Monday, January 31, 2011

The Perfectionism Trap!

Some of characteristics of a perfectionistic dieter are:
  • They typically begin a new diet on a Monday.
  • They try to speed up the process by under-eating and over-exercising.
  • They enjoy the thrill of eliminating certain foods.
  • They battle strong urges to eat unhealthy foods and skip exercise.
  • They use the words "good" or "bad" to describe certain foods and their eating behavior.
  • They fall off the wagon after just one bad night and sometimes even after just making one bad food choice.
  • They are convinced that past failed attempts were a lack of effort, or failing to stay focused.
The perfectionistic dieter typically sees great results and feels completely in control for a few weeks or months. If this is you, then you know how the bottom can fall out and how your motivation can disappear overnight.

How does the perfectionistic dieter break free of a pattern that simply doesn't work? The answer is to shift to the 80/20 approach, which means learning to make healthy choices 80% of the time. This approach leaves room in your weight loss program for both planned and surprise indulgences.


IS THIS YOU????

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Exercise For People Over 40!

Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of  room at each side.  With a 5-lb potato sack in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides, and hold them there as long as you can.  Try to reach a full minute, and then relax.  Each day you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer.

After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-lb potato sacks.

Then try 50-lb potato sacks, and then eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-lb potato sack in each hand, and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute.  (I'm at this  level.)

After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each sack.


Just had a throw a little humor on the blog!!!  ;-P

Thursday, January 27, 2011

New Product Alert!

Flatout EdgeOn Baked Flatbread Crisps - When you're looking for snack foods, "edgy" might not be at the top of the list of criteria you consider. But these zig-zaggy crackers are full of yummy grains and good-for-you omega 3s, and they taste fantastic. In Gimmemore Multigrain, Ibrakefor Four Cheese, and Gowildfer Garlic Herb, you get about 15 chips for 120 - 130 calories, 4 - 4.5g fat, 240 - 330mg sodium, 15 - 16g carbs, 5g fiber, 1g sugars, and 6g protein (PointsPlus™ value 3*). P.S. There's a Sea Salt variety, too, but it's not full of fiber and omegas like the others.
YAY!!!!

Mindy Buxton Message

Another great message from Fitness Coach, Mindy Buxton:

Greetings Fitness Friends,

Since many of us are still focused on the goals we've set for ourselves this year, I thought I'd give you a sample of what I've been discussing with my clients.  Rather than merely setting goals in terms of nouns and verbs (lose weight, get skinny, become healthy, etc...) take your goals and make a list of descriptive adjectives which describe what your goal actually means in terms of how you want to feel or what you want to experience.

What experience do you want to create by "losing weight" or "getting skinny"?  (Insert your own goal, of course!) Descriptive words that have been mentioned are: light, free, energetic, peaceful, content, balanced, easy to move, joyful, refreshing, playful, and cared for. 

Keep this list of descriptive adjectives in a place you can see them often.  Ask yourself if you're experiencing any of the listed items after your actions. 

After you eat, do you feel light?  When you get your workout in, do you feel energetic?  If you're not feeling many of the experiences on the list, you know you'll need to take different actions so you can create your goal experience.   When you do things that will create the experience you're looking for, you'll be able to successfully reach your goal. 

This process can take some of the unpleasant stress out of goals and keep you focused in the right place!  Use this strategy to get past the first 4 weeks of the new year; where many lose focus or give up on their goals because they're either too frustrated they haven't hit them yet, or they don't know how to go about setting themselves up for success!

Focus on the experience you want to create, make choices that allow you to feel that positive experience and allow yourself time to establish the new experience as your "new normal."  Next year you won't be setting that same old goal because this is the year you'll be able to achieve it!

Have a healthy and active week!


Your fitness & food coach,
Mindy

Monday, January 17, 2011

'Twas the week (or month) after Christmas....

'Twas the week after Christmas, and all through the house
Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.
The cookies I'd nibble, the eggnog I'd taste
All the holiday parties had gone to my waist.
When I got on the scales, there arose such a number!
When I walked to the store (less a walk than a lumber).
I'd remember the marvelous meals I'd prepared;
The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared...
The sweets and the fudge, the bread and the cheese
And the way I'd never said, "No thank you, please."
As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt
And prepared once again to battle the dirt...
I said to myself, as I only can "You can't spend a winter dressed like a man!"
So...away with the last of the sour cream dip,
Get rid of the cookies, every cracker and chip.
Every last bit of food that I like must be banished
'Till all the additional ounces have vanished.
I won't have a cookie, not even a lick,
I'll want only to chew on a long celery stick.
I won't have hot biscuits, or cornbread, or pie,
I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.
I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore...
But isn't that what January is for?
Unable to giggle, no longer a riot
Happy New Years to All and to All a Good Diet!!!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

25 Ridiculously Healthy Foods....and YES chocolate is one of them!

25 Ridiculously Healthy Foods

Pile your plate with these nutrition superstars

 1. Eggs

2. Greek Yogurt

3. Fat-Free Milk

4. Salmon

5. Lean Beef

6. Beans

7. Nuts

8. Edamame and Tofu

9. Oatmeal

10. Flaxseed

11. Olive Oil

12. Avocado

13. Broccoli

14. Spinach

15. Tomatoes

16. Sweet Potatoes

17. Garlic

18. Red Peppers

19. Figs

20. Blueberries

21. Asian Pears

22. Lychee

23. Apples

24. Guava

25. Dark Chocolate                        

 

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Who's on your side?

 How to pick the best support team for you 

Studies show that when a person has three or more different sources of solid support, she has a much greater chance of preventing her lost weight from creeping back. Equally important to strengthening your team is to take appropriate steps to reduce your chances of being sabotaged by close friends and family members.

Good team members are:

  • Non-Judgmental: They never judge you for your decisions.
  • Positive and Inspiring: They help you "re-frame" your setbacks and help you see how to move forward toward your goals.
  • Good Listeners: They truly listen to what you are saying.
  • Altruistic: They truly care about your success. They go out of their way to support you in reaching your goal and never do anything that sabotages your efforts.
  • Reliable: You can count on them to be there for you.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Nutrition Tips from BOB HARPER! :)


Nutrition Tips from Bob!
Healthy Pizza
It's possible to make even pizza healthy using whole grains. Start by using whole wheat dough, and then add low-fat mozzarella cheese. Top with heaps of nutrient-rich vegetables, a lean protein such as chicken or shrimp, and even some fruit. Pears, apples, and pineapple add a touch of sweetness and bring out the flavors in the veggies.

Simple Supper
Don't eat a big evening meal. A lot of people harbor the false notion that skipping a meal during the day will help them shed the pounds. However, this inevitably leads to massive binging at night. Instead, eat your bigger meals earlier in the day and progressively downsize the later it gets. Calories eaten in the morning or much more likely to be used for energy than calories eaten at night which easily go unused and are stored as fat.

Comfort Food for Stress
When we're stressed, it's easy to make poor choices for the foods we eat but here's the skinny on some real stress-reducing comfort food. Walnuts help replace stress depleted B vitamins and it's a great source of omega 3's. Also try asparagus, a natural mood lightener. Dip them in fat free yogurt for a touch more calcium. And when chocolate and only chocolate will do, go for the dark option. Dark chocolate contains anti-oxidants with the strength to fight not only cancer but heart disease.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Cookie Makeover! Healthy Oatmeal Cookies (Okay...healthier) :0)

2 c. brown sugar
2 c. white sugar
1 c. butter
1 c. pureed white beans
Beat top ingredients and then add:
4 eggs
2 t. vanilla
Add dry ingredients and beat together:
1/4 c. powdered dry milk
2 c. white flour
2-3 c. wheat flour
2 t. baking powder
5 c. oatmeal (quick or regular)
2 t. soda
1 t. salt
2 c. raisins or chocolate chips
3 c. nuts (optional)


Bake at 350 for 10 minutes on greased cookie sheet. Don’t over bake.

Our 25 best weight-loss tips from over the years

This is the time of year when many people gear up to lose weight. For the past 25 years, USA TODAY has been offering readers practical advice on how to trim down in the annual Weight-Loss Challenge series. Nutrition reporter Nanci Hellmich shares 25 of the best tips from over the years.

1. Set a realistic weight-loss goal. Most experts recommend aiming for half a pound to 2 pounds a week.
2. Keep track. Dieters who keep track of everything they eat lose twice as much weight as those who don't, research shows.
3. Motivate yourself. Get a pair of jeans or pants that are too tight and hang them in the kitchen instead of the closet to keep yourself inspired.
4. Get help from family and friends. Dieters who have support from a partner at home lose more weight than those who don't, studies show.
5. Move it to lose it. Research shows that people who do physical activities such as walking or biking for two to four hours a week during weight-loss efforts lose an extra 3 to 5 pounds over a year.
6. Pay attention to portions. A 3-ounce portion of meat, poultry or fish is about the size of the palm of your hand or a deck of cards; 1 teaspoon of butter or margarine, a standard postage stamp; a cup of cold cereal, berries or popcorn, a baseball; 4-inch pancake or waffle, the diameter of a CD.
7. Clean out your pantry and refrigerator. Get rid of the foods that sabotage your weight loss.
8. Create "a dinner deck." This would include 10 favorite quick and healthful dinners written on index cards. Each card should list the ingredients for the recipe on one side and directions for making it on the other.
9. Avoid hunger. Eat regular meals and snacks. Make sure you have some protein foods such as yogurt, tuna, beans or chicken for most meals. Some research suggests that protein helps you feel full longer.
10. Keep produce on hand. Place a bowl of vegetables such as broccoli, snap peas, cucumbers or carrot sticks in the refrigerator. You can eat them as a snack or when preparing meals to take the edge off your hunger.
11. Stock up on "impulse fruits." Keep things like grapes, clementines, small apples, small bananas and pears around the house. These foods are easy to eat without having to do much cutting and slicing.
12. Make some stealth changes. That will get everyone in the family eating healthier. Buy low-fat 1% or skim milk, low-fat cream cheese and reduced-fat cheese instead of the full-fat versions. Use them in recipes to cut the fat and calories.
13. Cut out liquid calories. Eliminate soda and sugary drinks such as sweetened iced tea, sports drinks and alcoholic beverages. Liven up the taste of water by adding lemon, lime, cucumber or mint. Choose skim and 1% milk.
14. Practice the "Rule of One." When it comes to high-calorie foods, you won't go wrong if you allow one small treat a day. That might be one cookie or a fun-sized candy bar.
15. Pace, don't race. Force yourself to eat more slowly and savor each bite.
16. Hydrate before meals. Drinking 16 ounces, or two glasses, of water before meals may help you eat less.
17. Downsize plates, bowls, glasses, silverware. Using smaller versions of your serving ware will help you eat less food naturally.
18. Adopt the motto "after 8 is too late" for snacks after dinner.
19. Buy a pedometer. Health experts recommend taking at least 10,000 steps a day, which is roughly 4 to 5 miles, depending on your stride length.
20. Treat yourself occasionally. If your chocolate craving is getting to you, try diet hot-chocolate packets. If you need a treat, go out for it or buy small prepackaged portions of ice cream bars. If you love chocolate, consider keeping bite-size pieces in the freezer.
21. Dine at a table. Eat from a plate while seated at a table. Don't eat while driving, lounging on the couch or standing at the fridge.
22. Dine out without pigging out. Figure out what you are going to eat in advance. Get salad dressing on the side. Restaurants usually put about one-quarter cup (4 tablespoons) of dressing on a salad, which is often too many calories. Best to stick with 1 to 2 tablespoons. Dip your fork into the dressing and then into the salad.
23. Get plenty of sleep. Scientists have found that sleep deprivation increases levels of a hunger hormone and decreases levels of a hormone that makes you feel full. The effects may lead to overeating and weight gain.
24. Weigh yourself regularly. That's what successful dieters and those who manage to maintain weight loss do. Some step on the scales once a week. Others do so daily.
25. Reward yourself. When you meet your incremental weight loss goals, say losing 5 pounds, treat yourself to something — but not food. Buy a CD or DVD you've been wanting or go out to a movie with a friend.

Source: USA TODAY research; nutrition bloggers: registered dietitians Dawn Jackson Blatner, Elizabeth Ward, Bonnie Taub-Dix and Keith Ayoob

Sunday, January 2, 2011

My favorite "Calorie Girl" is coming to TV!!!! YAY!!!

"Hungry Girl" is one of my favorite gals when it comes to eating healthy & low-cal recipes.   I am so excited that she will now have her own show on the cooking channel.   Many of my recipes that I post & healthy advice come from her....she is freaking awesome!   I will be tuning in to her new show....will you??

411 on Lisa Lillien aka Hungry Girl


Catch Lisa Lillien aka Hungry Girl on Cooking Channel
By January, you may resolve to focus on a little calorie cutting after an abundant and waist-increasing holiday season.  Stress not — we’ve got your back. Beginning Saturday, January 8th at 2pm (MST), Hungry Girl aka Lisa Lillien arrives on Cooking Channel…

Lisa Lillien aka Hungry Girl — What You Need To Know:
Hungry Girl – Lisa Lillien isn’t a nutritionist, she’s just hungry.  She’s obsessed with food and wants to celebrate it…while still fitting into her pants.  This apparently has struck a chord since she has about 1 million fans who get her free newsletter, with millions more who read her weekly columns on Weight Watchers and Yahoo!