Sneaking Health Into Your Day

If you’ve been reading my posts, you probably realize that I am not a natural exerciser. Natural couch spud is more like it. And I’m also not a naturally healthy eater — in fact, it’s something I struggle with. But in my research and interviews for the health articles I write, I’ve come across lots of ways to trick yourself and to “sneak” healthy eating habits into your day so it doesn’t feel like such a burden. Here are some that work for me.

Box it. When you order a meal at a restaurant, ask the server to pack up half the meal in a to-go box before serving you. I like to eat out at restaurants way more than I should, and this tip keeps me from chowing down on a huge meal (since we all know how big restaurant portion sizes are). I don’t do this every time, but when I do, the server looks confused at first, and then is understanding when I explain why I’m making that strange request.

Healthy-up fatty foods. If you can’t resist fatty dishes like mac and cheese and meatloaf, try bulking up the dish with good-for-you grains and veggies. These higher-fiber, higher-nutrient foods will replace some of the less healthy ingredients, and they also fill you up more so you’ll eat less. Try adding oatmeal to meatloaf, tossing shredded carrots into muffin mix, and hiding grated zucchini in casseroles. I like to add lots of finely-chopped broccoli and bell peppers to store-bought macaroni salad.

Go undercover. Feeling hunger pangs when you’re on the go is the perfect excuse to run through the drive through and gobble down a large order of fries. But if you carry your own healthy snacks, you’ll be ready when hunger hits. For example, I always carry a baggie full of unsalted raw cashews, which I buy at Trader Joe’s. Other good snacks include whole wheat pretzels, fruit like apples and bananas, and lowfat popcorn.

Pack it up.  Brian Wansink, Ph.D., author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think (Bantam 2006), and his colleagues did studies to find out if people eat more from large packages than from small ones. The researchers sent people home with either a half-pound, one-pound, or two-pound bag of M&Ms and some videotapes. The researchers asked for the subjects’ impression on the videos, but they were really interested in whether the size of the bag influenced what they ate. The outcome? Snackers with the one-pound bag ate twice as much as the people with the half-pound bag. Take a tip from this study and buy your snacks in single-serving sizes, or purchase big bags and portion out small servings into sandwich bags yourself. When I snack at home (my favorite is lime-flavored tortilla chips), I always put a small amount into a bowl and then put the bag away so I’m not tempted to grab more.

Take small steps. Recently, I started replacing my usual ranch salad dressing with fat-free raspberry vinaigrette. It’s such a small change, but, based on the nutrition info from the dressing packets I get at lunch, it saves me about 200 calories per salad. I’ve also stopped buttering my bread when I eat out at a certain chain restaurant that offers up big bread baskets. One tablespoon of butter has around 100 calories and 12 grams of fat — and considering how much bread I sometimes eat, that’s a lot of fat and calories! Other small steps you can take include switching from regular to fat-free mayo on your sandwiches, putting lowfat milk in your coffee instead of half-and-half, and leaving the shredded cheese, croutons, or bacon bits off your salad.

These tips have helped me cut calories without feeling the pinch. I hope they work for you, too — and of course, you can probably come up with lots of sneaky ideas on your own!

Stay healthy,

Linda

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In reality it’s my fault. I have been way off, weddings, graduations, eating out lots, not following my plan, not documenting what I eat, and not eating enough of the right foods… which still blows my mine…the concept of having to eat to lose weight. When I do not including my Designer Whey Protein powders every day I eat more junk…I know this yet I neglect myself. Then on the other hand I am like…do people who are a healthy weight have to do what I have to do to be healthy? I wish I could observe a week in the life of a healthy happy person. What they eat, how much do they exercise, how do they deal with stress, just to see how it’s done.

On the good side; we bought a camper this week and are heading out to Vermont for a weeks vacation. We really need some R & R…it’s been a tough, busy and stressful few months. I am so ready to just be with my family and enjoy the scenery.

Ok Friends, I will check in after we get back, hopefully I do not gain any more weight…some times I just want to give up and say screw it when it comes to weight loss but I can’t give up, I have to continue the quest.

Take Care,

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For the longest time, I was a breakfast person: Every morning I would make whole wheat toast with peanut butter and berries, scrambled eggs, whole wheat French toast, or multigrain blueberry-walnut pancakes.

Then, one day, I suddenly couldn’t stomach the idea of eating in the morning. And I was also too busy for lunch, so I would get up every day, skip breakfast and lunch, and not eat until around 4 pm — and then pig out on fatty foods because I was ravenous.

You’d think my weight would go down from eating one meal per day, but if anything, it went up. That’s because when we don’t eat, our body thinks it’s fasting and slows down your metabolism, so we’re burning fewer calories than usual. In addition, we tend to make up for skipping meals by overeating later in the day (like I did).

In a National Weight Control Registry study of people who have successfully lost weight and kept it off, 78% are regular breakfast eaters — so breakfast is clearly important. But what you eat is also important: According to an article in the Washington Post, recent research found that sedentary, obese women lost almost five times as much weight when they ate a big breakfast with carbs and lean protein as they did when eating a restrictive low-carbohydrate diet. The “big breakfast” included milk, three ounces of lean meat, two slices of cheese, two whole grain servings, one fat serving and one ounce of milk chocolate or candy (to help reduce cravings for sweets later in the day).

And in a study in the International Journal of Obesity, one group noshed on a bagel every morning for eight weeks while a second group had two eggs every morning for eight weeks. At the end of the study, the egg group showed a 61% greater reduction in BMI, a 65% greater weight loss, a 34% greater reduction in waist circumference, and a 16% greater reduction in percent body fat.

It’s clear from these studies that a healthy breakfast needs to have enough lean protein, fiber, and fat to keep us full until lunchtime — but all of this information isn’t much help when the thought of food in the morning makes your stomach turn. Why do some of us just not want to eat in the morning? My life coach theorized that I might be too stressed in the morning to be hungry, and the Washington Post article states that we may not feel like eating because our levels of the brain chemical serotonin are highest in the morning, which means our craving levels are at their lowest. (When serotonin levels dip during the day, cravings start.)

But whatever the reason for not wanting to eat, it’s important to have something to start off the day. I developed this recipe for an easy-to-digest smoothie that has enough protein, fat, and fiber to get me through to lunch:

Linda’s PB&J Smoothie (Makes 2 smoothies)

Add to the blender:

1 banana
2 heaping tablespoons natural peanut butter
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons ground flax seed
1 1/4 cups frozen blueberries (frozen cherries also work well if you can find them)
3 cups 1% lowfat milk (or more depending on how thick you like your smoothie)

Blend on High for 1 – 2 minutes, pour, and drink!

Are you a breakfast person? What’s your favorite healthy breakfast? If you’re one of those can’t-eat-in-the-morning people, what do you do to keep your energy up until lunchtime? Please add your opinions and experiences to the Comments below!

Stay healthy,

Linda

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Hey Biggest Loser and Designer Whey fans!

Ali Vincent is an amazing and inspirational person...

I am so EXCITED to have this opportunity to continue to share my journey with all of you.  It truly is a journey!  If I had thought of it as a destination I know that I would never have been able to create the results I did.  Some days I wake up rearing to go, others not so much.  That is why it is soooooo important to have support systems and routines in place, so when you forget why you are waking up at the crack of dawn or packing a weeks worth of snacks… there are people to remind you

So as I sit here drinking my Red Raspberry Protein 2Go (since I’m traveling) pondering how to explain what you can expect from my Blogs, I’m realizing that there might not be a ‘perfect’ way to wrap up my blogging   I just want you to realize that everyday is a new day with new opportunities.  Now I imagine that some blogs will be more inspiring than others as I travel throughout the country meeting all of you and sharing those experience here on ‘our space’ if you will and then there will probably be those that are just me sharing day to day experiences and new AW HA’s.  It’s so amazing to me the things that I know I have heard a million times over in my life and on my journey to living an active, fun filled, balanced life that I never really heard before and become AW HA moments

Also keep in mind I am just a regular girl like most of you or maybe like a friend or a sister of your’s and not a Pulitzer prize winning author.  So if smiley faces and run-on sentence’s make you kringe throughout your body, like nails on a chalkboard do for me, then please allow me this opportunity to apologize in advance as I blog like I think and talk.  Those of you who know me from the Biggest Loser or magazine/TV interviews or from meeting me throughout my travels, know that I get so excited that I often get ahead of myself   So, I am sorry and hope that being me does not prevent YOU from checking out my blog and hopefully getting helpful information or an opportunity to just smile at times.

So there you have it in a nutshell, oh and if you have any questions email them and I’ll do my best to answer them

Believe It. Be It.- Ali

Ps-  I’m in Spokane this weekend for the Woman’s Show so come down and say Hi as well as I’ll give you a Biggest Loser protein 2Go sample…. you can always find out where I’ll be on my website www.alivincent.com ( How do you make that show up in pink? instead of blue )

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Howdy Friends!

I know you cried…don’t lie…lol. This week, “Biggest Loser” touched my heart. Mike’s brother crying because of his weight. I sure can relate. I am amazed at the weight these people have lost in 15 weeks, just awesome. Like Tara said they are lucky and blessed to have this opportunity. It is really neat that we get to witness their success and see that it is possible. I know I have lost weight this week but I am not going to tell you until Monday hehehehe… but it is good friends, very good.

If you are new to this site…please take advantage of Designer Whey’s Free Healthy Diet Program. It is worth it! I can personally attest to that. Part of my eating plan I include the weight control powders along with the lite and lean powders. I love seeing my progress and seeing how many calories I ate for the day then comparing to the movement I made. If you don’t know, one pound equals 3500 calories so if you burn that amount per day you could potentially lose a pound a day! The Biggest Losers burn 7000 calories a day (not recommended with out a trainer and your doctor) that is why they can lose 10 or more pounds a week.

I am fired up again friends, determined to keep on this path to a lighter me. I hope you are too. Keep moving forward, keep making healthy choices for yourself…you are so worth it.

Take care,

Camille

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Hello Friends,

Well the detox is over. My daughter and I did not lose as much as we wanted. I lost 3 pounds and she lost 4. I am glad we did it. Due to life situations we could not follow this exact. A lesson my daughter learned that diets like this are very difficult because they do not accommodate life situations, such as funerals and track meets, after school activities, jobs etc… We did learn good things for example the more fruit we ate the less sugar cravings we had. Veggies can be filling when you eat enough. When you eat healthy you do not have acid reflux.

The lesson I am trying to teach my daughter that it is best to eat a healthy balance diet every day. A friend gave a good suggestion that our diets on a daily bases should be 80/20 ratio. Meaning 80% of our diets need to be healthy the other 20% is for healthy fats and one small treat. Making good choices every day is necessary. For example, at a funeral I attended they had a luncheon, a huge variety of unhealthy goodies to eat. I stuck to loading up on fruit and veggies, 1 turkey roll and the smallest slice of carrot cake which is good for me because normally I would have grabbed the biggest slice I could find!

I wanted to share one of my favorite dishes.

Healthy Asian Salad- Delicious and full of nutrients and antioxidants

1 bag of Broccoli slaw

1 tablespoon sesame oil

3 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon pine nuts

3 tablespoon cranraisins

½ cup chunked cucumber

¼ cup grapes cut in half

¼ cup grape tomatoes cut in half

Serves 5 or more if you add more veggies and fruit.

You can add chicken (oh grilled chicken is awesome) and have a complete meal that is healthy, full of flavors and good for you. Did you know that sesame oil lowers blood pressure and is full of antioxidants? It does it’s a good oil for you. Broccoli, cucumber and tomatoes are low in calories high in nutrients. Cranraisins are sweet and give this salad some chewiness. Rice vinegar gives this salad a little tartness. Pine nut gives some crunch and flavor. You can use raw cashews or sesame seeds as an alternative. Grapes also give a sweetness you can use strawberry, raspberry or any fruit you like. You can add red peppers that would give it a little kick. This salad can be made anyway you like it add items, omit items…be creative and colorful. Everyone I have made this for loves it…well, not my kids because their taste buds have yet to mature…lol. I make a batch and munch on it for a few days. It’s great for when you have those craving days.

Hope this find you well. Back to my healthy plan that includes my weight control powders and lite and lean drinks because I know they help me obtain my goals and they will help you as well.

Camille

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Hello Friends, 

Did you know desserts spelled backwards is stressed? LOL… I hope this finds you well. My daughter and I are going to do a detox diet for one week. She wants to do this so I am going along to support her. It can’t hurt. It’s exciting to see her excited; the one in control of the “diet”. She made the grocery list and put it all together. When you have a teen that needs to lose a few, you support her efforts. The talks about eating healthy come to mind. She feels we need to do this and make a plan. So I will comply. The plan was created by GM and the FDA. You can ‘Google it’ by searching General Motors: Weight Loss Diet Program.

I kind of chilled today. I was pretty exhausted after cleaning house for 6 hours Friday. My days have been pretty busy and I just wanted a day of not doing anything. Never works out like that. Kids…

Can you believe that the “Biggest Loser” contestants did a 13 mile run? I would love to be able to do a 13 minute run! Someone said to me that it is not reality to do the things the contestants do in everyday life. Maybe not, but it is inspiring to see people who were bigger then I am jogging, being able to go 13 miles and all the challenges they do… it amazes me and gives me hope that I can too and that it is possible. It pushes me a little further in my journey to become healthy! Knowing that, “Yes I Can” lifts me to a higher level.

I hope your weekend is great. Get out and enjoy its beauty.

Camille From Michigan

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Happy March, Friends…it’s suppose to warm up this weekend here in Michigan…Bring it on! I hope this finds you healthier then the day before. I have been thinking about patterns and realized that everything is based on a pattern. I, like a lot of Americans have lived an unhealthy pattern. If you pay attention to Bob, one of the “Biggest Loser” trainers he said to be healthy the pattern is “Fuel -> Move -> Rest. For me it was always Move -> Rest -> Fuel -> Rest some more. So I had it wrong.

Our church is having a diet and nutrition course for the next few weeks. I am learning a lot and thought I would share with you all what I have learned in just one session.

To stop cravings – eat every 3 hours small meals that include protein.

Exercise: How much and how long – You only need 30 minutes a day of cardio. Cardio is simply raising your heart rate higher then your sitting heart rate. Here is something interesting… you do not need to do 30 minutes in a row. I never seem to fit in 30 minutes a day then felt bad but if you do 3 – 10 minute work outs or even if you start out doing 5 minutes – 6 times a day that works! You can jog in place, jump rope, dance, rebound or anything that will get your heart rate above your sitting rate even… sex… LOL. OK, now run home and tell your husband its exercise time!

You need 1 hour each week strength training – it does not take very many pounds for strength. 2 – 5 pound weights is great! Carry a weight in your car and do bicep curls driving…ummm… one arm at a time! You can use soup cans or water bottles. I say use water bottles that you refill then after you are done doing reps, drink the water!

You need flexibility every day – stretching, bend touch your toes when you get out of bed, stand up from your computer. Practice flexibility anytime. Just get some stretching in wherever you can. That’s it to stay fit.

It’s best to exercise …ANYTIME! Morning does revs up your metabolism and helps keep it going all day.

The figure below is how to figure out how many calories you need to lose 1 pound a week just by your food intake. **Add exercise and you lose more!

1. Add 655 to this calculation 4.35 X Weight in Pounds
2. Add your answer to this calculation 4.7 X Height in inches
3. Subtract your answer to this calculation 4.7 X age
4. Subtract 500 calories

This equals the number of calories you need to take in each day to lose 1 pound a week. Not doing anything but this formula you could lose 52 pounds a year!

My weight is 278, Height 69 inches and I am 41
655 + 1209.3 (4.35 X 278) + 324.3 (4.7 X 69) – 192.7 (4.7 X 41) – 500 = 1495.9 calories a day. (1500 is close enough!)

To figure out how much water you need to drink a day it’s your weight divided by 2. My weigh is 278, I should be drinking 139 oz of water a day… whoa sure will be pee’n a lot! That’s over a gallon a day! That is hard to see doing but I think I will make it a goal to drink a gallon of water a day… Or lose weight so I don’t have to drink that much!

I hope this helps you with your weight loss journey. Start with figuring out your resting heart rate add a little more movement every day and before you know it you will have worked yourself up to 30 minutes of cardio a day. I will close for now…

Until next time… Camille from Michigan

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I am still working on the 3 questions from the “Best Life” Series.

I have been putting off this question. Not sure exactly why but my thought is that I did not want to make ‘goals’ to fail them…but here I go…

What are your specific health goals for 2009 and what hurdles are you concerned about for each goal?

Goals for 2009                                                            

Goal #1 Lose 50 Pounds         

Hurdles- I am my worst hurdle. Not following my eating plan, not sticking to my routines, not exercising, not believing in myself, giving up too easily, giving in to my ‘cravings’, eating mindlessly, no accountability.

Goal #2 Exercise Daily (min. 20 minutes)

Hurdles- Not taking the time, not making it a priority, not figuring out what I physically can do, not having the mindset of ’just do it’, no family support to get moving, not pushing myself, not wanting to sweat or have someone see me sweat, not wanting to be short of breath or have someone hear me out of breath, no accountability.

Goal #3 Take Time for Me

Hurdles- Kids and hubby not seeing that I need time for me and allowing it, not voicing that my family needs to know that mom counts too, not wanting to disappoint by saying, sorry I can’t do that, not demanding that time, not planning ahead that time, not setting aside that time, not even knowing what ‘taking time for me’ means.

Goal #4 Eat Healthy

Hurdles- once again…ME. I do the shopping and the meal preparing, buying ‘treats’ because the kids would want them, buying foods I know I should not have, not taking the time to read the labels, hiding ‘treats’ so kids do not eat them so I can, not being honest about how many calories I really eat, not taking the time to figure out how many calories I am eating during the day. Eating even when I am not hungry, focusing on food, worry about the next thing I will eat before I finish what I am eating at the moment, worrying about the kids being hungry, no consistent menu planning, just eating what I want when I want it, not preparing to eat healthy.

Goal #5 Get my Smart and Healthy Weight Loss Site Done

Hurdles- afraid to fail those who visit my site, not organizing all the information I have learned over the years, not sure of the direction I want to take the site, not wanting to be accountable that what I do works, not wanting to fail my own weight loss goals and having it be known, making sure I have an exact plan for those suffering like I have to follow.

Whoa… I read this like I am reading about another person. But the fact is it’s me. Why do I hold myself back? I know what to do, I know how to do it, and simply I just have to do the opposite of the hurdles.

I need to start declaring my success!

I will lose 50 pounds this year. I will follow my eating plan. I will stick to my routines. I will exercise. I believe in myself. I will not give up. I will not give in to ‘cravings’. I will be aware of what I eat. I will find some one to be accountable to. I will exercise for at least 20 minutes a day. I will take the time. I will make exercising a priority. I will challenge myself to figure out what my limits are NOT. I will get my family’s help. I will push myself, its OK to sweat, its OK to breath hard. I will find an accountability partner. I will make my needs for time to me known to my family. I do count, its OK to say no. I will plan time for me. I will figure out what ‘taking time for me’ means to me. I will shop to buy healthy foods. I will pass up the treat isle. I will read labels. I will not hide treats. I will keep track of the calories I consume. I will only eat when I am hungry. I will not focus on food.  I will let my kids tell me when they are hungry. I will learn to menu plan and stick to it. I will not just eat, I will prepare to eat healthy. I will get my website done. I will not fail those seeking help with weight loss. I will organize the information I have learned by trial and error to what works to be healthy. I will reach my weight loss goals. I will have a plan that works for people just like me. I will succeed with all my goals for 2009. I will do it!

I have to print this and tape it up and declare every day. What are your goals and hurdles for 2009?

Someone said if you want to feel whole eat whole foods. If you want to feel crappy eat crappy foods. I want to feel whole. How about you?

Camille from Michigan

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