Dieting Trends

Happy New Year, Almost!

It’s almost New Year’s Eve, and what do you have planned? I swear, the older I get, the more a lot of my friends just stay in for the night. Those days of going out at night til all hours are pretty much over. Lots of people have kids and want to stay home, or they may just spend a quiet evening at home with friends. This year, a couple we are friends with are actually having a small gathering, where everyone is bringing something to eat (I’m the appetizer person), and that is just fine with me. Ah, the quiet married life! 

But I digress, the reason I’m posting today is really to wish you all a Happy New Year and New Year’s eve since I won’t be able to post anything tomorrow or the day after. Wanted to make sure everyone is going to celebrate safely and have fun.  I also wanted to thank you for being loyal readers and contributors for the 4 years we’ve been online.

We have loved writing about our experiences with weight loss and weight management and eating in general, and we hope that 2010 brings a lot more opportunities for things to discuss as it relates to the diet, fitness and weight loss industry. After all, what would we talk about without this ever evolving industry?

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

Limiting Carbs?

If you’re limiting carbs in your diet, then you know how tough following this regimen can be, especially if, like me, you are a person who is easily affected by having low blood sugar, which is a signpost of this type of diet. My fiance and I followed this diet quite successfully for a year or so and lost a lot of weight doing do, but we also tended to get into really vile moods because of not having enough carbs in our system. I believe that it’s easier to snap and also to have blue moods more often when you follow a low carb diet, especially if it’s a particularly strict one.

What we did to “compensate” for the fact that we were constantly depriving ourselves of carbs, which we all tend to love so much, was we would load up on fats, which isn’t necessarily good for your cholesterol or your liver. I also think that eating so much meat has a profound effect on your overall digestive system, particularly your colon, which can easily get clogged up when you are eating too many meats and cheeses.

You need to make sure that you get enough fibrous material when you are low carbing it, or else you will end up blocked up quite a bit, which means you are unable to go to the bathroom as often as you could. This in itself can put you in a foul mood!

Eating Vegan Easy in Cali

My mom and I recently came home from visiting my sister in California, and it really hit home how much easier it is to eat healthier, more specifically, to eat a vegan diet, in certain parts of the country than it is in say, Ohio where you won’t find a vegan specialty restaurant or specializing store for miles in either direction in many cases, of course depending on where you reside.

I’ve visited my sister before, and I actually tried the vegan thing or at least the vegetarian thing while I was there, and was amazed at how easy it was and how little it felt like I sacrificed to not eat meats, animal proteins and dairy for a week or so when the cuisine there is to die for.

I think I may have even shed a little tiny bit of weight while I was there, and may have shed a little more had I not pigged out on traditional midwestern fare the last few days I was there. Not only was it easy to find healthy and vegan dishes there, but the fruit and veggies are virtually all locally grown, which means they’re fresh and they taste amazing, and that alone makes it so much more tasty to eat healthy.

Have you ever gotten a grainy tomato or bad piece of fruit that’s totally out of season?  It really leaves a bad taste in your mouth for eating healthy, but living in an area where you have access to fresh, juicy and delicious organic produce really makes it easier to eat right, in fact it makes this way of eating more preferable.

Other areas of the country also tend to emphasize sports and exercise as ways of life rather than a sedentary lifestyle, which is fairly easy to indulge in if you live in a place like I do where there are only a few months of the year where you feel comfortable enough to get outside and do activities. That also contributes to the fact that obesity is lower in these types of communities.

My mom and I, who visited my sister together, couldn’t believe how tired we were at the end of the day simply because we had walked almost everywhere, which meant we were always torching calories during the day, most of which were complex carbs in the form of whole grains, veggies and fruit, except for those last few naughty days where I indulged in things like pizza and submarine sandwiches for lack of having access to “bad” foods for a few days.  One thing I’ll say, it sure does make eating bad taste a lot better when you don’t have access to it all the time.

Eating Slow Aids Digestion, Makes You Thin

I’d always marveled at what a slow, slow eater my mom was. She’d sit there and talk or read in between bites, and you’d always be done with your plate while she still was looking at a half plate or sometimes even a virtually full plate of food left in front of her.  Another thing about my mom is that she has ALWAYS been thin.  She has never been one of those people to put on and take off the same twenty to thirty pounds.  She may waver in the five pound range, but never anything beyond that.  While I assert that a lot of her eating habits, including eating slow, contributed to this serendipitous ability to maintain a weight her whole life, I do believe that eating slow has been a major part of that for her.

You see, when you eat slow, your brain has time to catch up to your eating speed and tell you to put a lid on it, you’re done.  Have you ever noticed that when you scarf down two plates of food, that you inevitably feel ridiculously full and almost ready to vomit about twenty minutes to a half hour later?  It’s as if you’re food has expanded in your stomach.  But what that really is, is that yes, it does expand a little, but what it really is is that your brain finally had time to catch up with your mouth and tell you to stop eating.

The brain takes a while to send the signals to your stomach that you are full, so this is why it’s actually important that you take your time eating.  Eating more slowly also provides another important function, which is to help your digestion go smoother.  Instead of a bunch of food hitting your stomach all at once like an onslaught, forcing your stomach to make a lot of hydrochloric acid to digest and break it down, you’re allowing your stomach to have the time to make adequate digestive juices to accurately digest your food.

Because of this, you also may experience less indigestion and gas afterwards, because your stomach was able to do it’s whole job without being rushed.  Another great reason to eat slowly is that you will enjoy and appreciate the flavors and other nuances of the food you are eating, making it less likely that you will binge and go for that second plate which you almost never need.  It can be a great diet aid because of this.

Appetite Suppressing Foods

Diet pills and products are plentiful promising rapid weight loss and immediate results. There’s a more natural approach to weight loss by selecting certain foods that make you feel full longer and curb your appetite without pills.

One such food would be nuts as they are rich in protein and are more satisfying than carbohydrate rich snacks. Research backs up that people who snack on nuts tend to be slimmer than people who don’t. The calories in nuts are high but worthwhile for their effect on your eating patterns and on your metabolism.

Eating a bowl of high fiber cereal in the morning can act to suppress your appetite for the rest of the day. Therefore, you’ll eat less at the subsequent meals of the day. The higher the percent of fiber in your cereal, the more effective the appetite suppression works.
Eggs are another food item that tends to stay with you longer for feeling full. A couple of eggs contain protein which helps to avoid sharp rises in blood sugar that lead to food cravings and overeating.

Tofu acts much in the same way as eggs for controlling appetite and food cravings. While it is a light food, as an appetizer before a meal, it will keep your meal consumption under control. Tofu is high protein and that is the key.

Using olive oil, either in your cooking or on your salads, can help you burn calories. Physiologically, there’s a quality about monounsaturated fats that boosts your metabolism. The pectin fiber found in either pears or apples has a beneficial effect on blood sugar levels. This maintenance of your blood sugar will help you to avoid snacking and overeating. I’ve noticed this when I eat apples especially. When I combine an apple with a handful of nuts, I’m not hungry for hours afterward.

Beans are naturally high in protein and fiber. The consumption of beans helps to elevate the digestive hormone, cholecystokinen, which is a natural appetite suppressant.
Other foods that can be utilized for appetite curbing and or metabolism boosting are salad, green tea, grapefruit, lean beef and vinegar. It is a safer method for weght loss without worrying about the expense of diet pills with possible adverse side effects.

Summer Weight Loss Goals : Survey

What are you weight loss goals for the summer? Or are you one of those lucky genetically blessed few that has never had any problems with your weight ballooning up or of having cravings for the wrong kinds of food, and lots of it, at that? Most of us aren’t, and we have struggled on and off, especially the older we get, since our metabolisms slow down when we start to age, and it seems like the smaller weight gains turn into longer periods of time, and that the foods we eat tend to stick to our problem areas a little more. That’s right, you can’t each cheeseburgers and pizza with no repercussions when you get older, no sir!

Most people I know, women and men, have some sort of weight loss goal when they start to see summer coming on the horizon. Myself included. Shoot, I dropped ten from my winter pounds and I still want to lose another five to ten pounds now that I realize it’s totally doable without torturing myself since I really love some of the healthy foods I’ve now become accustomed to. It’s hard in the summer I’d say to not eat out because you do tend to be out and about more since the weather is nicer, and it’s hard not to do the social eating and alcohol drinking thing, so although most people think it’s easier to stay thinner in the summer, it actually isn’t for a lot of people.

Most of my friends have a mild weight loss goal for the summer time, the common ones being ten pounds, maybe fifteen here and there, and some of the naturally thin ones who haven’t had many weight struggles might say five or so pounds just so they can comfortably fit in some of their summer clothes without feeling like they’re spilling out of them.

What’s your summer weight loss goal, and how do you plant to achieve it? Mine is ten ideally, and I plan to achieve it by limiting my calories to about 1500 per day and exercising a lot, especially jogging down our road since jogging really seems to melt the calories away better than anything else since it’s constant stress on the body and forces the body to burn mega calories. Plus it’s great for burning off fat on the legs and thighs I’ve found.

McDonald’s Double Cheeseburger Without Bun a Good Low Carb Choice?

Once in a while, we will go through McDonalds and get what we consider a “treat” when we’re on the up and up with our diet routines.  It’s considered a treat because we know it’s not low in fat and certainly doesn’t have much nutritional value aside from a lot of protein (and grease), but at least it’s very low in carbs, and it’s an alright choice for when you want to be “bad” without really being bad at night for dinner.  We eat two double cheeseburgers from McDonalds without the bun.  It’s really tasty too!  I love it when the pickles are still hot and there is ample ketchup, mustard and onion to add to the savory flavor.

We always discuss also how there must be some sort of an addictive chemical in their cheese, because the american cheese McDonalds uses tastes so good, unlike other american cheese slices I’ve had.  I don’t know if it’s just because it’s higher in sodium or maybe in fat, but they’ve got the cheese down to a science.  Plus there is some sort of seasoning in their burger patties. I detect a bit of an onion flavor in them.

At any rate, let’s talk about the calorie content in two McDonalds double cheeseburgers without the bun.  There are about 280 calories in a double cheeseburger without the bun.  You save about 120 calories by not having the bun, and a whole lot of carbohydrates as well.  Because you can burn off pure protein better than you can protein combined with a simple carbohydrate (the bun), this makes for an ok meal to have at night.  It will satisfy you, but you may find that you’re somewhat hungry an hour later, although you don’t usually feel an absolute need or desire to eat more food, which is a good thing of course.

What you’re really doing here is eating low carb.  It’s a good idea to do this at night so that you don’t get too tired if you eat this during the day.  Then you also don’t have as long of a time at night to crash from lack of sugars (there are basically no sugars, which is fuel for the body and brain) in his since it’s mostly protein, unless you count the ketchup and other condiments.

We’ve been eating this as a meal about once a week and it allows us to feel like we’re being bad for dinner when in reality it is within our calorie restrictions, and I never gain weight from eating it the morning after, which is good.  In fact, I might even be a pound or two lighter!

Does Love Pack on the Pounds?

Well, love really does seem to be a double edged sword, at least it is when it comes to expanding belts and dress sizes for us ladies and expanding pants sizes for the fellas out there.  I know me myself, a woman in her thirties, had to reel myself back in after becoming so comfortable and happy in my relationship with my long term boyfriend that I packed on twenty pounds and he packed on – well he packed on a lot more than twenty!  Love is a great thing, it really is, but when you become so comfortable that you forget to take care of yourself, that becomes a problem, especially since excess weight can cause major health issues and shorten our lifespan.

Many people don’t realize until it’s too late that they’ve fallen victim to the “fat and happy” lifestyle of coupledom, content to go out and eat and drink wine, and not consider the calories so much because, well, they found their true love in their partner, and they certainly don’t need to try so hard to impress them any more, do they?  Well, this way of thinking can become dangerous for a few reasons.

First off, it could actually damage the relationship by making you resent eachother in the long run.  It could also take away from your sexual attraction to eachother.  Hey, while we’d all like to think we’d love Mr. or Ms. Right any which way they come, we are attuned to, as humans, the idea that fitness and looking healthy are still physical ideals of beauty, and none of us are immune to that sense of animal attraction that makes us fall in love in the first place.

Second, it can make you fal into a pattern that’s very difficult to break out of, especially when children enter the picture.  Once you’ve started cooking a certain way, or have gotten you and the kids used to certain foods that maybe aren’t so good for the “thin you” inside, it’s really hard to break that habit. When it’s two people, sure you can support eachother in your weight loss efforts, but you also may sabotage eachother’s weight loss efforts in the same breath.

How many times have you caught yourself being persuaded to get an ice cream sunday on a nice afternoon by your partner, when you yourself were not really hungry for this at all?  It works both ways, and keeping eachother on track is important if you want to spend a long, productive, happy and healthy life together, so it’s important to value diet and exercise in your relationship – not shallow as some people may have you think.  Health is important, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!

Pasta Sales Up In Devastated Economy

Uh-oh, this could spell trouble for America’s waistline!  Pasta sales have picked up quite a bit from the economy being in shambles as of late.  And who can blame people for loading up on this delectable stuff?  I certainly know that if I didn’t want to be consistently over my target weight, I’d eat the stuff every day – loaded with those fattening but yummy sauces that seems to be made of mostly butters and heavy creams.

But, since pasta is very fattening, especially when eaten every day or in large quantities, due to it’s high glycemic index, little to no fiber content, and the large amount of calories and carbs for the teeniest servings, I don’t indulge all that often these days since I’m trying to lose weight and then subsequently keep my weight under control.

Pasta sales which were frequently undermined by the low carb trends and glycemic index awareness (why is most of America still overweight then, I never did quite get that), have shot up about 5% from last year, which is quite impressive considering their relative demise over the past ten or so years.

This has also made the price of wheat, the base ingredient in pastas, to go up.  Yep, it’s the same thing that you find in bread and lots of other products based on grains, so you can expect those prices to be impacted as well unfortunately.  I hope that this doesn’t affect us too much, because a lot of professional financial gurus are saying that with the depressed dollar and all the other financials going on right now we may get hit with ridiculous inflation here coming up soon as well, which is something this economy just does not need right now.  Inflation usually means food prices go up too.

Pasta is such an easy to make product, and you can diversify it a lot, from your typical boxed macaroni and cheese to the more sophisticated uses of pasta, it’s cheap and very easy to make – you just throw it in a boiling pot of water, wait a few minutes, and it’s done.  The simplicity isn’t what’s selling it so much right now in this economic climate though, it’s mostly cost effectiveness.

Curvier Women May Be Better Able to Handle Stress, Compete

Well ladies, you know that fat that we hate which accumulates around our waists when we gain some weight, or even when we get pregnant or may be going through some sort of hormonal changes?  Well, apparently studies have shown that women who have thicker waists are actually better equipped to handle stress and competition, which explains why many women who are successful financially happen to have thicker waistlines.

Studies suggest that the hormone responsible for fat accumulation around the waist also happens to the be the hormone responsible for us coping with stressors in life, and that those with more cushion in this area also happen to be better able to handle competition in the workplace, and may have better problems solving skills as well as stress coping skills, allowing them to have a huge benefit over their skinny waisted counterparts.

Perhaps they may also be seen as more powerful women, while women with tiny waists may be viewed in a different way than those with a little more girth.  I myself don’t have a tiny waist, and I am pretty curvy – admittedly more curvy now than I want to be.  But that may also mean that this excess fat that seems like my enemy right now might also be my savior when it comes to coping with and handling daily job stress and getting the job done that needs to be done.

Fat – my friend?  Who would have ever thought it