Continued from July 30 blog…

7. Eating at the salad bar is always best   Years ago when we were encouraged to eat salads as part of healthy eating, many restaurants began to incorporate salad bars as a way to attract more patrons.  Of course they expanded beyond just salad and added things like bacon, cheeses, croutons, eggs, bread, cold cuts and all kinds of fattening items.  What started out as good nutrition has turned into a dieter’s nightmare.  High fat and high sugar dressings top the list of high calorie choices.  And while you can eat healthy at most salad bars it is going to take some real attention on your part.  You still have to eat consciously at the salad bar to avoid the high calorie foods.

8. Take the latest diet drugs  As far as a magic bullet pill – there is none.  Even if some medications are effective in curbing appetite there are side effects to consider.  Remember the Fen-phen craze of the 90’s?  That ended up with a class action lawsuit from people who suffered damage to their health.  There is no way to replace exercise, good nutrition and mental awareness as the key to losing weight and keeping it off.  Pills, shakes, frozen meals and such have been around for years.  Stop wasting your time and start living your life.

9. Carbs make you fat   New diet trends come and go but low carb eating has been a trend for several years now.  In Hollywood it’s the diet of choice.  Just make sure that you are cutting out the right carbohydrates.  White foods, like breads, cakes, pastas, rice and pretzels are OK to eliminate.  But don’t cut out most fruits and starchier veggies like carrots just because the Atkins diet does.  Learn about carbohydrates to distinguish good versus bad, complex versus simple carbs. 

10. Diet foods will help you drop pounds  Those low calorie meals in a box are not necessarily a good choice.  Some have high levels of sugar and trans fats.  Even the ones that have better ingredients are so tiny that they leave open the real chance that you’ll get hungry again and be tempted to eat more than you actually need.  Fresh, healthy food is always a better choice.

Continued from July 29 blog… 

4) Diet sodas help you lose weight   Diet soda has no nutrients whatsoever.  They are really wasted calories.  Water, dye and chemical sweetener.  Research now shows us that even though they don’t contain sugar, diet sodas can lead to overeating and binging by raising blood sugar and making us hungrier.  We always knew that regular soda was full of empty calories but now we know that diet soda is no better.  Consume it in reasonable quantities.

5) Nighttime eating makes you fat   There has been a lot of discussion about whether eating after dinner makes us gain weight.  But the verdict is still out on this issue.  There is very little substantial research that says nighttime eating will make you gain weight.  So basically it is still what you eat not when you eat it.  Although eating a large meal late at night and going right to bed may not be the best thing for you stomach.  But Europeans are known to eat late night dinners and they are half the size of most Americans.

6) Don’t weigh yourself   Years ago we were told not to weigh ourselves while on a diet because of psychological reasons.  The thinking was that slow downward movement of the scale would demoralize somebody trying to lose weight.  I totally disagree with this, as without getting weighed once a week there is nothing to gauge how well you are doing.  But I do agree that jumping on the scale all the time can be defeating.  Also don’t forget that the scale does not differentiate between fat, bone, water and muscle.  Another way to see results is to get measured every 4-6 weeks.

More diet myths to follow….

Toward a Healthier You!

The diet industry is so hyped-up with misrepresentations and outright lies about how to lose weight that it’s astonishing anyone believes their claims.  The strategy here is to get people to buy on an emotional level.  Out of sheer desperation to lose weight, a lot of consumers will try almost anything.  Short term results are highlighted and very few have anything approaching a long term success story.  The $46 billion dollar a year diet industry spends millions yearly to lure you to buy products that promise nothing but sheer misery at the end of the rainbow.  Here are some myths you should be aware of:

1) You can lose 30 pounds in 30 days. This, or any other quick fix or gimmick, is just that.  Do not fall for the promise of super-fast results as true weight loss requires lots of commitment and a lifestyle change.  A long-term healthy lifestyle does not happen overnight, it takes small changes made daily.

2) Lose weight without eating.  By not eating you will be depriving your body of  vitamins, minerals and nutrients.  If you want a healthy body you need to eat; good whole nutritious foods such as fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts and proteins. By not eating, you will begin to lose muscle mass rather than fat.  Having less muscle mass slows the metabolism.  Even though you will lose weight by fasting you will almost certainly gain it back. 

3) Do not eat fats.  For years we were told not to eat any fats because they were to blame  for all of the world’s weight problems.  We were told not to eat fats because of their high caloric count per gram. Today we know a lot more of the science of fat.  The research shows that not all fats are alike.  The truth is that, some fats, like hydrogenated oils are unhealthy and some, like olive oil, are actually good for you. Fat is a nutrient. Essential fatty acids, like vitamins cannot be made in the body. They must be eaten.

Stay tuned for more myths…

Toward a Healthier You!

Unless you are running marathons, you should be eating more proteins and not carbo-loading.  I can say with ease, that most women eat way too many simple carbohydrates such as breads, bagels, pasta, etc.  These foods store in the cells and if not worked off by aerobic activity they will stay there and that is how we gain weight.  For my money, proteins such as meats, fish, peanut butter and avocados are the way to go.  They will help you to stay alert and you certainly will not feel that bloated, sluggish feeling that we all get from eating bad carbohydrates.

Proteins have an amino acid called tyrosine, and this helps to elevate feel-good chemicals in the brain such as dopamine and nor-epinephrine.  Proteins also increase a feeling of being fuller and that can stop a binge in its tracks.  A couple of scrambled eggs for breakfast with some turkey bacon will make you feel fuller and keep you from thinking about the next meal.

Toward a Healthier You!

1) Eat smaller and more frequent meals.  Research is now telling us this is the way to go and it makes so much sense.  A large meal takes longer to digest and will make you feel tired.  Smaller meals, especially ones that are not cooked, such as fruit salads or veggie salads, are broken down quickly and used for energy in the body.  That is a good thing.

2) Get moving!  Your body was made to be active. Sitting on the couch with the remote is OK once in a while but 3-4 times a week you must get into a fitness routine.  Take a class, a nice brisk walk or do a ShapelyGirl workout!

3) Drink water, as it is great for the body’s digestion and skin. It also helps in the elimination process and that contributes to feeling and looking better.

4) Eat a variety of good foods. Do not get into a rut of eating the same foods all the time. Your body will not get smaller, fitter or healthier that way. Try to add new foods but make sure they are fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains and nuts. Make sure you get snacks in 2 times a day that are no more than 150 calories, watch out for those quick and easy snack bars.  They can be loaded with sugars.  I can’t say this enough:  Read the labels.  Anything under 10 grams of sugar should be fine.

5) If you do not already do this, take a multivitamin daily.