma and Overweight Individuals
Findings from a French study published this month in the journal Allergy indicate that asthma is more difficult to control in overweight individuals than in their leaner counterparts. The study observed over 400 asthmatics, and concluded that those with a Body Mass Index of 25 or more had a significantly more difficult time gaining control of their asthma.
(Calculate your Body Mass Index)
I am breathing ok, but I have had times when I was SOB....Short of breath Not with Asthma. Could you imagine asthma making it harder to breath if you were overweight?
Check out the BMI and think about what you can do to join me in this weight loss endeavor. I wouldn't mind hearing from you. Leave a comment!
Findings from a French study published this month in the journal Allergy indicate that asthma is more difficult to control in overweight individuals than in their leaner counterparts. The study observed over 400 asthmatics, and concluded that those with a Body Mass Index of 25 or more had a significantly more difficult time gaining control of their asthma.
(Calculate your Body Mass Index)
I am breathing ok, but I have had times when I was SOB....Short of breath Not with Asthma. Could you imagine asthma making it harder to breath if you were overweight?
Check out the BMI and think about what you can do to join me in this weight loss endeavor. I wouldn't mind hearing from you. Leave a comment!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Excercise to lose that fat!
Go Baby!
Do you have to do a lot to lose weight. Not according to this article. Why is it that I like this article? Probably because it fits my lifestyle.
Daily Exercise Suggestions
"To climb steep hills requires slow pace at first."
-Shakespeare, Henry VIII. Act I. Sc. 1
Walk 10 Minutes a Day and Increase Your Fitness Level Old thinking was to work out in a sweat-filled gym for hours a day. No pain, no gain. New studies show that even short bouts of activity can increase your fitness level, especially if you're new at working out.
Park and Walk
Whenever you have an errand, park your car as far away as you can handle and walk to the store. At the mall, park at the farthest end and walk the length of the mall. Use every opportunity to walk. At the end of the day, it all adds up to better fitness.
Crunch in Bed
Before you even get out of bed in the morning, do 10 stomach crunches while lying flat on your mattress. Increase daily by one until you get up to 100. Think you'll never get there? Try it. You may eventually have to set your clock to wake up 15 minutes earlier, a small price to pay for a flatter stomach.
article source
I'll have to go back to bed to do some crunches!
Do you have to do a lot to lose weight. Not according to this article. Why is it that I like this article? Probably because it fits my lifestyle.
Daily Exercise Suggestions
"To climb steep hills requires slow pace at first."
-Shakespeare, Henry VIII. Act I. Sc. 1
Walk 10 Minutes a Day and Increase Your Fitness Level Old thinking was to work out in a sweat-filled gym for hours a day. No pain, no gain. New studies show that even short bouts of activity can increase your fitness level, especially if you're new at working out.
Park and Walk
Whenever you have an errand, park your car as far away as you can handle and walk to the store. At the mall, park at the farthest end and walk the length of the mall. Use every opportunity to walk. At the end of the day, it all adds up to better fitness.
Crunch in Bed
Before you even get out of bed in the morning, do 10 stomach crunches while lying flat on your mattress. Increase daily by one until you get up to 100. Think you'll never get there? Try it. You may eventually have to set your clock to wake up 15 minutes earlier, a small price to pay for a flatter stomach.
article source
I'll have to go back to bed to do some crunches!
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Monday, January 7, 2008
Eating before your period
Wow....I didn't know it was that time of the month already. What with the move and all. Sometimes it just slips up on you.
Last week and my horrid time I had trying not to eat-all makes sense now. :)
I don't know if other women have this problem, but I suspect that I am not alone on feeling the need to overeat right before your period. I usually gain a few pounds right before, but it drops off within the first two days.
Now I can get serious again!
Here is a little chart I found on eating tips to help stave off PMS.
Tips on controlling PMS
* Eat complex carbohydrates (such as whole grain breads, pasta and cereals), fiber and protein. Cut back on sugar and fat.
* Avoid salt for the last few days before your period to reduce bloating and fluid retention.
* Cut back on caffeine to feel less tense and irritable and to ease breast soreness.
* Cut out alcohol. Drinking it before your period can make you feel more depressed.
* Try eating up to 6 small meals a day instead of 3 larger ones.
* Get aerobic exercise. Work up to 30 minutes, 4 to 6 times a week.
* Get plenty of sleep--about 8 hours a night.
* Keep to a regular schedule of meals, bedtime and exercise.
* Try to schedule stressful events for the week after your period.
All good diet tips too. I must admit...if I had read this list last week, it would have made me mad!
Last week and my horrid time I had trying not to eat-all makes sense now. :)
I don't know if other women have this problem, but I suspect that I am not alone on feeling the need to overeat right before your period. I usually gain a few pounds right before, but it drops off within the first two days.
Now I can get serious again!
Here is a little chart I found on eating tips to help stave off PMS.
Tips on controlling PMS
* Eat complex carbohydrates (such as whole grain breads, pasta and cereals), fiber and protein. Cut back on sugar and fat.
* Avoid salt for the last few days before your period to reduce bloating and fluid retention.
* Cut back on caffeine to feel less tense and irritable and to ease breast soreness.
* Cut out alcohol. Drinking it before your period can make you feel more depressed.
* Try eating up to 6 small meals a day instead of 3 larger ones.
* Get aerobic exercise. Work up to 30 minutes, 4 to 6 times a week.
* Get plenty of sleep--about 8 hours a night.
* Keep to a regular schedule of meals, bedtime and exercise.
* Try to schedule stressful events for the week after your period.
All good diet tips too. I must admit...if I had read this list last week, it would have made me mad!
Friday, January 4, 2008
Eating Breakfast-or die?
Guess what I did today? I ate breakfast. This is just an experiment! I don't know if it will work. Ha!
I was thinking back this morning on times I have been successful in losing weight. And one of those times was when I was a faithful breakfast eater. So, with that in mind I am going to make this a new habit.
Here is my train of thought. I think that if I eat breakfast I won't be as hungry later in the day. I'll let you know how this works.
Here is an article I found on eating breakfast.
New research indicates that people who eat a healthy breakfast, such as a high-fiber cereal and fruit, actually have better health outcomes on measures such as weight gain than people who skip breakfast altogether. The study also indicates that a healthy breakfast fights diabetes, heart disease, and reduces the likelihood of stroke.
Summary:
* People who take the time to eat breakfast are leaner than people who skip it, according to this month's Harvard Men's Health Watch.
* Missing breakfast increased risk of obesity fourfold, one study showed.
* A menu of hash browns, bacon and muffins contains too much fat and salt, and fast-food breakfasts lack the fiber that can help lower the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, intestinal polyps and colon cancer.
* Pick cereal containing at least 6 grams of fiber and less than 10 grams of sugar per serving, and add nonfat milk, berries and bananas.
* Stick to toasted whole-grain or pumpernickel bread topped with trans-fat-free soft margarines or cholesterol-lowering spreads.
* Limit egg consumption; one study showed that diabetic men who ate more than one egg a day had a twofold increase in risk of heart disease.
I was thinking back this morning on times I have been successful in losing weight. And one of those times was when I was a faithful breakfast eater. So, with that in mind I am going to make this a new habit.
Here is my train of thought. I think that if I eat breakfast I won't be as hungry later in the day. I'll let you know how this works.
Here is an article I found on eating breakfast.
New research indicates that people who eat a healthy breakfast, such as a high-fiber cereal and fruit, actually have better health outcomes on measures such as weight gain than people who skip breakfast altogether. The study also indicates that a healthy breakfast fights diabetes, heart disease, and reduces the likelihood of stroke.
Summary:
* People who take the time to eat breakfast are leaner than people who skip it, according to this month's Harvard Men's Health Watch.
* Missing breakfast increased risk of obesity fourfold, one study showed.
* A menu of hash browns, bacon and muffins contains too much fat and salt, and fast-food breakfasts lack the fiber that can help lower the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, intestinal polyps and colon cancer.
* Pick cereal containing at least 6 grams of fiber and less than 10 grams of sugar per serving, and add nonfat milk, berries and bananas.
* Stick to toasted whole-grain or pumpernickel bread topped with trans-fat-free soft margarines or cholesterol-lowering spreads.
* Limit egg consumption; one study showed that diabetic men who ate more than one egg a day had a twofold increase in risk of heart disease.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Weight Loss- Low Carb
Day three: (reading this post will work only if you read it with a seriously low voice!)
I find myself drinking more water today. I am not going for lowfat dieting here. I am going to try a variety of things. Partly because I don't want to psych myself into or out of anything. Just taking it one day at a time.
I sure did like that article on stress eating though. Keeping that in mind today has helped me get a bit better control.
Here is a celeb dieting.Rihanna's Diet
As the gossip rags have pointed out, Rihanna has gotten into amazing shape for Good Girl Gone Bad. When asked about how she did it, Rihanna said:
”I like carbs, but at the end of the day, carbs are the enemy. It wasn’t so much losing weight as being fit and toned and healthy. I just didn’t feel great.
Now I’m working out and trying to eat healthy. That’s making me lose weight without even thinking about it.”
She has been working out with a trainer, counting calories, and “obsessing” over her legs she says.
About Her Low Carb Diet
Low-carbohydrate diets that cut out foods like bread and pasta work faster than low-fat diets, two new studies show. After six months, people on a low-carb diet lost more weight than those on a low-fat diet.
This low carb diet is designed to help you reduce cravings and lose weight at the fastest possible speed, it is packed with quick and easy low-carb meals, using ordinary foods.
This is an ideal weight loss plan for anyone who enjoys healthy low-carb eating and who wants to lose body fat as fast as possible.
Before starting this diet you should know:
- Eat regularly spaced meals and snacks, approximately every 4 to 5 hours, to avoid feeling famished and to keep energy levels high.
- Eliminate as much sugar as possible from your diet: soda, sweetened beverages, fruit juice, cookies, cakes, candies.
- Choose as many unprocessed foods as possible. Don't worry if you use highly processed convenience foods some of the time -- just minimize the damage as much as you can.
- Drink water between meals. If you must have flavored water, make your own. (Even sugar-free flavored water is high in artificial sweeteners, which will perpetuate your sweet tooth.) Add lemon, lime or orange slices to plain seltzer water for a refreshing taste without sugar.
- Take a daily multivitamin/mineral supplement for nutrition insurance.
Breakfast
1. Breakfast egg sandwich with egg and meat or egg and cheese, one fresh orange.
2. Protein drink (look for ones made with soy protein to promote a healthy heart).
3. Low-carb breakfast bar (look for ones with no more than 15 grams of carbohydrate and 250 to 300 calories).
Lunch
1. Grilled chicken sandwich, garden salad with 2 tablespoons low-fat salad dressing.
2. Frozen low-calorie lasagna entrée, apple.
3. Deli sandwich: Ask for 4 ounces turkey, ham or roast beef on 2 slices whole-grain bread topped with oil and vinegar or mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato; 1/2 cup three-bean salad.
Dinner
1. Grocery-store take out: 3 ounces roasted chicken, 1/2 cup pasta salad, 1 cup sliced tomatoes drizzled with balsamic vinegar, 1 cup skim milk.
2. Chinese take-out: Egg roll, 1 cup shrimp chow mein, 1/2 cup rice, tea.
3. Quick and easy stir-fry: 3 ounces chicken breast mixed with 1 cup stir-fry vegetables (use the frozen packets for the easiest prep) and 1/2 cup rice; 1 cup skim milk.
Snacks
- Half cup trail mix (1/4 cup peanuts mixed with 2 tablespoons dried fruit)
- Eight saltine crackers with 2 ounces low-fat cheddar cheese
- Low-carb snack bar (choose one between 150 and 250 calories)
- Two ounces string cheese and 1/2 cup grapes
Workout Ideas
You can't lose weight by diet alone, so...
- Boost your metabolism by weight training. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories your body will burn -- even when you're just sitting around. Learn how to create an easy and effective weight training routine.
- A diet won't replace your pot belly with a six-pack -- but this killer ab routine will!
- Find out how to fit more fitness into your busy routine.
- Still not sure where to start? Get an expert's take on walking, running, Pilates and other popular workouts that will help you shed pounds.
I find myself drinking more water today. I am not going for lowfat dieting here. I am going to try a variety of things. Partly because I don't want to psych myself into or out of anything. Just taking it one day at a time.
I sure did like that article on stress eating though. Keeping that in mind today has helped me get a bit better control.
Here is a celeb dieting.Rihanna's Diet
As the gossip rags have pointed out, Rihanna has gotten into amazing shape for Good Girl Gone Bad. When asked about how she did it, Rihanna said:
”I like carbs, but at the end of the day, carbs are the enemy. It wasn’t so much losing weight as being fit and toned and healthy. I just didn’t feel great.
Now I’m working out and trying to eat healthy. That’s making me lose weight without even thinking about it.”
She has been working out with a trainer, counting calories, and “obsessing” over her legs she says.
About Her Low Carb Diet
Low-carbohydrate diets that cut out foods like bread and pasta work faster than low-fat diets, two new studies show. After six months, people on a low-carb diet lost more weight than those on a low-fat diet.
This low carb diet is designed to help you reduce cravings and lose weight at the fastest possible speed, it is packed with quick and easy low-carb meals, using ordinary foods.
This is an ideal weight loss plan for anyone who enjoys healthy low-carb eating and who wants to lose body fat as fast as possible.
Before starting this diet you should know:
- Eat regularly spaced meals and snacks, approximately every 4 to 5 hours, to avoid feeling famished and to keep energy levels high.
- Eliminate as much sugar as possible from your diet: soda, sweetened beverages, fruit juice, cookies, cakes, candies.
- Choose as many unprocessed foods as possible. Don't worry if you use highly processed convenience foods some of the time -- just minimize the damage as much as you can.
- Drink water between meals. If you must have flavored water, make your own. (Even sugar-free flavored water is high in artificial sweeteners, which will perpetuate your sweet tooth.) Add lemon, lime or orange slices to plain seltzer water for a refreshing taste without sugar.
- Take a daily multivitamin/mineral supplement for nutrition insurance.
Breakfast
1. Breakfast egg sandwich with egg and meat or egg and cheese, one fresh orange.
2. Protein drink (look for ones made with soy protein to promote a healthy heart).
3. Low-carb breakfast bar (look for ones with no more than 15 grams of carbohydrate and 250 to 300 calories).
Lunch
1. Grilled chicken sandwich, garden salad with 2 tablespoons low-fat salad dressing.
2. Frozen low-calorie lasagna entrée, apple.
3. Deli sandwich: Ask for 4 ounces turkey, ham or roast beef on 2 slices whole-grain bread topped with oil and vinegar or mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato; 1/2 cup three-bean salad.
Dinner
1. Grocery-store take out: 3 ounces roasted chicken, 1/2 cup pasta salad, 1 cup sliced tomatoes drizzled with balsamic vinegar, 1 cup skim milk.
2. Chinese take-out: Egg roll, 1 cup shrimp chow mein, 1/2 cup rice, tea.
3. Quick and easy stir-fry: 3 ounces chicken breast mixed with 1 cup stir-fry vegetables (use the frozen packets for the easiest prep) and 1/2 cup rice; 1 cup skim milk.
Snacks
- Half cup trail mix (1/4 cup peanuts mixed with 2 tablespoons dried fruit)
- Eight saltine crackers with 2 ounces low-fat cheddar cheese
- Low-carb snack bar (choose one between 150 and 250 calories)
- Two ounces string cheese and 1/2 cup grapes
Workout Ideas
You can't lose weight by diet alone, so...
- Boost your metabolism by weight training. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories your body will burn -- even when you're just sitting around. Learn how to create an easy and effective weight training routine.
- A diet won't replace your pot belly with a six-pack -- but this killer ab routine will!
- Find out how to fit more fitness into your busy routine.
- Still not sure where to start? Get an expert's take on walking, running, Pilates and other popular workouts that will help you shed pounds.
STRESS EATING!!!!
Here is a great article that I found. Ok...so I had a stress eating day. I have been having them. We moved, it's Christmas, I need to find a job-so we can pay rent.
Top it off with getting sick, sick, sick. This article makes a lot of sense to me.
I'll have to get my husband to.....take a walk with me the next time I am stressed! :)
Stress and Eating
You crave rich foods when stress is unrelenting. And a very special and well-meaning collaboration between your brain and your body makes you do it.
By: Hara Estroff Marano
Remember that deep dive into the peanut butter in the months after 9/11? How about the incredible allure of chocolate when the seemingly last possibility for anything wonderful has just fizzled in your face? No, it's not your imagination. You really do crave rich foods when stress is unrelenting. And a very special and well-meaning collaboration between your brain and your body makes you do it.
The newly discovered body-brain partnership may shed new light on so-called atypical depression, the common variant of disorder in which sufferers eat and sleep excessively and gain weight, in contrast to garden-variety depression, marked by obvious anxiety, loss of appetite, insomnia and weight loss. Further, it may explain why antidepressants commonly cause weight gain.
We seek chocolate, ice cream or napoleans, scientists have discovered, not just because they taste good. It's actually the body's attempt to put a brake on the runaway machinery of chronic stress.
The body, it turns out, has a lot of natural wisdom in its operations. It just wasn't designed to cope with eternal stress, nor with SubZero freezers or a food shop on every corner.
Here's how the stress system works. Say you're driving on the freeway, a car cuts you off and you instantly swerve out of the way to avert disaster. For some time afterwards you're frazzled and jumpy and your heart feels like it might leap out of your chest.
When you experience sudden danger, your brain instantly signals your body to turn out a hormone called cortisol. It in turn relays the message throughout the body to mobilize you for a life-saving response. Your heart races. You become highly attentive and alert, even vigilant. Blood vessels constrict and divert the flow of blood from leisurely processes such as digestion to fast-acting muscles. Metabolism shifts too, and energy is made rapidly available to your muscles, readying them for action.
But such emergencies don't last forever. Your stress response system has built into it the capacity to turn itself off. The stress hormone cortisol acts as its own shut-off signal. When it reaches the brain it commands the brain to cease the body's production of the hormone.
Chronic stress is another story completely, reports a team of researchers from the University of California at San Francisco. The system does not turn off. As the situations that give rise to stress endure, they keep ramping up production of cortisol. You go into an inner Code Red, marked by anxiety, vigilance, and hyperalertness. Depression is one consequence of chronic stress.
At the same time, other "nodes" of the long-term stress circuit are activated. One of them directs you to search for extremely pleasurable food, notably high-energy bundles of fat and sugar like cream puffs and chocolate bars. They become comfort foods in every sense of the word.
Left to its own devices, the long-term anxiety set off by chronic stress would deplete your energy reserves; you wouldn't survive very long. But fat- and sugar-laden foods help your body build up reserves and stay in the game of life.
"One of the functions of stress hormones is to move energy around," explains Norman Pecoraro, Ph.D, a postdoctoral fellow on the San Francisco team. The escalating levels of cortisol released in chronic stress usher the excess calories straight to your abdomen, where they get deposited as fat. By virtue of its location, abdominal fat has privileged access to the liver. That allows it to be quickly mobilized for energy.
Here's the mark of the body's brilliance. Those fat deposits are absolutely crucial. They send out some metabolic signal that feeds back to the brain, telling it to shut off the stress response. Those who eat cream puffs and chocolate are trying to give the body what it needs to dampen output from their stress system, Pecoraro says. "Eating seems to ameliorate some of the symptoms of depression, so you won't feel as anxious. This seems to be the body's way of telling the brain, 'It's OK, you can relax, you're refueled with high-energy food.'"
He finds it highly provocative that an unwanted side-effect of antidepressant drugs is obesity. Maybe it's not a side effect but the main effect. "It raises the question, what's causing the improvement in mood. Is it a direct action of the serotonin re-uptake inhibitor on the brain? Or is it an indirect action, a consequence of increased feeding induced by the drug?
His own guess is that it's a combination of things. "We're not saying that feeding is everything, but it certainly is important. It's the coin of the realm. Life just doesn't exist without energy."
The catch is, consumption of calorie-rich foods may make us feel better and function better, but it's bad for long-term health. The stresses we face today are not like the eat-or-be-eaten stresses we faced when our bodies evolved. Nowadays we're up against long-term job insecurity and romantic rejection. The stress goes on and on and we feel immobilized by it. The energy reserves do not get used up.
There's a pizza place down the street or the oversize freezer in the next room that speaks directly to your ongoing need for stress relief. You keep gaining weight around your abdomen. Unfortunately, abdominal obesity puts you at specific risk for diabetes and heart attack.
Pecoraro says the discovery of the metabolic signal from fat stores is the result of 30 years of research by Mary Dallman, Ph.D., on the stress system. The details were worked out in rats, but the findings, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, "resoundingly" apply to humans.
What's more, he says, they seem to solve the puzzle of atypical depression. The difference between atypical and typical depression may lie in the degree to which chronic stress sets off the defensive alerting system versus the appetitive system. "Atypical depression may be an attempt to self-medicate with food, to reduce the stress hormone output, with the unfortunate side effect of visceral obesity."
There is a way out, Pecoraro says. There are other ways to shut off chronic stress. There's exercise, yoga, meditation, hot baths and, yes, sex. They all stimulate the same pleasure centers in the brain that make us seek comfort food. Relaxation techniques may work even earlier in the process, by reducing the psychological perception of stress in the first place.
"In the short term, if you're chronically stressed it might be worth eating and sleeping a little more to calm down, perhaps at the expense of gaining a few pounds," says Pecoraro. "But seeking a long-term solution in comfort food—rather than fixing the source of the stress or your relationship to the source of the stress—is going to be bad for you."
Article found
Top it off with getting sick, sick, sick. This article makes a lot of sense to me.
I'll have to get my husband to.....take a walk with me the next time I am stressed! :)
Stress and Eating
You crave rich foods when stress is unrelenting. And a very special and well-meaning collaboration between your brain and your body makes you do it.
By: Hara Estroff Marano
Remember that deep dive into the peanut butter in the months after 9/11? How about the incredible allure of chocolate when the seemingly last possibility for anything wonderful has just fizzled in your face? No, it's not your imagination. You really do crave rich foods when stress is unrelenting. And a very special and well-meaning collaboration between your brain and your body makes you do it.
The newly discovered body-brain partnership may shed new light on so-called atypical depression, the common variant of disorder in which sufferers eat and sleep excessively and gain weight, in contrast to garden-variety depression, marked by obvious anxiety, loss of appetite, insomnia and weight loss. Further, it may explain why antidepressants commonly cause weight gain.
We seek chocolate, ice cream or napoleans, scientists have discovered, not just because they taste good. It's actually the body's attempt to put a brake on the runaway machinery of chronic stress.
The body, it turns out, has a lot of natural wisdom in its operations. It just wasn't designed to cope with eternal stress, nor with SubZero freezers or a food shop on every corner.
Here's how the stress system works. Say you're driving on the freeway, a car cuts you off and you instantly swerve out of the way to avert disaster. For some time afterwards you're frazzled and jumpy and your heart feels like it might leap out of your chest.
When you experience sudden danger, your brain instantly signals your body to turn out a hormone called cortisol. It in turn relays the message throughout the body to mobilize you for a life-saving response. Your heart races. You become highly attentive and alert, even vigilant. Blood vessels constrict and divert the flow of blood from leisurely processes such as digestion to fast-acting muscles. Metabolism shifts too, and energy is made rapidly available to your muscles, readying them for action.
But such emergencies don't last forever. Your stress response system has built into it the capacity to turn itself off. The stress hormone cortisol acts as its own shut-off signal. When it reaches the brain it commands the brain to cease the body's production of the hormone.
Chronic stress is another story completely, reports a team of researchers from the University of California at San Francisco. The system does not turn off. As the situations that give rise to stress endure, they keep ramping up production of cortisol. You go into an inner Code Red, marked by anxiety, vigilance, and hyperalertness. Depression is one consequence of chronic stress.
At the same time, other "nodes" of the long-term stress circuit are activated. One of them directs you to search for extremely pleasurable food, notably high-energy bundles of fat and sugar like cream puffs and chocolate bars. They become comfort foods in every sense of the word.
Left to its own devices, the long-term anxiety set off by chronic stress would deplete your energy reserves; you wouldn't survive very long. But fat- and sugar-laden foods help your body build up reserves and stay in the game of life.
"One of the functions of stress hormones is to move energy around," explains Norman Pecoraro, Ph.D, a postdoctoral fellow on the San Francisco team. The escalating levels of cortisol released in chronic stress usher the excess calories straight to your abdomen, where they get deposited as fat. By virtue of its location, abdominal fat has privileged access to the liver. That allows it to be quickly mobilized for energy.
Here's the mark of the body's brilliance. Those fat deposits are absolutely crucial. They send out some metabolic signal that feeds back to the brain, telling it to shut off the stress response. Those who eat cream puffs and chocolate are trying to give the body what it needs to dampen output from their stress system, Pecoraro says. "Eating seems to ameliorate some of the symptoms of depression, so you won't feel as anxious. This seems to be the body's way of telling the brain, 'It's OK, you can relax, you're refueled with high-energy food.'"
He finds it highly provocative that an unwanted side-effect of antidepressant drugs is obesity. Maybe it's not a side effect but the main effect. "It raises the question, what's causing the improvement in mood. Is it a direct action of the serotonin re-uptake inhibitor on the brain? Or is it an indirect action, a consequence of increased feeding induced by the drug?
His own guess is that it's a combination of things. "We're not saying that feeding is everything, but it certainly is important. It's the coin of the realm. Life just doesn't exist without energy."
The catch is, consumption of calorie-rich foods may make us feel better and function better, but it's bad for long-term health. The stresses we face today are not like the eat-or-be-eaten stresses we faced when our bodies evolved. Nowadays we're up against long-term job insecurity and romantic rejection. The stress goes on and on and we feel immobilized by it. The energy reserves do not get used up.
There's a pizza place down the street or the oversize freezer in the next room that speaks directly to your ongoing need for stress relief. You keep gaining weight around your abdomen. Unfortunately, abdominal obesity puts you at specific risk for diabetes and heart attack.
Pecoraro says the discovery of the metabolic signal from fat stores is the result of 30 years of research by Mary Dallman, Ph.D., on the stress system. The details were worked out in rats, but the findings, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, "resoundingly" apply to humans.
What's more, he says, they seem to solve the puzzle of atypical depression. The difference between atypical and typical depression may lie in the degree to which chronic stress sets off the defensive alerting system versus the appetitive system. "Atypical depression may be an attempt to self-medicate with food, to reduce the stress hormone output, with the unfortunate side effect of visceral obesity."
There is a way out, Pecoraro says. There are other ways to shut off chronic stress. There's exercise, yoga, meditation, hot baths and, yes, sex. They all stimulate the same pleasure centers in the brain that make us seek comfort food. Relaxation techniques may work even earlier in the process, by reducing the psychological perception of stress in the first place.
"In the short term, if you're chronically stressed it might be worth eating and sleeping a little more to calm down, perhaps at the expense of gaining a few pounds," says Pecoraro. "But seeking a long-term solution in comfort food—rather than fixing the source of the stress or your relationship to the source of the stress—is going to be bad for you."
Article found
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Calories Burned while at rest
Check out this website and enter your information and it will tell you how many calories you burn while resting.
http://www.shapeup.org/interactive/rmr1.php
If you want to know how many calories per hour you will burn typing check out this website.
http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/burned/calories_burned_Typing_electric_manual_or_computer.html
The only good thing about weighing more is that you will burn more calories doing these activities. Hmmmmm.....food for thought!
http://www.shapeup.org/interactive/rmr1.php
If you want to know how many calories per hour you will burn typing check out this website.
http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/burned/calories_burned_Typing_electric_manual_or_computer.html
The only good thing about weighing more is that you will burn more calories doing these activities. Hmmmmm.....food for thought!
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