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An Irish Blessing to all! Hope you had a low carb, low calorie, high protein day. I was surprised to find that corned beef has no carbs and 15 grams of protein in 4 oz. So I skipped the green beer and had this instead and celebrated a weigh in at 163.0 lbs. I don’t consider a drop in weight for real until I have seen it on the scale for 3 days in a row. The sun was shining today and this was my third consistent day at this weight, so I am happy to be able to share some good news!
Once again my consult with Claire and the next Weight Loss University topic were right on target with where I am at: Eating In/Out. (How do they do that?) Since we are driving to Virginia soon, staying on track while vacationing is a big concern for me. Along with Dr Clark’s latest webinar, I feel I have some good tools to help me make good food choices. Some of you probably already know these tips, but I must share one or two!
When eating out divide a meal into quarters: food choices on the plate that are ½ protein,¼ vegetables and ¼ carbs.
Take sips of water in between bites, pick foods that I know are “safe”; fish, chicken, egg substitute and lots of colorful vegetables.
I am also going to get the Dana Carpendar’s carbohydrate gram counter Claire suggested in order to try to keep my carb intake to 50 grams–good luck with that one!
My biggest challenge will be to control snacking in the car.
I found out I have a torn medial meniscus in my knee, but the pain is decreasing, so it’s back to some exercise. Claire has promised to help me with an exercise plan as my next consult will be in person at the Center! I can’t wait to try out some of the great equipment that you all get to use regularly. Only 9 more sleeps!
“Weight-loss goals can mean the difference between success and failure,” according to the Mayo Clinic. Well-planned weight loss goals provide a plan that keeps you focused and motivated. Poorly planned goals, on the other hand, are unrealistic and almost impossible to achieve. If you set unrealistic goals, you will probably end up frustrated and discouraged and decide to quit all your efforts to lose weight. These tips will help you create well-planned weight loss goals that will have you on the path to weight loss success:
1. Begin by breaking down one big goal into a series of smaller ones. Having one big goal can be overwhelming, especially if you have a lot of weight to lose. Take small steps to meet your main goal and you will be more likely to succeed because small goals are more manageable. Consider short-term goals as stepping stones to reaching long-term goals.
2. Be willing to change your goals as you progress. You may find that your smaller goals are not challenging enough and you may need to adjust them as you adapt to your new lifestyle. Review your goals each week, think about what worked and what didn’t and make new goals accordingly.
3. Set goals that take your personal capabilities into consideration. Take your schedule, fitness level and health into consideration, and your goals will be more achievable.
4. Make sure that your weight loss goals are realistic. Don’t expect rapid weight loss. Safe weight loss is usually around 2 pounds each week. This means that you will need to burn about an extra 1,000 calories each day. You can do this by cutting back the calories and adding extra activity into your life everyday.
5. Focus on changing your habits. Changing your habits and making a lifestyle change is the key to successful weight loss. Focus on the process of change and not on the outcome.
6. Identify potential setbacks. By recognizing potential setbacks before hand, you can brainstorm strategies that will help you to overcome them and keep you on track. Setbacks are normal and most of us have experienced them.
7. Write down your goals. You will be more successful if you write down all the details of your goals. It will help to make you more aware of your expectations, give you more accountability and serve as a great reference tool as to what works and what doesn’t.
8. Timing can make the difference between success and failure. Timing is crucial. You may need to look at your life and resolve some issues first. Make sure that other stressors such as work and personal life are as calm as you can make them. Don’t start a weight loss plan and a new job at the same time. Once you have chosen a starting date to lose weight – don’t put it off!
At Dr. Clark’s Center for Weight Loss Success you will learn that goals need to be SMART – meaning that they need to be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound. Set your personal goals and get started! You’ll find that realistic and well-planned goals will help you have a more successful weight loss program.
Eating eggs for breakfast can help your weight loss efforts!
Photo by Woodley Wonderworks
Think about it…eggs were made as fully equipped little packages to sustain life. They contain high quality protein. Eating eggs for breakfast can also help you feel full and maintain your lean body mass.
But don’t just stop at breakfast- eggs are great for lunch, dinner or even snacks! They are inexpensive, convenient & quick. Eggs can be cooked in so many ways that you might never tire of them.
Eggs are “nutrition rock stars”, according to Frances Largeman-Roth, who wrote a wonderful article in the January/February issue of Health Magazine. Largeman-Roth is a nutritionist who recommended these tasty ways to upgrade eggs:
By adding a splash of hot sauce, you will “kick up” the flavor and add some health benefits. It is the capsaicin in the hot sauce that revs up your metabolism and may help keep you slim.
Asparagus spears can be dipped into soft-boiled eggs and you can try adding herbs and goat cheese to scrambled eggs.
She also states that “simple poached eggs are a wonderful foil for salty salmon” and that eggs combined with a little diced ham in ramekins and baked at 400 degrees for 15 minutes offer a “big dose of flavor”.
Why are eggs “nutrition rock stars”? Here’s a break down of the good nutrition found in eggs:
Eggs are high in vitamins and minerals. One large egg has 251 milligrams of choline, more than half of a woman’s daily requirement and 25 micrograms of vitamin K, one third of the daily requirement for women. Choline is crucial for brain health as it important for brain development of unborn babies and affects memory later in life. Vitamin K is a key nutrient in blood clotting.
One medium whole egg has 65 calories, 1 gram of effective carbohydrate, 4 grams of fat and 5 grams of protein. A large egg has 75 calories, 1 gram of effective carbohydrate, 5 grams of fat and 6 grams of protein. An extra large egg has 85 calories, 1 effective carbohydrate, 6 grams of fat and 7 grams of protein.
One large yolk has 60 calories, no carbohydrates, 5 grams of fat and 3 grams of protein.
One large egg white has 15 calories, a trace of carbohydrates, no fat and 4 grams of protein.
¼ cup of egg substitute has 35 calories, a trace of carbohydrates, 1 fat gram and 6 grams of protein.
If you have high cholesterol, you might have been told to avoid eggs. However, it is saturated fat that substantially impacts your blood cholesterol levels. Recent studies have shown that adding eggs to a healthy diet did not increase LDL or heart disease. It’s best, as always, to check with your physician before changing your diet, but why not ask if you can add a few eggs to your life?
Ultimately, eggs are good for you. Maybe the English egg industry had it right when I was growing up. Their TV commercials used a very memorable slogan – “Go to work on an egg”.
Did you know that salmon, avocados, honeydew, kidney beans and artichokes can actually help LOWER your blood pressure? That’s right. Those foods are high in potassium and scientists have recently discovered that a diet high in potassium and low in sodium can have positive effects on hypertension.
More and more evidence is mounting on the importance of potassium in a healthy diet, yet between 90 percent of men and 99 percent of women in America don’t get enough potassium in their diet, according to The Nutrition Action Health letter.
One out of every three adults in the U.S. has high blood pressure, and that jumps to two out of three if you’re over 65. High blood pressure is a very common problem and can lead to other health issues. About three out of four people who suffer a stroke, a heart attack, or congestive heart failure also have high blood pressure.
“It’s absolutely clear that potassium can lower blood pressure,” says Dr. Frank Sacks, professor of cardiovascular disease prevention at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. In a study that tracked 43,000 men for 8 years, researchers found that those who consumed 4,300 mg of potassium daily were 38% less likely to suffer a stroke than those who consumed 2,400 mg a day.
Everyone has heard that decreasing the amount of sodium in your diet helps to lower blood pressure, but adding potassium to a low-sodium diet has an even greater effect. Recently over a 10 year study, Prevention researchers discovered that eating more foods with potassium and reducing high-sodium foods lowers your risk of heart attack and stroke more than if you just lowered the sodium in your diet.
Scientists aren’t really sure how potassium lowers blood pressure, but they do have a few ideas. Potassium could be making the larger blood vessels more flexible, which is important in maintaining lower blood pressure. Scientists also believe that potassium may dilate smaller blood vessels, which lowers blood pressure by decreasing the resistance to blood flow.
The good news is that some blood pressure problems that were considered permanent can be reversed, according to Dr. Sacks. A diet rich in potassium and low-sodium can completely reverse the effects of age on blood pressure.
A big part of the problem in the American diet is that sodium is added to many processed foods, but potassium is not, and we all know Americans eat a lot of processed food. Eating more fresh and frozen foods, which are sometimes lower in sodium, may help you get your recommended intake and lower the amount of sodium in your diet. Adding foods that are good sources of potassium include fish, such as salmon, cod and sardines, beef, chicken, spinach, bananas, leafy greens, and potatoes (especially the skin).
A balanced diet –eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, along with lean meats, fish and nuts-helps you get all the vitamin and minerals that you need. Please check with your doctor before making any dramatic changes in your eating habits, but consider monitoring the potassium you are getting in your daily diet. A balanced diet helps you get all the vitamin and minerals that you need.
A fiber super hero, the avocado has almost 12 grams of fiber!
Anyone who has been on a weight loss program at our center has heard about the importance of fiber in your diet. By calculating the effective carbohydrate content of our food, we determine how much fiber is in each food and try to get more of it in our diets.
Why is fiber our new best friend? Fiber is great for weight loss. First of all, its bulkiness gives you a feeling of fullness, and it is calorie-free! It also has a lot of health benefits. Research shows that a diet high in fiber can reduce cholesterol and the diseases associated with it, as well as improving your glucose tolerance. This helps control swings in blood sugar.
There are two types of fiber, soluble and insoluble. It is best to try to get both kinds into your diet. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and has been linked to lowering bad cholesterol or low-density lipoproteins (LDL’s). The other fiber-insoluble cleans out your gut and is associated with reducing risk for cardiovascular disease.
Fiber is found naturally in whole grains, fruits, vegetable and nuts and there are many fortified products on the market. Try looking for products that are 100% whole wheat and have at least 3 grams of fiber per serving. Choose brown rice instead of white, or mix them if you don’t like brown as much. Find whole-wheat pastas and breads in your grocery store. Sprinkle nuts on your salad, in yogurt and in cereals. Snack on fruits and vegetables. No longer are fiber foods twiggy and bland! There are delicious options out there.
So, how much fiber should you get? If you are under 50 and a woman, you should shoot for 25 grams, and 38 for a man. If you are over 50 it is 30 grams for a man and 21 for a woman.
Remember to work up to it slowly. DO NOT run out and eat all the fiber you can. Adding too much fiber at once can cause nausea and other gastrointestinal distress. Add just a few grams each day until you reach your recommended daily allowance. Along with the fiber, be sure to drink more water, as fiber absorbs water, and you want to make sure to keep things moving.
You know how mom used to always say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? Well, guess what? She was right! Mom knows best when it comes to realizing that breakfast is the fuel that keeps us running throughout the day. Let’s talk about the importance of breakfast and some alternatives for anti-breakfast folks.So, why do we do it? Sometimes it’s just too easy to skip breakfast. You’re in a rush, you’d prefer to sleep a little later rather than prepare a meal, or it’s so hectic getting the kids off, you just can’t seem to make the effort or find the time. Slow down or resist that snooze button!
You can even find some breakfast ideas in this article that are portable! Eat it on the way to work or, pack it and eat it once you get there and get settled in. How about fixing the whole family a healthy breakfast instead of setting for Pop Tarts or donuts for the kids? Or perhaps you’re taking the (unwise) meal-skipping approach to losing weight. Chances are this is going to backfire on you because skipping meals almost always leads us to overeating. This is especially true in the case of breakfast, because you’ve just been asleep for 7 or 8 hours and your body needs to recover from this brief period of starvation.
If you don’t eat something in the morning, you are literally forcing yourself into running on empty. Say the last time you ate was 8 p.m. last night. If you didn’t eat lunch until noon today, that’s sixteen hours of no refueling! Your body is screaming out, “Give me some help here!”
The fuel that keeps our motors running is glucose. Your brain and your nervous system need glucose to work: that means walking, speaking, stretching, typing – any activity requires this fuel. If you don’t supply it, your system resorts to finding stored carbohydrates or it tries to turn fat into glucose. Why put your body through all this? Instead, do what mom said and eat that breakfast!
But… there’s a problem. So you don’t like traditional breakfast foods. Don’t worry! There are alternatives to traditional breakfast fare that you may not have considered!
One thing I’ve noticed in all the years that I have worked in both fitness and weight management is the amount of people who skip breakfast. Either people complain that they don’t have time to eat in the morning or they believe that skipping breakfast will cut calories and therefore, help them to lose weight. Research has consistently shown that that the people who successfully lose weight are the ones that wake up and eat breakfast.
Why is breakfast considered to be the most important meal of the day?
Firstly: Eating a healthy breakfast can reduce hunger throughout the day so that better food choices can be made the rest of the day and portion sizes can be controlled.
Eating breakfast will give you more energy for the rest of the day and studies have shown that people are better able to focus and function throughout the day.
For many people, eating breakfast is part of a healthy lifestyle so they are more likely to set a healthy precedent for the rest of the day by making wiser food choices and exercising.
People who eat breakfast regularly tend to eat fewer calories from fat and have a better vitamin and mineral intake.
So, how can we work breakfast into our busy lives?
Prepare the night before by planning what you are going to eat the next morning and have it ready to go.
Place a list of foods on your fridge that are quick and easy but also ones that you enjoy. It will make it easier to choose what to have for breakfast the next morning.
Decide to drive through a fast food restaurant on your way to work but know ahead of time what healthy choice you will be ordering.
Finally, the following are some foods that you might consider for breakfast:
Protein shakes. Select already pre-mixed shakes or ones that are easily prepared by adding water.
Eggs. They are great for satiety and that is partly because they are high in protein. Proteins require more calories to digest. If cholesterol is a concern, egg whites are also high in protein and a great alternative.
Dairy products such as cottage cheese, yogurts and milk are also high in protein but take the carbohydrate count into consideration for the rest of the day.
High-fiber complex carbohydrates found in whole grains and cereals will also help to keep you satisfied because fiber increases the sensation of fullness. Low carbohydrate tortillas are great for using as wraps. Cheese, eggs, Canadian bacon and deli meat are just some of the foods that you could place inside the wrap. Just make sure that you are getting adequate protein and keep track of your carbohydrate intake for the rest of the day.
Next time you are tempted to skip breakfast, remember that many studies, in both adults and children, have shown that breakfast eaters tend to weigh less than breakfast skippers.
I’ve heard that water is necessary for weight loss and that I should drink as much as possible to help me in my weight loss efforts. Is this true?
ANSWER:
There is some confusion surrounding the importance of water as it relates to weight loss. Unfortunately, more research is needed to clarify the issue. However, studies have clearly shown the importance of water in many other aspects, including some that are indirectly related to weight loss. Let’s review what we do know:
To function at its best, the body needs to be well-hydrated. Our bodies are largely composed of water – about 55-60% of body weight. It helps with many tasks including
temperature regulation, cardiovascular function, waste product removal and metabolism.
Although the body is efficient at regulating fluids, regular fluid intake (through food or drink) is required to keep the body hydrated. We lose fluid through respiration (breathing), sweating, and feces & urine. The result is a total body water turnover of approximately 5-10% per day. Luckily, our bodies are very good at compensating for normal fluctuations in fluid intake by either diluting or concentrating urine. However, sooner or later, water losses need to be replaced by fluid intake.
Exercise is a hydration stressor. Due to water loss through sweat, dehydration can set in quickly during prolonged exercise – especially in hot and humid environments. The effects of dehydration are many and include decreased physical performance, cardiovascular stress, fatigue, depressed mental function, and heat illness. Increased perceptions of fatigue during exercise reduces your tolerance for exercise – and therefore your ability to burn more calories. (See Exercise & Avoiding Dehydration.) In addition, even small amounts of dehydration have been shown to cause general fatigue, which may affect your desire to even start an exercise session.
The extreme opposite of dehydration can cause problems too. Ingesting large amounts of water without other added content (such as electrolytes, sugar, vitamins, etc.) can result in a medical complication known as hyponatremia. When too much plain water is ingested, large amounts of electrolytes (especially sodium) are transported from the blood and tissues into the small intestine, resulting in a dangerous electrolyte imbalance.
A small study has indicated that metabolic rate increases following water consumption by as much as 30% and is sustained for over an hour.1 The mechanism of the increased calorie burn is thought to be a combination of the energy needed to heat the ingested water and additional unknown factors. The long-term effect of increased water consumption and weight loss has not been studied.
Research has shown that cell hydration influences metabolism. However, changes in reactions at the cellular level cannot necessarily be extrapolated to whole body calorie balance. More research needs to be done to reveal whether extreme changes (either dehydration or optimal hydration) can actually influence the whole body’s caloric expenditure and/or fat loss.
Contrary to popular belief, water intake before or with meals has not been shown to decrease the number of calories consumed during meals.2,3 However, it is interesting to note that when foods with high water content (such as soup) are consumed prior to meal, subsequent caloric intake at the meal is decreased.
In summary, the direct link between water intake and weight loss is not clear and should not be the main reason for your hydration efforts. However, the importance of hydration to your health is very clear and hydration efforts are well worth your time. Maintaining optimal hydration levels enhances your vitality and ability to exercise, thereby increasing caloric expenditure. Although there may be caloric expenditures associated with water intake, the added benefit is small compared to the caloric cost of exercise. Given the rare but potential danger of excessive water intake, keep your water intake within the recommended daily water intake.
1 Water Induced Thermogenesis. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 88:6015-6019, 2003.
2 Water Incorporated Into a Food But Not Served With A Food Decreases Energy Intake In Lean Women. Am J Clin Nutr 70:448-455, 1999. 3 Does the Consumption of Caloric and Non-Caloric Beverages With A Meal Affect Energy Density? Appetite 44:187-193, 2005.
There is nothing wrong with dedication and self-discipline, especially when it comes to weight loss. Be sure, though, that you aren’t being too hard on yourself whenever an obstacle comes along or when you make a mistake. No one ever approaches a diet, a workout or a lifestyle change in an absolutely perfect manner. And on that note, no one’s efforts ever result in a 100% perfect body.
Stick to your plan. Hold yourself accountable. Do all that you can. But don’t be hard on yourself whenever things fall short of perfection. Here are a few tips to remember:
Perfectionism can cause you to hesitate. If your doubts are keeping you from acting upon your weight loss plan, you will never be able to benefit from it. Sometimes you just have to begin the process and refine it as you go.
Perfectionism can lead to giving up. Unreasonably high expectations can create the perspective that if you cannot reach certain goals in a particular way or time, you may as well not try at all.
Perfectionism can cause you to focus on the negative. Over the course of your weight loss, you will likely experience numerous accomplishments on a small scale. However, if you focus on the mistakes you’ve made, you will only see failure where there are actually small incremental successes.
