Keeping New Year's Resolutions

The other day I started the infamous topic of  New Years resolutions. Today I have some more thoughts to guide you in terms of what you may need in guidance with: planning menus, shopping, food prep, socializing, stress, physiological and psychological complications and then let's not forget the component of exercise. Where does a person even begin? Hence the importance of finding someone to help you figure out how to do all this in a sane manageable way that personally fits within your lifestyle. (Read my blog from 10/14/10 for a great story on the importance of getting help!)

If you still insist on doing it your way, then as I mentioned the other day it's important to really figure our the error of your ways once and for all and then actively change them. You may have to keep searching for ways to find your solutions but if you never give up you won't fail. Many people lose weight on their own but also lose numerous years in the process when trying so hard to find their own solutions.

When I finally got the help I needed with my emotional eating I got to the root of the problem. I became sane with food, lost the weight and kept it off for over 20 years. My wish is that all you can find your solution to your resolution this year and truly make it a Happy New You this year!

New Years Resolutions

New Year's resolutions these days ignore that this concept is a real resolve, commitment and promise to actively change something not just say you are going to do it. And that is just one of the problems why so many keep failing with keeping them.

What's that they say about the definition of insanity? - "Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results...."(or just saying you will do it. If you're not doing it how can you expect to succeed?)

If you have made the same resolution over and over and have never been able to accomplish it, it's time to figure out exactly why you haven't succeeded in the past. Find a professional really qualified to help you with it, including the maintenance! Later this week I'll give some more tips on keeping your New Years resolutions.

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays everyone! I hope you have been able to moderate your food intake without too much regret around your weight and health.
Since this is supposed to be the season of love, make it a point to love your body by choosing to respect and care for it by giving it the gift of healthy food as much as possible and to moderate the other goodies that may still be lurking  throughout your entire environment.
Today almost ends the "eating" season so set some "loving limits" for yourself with moderation and don't wait till the actual first of the year to start eating better if you have slipped off your normal healthier eating patterns. Do not allow the black and white thinking (off or on a diet) take over. Eat a nice meal tonight and continue to lean towards healthier eating through the end of the year and beyond.
I know we still have New Years to celebrate but it's still a week away. Make the next six days ahead count  and prepare yourself mentally for the rest of the year, and the rest of your life! Give yourself a real gift, the gift of optimum health and wellness.

Healthy Eating while Shopping -2

The other day I gave some tips for healthy while out shopping..today.  I'll continue today with a few more ideas.
I already mentioned the importance of a high protein breakfast and healthy snacks but I  still have to insist on reminding you again how important they are from keeping you getting overly hunger which makes you grab anything in sight and may set you up to go through a drive-through.

Eat dinner ideally before 6 or 7 pm so your body repairs itself at night rather than trying to digest food or keep you up with heartburn. If you need a night time snack stay away from highly processed treats and enjoy some fresh fruit, low-fat cheese and/or a few nuts.

And even though it's one small extra thing to do, set some accountability for yourself by keeping a food diary and weighing yourself once once a week during the holidays. It's a great way to track what you are eating and being honest with yourself.so it's not such a huge surprise come January.

Healthy Eating while Shopping - 1

The following tips can be applied any time of year but they are even more important during the holidays because eating healthier reduces stress by keeping blood sugar level lower,  maintaining energy,  keeping your immunity strong and of course managing your weight. Eating an adequate breakfast with 2 to 3 ounces of low-fat protein with a serving of fruit or complex carbohydrates is a must during the holiday season. Missing this meal automatically sets you up for overeating later.

Then consider a healthy snack later during the day, whether morning or afternoon. Make it a combination of protein and complex carbohydrate (either fruit and something with whole grain.). This will prevent you from grabbing the holiday cookies or candies that may be lurking around and keep your blood sugar stable.

Make sure you think ahead and plan out a healthy option for lunch (whether you bring it along or are eating out. Then make sure you consume it at lunch time rather than mid-afternoon when you might be more tired, hungry, vulnerable to overeating and make the wrong choices.  If you are shopping bring it along in a cooler. Bringing your own lunch, (while at work or shopping) is the best way to lower calories throughout the day. In a few days I'll continue with better eating habits while out shopping or out for the day.

Holiday Eating

Many dieters go into weekends, holidays, and vacations with what I call the "weekend mentality" or "holiday mentality." This is where all caution is throw to the wind and the word "healthy or diet" is barely acknowledged for fear of "ruining a good time." The reality is there will always be weekends, holidays, and special occasions that will taunt us with food temptations.

You can still indulge in your favorites. You have a few choices. Simply make these days maintenance days.  Enjoy your favorites a bit but honestly moderate them. Savor them and eat them very mindfully. I still like to consider a food plan more of a lifestyle not a diet you are "on and off on". Include your treats as part of your day's allotment.

Or remember there are seven days in a week. If you have 3 events in any given week pick the events or event you want to indulge in and diet the rest of the week.

Sugar and Your Immune System

As if there aren't enough reasons for not consuming huge amounts of sugar here's one more thought that some of you may not be as aware of: It depletes your immune system.

Whether your carbohydrate intake consists of plain processed sugar or just refined carbs, too much of either affects your immune system in a negative way. Here's why. Carbohydrates simply make you body PH balance more acidic. The more acidic the body is the more bacteria and viruses love you, setting you up to get sick more readily. A lot of animal products do the same. The answer is basically eat your fruits and vegetables, especially the veggies. They are being promoted more by most health authorities anyway like the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association. They are suggesting even more than the original 5 a day (although that's a great start)! They are encouraging more like 9-11 servings!

Before you say that's impossible, remember the servings of these crucial food groups are very small. A vegetable serving is 1 cup raw or a half cup of cooked. Fruits vary more in size but you can always check The Mayo Clinic's  Diabetic Exchanges for more precise amounts.

What's Really Whole Grain?

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Many people say they don’t care about eating sweets yet in the same breath say they love whole grain chips, whole wheat bread, energy bars, tortillas, and commercial cereals. Just note though, these carbs simply equal sugar in the long run too even if they state on the label they are whole grain products.


They are still easily broken down in the digestive process leaving the product with very little fiber and nutrient level left intact, even if they are "fortified" with synthetic vitamins. 

A real whole carbohydrate breaks down slowly. But the minute a food is processed in any way it is easily broken down causing blood sugar problems. We might call these foods complex carbohydrates but in reality food manufacturers are grinding them up so much they could still be considered refined even if a product says its 100% whole wheat. Better for us, yes, but still pretty refined, so go easy on these foods.

So what’s best then when it comes to consuming “good wholesome carbs?” Try all fresh vegetables, fruits, and beans/legumes. (Just watch your total portions if you are watching total carbohydrate intake.) They are rich in phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals and fiber compared to all the other so-called 100% whole grain refined products.. These are real "whole food" carbs not food found in wrappers.

Excuses for Excess Holiday Eating

It's one thing to indulge a little during the holidays but all too often it's about using it as an all out excuse to overeat.

One of the biggest excuses I hear over and over is that the holiday foods are available only at this time of year.


Actually these foods or similar ones like it, are often available throughout the entire year. (Remember special occasions and social gatherings will always be around and with it, all kinds of  unique foods).  In fact many of the holiday foods have been around already for a few weeks or longer, and they will still be available in the weeks ahead.

There are plenty of opportunities to indulge a little with your holiday favorites and still manage your weight. It might be helpful to decide just how many times do you really need to eat something to feel like you've indulged in it. I'm not talking deprivation here, just moderation. I like to use the term "loving limits" for yourself. And guess what, I bet you'll love yourself more after all the holidays for not gaining too much weight!

Shopping as a Workout?

A few weeks ago I started talking about doing things ahead of time to avoid the extra stress of the season and  keep your weight loss still a priority during this busy time of year. Today's emhasis will show you how to stay active physically while you do your holiday shopping.

Make shopping hit the mark with 10,000 steps.Where will you be shopping and what stores are you going to hit in a specific area? It should take about 90 minutes. 90 minutes will equal approximately those 10,000 steps for health benefits. It's a lot of walking, but you will have no problem if you're distracted with shopping

Pick out  4 or 5 stops on your shopping route and put a bit  more into the walking; don't just stop in each store that is placed side by side on your list. Cross the street, take the stairs up and down to another level in the mall, walk around another block and other cars a few times. Got the idea?

Omron HJ-105 Pedometer with Calorie Counter will help you get those 10,000 steps too just to make sure and it even tracks yours calories.

Good Sugar, Bad Sugar

Is there really such a thing as "good" or "bad" sugar? Well. in a nutshell, all forms of carbohydrates eventually break down into "sugar" for our bodies to use as a fuel source. However if you think of grades of gasoline it's the same thing, some are just better than others and affect your bodies differently.

Some sugars occur naturally in food, for example the lactose in milk and fructose in fruit. Or, if you look at a yogurt container you might get really confused because depending on the the kind you pick some have only the lactose and some have added teaspoons of sugar or other suspicious ingredients. So how to do you know then? You not only read the actual label but the ingredients listed on the label to check for added sugars under the names of brown sugar, raw, or invert sugar, syrup, including corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup,  malt syrup, honey, molasses, agave nectar, evaporated cane juice, and fruit juice concentrate. Anything with an "ose" at the end of the word is a tip off too.

But getting back to the more natural forms of sugar think about a strawberry. It may have fructose but it also contains numerous other healthy nutrients and fiber. The sugars in a plain strawberry are okay in moderation, since they contain other good phytonutrients.

But if something has a label nutrition label it's important to look at the entire label including the ingredient list.

Tis the Season for Sugar

Most of us know that we are a nation of over 67% overweight along with all of its associated problems. Much of it is blamed on plain old sugar and  excessive amounts of it.

According to the American Heart Association most women should consume no more than about 6 teaspoons of added sugars a day.  Men should not exceed about 9 teaspoons of the sweet stuff. This translates to about 100 calories of added sugars for women, and about 150 calories for men.

I shutter to think that a 16-ounce (2 cups) bottle of soda has about 11 teaspoons of added sugar. It’s been estimated that the the average American consumes about 22 teaspoons of added sugars a day or about 355 calories’ worth a day. The blame seems to be coming coming from sodas and other sweetened beverages (including fruit drinks), coffee "shakes," desserts, candy, and breakfast cereals. But there's more to the story of course than just liquid calories out there called big portions!

.And how do you sort it all out when it comes to naturally occurring sugar and the added white sugar? More on this later this week.

An Easy Stress Buster

I know most of the stress reducers that exist but this was a new one even  for me from Jason Garcia. And since we are getting to that time of year it might just do the trick when you are stuck in a stressful job situation. You simply hold a pencil between your teeth! Who would think?

Apparently a recent study at the University of California found most people have a set of “smile muscles” which, when activated, send signals to your brain that you are happy. In turn, your brain releases a chemical that registers happiness.

You don't even need to feel happy at the moment to create the internal response of happiness. Simply holding a pencil between your teeth can be enough to trick your brain into thinking you are happy and releasing the corresponding chemicals into your system.

My favorite easy stress buster is simple deep breathing but I’ll have to give this one a try. Any one else have anything that works as easy as these do?