Eat This Not That

This last week I did something new. At least it was new for me. I got up at my mom's group and talked in front of nearly 60 women about nutrition! I have learned tons of information that has helped get me to where I am today: healthier, happier and skinnier. Because of all of that I can't help but want to share it with everyone. I was offered the opportunity to do so for our last meeting, if my topic was among those chosen to be shared. Low and behold my feature entitled, "Eat This, Not That" was picked! So with the help of my wonderful husband we set about compiling a list of commonly eaten foods and healthier alternatives. I showed how making simple, small changes to your daily diet can add up to big changes on the scale. So I thought that I would share those changes with you. I hope that you find this list helpful and can see how easy it can be start on the road to a healthier you.

Eat This Not That

Healthier Options for Common Foods

And Their Exchanges

4 oz. 93% lean ground beef = 170 cal.

4 oz. lean ground turkey = 120 cal saving of 50 calories

Spaghetti pasta 1 cup = 221 cal

*Whole Wheat spaghetti pasta = 174 cal savings of 47 calories

Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing 2 Tbls.=140 cal.

Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing 2 Tbls. = 174 cal. savings of 60 calories

Milk whole 146 cal

1% 102 cal savings of 44 calories switching to Lowfat

Non fat 83 cal savings of 19 calories switching to non fat

Almond 90 cal dietary preference

Soy 90 cal dietary preference

Baked chicken breast w/ skin = 193 cal.

Baked chicken breast w/o skin =140 cal. savings of 53 calories

Oatmeal Instant Apples and Cinnamon= 128 cal.

*Homemade with apples and cinnamon=92 cal. savings of 36 calories

Starbucks Coffee – Tall Grande Venti

White Hot Chocolate 310 420 520 (saving of 210 calories from Venti to Tall)

Hot Chocolate 230 290 380 ( savings of 150 calories from Venti to Tall)

Egg Nog Latte 370 460 610 (savings of 240 calories from Venti to Tall)

Iced Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha 200 260

Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha 340 440

Making changes like these could save you 309 calories in one day! Times that by 7 and you have 2,163 calories saved in 1 week.(not including calories from coffee).

Surgery Over Working Out

Today I was listening to the radio on my way home from my Moms' group when an ad came on for a Brazillian Butt Lift Surgery.  The title is what caught my attention being that I just started Brazil Butt Lift the work out program from Beachbody and creator Leandro Carvalho.  I was then shocked when the ad stated that this Surgery is "BETTER THAN ANY WORKOUT" and is the "ONLY" solution that lasts! What the heck are they talking about?  How in the world can surgery that is dangerous on it's own with sedation, liposuction and "recontouring" of your butt, hips and thighs be better? And this type of surgery is not permanent. There have been numerous studies that have found people to actually gain more weight than their lost after having liposuction. Liposuction may remove pounds of fat from a person, but it doesn't change that person's habits. If a person doesn't change the way they view food, how they feel about it, enjoy it, think about it and most of all consume it, then their battle with their weight will continue. Alongside a healthy relationship with food, is the need for the body to be stimulated with consistent exercise/activity. I am promoting Brazil Butt Lift, but simply owning this workout program won't "work" by simply sitting on the shelf. You have to put the time and effort into the program to see results.  Yes, it takes time and commitment to change your behavior, there are no shortcuts to a healthy life, but you will find that it is worth it in the end. This is the end of my rant and my push for you to stay out of the operating room thinking you will get a great "Brazillian Butt" or better abs or arms just from having surgery. Get off the couch and move! *Leslie

My Beachbody Site

7 Tips to Portion Control

7 Tips for Portion Control

By Joe Wilkes

An interesting 2009 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine took a look at cookbook recipes over the last several decades (with an emphasis on recipes in The Joy of Cooking). It found that calorie counts per serving have gone up dramatically as authors have increased portion sizes to conform to new cultural norms. Where the 1936 edition of the kitchen classic averaged 268 calories per serving, the most recent edition in 2006 averaged 384 calories. The study theorized that lower costs of food and larger plate sizes are part of the reason for the increase, but nutritionist Marion Nestle says that mainly it's just a reflection of people becoming accustomed to eating more and more per meal. What can we do to monitor and control portion sizes? Here are some ideas:



1.Downsize your plate. One issue the study pointed out is that the average plate size has grown over the years and the amount of food served on those plates has kept pace with that increase. Instead of breaking out the big dinner plate, try eating your dinner off a salad or dessert plate. The smaller plate will make the amount of food look larger by proportion, a visual cue that will trick your brain into thinking you're eating more. Plus you can trade in your big dinner fork for a more petite salad fork, which will also help to slow down any shoveling behavior you might be tempted to engage in at the dinner table.

2.Divide and conquer. When you're cooking more than one serving of something, immediately store the prospective leftovers in single-serving containers. By putting out the entire dish, you run the risk of not having any leftovers at the end of the meal. Depending on what the meal is, I divide my food onto two plates—one for that meal and one for lunch the next day. And as a side benefit, this can help you tighten your wallet while you tighten your waistline.

3.Count it down. If you eat your reasonably sized portion of food in the dining room/living room/den/bedroom/bathroom, etc. and leave the leftovers in the kitchen, it will make this next step a lot easier. Here's the scenario: You've finished your first portion and yet you still want more. This is far from atypical, especially if the big plate of leftovers is sitting in front of you, tempting you, calling to you—maybe just a half a spoonful or maybe just a pick at the serving platter with your fork (just the good parts, of course). That couldn't possibly have more calories, right? Wrong. The calories from the food you sneak in after you finish eating are as potent as the calories from the food you're served. The good news is that if you can hold off, you won't be hungry for long.



After you have a decent-sized portion of food, it takes your brain about 20 minutes to get the message from your stomach that you're full. So try this: Before you reach for seconds, glance at your wristwatch or the clock on the wall. Spend the next 20 minutes chatting with your dining companions, or if you're eating alone, check out the newspaper, read a magazine article, or play along with a round of Jeopardy!® on TV. Then, after 20 minutes, see if you're still starving for another bowl full of whatever. Chances are that your cravings will have disappeared. If they haven't, maybe you do still need a little more food to achieve satiety. Review what you ate before, and if the calorie count seems low, treat yourself to a little extra. Or, if the calorie count seems about right or high for a regular meal and you're still hungry, fill up on some low-cal veggies or have a big glass of water. Sometimes it's easy to confuse thirst with hunger.

4.Embrace your inner child. We're not suggesting that you have candy for dinner. What we do mean is that when you're on the road or out at a restaurant, don't be ashamed to look at the kids' menu. As the adult menu has been supersized to gluttonous proportions, the children's menu often has the most sensibly sized and nutritious options. Check out Debbie Siebers' portion-control tips below, and you'll see that oftentimes the amount of food in a kids' meal is just the right amount for an adult watching his or her figure. Not to mention, if you play your cards right, there could be a free toy in it for you. Out of the mouths of babes . . .

5.Sharing is good. And while we're getting lessons from the small set, how about sharing? If you're a foodie like me, the hardest part about eating out is passing up all the goodies you want to try on the menu. Instead of ordering too much for yourself, strategize with your fellow diners about how you can maximize the variety of the food instead of the quantity. Most restaurants will be more than happy to provide you with extra small plates so you can split dishes. And make sure you actually split them! Don't dine out with your friend who survives on a nibble here or there and split two dishes; you'll end up eating 80 percent of the food on the table while he or she makes do with a couple of forkfuls. Ever wonder how Top Chef® host Padma Lakshmi keeps her model-like physique while judging up to 12 meals a week? Easy! She doesn't eat everything. Also, when you're figuring out how to eat family-style, make sure that at least one of the dishes is a healthy salad, a non-cream-based soup, or a vegetable dish. That way you and your family can get full without getting fat.

6.Learn your weights and measurements. As anyone who's a regular reader of this newsletter knows, we're always going on and on about reading labels. And like the calorie, carb, protein, and fat numbers, the serving size is important. This is where the corporate food interests get you a lot of the time, by adjusting the serving size downward to make the nutritional numbers look a little better. As anyone who's recently spent a Saturday night alone with the TV can tell you, the estimate of four servings in a tiny little pint of Ben & Jerry's® or Häagen-Dazs® is wildly optimistic. So when the label indicates 300 calories per serving, that means the whole container has 1,200 calories. And since most of the containers are wider at the top than at the bottom, when you eat what seems to be half the container, it can actually be closer to two-thirds.



It's definitely a big hassle to weigh and measure everything you put in your body every day. Even the most anal-retentive people among us don't have the time and energy to be hauling out the scale and measuring cups for every meal. But it's worth it to at least familiarize yourself with a few standard weights and measures. Try learning what an ounce, a gram, a tablespoon, etc., look like. That way you can at least eyeball how much you're eating. I've yet to meet the person who can make a typical bag of potato chips last for 12 servings.

7.Give yourself a hand. For an easy guide to portion sizes, use the following guide from Slim in 6® creator Debbie Siebers.



Handy Portion-Control Guide

By Debbie Siebers, creator of Slim in 6



To achieve weight loss—and maintain that healthy weight once you've achieved it—it's crucial to really understand what a portion is. Here's what may prove to be an indispensible tip: Use your hand as a guideline for portion sizes. (If your hands happen to be extra-large or extra-small for your size, adjust accordingly.)



Palm = Proteins: Make protein portions the size of your palm. Protein is found in animal products, like fish, poultry, meats, and cottage cheese. Some veggie protein sources include legumes (beans, etc.), tofu, tempeh, and wheat glutens.



Thumb = Fats: Fats are important, but they're also very dense, so match fat portions to the size of your thumb. Good fat sources are avocados, olive oil, nuts, and seeds.



Fist = Fruits, Grains, etc.: Your bread, fruit, cereal, rice, and grain portions should be about equal to the size of your closed fist. Remember that it's always preferable to consume whole grains.



Hand = Veggies: Open your hand and spread your fingers as wide as you can. That's a good vegetable portion. Raw vegetables are loaded with fiber and nutrients and they contain very few calories

Beachbody Has Completely Transformed Us

Tonight my wife posted her before and after pictures showing how far she has come since we began our transformation journey over 2 years ago. I am so proud of her and want others to know that everyone can achieve the same success. Leslie didn't have the rapid success that I was able to have, but she didn't give up. I tried to support her as best I could and encourage her through all of her ups and downs, although to be honest, I occasionally made things worse...oops.  In any case, we leaned on each other when we didn't feel compelled to "Bring It" or "Dig Deep", we made snacks and meals for each other when we could, and we grew together. Now, I can honestly say that not only has our marriage never been stronger that it currently is, and we have never been a better looking couple than right now...and that is after having 2 boys (6 and 8 years old). We are actually in better shape now than the day we were married! Does Beachbody work??? Absolutely! It offers the entire package: Workouts, Nutrition, and the support of a personal coach to help keep you motivated and accountable, even when you aren't feeling your best.

Everyone Goes Through It

I wanted to share the experience that I had this week in hopes that everyone will understand that being in shape, getting fit, and pushing myself is not easy for me. I get comments all the time such as, "but it's not easy for me," "it's too hard," "I just don't have time," "I could never do THAT," or responses like, "but you are in such great shape," "but my body is not like yours," or the inexplicable, "oh, but I can't commit the way you can."

I have a rebuttle to all of them (and in order), "It's not easy for me either," "If it were easy, everyone would be in shape," "How much time did you spend watching tv yesterday, or how about if you took 10-30 minutes a day now, you could add 10 years to your life?", "Have you ever really tried?", "I'm only in great shape because I decided to make it a priority," "Your body doesn't have to be like mine, heck, my body wasn't like this when I started either," and, "Why wouldn't you want to commit to a longer, healthier, and more fulfilling life? Why don't you think you are worth the effort?"

My friends, your life will never be negatively affected by your decision to make health and fitness a priority. When you make the time and commit to it, you will be better at time management, you will feel more energized and be more productive every day, and you will ultimately be much happier with who you are and others around you. I promise you, give me 90 days to of commitment and you will never want to go back to your former self.

This is not easy for me, there are days when I struggle, but I simply do my best and get after it the next day. For instance, this week I began my P90X/Insanity Hybrid Workout program. I have done P90X 3 times already, and each time I got a little better that the last. In fact, it wasn't until my second round that I was fully able to complete Ab Ripper X in its entirety (those Pfiefer Scissors and Mason Twists are murder). In any case, I hadn't done P90X in about a year. I had completed Insanity twice, Chalene Extreme, Asylum and RevAbs, so I was a bit out of practice with the moves in P90X. I did pretty well, although my numbers of Pull-Ups and Push-Ups in the Chest & Back exercise on Day 1 were lower than I remember from before. I bought it as best I could...then was so sore for the next 4 days that it hurt to do some of the cardio moves during the rest of the week. Just the motion in the jumping jacks during warm up were almost unbearable, but I pushed through. I wasn't going to let myself quit when it got a little tough or painful. You have to make the decision if you can keep going, or if you absolutely need to take a break. But you can't just turn and run as soon as things seem a little difficult. How long did it take you to get where you are? I guarantee you weren't in shape yesterday and woke up out of shape, over-weight, and suffering from any number of ailments. So don't expect your body to snap back into shape right away. It could take, months, or even years. But when you finally reach that goal, you will be so glad you did. Let me help you. Let me be your coach.

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The Importance of a Food Journal

 

Studies have demonstrated the importance of food diaries and the difference they can make to a diet or a weight loss program and this is due to several reasons:

You have probably heard or read about the importance of keeping a food journal or a diet diary where you faithfully jot down all that you eat and how keeping such a record of your caloric intake will help you lose weight.

• You are less likely to cheat on a diet when you know you have to record faithfully, all that you eat; including snacks, an unplanned dessert, finishing baby food or what get left behind on junior’s plate; everything!

• A diary gives you a very realistic idea of your daily calorie consumption. You may actually be eating more than you think, and may despair of not losing weight.With a food diary, you will realize how much you have been actually eating; which will explain your lack of progress and motivate you to keep to the program better.

• A food diary helps one take responsibility and also helps to get a feeling of control over a weight loss program. You are able to identify eating patterns more accurately which will be able to offer revealing insight into the reasons for failure and success. It is also able to tell you accurately what works for you and what doesn’t

• You can face your food choices better and with more clarity when you record what and how much you have eaten and then you are less able to blame others, or your genes, or circumstances for lack of progress. A food diary, in a sense, holds up a mirror to ourselves so that we are less able to evade the truth of our own actions

It is often just ignorance or forgetfulness (which may at times be willful or deliberate) that causes us to eat more than we need to or are meant to. A faithful recording of all that we eat (obviously you have to be fully honest with yourself here and record everything) does in fact present a true picture.This is not possible if you try to make a rough calculation of what you eat in a day, based on what you remember (or don’t remember) having eaten in a given day – it is far more accurate when you have

It hurts so good

This week I began a new workout routine by going back to my old friend P90X. Only this time, I am doing a Hybrid routine of the muscle confusion workouts of P90X with Insanity Workouts on my cardio days. I was immediately brought back to how I felt the first time I did P90X. I felt phenomenal that night, and was even able to make it all the way through AB Ripper X (including the Mason Twists). I don't remember ever blasting through that entire routine with the bonus twists at the end, so I have to thank Shaun T's amazing program for getting me into the best shape of my life! In any case, here is the part that brought me back to my introduction to Week 1 of P90X.  THE PAIN! OMG, my chest, shoulders and whatever the muscles under my armpit are called were ON FIRE!!! After completing the Day 1 workout of Chest & Back, I was rubbing sore areas on my body 2 1/2 days...then it was time to do Shoulders and Arms. In all honesty, doing that workout actually made me feel a little better. However, the muscles under my armpits hurt like hell when I was doing the warm up to Insanity's Max Cardio Conditioning, but all my soreness was gone once my body was properly warmed up. I know all this sounds scary, and you probably are thinking, "what kind of idiot would go through pain on purpose?" Well, this kind of idiot. As Tony would say about the pain I feel, "It's in a good way, a good way...I mean that in a good way." And he's right. Because the satisfaction I feel after a workout, the sense of accomplishment I experience, it makes all the pain meaningless when I look at myself in the mirror and see how far I have come and the example I have set for my children.