A craving is as much about texture as it is about the taste. Here are a few suggestions to help you through some cravings:
Craving Potato Chips--->Reach for baby carrots...they pack a great crunch
Craving Sweet and Creamy--->Reach for Greek yogurt, pudding, hot cocoa
Craving Sweet and Crunchy--->Reach for apples or trail mix
Craving Salty and Crunchy--->Reach for baked tortilla chips, edamame with sea salt, pickles, popcorn
Craving Salty and Creamy--->Reach for string cheese, hummus, creamy peanut butter
Always remember that portion size is a factor, EVEN in the healthier choices! You can eat nothing but healthy food and still not lose weight if you eat more than your body needs! Until you have a good handle on what you need, write down what you eat, use a free online program to count your calories and make sure you know how much you need in a day too! It depends on your height, your weight, your lean muscle mass! If you would like more info just head to my Beachbody site and email me, I would love to help!
Showing posts with label healthy snacks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label healthy snacks. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Dieting vs Getting rid of bad eating habits
Dieting is one of those words that can send shivers down your spine, can make you want to turn and run the other way, and generally doesn't easily into one's regular lifestyle!
A great option is making better choices in your regular meals, planning ahead and being a little more selective with your snacking. For some I just described a diet! For others it is a simple way to change their daily plan.
Lets start with breakfast. Do you grab a bagel on the way on the door? Do you have nothing more than a cup of black coffee? Do you pick up a greasy sandwich on your way to work? If you answered yes to any of those, a few changes would really help you out!
Lay your breakfast out the day before. Easiest would be Shakeology, just mix a scoop or a package with water or milk and/or fruit and you are good to go. Oatmeal with blueberries & yogurt. Oatbran cereal with banana and milk. Whole grain waffles with blueberries, pecans and turkey bacon. Broccoli and feta omelet w whole wheat toast. The choices are endless...they just maybe require an extra 2 minutes of planning! You are worth the time aren't you? I got most of these ideas from the Beachbody Meal planner. You can plan your meals for the week, print the recipes out AND it will give you a shopping list. You can adjust the menus to fit your needs and it will tell you the nutritional servings and if they are still meeting your needs for your weight, caloric requirements, and weight loss goals (which you enter in at the beginning). Great service! Check it out here. www.beachbodycoach.com/nicolabx.
Need a few snack idea to help you get through the break between your meals:
1/4 cup almonds, celery with 1 tbsp peanut butter, apple with low fat cheese, apple with peanut butter, pear with walnuts, fruit smoothie. Shakeology shake
Try to get a bit of protein along with a complex carb to keep you feeling full and get great nutrients into your body!
I will add more ideas for lunch and dinner later! It is time for art class!
A great option is making better choices in your regular meals, planning ahead and being a little more selective with your snacking. For some I just described a diet! For others it is a simple way to change their daily plan.
Lets start with breakfast. Do you grab a bagel on the way on the door? Do you have nothing more than a cup of black coffee? Do you pick up a greasy sandwich on your way to work? If you answered yes to any of those, a few changes would really help you out!
Lay your breakfast out the day before. Easiest would be Shakeology, just mix a scoop or a package with water or milk and/or fruit and you are good to go. Oatmeal with blueberries & yogurt. Oatbran cereal with banana and milk. Whole grain waffles with blueberries, pecans and turkey bacon. Broccoli and feta omelet w whole wheat toast. The choices are endless...they just maybe require an extra 2 minutes of planning! You are worth the time aren't you? I got most of these ideas from the Beachbody Meal planner. You can plan your meals for the week, print the recipes out AND it will give you a shopping list. You can adjust the menus to fit your needs and it will tell you the nutritional servings and if they are still meeting your needs for your weight, caloric requirements, and weight loss goals (which you enter in at the beginning). Great service! Check it out here. www.beachbodycoach.com/nicolabx.
Need a few snack idea to help you get through the break between your meals:
1/4 cup almonds, celery with 1 tbsp peanut butter, apple with low fat cheese, apple with peanut butter, pear with walnuts, fruit smoothie. Shakeology shake
Try to get a bit of protein along with a complex carb to keep you feeling full and get great nutrients into your body!
I will add more ideas for lunch and dinner later! It is time for art class!
Friday, January 15, 2010
Food Journaling
Can food journaling really help you lose weight? According to a group of researchers involved in the Weight Loss Maintenance study, the answer is a resounding yes. In the study, which was conducted at four locations across the US including Johns Hopkins University and Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, nearly 1,700 overweight and obese Americans were asked to keep a daily journal of both food and exercise and attend weekly classes on healthy eating and moderate exercise. After six months, participants lost an average of 13 pounds. When researchers analyzed the data, they found that weight loss virtually doubled between those who kept a journal and those who didn’t.
According to J. Graham Thomas, Ph.D., Co-Investigator for the US-based National Weight Control Registry (which monitors the habits and behaviors of more than 5,000 individuals who have lost weight and kept it off for at least a year), “Keeping a food log ranks up there among the top three or four most important strategies people use to lose weight and keep it off.” In other words, in addition to cleaning up your diet and exercising regularly, writing down what you eat is one of the most important things you can do to lose weight and best of all, keep it off. By Jennifer Sygo, MSc, RD
We put things in our mouths without even thinking about it. A few goldfish while we dole some out for the kids. A handful of cereal while we are pouring the bowl. A sliver of dessert from someone else's plate! It is easy to think "oh, it was just a small amount", but when you are trying to reach a specific weight loss goal...every calorie counts! The other end of the spectrum is---Are you eating enough! Some people cut out all the snacks, limit the portions and end up not losing weight when their body goes into starvation mode! Balance is key. The way to see if you have some balance is by writing down everything that goes in, knowing how much you should be eating each day and making sure they are in the same ball park! If you are exercising to lose weight you don't want to eat all of the calories you burn, so don't use that as an excuse to eat more! Keep your intake set at what your body needs to function (at least 1200 calories for the average woman)!
If you have a time of the day that usually gets you snacking at least choose wisely. A low calorie protein shake, raw vegetables and 2 tbsp of hummus, a piece of fruit, 1/4 cup of almonds...but first try a big glass of water or chewing some gum. You may not be hungry, you just be thirsty of bored!!! If you like a sweet after dinner, try a sugar free calcium chew (chocolate flavor)---bite it into small pieces, chew well, savor the flavor. Or a big cup of tea...find some flavors that satisfy your cravings and enjoy every calorie free sip!
According to J. Graham Thomas, Ph.D., Co-Investigator for the US-based National Weight Control Registry (which monitors the habits and behaviors of more than 5,000 individuals who have lost weight and kept it off for at least a year), “Keeping a food log ranks up there among the top three or four most important strategies people use to lose weight and keep it off.” In other words, in addition to cleaning up your diet and exercising regularly, writing down what you eat is one of the most important things you can do to lose weight and best of all, keep it off. By Jennifer Sygo, MSc, RD
We put things in our mouths without even thinking about it. A few goldfish while we dole some out for the kids. A handful of cereal while we are pouring the bowl. A sliver of dessert from someone else's plate! It is easy to think "oh, it was just a small amount", but when you are trying to reach a specific weight loss goal...every calorie counts! The other end of the spectrum is---Are you eating enough! Some people cut out all the snacks, limit the portions and end up not losing weight when their body goes into starvation mode! Balance is key. The way to see if you have some balance is by writing down everything that goes in, knowing how much you should be eating each day and making sure they are in the same ball park! If you are exercising to lose weight you don't want to eat all of the calories you burn, so don't use that as an excuse to eat more! Keep your intake set at what your body needs to function (at least 1200 calories for the average woman)!
If you have a time of the day that usually gets you snacking at least choose wisely. A low calorie protein shake, raw vegetables and 2 tbsp of hummus, a piece of fruit, 1/4 cup of almonds...but first try a big glass of water or chewing some gum. You may not be hungry, you just be thirsty of bored!!! If you like a sweet after dinner, try a sugar free calcium chew (chocolate flavor)---bite it into small pieces, chew well, savor the flavor. Or a big cup of tea...find some flavors that satisfy your cravings and enjoy every calorie free sip!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Avoiding temptations!
Why did I just eat that cookie? Initial thinking...well, I didn't eat a cupcake at the kid's birthday party, and it is JUST a cookie! Problem...it is a cookie and I have set a goal, and that cookie does not help me reach my goal! Next time I will take a healthy snack along with me to a kid's party. I know there won't be many (if any) healthy options for me, so to prevent me from being tempted by that giant tub of popcorn and those bright pink cupcakes, I will have an apple...and some water.
We need to set our goals and stick to them. Choose a time frame, stick to it, take a break if you need it, but if you have a destination in mind...like a weight goal or a pant size, you need to go hard and not let little temptations pull you down. Inevitably there will be wrenches thrown in your plans, sometimes you will waver, but don't let that stop you. Workout for an extra 30 minutes tomorrow maybe! That will help. But keep on going!
It is weigh in day for the Bakersfield Loser contest. The goal is to be in the top 85% for % weight lost! If you didn't make that, you may be out of the running for the big money, but you are not out of the running for the biggest prize of all...a healthier and happier you! So keep it up, work hard, and just say no to the cookie ;)
Nicola
We need to set our goals and stick to them. Choose a time frame, stick to it, take a break if you need it, but if you have a destination in mind...like a weight goal or a pant size, you need to go hard and not let little temptations pull you down. Inevitably there will be wrenches thrown in your plans, sometimes you will waver, but don't let that stop you. Workout for an extra 30 minutes tomorrow maybe! That will help. But keep on going!
It is weigh in day for the Bakersfield Loser contest. The goal is to be in the top 85% for % weight lost! If you didn't make that, you may be out of the running for the big money, but you are not out of the running for the biggest prize of all...a healthier and happier you! So keep it up, work hard, and just say no to the cookie ;)
Nicola
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)