Top 10 Weight Loss Tips

I am huge fan of queso and since I live in Texas, it’s everywhere! My cholesterol will thank me later. Last night I attempted a homemade queso. The problem with most of my cooking initiatives is that I always make recipe modifications to decrease calories. What I learned from my queso adventure is that you shouldn’t use fat free half n’ half. Much to my dismay, cheese and fat must coexist. We ended up going out for Greek food.

What is the #1 health topic I talk about? Weight loss, of course. So here are my top 10 tips. Again these are my top 10 tips. You may have other tips that worked for you. If so, please share!

10. Skip the fad diets. See my blog Fad Diets are Like False Prophets.

9. Portion control. You can enjoy pretty much any food if it’s kept within portion.  There is a difference between serving size and portion size.  The serving size is the size listed on the food label. A portion size is the amount you choose to eat. For example your portion may be 2 serving sizes. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has a great synopsis of portion vs serving sizes. 

 

8. 6 meals a day or 3 meals a day? Either one. For real, either one. The point is to be consistent. Set a pattern of eating habits. If you set up an eating schedule you are less likely to make poor choices.  Sometimes this means you eat whether you are hungry or not.

7. Journal your food for just 3 days. How do you know what to change if you don’t know what is currently happening in your diet? For just 3 days write down everything you eat and drink, include amounts and the time of day too. You can see a pattern of intake. Use a free online website like Calorie Count or My Fitness Pal to analyze your food. See the Resources page. Now you can see where to make changes and what may be holding you back.

6.  Physical activity. Research is very clear that a weight loss endeavor including physical activity is more successful long term than one that does not. Find any way you can to be physical. Don’t go for P90X today if you aren’t active right now. Start small.

5. Tell others what you are doing. Most people will want to support your journey. But if they don’t know what your plans are, they may end up tempting you. Share your goals with the people you are surrounded by the most. Allow them to help support you.

4. Create goals and action plans.  Be specific. You can weasel out of a vague goal. See my blog Failed Another Health Goal?

3. Keep it simple! Don’t worry about over complicated rules or convoluted notions on foods. The more you say you can’t have a specific food, the more you want it. You will see it everywhere. Instead of limiting food options, focus on portion sizes, variety of food groups, and overall caloric intake.

2. Protein. Make sure every balanced meal has a source of lean protein. Im talking eggs, peanut butter, chicken, fish, turkey, etc. Protein takes longer to digest and helps for slow absorption of glucose. In plain terms, it keeps you fuller for longer. You will end up eating fewer calories during the day because you are fuller. Which brings me to my last tip…

1. Calories, calories, calories! Weight loss comes down to a simple equation:

                Calories in – Calories out = Net Gain or Loss




It’s simple to state but not simple to execute, I know.  Calorie reduction and energy expenditure is key to weight loss. I am not usually a fan of intense calorie counting but you may find it helpful at first till you get the hang of it. What calorie level you should use depends on many factors including height, current weight, and amount of physical activity. I usually recommend anywhere between 1300-1800 calories for women and 1500-2000 calories for men.  I would never advise anything below 1200 calories. You cannot meet your nutrient needs below that amount.

As you can see, weight loss takes a little bit of planning which equates to time out of your busy schedule. But it is so worth it! Give yourself the best chance you can by devoting some time to it.

Today’s Verse: “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” Romans 11-12.

I am a Stress Eater. How about You?

You never know when the next stressful blow is going to hit, as I have discovered in the last two months. I never would have anticipated starting over in the city I just moved to a year ago. With a new place and a new job, life is certainly moving in a wildly different direction than originally envisioned. Don’t get me wrong. These changes are now exciting! But I first had to endure some stress. I discovered a couple of things about my eating habits during this time. It appears I have two reactions to stress depending on the stress level and duration of stress. Sounds complicated and maybe I am over thinking it. My natural inclination is to turn any situation into something related food.   

Blow off some stress with a wig party!

When faced with a low to medium level stress for an ongoing basis, I become a stress eater. You too?  My intake of restaurant food increases as my desire to cook decreases. I’m too concerned with my stress to cook at home and the fat and salt at a restaurant is oh so yummy and comforting.  Now, when the stress hits maximum peak level, it switches. I now have no desire to eat nor do I have an appetite. I lost 5 pounds that week. (This isn’t a diet I would recommend, of course.)

It really doesn’t matter if you are stressed, bored, happy, sad, or indifferent to life. Emotional eating reeks havoc on our health. The second time the Colts won the AFC championship I decided it was necessary to celebrate by indulging in some fast food. My GI tract was not celebrating with me.

Why Stress Eating is Bad

If you have ever seen The Biggest Loser on NBC, you may have picked up on a common theme. Many contestants have endured some tragedy in life. They then begin to medicate with food. The choices made during a stressful time can add to extra calories that just turn to extra weight. Or if you are bored and engage in mindless eating, you are also contributing to excess calories.

Your body creates a hormonal reaction to stress.  Cortisol is released to help us physically cope with unnerving situations. I think of cortisol as that hormone that helps me outrun bear in the woods or a wooly mammoth in the cave. It’s designed to be there during times of acute stress. When present in blood for long periods of time, cortisol will have slow long-lasting and detrimental effects. It can cause weight gain, cardiovascular disease, immune system suppression and much more. For more detailed information on the effects of cortisol, see Today’s Dietitian.

Cope without food

Hmm….what else could we do besides eat. I don’t know maybe pray? Read? Or how about exercise? Exercise is a great way to deal with stress. It helps relieve some steam while providing cardiovascular benefits and calorie burn. You could actually take your lunch break at work. My special peaceful activity is lying by the pool with a book. Whichever activity you choose doesn’t matter. The point is to let go of destructive behavior that is holding you back.

Discover what your triggers are. Find out what events will cause you to splurge on foods and develop plans to counteract them. For example, don’t keep junk food in the house. If it’s not in the house, I have to be incredibly motivated to get my shoes back on and drive the car to somewhere that has high calorie foods.  Also, try thinking of the end result of you indulgence before partaking. While trying to cover up the stress with some chocolate cake or cheese fries, we end up feeling even worse after.

What I Learned

The experience in the last two months has really opened my eyes to habits that I can improve upon. Most of all is creating a new habit that fully relies on God.

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:28-34.

I have not been good at putting this into practical use. How am I to stop worrying even when God has control? I do not think this means that we shouldn’t stress or worry about anything and just run around living careful lives.

I can think of one parallel in particular. Since I have not had a child of my own, I can only imagine what a woman in labor goes through. Is she stressed and worried about the outcome? I have no doubts. Does she however trust her doctor to guide her and help her to deliver a healthy baby? For sure! When I trust in God I know that my needs will be met, even though the situation still remains stressful. He is there as the guide through the process. “When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God I trust; I will not be afraid.” Ps 56:3-4.

Today’s Verse: "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself." Mt 6:34

Next Blog:  Farmers’ Markets and Organics. Your Food is Going Green!

Mystery Food Cures of the Bible

One day while perusing through Half Priced Books, I stumbled upon a book called Miracle Food Cures from the Bible. Being the geeky dietitian that I am, I knew I must immediately possess it. I thought I would share a few tidbits. I take this information to be more in the spirit of fun rather than scientific fact. Although the author is pretty convinced of each remedy’s effectiveness. There is not a single condition or disease that this book can’t treat or cure. Aging, ulcerative colitis, gout, or conjunctivitis? Cured….after you purchase the book.

Let’s examine a few of the fun cures.

Hair Loss No more

Forget hair club and rogaine. All you need is a little watercress. Drink a glass of watercress juice in the morning and all of your poisons will vanish.  Once your poisons are gone, you will re-grow your hair and prevent future hair loss.

Another method includes the use of rosemary. Use rosemary tea (the actual herb leaves, not the tea that is infused with rosemary) as a rinse after shampooing. Watch that bald spot disappear. But be patient since this may take months.

What can’t Wheatgrass do for you?

Wheatgrass has many abilities, as evidenced by Daniel 4:31-34. King Nebuchadnezzar is driven out and forced to eat grass like the cows. After he eats the grass, his sanity is restored. He was of course dreaming this scenario.

Wheatgrass claims to cause a loss of at least 4 pounds per week by increasing blood flow and metabolism. It also provides enzymes (don’t get me started on that..). It aids in relief from arthritis, colitis, emphysema, multiple sclerosis, and wounds.

Peppermint’s Soothing Properties

Peppermint oil can be used to relieve aches and pains around the body. This is not the first time I have heard of this. The author did not list the specific origin in the bible or other historical sources, but it aids in relief of headaches, toothaches and arthritis. Just rub the oil on the ache. Be careful to avoid sensitive areas such as the eyes.

Do you know where I can get some cheap shark cartilage?

Shark cartilage may provide the greatest benefit. It reduces and prevents the growth of tumors and cancers. Since cartilage does not possess a network of blood vessels, injecting it or taking it orally inhibits blood vessel growth in the body. While it is not meant to replace the traditional treatments it could be used in conjunction with a normal doctor’s supervised plan.

It was a fun romp through the Miracles Food Cures from the Bible. Again this was in the spirit of fun and not meant to support any of the above claims. My major concern with this book is that it is not well cited. It makes many claims and lacks evidence to support it. So while I think it is fun, I am keeping it in perspective and not consulting it as my first course of treatment.

See my related post “Pack Your Tool belt! Online Tools and Resourcesfor the Savvy Health Fanatics”

Today’s Verse: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.” Eph. 2:8-9.

Next Blog: I am stress eater. How about you?

Quick Bite: Fat Talk

(Quick bites are small snippets of info I find in between formal blogs. They could be recipes or things I find interesting.)

Have you ever stood in a circle of women only to find yourself in the middle of the competition in which everyone is trying to outdue each other with fat talk? You know, the "Oh, I wish I had your hips. Mine are way too big and make it hard to buy jeans." Or "Ugh, I feel fat in this. I'm having a fat day." It feels like a regular part of the female bonding experience. As if degrading yourself in front of others makes you grow closer to them when they respond with their own self-doubt.

The May issue of the Journal of Applied Communication Research explores fat talk and its effect on us. (Read the article here.) The authors found that participating in fat talk reflects lower body satisfaction, lower self-esteem and increased levels of depression. Then, the more you participate in fat talk, the less satisfied you are with your body, the less self-esteem you have, and the more likely you are to have mental health issues. Its a cycle. In short, talking bad about yourself, isnt good for your health!

I wonder if women in biblical times had such discussions. Call me crazy, but I suspect this is not what God had in mind for our inner (and outer)dialogue. If we to glorify God with our mouths (Ro 15:6), does engaging in fat talk accomplish that?

Do you engage in fat talk often?

Why do you think we do this?

Today's Verse: "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and Redeemer." Ps 19:14.

The Importance of Community

I wouldn’t call myself a fan of Miley Cirus. In fact, I don’t know anyone who would openly admit to being a fan of the teeny bopper. Perhaps she is too young for me. However, due to the creative marketing machine, I could name a couple of her songs. It’s sad. It’s not my fault; I am influenced by my environment. Right?  

I feel pressure all the time to eat foods I don’t want to. Someone pulled out the stash of chocolate in the office and now it’s all I can think about. I could eat chocolate or send an email. Hmmm…choices.  (See related blog “I know it’s your mom’s Easter pie but throw it out!”) Oh the influence our environment has over our lives! The communities we are involved in play a big role in the status of our physical health. 

I cannot say enough about the importance of being in a supportive environment. The people within your personal community can hinder your plan to lose weight or be healthier. Most of the time this is unintentional, but it can also be on purpose. I have known people whose spouses were less than supportive of the desired weight loss which even led to fights, at times. Research shows those individuals, who are in a supportive environment or at least have someone they know in their same situation, are far more likely to achieve and maintain their health goals. 

Some of my community

God did not intend for us to be loners on this Earth. We have an innate desire for community with others. We are also strengthened in numbers and are far more impactful when we come together for Him. “But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” 1 Cor. 12:24-26. “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them” Mt 18:20. We need each to work together to accomplish everything we were called to and so it the same with your physical health. 

One reason programs like Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig are so successful, and why people continue to return to those programs, are because the community that is created from them. Do you have a community that supports your health? Is there at least one person in your life that can serve as your accountability partner? My role as a dietitian generally isn’t to teach people how to eat. They know they should pack a healthy lunch instead of strolling through McDonald’s. Rather my role tends to be the accountability partner, someone who is supportive when others may not be. 

If you are struggling to find your healthy environment, think outside the box. Hire a professional, join a new online support group, talk with a buddy about stepping in as your accountability partner, or start one of your own! Many are in your situation and would like to join your community.  

Today's Verse:  “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” Heb 3:13.

Next Blog: Is Sugar Toxic?