Grocery Shopping – “This is where you win or lose”

January 14th, 2011

Is going to the grocery store a “battle”?  You bet it is!  The way you win the battle for your weight health is to FIRST win it at the grocery store.  If you do not bring it home…it won’t go into your belly!

Willpower is easy when you don’t even have the “bad” food in your house.  It is going to be harder for you to slip and easier to stay on track.

Here are a few tips:

NEVER GO TO THE STORE HUNGRY – This is nothing new, you have heard it before.  Hunger is a very strong power and will cause you to buy stuff that you do not need.  Eat a few pieces of fruit.  An apple or a banana or some orange slices will help you be full before going to the store and will help you stay focused on what you need to get.  If your family goes shopping with you, make sure they eat something too.  That will help you from having the little ones throwing stuff into your basket.

MAKE A LIST -  This will help you plan your meals and focus you on what you actually need to get.  Avoid frivilous junk purchases.  The good thing is that most of the candies and cookies are on the same isle.  Stay off that isle no matter what!  Remember the old saying, “Once on the lips…forever on the hips.”  Get in the habit of being a good grocery shopper.  It will save you money…and save a bunch of calories.

PRODUCE – Get lots of veggies!

LUNCH MEATS- Get the 98% fat free turkey or lean chicken.  Avoid the processed meats that are high in fat.  Fat percentages may be misleading on the packaging.  Look for the one with the leanest cut of meat with the lowest grams of fat.

SEAFOOD AND MEAT COUNTER- Oysters and shrimp are great treats, if not fried.  Fish is an excellent protein source and is good for your heart health.  Turkey and chicken is awesome with the occasional lean ground beef.  Even if your ground beef is listed as 93% fat free, it will often times still be higher in fat than chicken.  Red meat on a daily basis would make it impossible for you to keep your fat percentages in line.  Stay with the white meats.

SPECIALTY FOODS – Sauces of mexican foods are fat free.  Avoid the shells and nachos.  Italian food sauces are also tomato based and very low in fat.  Refried beans usually have fat or lard added, which is the worst kind of fat you can consume.  Watch out for creamed sauces and soups.

CEREALS- Pick the cereals with the least amount of sugar and the highest amount of fiber.  Cheerios is a great cereal for kids and adults.  Coco Puffs are low in fat and may help you wean off chocolate cravings without loading up on the fat.

CANNED VEGETABLES- These are great and can give you variety in your meals.  Just be sure that they are not packed in oils.

CANNED MEATS- Canned tuna is awesome and is quick and easy.  Avoid the canned meats at all cost.  Highly processed and full of fat.

SNACKS- Fat free pretzels and fat free crackers are good, as well as low-fat popcorn.

DESSERTS- Popsicles that are sugar free are good.  there are numerous low fat frozen desserts to try.  BEWARE: SUGAR THAT IS NOT USED BY THE BODY QUICKLY AS ENERGY IS CONVERTED TO FAT!  Don’t overload in this area, or you will gain weight and fat.

Win the battle at home by winning the battle at the grocery store.  Save yourself some money and some unneeded calories!

Salt…Don’t add it!

January 13th, 2011

Typically, foods high in salt are processed foods or fast foods like pizza, hamburgers, french fries, potato chips, mexican food, chinese food, and others that require alot of seasoning.  Families who eat alot of processed and convenience foods are consuming way more sodium than they actually need.  Foods that are typically low in sodium are fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, unprocessed meats, and foods marked “low sodium”.

A simple guideline is that if a food contains more than 300 mg of sodium per serving, is should be avoided.

Most fast food establishments will provide nutritional information.  This is helpful for when you have to eat at a restaurant.

Most people do not realize how much sodium is going into their diet until they start trying to reduce the amounts.  To help regulate your sodium balance you can increase your water intake throughout the day – at least 1/2 gallon.

Don’t add salt to food since most foods contain sodium anyway.  Eat healthy!

There is something in the WATER!

January 11th, 2011

Bobby Boucher said it best in The Waterboy, “It’s clean….It’s cold…Now thats what I call…High Quality H2O”

Ever wonder what is in your water?  What water is the best to drink?  Read on my friends.

Public Water Supplies: Much of municipal water supplies contain chemicals or contaminants such as lead,, chlorine, fluoride, nitrates, sodium, pesticides, and/or insecticides.  These products can lead to a weakened immune system, and some are suspected carcinogens.

Drinking Water: Comes from wells or public water supplies and has undergone at least a minimum treatment.

Mineral Water: Contains more dissolved solids, most of which cannot be used by the human body.  This can even be dissolved rocks!  Therefore, the lower the number of total dissolved solids the healthier the water is for you.

Distilled Water: This is basically “dead” water.  Everything is removed…including the taste.  This water is best used in batteries and steam irons.

Spring Water: Spring water bubbles up naturally from deep within the earth, avoiding contaminants and debris.  Spring water is usually the best tasting water available.  Spring water is then purified for safety.

Make sure that you are drinking the purest water possible, not just a glass of chemicals.  Read the labels, and contact your local treatment plant for an analysis of your water.  The difference will be perfectly clear.

Of all the types of water available, spring water is the purest and healthiest.

Water- How 8 Glasses a day…keeps the fat away

January 5th, 2011

As busy as our days get, it is easy to forget how important it is to stay properly hydrated.  It is a very important element that is required for a proper daily diet.

Water is so important to your body that 40% – 60% of your bodyweight is water.  Now before you get any crazy ideas like dropping alot of weight by reducing your water consider the following facts:

Dehydration places a huge burden on your heart by thickening your blood.  Your body will also have a harder time regulating its internal heat.  Since the cells in your body are mostly water, if you lose water, your cells get smaller and will not be able to carry on their intended functions, this includes metabolism of your food.

Although you may take it for granted, water may be the only true “magic potion” for weight loss and permanent weight control.

WATER SUPPRESSES THE APPETITE NATURALLY AND HELPS THE BODY METABOLIZE STORED FAT

An increase in water intake can actually reduce fat deposits.  Your kidneys cannot function properly without enough water.  When they cannot do their work, the excess is dumped into the liver for processing.  One of the major functions of the liver is to metabolize stored fat into usable energy.  But if the liver is busy with “extra work”, it cannot operate at full throttle.

DRINKING WATER IS THE BEST TREATMENT FOR FLUID RETENTION

When the body gets less water than it needs it goes into survival mode and will save as much water as possible.  Give your body what it needs and it will let go of it’s stored water.

WATER HELPS TO MAINTAIN PROPER MUSCLE TONE

Also helps to prevent the sagging skin that usually follows weight loss.  Water plumps the skin and leaves it clear, healthy, and resilient.

WATER HELPS RID THE BODY OF WASTE

During weight loss, the body has alot more waste to rid of-all that metabolized fat must be shed.  Adequate water helps flush out the waste.

Get out there and drink your water!

How to get lean…and stay that way!-Part II

January 4th, 2011

Drink no calories other than protein drinks and stay away from sugar and processed foods that have sugar added.

Stay away from the sugary sodas!  A person can lose 15 pounds a year just by cutting out the sugar in beverages and drinking just minimal amounts of soda.

Keep in mind that even though a food may be low in fat, it can still be full of calories from sugar that must be accounted for.