Thursday, February 23, 2012

Lunch

No big speech about this one.... just make sure you are eating it Every Day! I think the biggest thing is portion control.  They say eat breakfast like a queen, lunch like a princess and dinner like a pauper.  As an example: breakfast 500 calories, lunch 400, dinner 300 and snacks 300.  Also try to make sure your lunch includes some protein and fiber to give you energy for the day. Here are some healthy lunches that I have found.

  • Leftovers from dinner
  • Healthy choice meals ( I really like these because they are healthy, yummy and only 2 dollars)
  • Tuna fish sandwich on whole wheat bread 
  • Salad with lots of fruit, veggies and/or nuts (and of course fat free dressing.. try something new like poppy seed, vinaigrette, zesty italian, etc.) (also clearly you should skip the bacon bits and cheese)
  • Soup and whole wheat crackers (Just beware of the amount of sodium in the soups.. I like the light Progresso soups)
  • Sandwich with whole wheat bread, lean lunch meat, low fat cheese and low fat mayo or hummus
  • Whole wheat tortilla or pita bread with veggies, lean meat and low fat cheese
  • Peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat bread (ok occasionally)
  • Grilled cheese (whole wheat bread and low fat cheese
It is a good idea to add a side of fruit or veggies to each of these meals! I tried to make this list with common ingredients that most people like.  However there are thousands of ideas online that include more obscure ingredients if you feel like being adventurous and trying something new.  

Healthy snacks.. the key to hunger control!

The next thing we need to talk about is the importance of snacking.  Remember.. always eat before you feel hungry and stop eating before you feel full.  As the first post explained it is super important for your blood sugar to stay in a straight line all day.  When you get hungry it drops down and when you eat sugary foods it spikes up.  Keeping it in a straight level line all day will lead to your metabolism working all day and your body staying in fat burning mode!
So how do you keep it in a straight line... by never getting hungry and eating healthy! (aka healthy snacking)
So you need to be eating something every 2-3 hours throughout the day.  Here is a list of healthy snacks!
  • Fruit
  • Fat free string cheese
  • Slice of whole wheat bread with peanut butter
  • Veggies (no ranch or if you must at least fat free)
  • Nuts (almonds are really great)
  • Granola-(careful with this.. look at the sugar in it)
  • Popcorn- (not extra butter!)
  • Smoothie
  • Cored apple with peanut butter and oats or nuts
  • Low fat cottage cheese and fruit
  • Low fat yogurt (Greek yogurt is great) 
  • Hard boiled egg
  • No sugar added fruit Popsicle
  • Hummus with veggies or whole grain crackers
  • Whole wheat tortilla with low fat cheese or veggies
  • Rice cakes
  • Frozen grapes
  • Raisins
  • And many many more.. 

As always eat as slowly as you can.  Also I would suggest trying new things and new combinations.  For example next time you are at the store get a piece of fruit or a veggie that you have never tried.. you may be surprised! Variety is the spice of life:) Your body needs a variety of foods and the worst thing you could do is eat the exact same thing every day.  Also I would advise you to have the snack prepared or at least easily available.  This will keep you from skipping a snack because you don't have time to prepare it.  

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Water : Eight is Great!

Water is probably the most important thing you can give your body.  Experts have said that the average person needs 8 8oz cups of water a day!  Mild dehydration is also one of the most common causes of daytime fatigue. Here are some tips on water consumption:
  1. Drink twice as much as it takes to quench your thirst.
  2. Drink frequently throughout the day to prevent dehydration.
  3. Drink at least eight glasses daily, or one cup for every 20 pounds of body weight. For example, a 150-pound person who does not exercise or work in hot climates needs 7.5 cups
So those frequent bathroom trips are not a bad thing. The best indicator that one is drinking enough water is when urine comes out pale yellow to clear. A dark yellow color, however, is a sign your body is dehydrated and is concentrating the urine in an effort to conserve water.

Remember..  if you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated!

Also.. cold water has also proven to increase your metabolism.  so think of it this way.. the more cold water you drink the more fat your body will burn!

My suggestion is to a water bottle and figure out how many ounces are in the bottle.  Then you will know how many "water bottles" you need to drink each day.  Fill it up at night and put it in the fridge so it is cold for you first thing. Drink at least half of the water bottle within the first half hour of waking up. This will be hard at first but after a week or so your body will start to crave that water when you wake up.  Another tip to help you drink more is to put your water bottle right next to where you are working..then EVERY TIME you look up and see the bottle take a sip. When you get use to having a water bottle close by at all times it will be easier to take it with you when you run errands, drive long distances, shop, etc. Try to have water with as many meals as possible.. and make a goal today to cut out ALL soda!!!



http://www.freedrinkingwater.com/water-education/water-get-enough.htm

Great Breakfast Ideas

You should eat breakfast within an hour of waking up.  As always try to eat it slowly! As you will see in the upcoming water post it would be great if you just had water with your breakfast.  If you must have juice or milk shoot for 1% milk or a small glass of juice.  (apple juice with no sugar added or orange juice)
  • Whole grain cold cereal 
  • Whole grain toast, bagel or English muffin (skip the butter and add honey, peanut butter or 100% fruit preserves instead)
  • Fruit
  • Oatmeal - do not add any sugar!
  • Eggs
  • Fruit Smoothie with low-fat yogurt - (fruit, yogurt, ice, water)
  • Peanut Butter
  • Low fat cottage cheese
  • Pancakes or waffles (made with at least half whole-wheat flour and applesauce instead of oil) (again skip the butter and if you must have syrup make sure it's light or no sugar-added)
  • Omelet with lots of veggies
  • Granola

Breakfast..The most important meal of the day!

Breakfast is particularly important because it can increase your metabolism. A higher metabolism means that you burn more calories even when you are at rest.
During the night you don't need as much energy and your metabolism slows down. Once you wake up, your metabolism speeds up again, but without a healthy breakfast to provide the nutrients and energy your body needs, your metabolism can't sustain a higher level for long.
 
Eating breakfast can increase your metabolism by as much as 10 percent, according to MSNBC Health. This means that you burn more calories during the day and are less likely to gain weight. Eating a good breakfast also gives you more energy to get you through the morning and keeps you feeling less hungry during the rest of the day.

Sugar... your enemy!

When we eat, our body converts digestible carbohydrates into blood sugar (glucose), our main source of energy. Our blood sugar level can affect how hungry and how energetic we feel, both important factors when we are watching how we eat and exercise. It also determines whether we burn fat or store it.
Our pancreas creates a hormone called insulin that transports blood sugar into our body's cells where it is used for energy. When we eat refined grains that have had most of their fiber stripped away, sugar, or other carbohydrate-rich foods that are quickly processed into blood sugar, the pancreas goes into overtime to produce the insulin necessary for all this blood sugar to be used for energy. This insulin surge tells our body that plenty of energy is readily available and that it should stop burning fat and start storing it.
However, the greater concern with the insulin surge is not that it tells our body to start storing fat. Whatever we eat and don't burn up eventually gets turned into fat anyway.
The greater concern is that the insulin surge causes too much blood sugar to be transported out of our blood and this results in our blood sugar and insulin levels dropping below normal. This leaves us feeling tired and hungry and wanting to eat more. The unfortunate result of this scenario is that it makes us want to eat something else with a high sugar content. When we do, we start the cycle all over again.
It is also important to understand what happens when you skip a meal or go on a crash diet. When you skip a meal your metabolism slows to conserve your energy. And when you lose weight too quickly for a few days, your body thinks it is threatened with starvation and goes into survival mode. It fights to conserve your fat stores, and any weight loss comes mostly from water and muscle.
Regulating your blood sugar level is the most effective way to maintain your fat-burning capacity. Never skip a meal, especially breakfast, and eat healthy snacks between meals. Eating frequently prevents hunger pangs and the binges that follow, provides consistent energy, and may be the single most effective way to maintain metabolism efficiency.

Bottom line: Eat too much sugar and you put your body into fat-storing mode.. don't eat enough and you put your body into fat-storing mode! Solution: Eat lots of small meals that contain limited amounts of sugar.
Keep in mind that this does not just mean obvious sugar like cookies.  It includes anything that is considered a simple carb.  Here is a list of simple carbs along with a list of good carbs!

Simple (not good) Carbs

  • Table sugar
  • Corn syrup
  • Fruit juice
  • Candy
  • Cake
  • Bread made with white flour
  • Pasta made with white flour
  • Soda pop
  • Candy
  • All baked goods made with white flour
  • Most packaged cereals
  • Honey
  • Milk
  • Yogurt
  • Jam
  • Chocolate
  • Biscuit

 Complex (good) Carbs
  • Spinach
  • Grapefruit
  • Apples
  • Lettuce
  • Water Cress
  • Oat bran bread
  • Dried apricots
  • Zucchini
  • Oatmeal
  • Pears
  • Asparagus
  • Oat bran cereal
  • Plums
  • Artichokes
  • Strawberries
  • Wild rice
  • Oranges
  • Cabbage
  • Brown rice
  • Yams
  • Celery
  • Multi-grain bread
  • Carrots
  • Cucumbers
  • Pinto beans
  • Potatoes
  • Dill Pickles
  • Low fat yogurt
  • Radishes
  • Skim milk
  • Broccoli
  • Garbanzo beans
  • Brussels
  • Sprouts
  • Cauliflower
  • Kidney beans
  • Eggplant
  • Onions


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1107314

 http://www.caloriesperhour.com/tutorial_sugar.php

Saturday, February 11, 2012

THE BEGINNING OF SOMETHING GREAT!

WELCOME TO THE BEGINNING OF A NEW LIFE! YOU ARE GOING TO FEEL BETTER PHYSICALLY, MENTALLY, EMOTIONALLY AND ADD YEARS TO YOUR LIVES! HOPEFULLY THIS BLOG CAN MOTIVATE YOU TO MAKE SOME HARD CHANGES THAT WILL LEAD TO AMAZING RESULTS! YOU CAN DO IT!!

THIS BLOG WILL CONTAIN IDEAS FOR HEALTHY MEALS AND SNACKS ALONG WITH SEVERAL WORKOUTS YOU CAN DO! IT WILL ALSO HAVE MOTIVATIONAL QUOTES AND PICTURES ALONG WITH TIPS FOR REDUCING STRESS! 

OVERALL, IT WILL BE A RESOURCE THAT WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH LOTS OF TOOLS TO FEEL BETTER!