Starting to Think About Thanksgiving

It is time to start thinking about Thanksgiving and what you are going to prepare and eat for this wonderful holiday. Some things you should do to start thinking about having a healthy holiday are:

Start making a game plan for the day - what will you eat during the day? when will you fit in your exercise?

How much will you eat at your Thanksgiving meal - will you eat a small breakfast and lunch before as to not overindulge?

What are those special foods that you will eat at this meal - are there 1 or 2 dishes that you love and only have once a year such as pumpkin pie or sweet potatoes with marshmallows? Will you enjoy a small serving of these foods? What foods can you pass on?

Are there foods that make better leftovers - what can you pass on today and eat tomorrow because sometimes leftovers just taste better and this can help you from really over eating.

Will you be the host to have control over the foods prepared or are you the guest who can bring a healthy dish or two for you and the rest of the guests?

Remember that this is just one day of the year so if you do overindulge you know you can get right back on track the next day.

What are some tips you have to help you have a Happy Thanksgiving?

Eating Slowly Can Help With Weight Loss

Perhaps you've heard that eating more slowly can help with weight loss. Here's why: When food enters digestive tract, hormones are released by the gut. These hormones signal the brain that we are full.  But this process takes time.  When you eat too quickly, by the time your brain gets the signal that you are satisfied, you've eaten way more calories than you actually need. Excess calories lead to weight gain. 

A study in an upcoming issue of Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism demonstrates this effect. The researchers found that people who took 30 minutes to finish a serving of ice cream had higher levels of certain gut hormones and tended to feel fuller than those who ate the same size serving more quickly.

Eating more slowly can allow you to reduce your caloric intake but still leave the table feeling satisfied.  It can be hard to slow down in such a fast paced society, but here are some tips to help you slow down:

Don't eat in front of the TV, computer, or while reading

Set up an environment where you feel relaxed while eating

Put your fork down between bites

Chew your food completely

Don't eat in the car or on the run

What tips do you have to help slow down eating?

Dirty Little Secrets that Restaurants Hide

I’ve never been a fan of pushing dining out whether in regular restaurants or fast foods but now I’m convinced it’s a downright conspiracy to keep American overweight and unhealthy. In fact the writers of Eat This Not That have started confronting some local chains.  I applaud their efforts to let the public see things as they really are. Here’s just one of many dirty little secrets they found:

“Maggiano's Little Italy doesn't want you to know just how many calories and carbs you're consuming in those massive pasta portions. (As the menu puts it, "Family-style service or individual entrees are available ... Whichever you choose, you'll have plenty to share or take home.") Note In Italy, a standard pasta serving means 4 ounces of noodles with a few tablespoons of sauce. At Maggiano’s, a large order of pasta translates into two pounds of noodles piled high on a hubcap-size dinner plate (15 inches in diameter). A PR rep responded to our request for nutritional information a week later: "Sorry for the delay, I had to wait for corporate approval. Unfortunately, they have declined to participate." - "July 2008 Update: With no New York City locations, Maggiano's is still hiding from us — and you. But we're still watching.”

Do read more dirty little secrets that have been discovered here.  I'm sure there are numerous other resturants besides the ones discovered here doing similar things. These examples are exactly why the public needs to have the nutritional information boldly posted. Ignorance certainly is not bliss when it comes to our health.

Haunted by Halloween Treats?

Halloween is the kick off season for weight gain. Don’t be “tricked” into devilish weight gain! Here are some tips to stay on track:

• Buy Halloween candy the day before Halloween so it’s not sitting around to tempt you. Store it in places where you are not constantly exposed to it.
• Purchase only the candy items that you don’t like.
• Consider passing out non-food treats to the kids.
• If you absolutely must have a Halloween candy, enjoy a moderate amount of it, but only if it doesn’t set you off on a binge. Fruit of course, would be the best choice.
• Emphasize the fun part of Halloween. 
• Halloween night is so hectic sometimes a healthy meal is not even a consideration. Plan on consuming leftovers from the night before or have something you can just grab and eat or assemble quickly.
• Eat dinner a bit earlier so you get that evening meal in. If you miss dinner entirely it’s a set up for over indulging later!
• Offer to buy your kid's candy when it comes in so the leftovers aren't "haunting" you. Then get rid of it. Or keep the extra candy in a spot where you aren't constantly tempted to see it and eat it.
• Enlist your spouse or friend to support you (NOT be the food police).
• Just because those mini candies are so little, remember they can add up real quick.
  
• Tackle this challenge with a positive attitude! Check Dana's blog as well for additional input on Halloween challenges.
  

It won’t be a Happy Halloween if you feel bad about over doing it the next day and you won't feel like the devil made you do it!

Do prescription appetite medications work for weight loss?

Do prescription appetite suppressants work to curb appetite and lose weight? They do and they don’t. Let me clarify. They do reduce appetite but the problem is the minute a person goes off them the same problems still may exist if a person has not properly changed their eating behaviors and addressed any emotional components to overeating, which are frequently the core causes of overeating in the first place.

I’ve also seen situations when appetite suppressants have been given and clients maintain a false sense of confidence in their eating choices. In other words they think nothing will tempt them ever again and they will never gain the weight back and that could be the medication talking.

In the past I have also found clients who were not monitored and/or assessed properly and were given appetite suppressants too freely and irresponsibly.

Lastly if taken for too long of a time the medication may be hard on the adrenal system, especially if a person is highly stressed to begin with.

So, if you do decide to go on a medication for appetite control realize you also need to change any bad eating habits to be successful for the long haul.

Guilt Free Peanut Butter

I don’t know about you but doing most of my dieting in the fat free era of the 80's I still tend to be a bit wary of things heavy in fat. As a result I even gave up peanut butter because it was one of those foods I could literally eat right out of the jar. But at long last I have found a great tasting peanut butter that is almost all protein with very little fat. (Contrary to common thinking peanut butter is mostly a healthy fat not a particularly high protein source.) Anyway the peanut butter I now enjoy is called PB2. Two tablespoons has 52.2 calories, 3.4 carbs, and 5.65 grams of protein.

And yes, it really does taste good! And, because you basically just add water to the pure dried peanut mix you can make up as little or as much of what you want. Incidentally, it also comes with a chocolate version. That I won't tempt myself with!

Boost Your Immune System to Prevent Colds

A strong immune system can help you fight of colds during the autumn and fall. One of the best ways to   boost your immune system is with good nutrition and eating the right foods. Eating a diet of whole foods will help keep you healthy, but make sure you are adding these foods to your diet to keep your immune system strong:

All Natual Whipped Topping

If you have browsed the aisles of your natural grocery store you may have come across TRUwhip  All Natural
Whipped Topping. This topping has no trans-fats, hydrogenated oils, or GMO's.

Enjoy this topping with fresh berries or on top of pie. A serving of this whipped topping is 2 tablespoons and each serving has 30 calories, 2 grams of fat, and 3 grams of carbs.

So if you are a user of whipped toppings that are full of chemicals and trans fats take a look for TRUwhip topping to make a healthy swap in your diet.

Coca Cola Moves Calories to the Front of the Can

Coca-Cola is jumping on the band wagon of making calories more visible by placing the calories and calories per serving on the front of the can. The new labeling will be on almost all products Coca-Cola has including soft drinks, teas, energy drinks, flavored waters, juice and fruit juice.

Pressure for this type of labeling is coming from consumers as well as law makers. "Now more than ever, people expect facts about the product they consume to be both readily available and visible," says Muhtar Kent, Coke's chairman and CEO, in a statement. "This global commitment is about making it easier for consumers to quickly see the calories information for our beverages."

Some say that by Coca-Cola putting this labeling on the front of the can it is building consumer trust and loyalty, but I say that is is just a public relations move. After all no matter where the label is these beverages are full of sugar and provide little to no nutrients, but hopefully with the calories more noticeable people will start drinking more water.

What Will Your ONE Change be this Week

Every week it’s important to take a few minutes and look over your progress from the week before and also at what strides you plan on taking this week to improve your overall health.

Sometimes this will mean a continuation of what you’ve been doing that has worked, but other times you will need to shake things up and add in one new change to concentrate on. I’ve found that by just trying to implement a single change you can better focus your energy on that one thing and not have to stress out about making multiple changes.

If you want to make a change but are having difficulty choosing what to do let the 5 examples below give you some ideas:

1. Reduce your caloric intake by 20% (if you’ve been overeating)
2. Walk during lunch for 30 minutes
3. Exercise 3x this week for 30 – 45 minutes
4. Wake up 15 minutes early and make a healthy breakfast
5. Track all of your daily exercise and nutrition habits

Good luck in making this a great week and list your ONE change below that you’re going to do this week – Putting it in writing will keep you more accountable!