Is Your Diet Stressing You Out?

Is Your Diet Stressing You Out?

by | Feb 8, 2011 | Areas of Weight Loss Resistance, Natural Weight Loss, Stress and Weight Loss

Crash dieting does not work! In fact, crash dieting creates changes in your body that make long-term weight management nearly impossible! We LOVE crash dieting and fad diets in this country because for many people they give fast measurable results. But the reality is that although the number on the scale may give the impression that the diet is working, the changes going on inside your body are very unhealthy and will make is extremely hard for you to maintain the weight loss you achieved with the diet once you stop.

When we talk about crash dieting, we’re talking about a diet that restricts calorie intake significantly for a short period of time. A study recently conducted at the University of Pennsylvania tested this kind of diet on mice. The mice were on a three week diet during which they lost an average of 10-15% of their weight. While the mice were on the diet, researchers found that they had higher levels of stress hormones and showed symptoms of depression when they were in stressful situations. Even more interesting (or scary) is that the mice had altered DNA once they finished the diet! The genes that regulate appetite and stress were changed as a result of the calorie-restricted diet. Researchers also found that once the mice were off the calorie-restricted diet and given a high-fat diet, their appetite hormones went crazy and caused binge eating.

This study seems to be telling us that STRESS may be one of the biggest reasons why crash diets are not successful in achieving long term weight loss. In the Optimal Body Balance program we talk about stress a lot and recognize it as one of the 8 areas of weight loss resistance.

Stress can make you fat!

  • Stress raises the hormone cortisol — cortisol causes you to break down muscle (not fat!) for energy — sugar from the broken down muscle tissue is continuously dumped into the blood stream — resulting in insulin resistance
  • Chronic stress lowers the hormone serotonin and makes you hypoglycemic — resulting in sugar cravings
  • Chronic stress lowers the hormone DHEA; DHEA helps your body burn fat (it also has anti-aging and libido stimulating properties)

Stress also causes behavioral problems such as depression (as mentioned before), anger, mood swings, indecisiveness, panic attacks and excessive use of stimulants, intellectual problems such as forgetfullness and lack of concentration, and physical problems such as chronic fatigue, constipation/diarrhea, headaches, heart palpitations, high cholesterol, hypertension, indigestion, immune dysfunction, insomnia, skin rash, sweaty palms and tight muscles.

Next time you consider a crash diet, really think about the long term complications you may be causing your body. Not only will stress induced by crash dieting make it harder to keep off weight in the long run, you’re also creating hormone imbalances, changing your body composition in a negative way by burning up your muscle (not the fat you actually want to get rid of!!!) and maybe even altering your DNA, yikes!

Is Your Diet Stressing You Out?

Thursday Three-Day Menu Plan

by | Feb 3, 2011 | Natural Weight Loss, Uncategorized

I hope everyone survived the blizzard! I spend most of yesterday shoveling the snow from the sidewalk and driveway into huge mountains in the front and back yard. I also attempted to climb one of the mountains instead of reaching the summit, I sunk in to snow up to my neck.

Anyway, here is the menu plan for this week.

Breakfast
Banana Kiwi Smoothie
Ginger Veggie Smoothie
Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato Frittata

1st Lunch
Buffalo Chickpea Salad
Avocado Goat Cheese Salad with side of fruit
Asian Noodle Salad with Shrimp

2nd Lunch
Salmon Canapes
Almond Stuffed Apricots with a side of raw veggies or small side salad
Spinach Salad with Almonds and Kumquats

Dinner
Sunny Side up Lentil Salad
Spice Crusted Salmon with Ginger-Cilantro Yogurt Sauce with side salad
Spicy Turkey Chile Verde with Hominy and Squash

Banana Kiwi Smoothie (serves 2)
1 1/2 cups fresh orange juice
1 banana, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 cup (packed) coarsely chopped kale leaves, center stalk and stem removed
1/2 kiwi, peeled
2 pitted medjool dates, coarsely chopped
scoop of protein powder

  1. Combine all ingredients in blender and puree until smooth.

Ginger Veggie Juice (serves 2)
2 firm pears, stemmed, cut into wedges
1 3/4-inch piece peeled fresh ginger
5 medium carrots, scrubbed (about 1/2 pound), cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces
2 celery stalks, trimmed, cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces
1 baby beet, trimmed, scrubbed
1/2 cup (packed) fresh italian parsley (stems and leaves)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
scoop of protein powder

  1. Blend all ingredients until smooth, strain the mixture into two glasses and serve.

Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato Frittata (serves 4)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small shallot, chopped
1 cup packed fresh spinach, chopped
4 whole eggs
4 eggs whites
8 sun-dried tomatoes halves, chopped
1/2 cup grated Asiago
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups fresh berries

  1. Heat oven to 425. Grease 4 small baking dishes. Set aside. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Cook shallot until soft but not brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add spinach; cook 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
  2. Lightly whisk eggs and egg whites in a bowl. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes, cheese, basil, spinach mixture, salt and pepper. Spoon into baking dishes; bake until firm in the center, 12 to 14 minutes.
  3. Serve with 1/2 cup berries.

Buffalo Chickpea Salad (serves 4)
chickpeas:
2 cans chickpeas
1/4 cup hot sauce, divided
2 tablespoons oil (I used grapseed)
dressing:
4 teaspoons hot sauce
juice from one lemon (about 1/4 cup)
2 small cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons honey
big pinches of salt and pepper, to taste
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salad:
mixed salad greens
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
handful or so of grape tomatoes, cut in half
crumbled goat cheese

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and place the oven rack to the upper third position. Place chickpeas on a large, rimmed baking sheet, add 2 tablespoons hot sauce and 2 tablespoons of oil. Toss them together until coated. Bake for 15 minutes then pull a chickpea out to taste. If you like them spicier, toss in additional hot sauce. Return to the oven 15 minutes even if you don’t add more sauce.
  2. Meanwhile, put all dressing ingredients except for the oil in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Add oil in a small continuous stream.
  3. Place all salad ingredients in a large bowl, top with dressing and chickpeas then toss to combine.

Avocado Goat Cheese Salad (serves 4)
1 1/2 cups matchstick-size strips peeled jicama
1/4 cup avocado oil
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 5-ounce package mixed greens
1 large avocado, peeled, pitted, sliced
1 5-ounce package soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled

  1. Toss first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  2. Add avocado and goat cheese; toss gently. Divide salad among plates.

Asian Noodle Salad with Shrimp (serves 4)
1 6.75-ounce package rice stick noodles
4 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons fish sauce
4 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
1 pound peeled deveined cooked medium shrimp
1 cup thinly sliced Japanese or Persian cucumbers
1 8-ounce package sugar snap peas, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 cup (loosely packed) fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup (loosely packed) fresh cilantro leaves

  1. Cook noodles according to directions. Rinse with cold water; drain well. Cut noodles into thirds.
  2. Whisk lime juice, fish sauce, chili garlic sauce in small bowl. Place shrimp in medium bowl. Add 2 tablespoons dressing; toss to coat.
  3. Divide noodles among bowls. Top with cucumber slices and all remaining ingredients. Spoon shrimp with dressing over and drizle with remaining dressing.

Salmon Canapes (serves 8 )
4 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha sauce (more to taste)
12 ounces daikon, cut crosswise into 16 slices (1/4 inch thick each)
8 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon (or lox), cut into 16 pieces
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

  1. Combine cheese, juice and Sriracha in a bowl.
  2. Spread a layer of cheese mixture on each daikon slice; top with salmon and garnish with chives.

Almond Stuffed Apricots (makes 24 apricots)
24 dried apricots
1/4 cup toasted almonds
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
3 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice

  1. Slice apricots on one side to form a pita-like pocket.
  2. Grind remaining ingredients in a small food processor until fine. Stuff each apricot with mixture and serve.

Spinach Salad with Almonds and Kumquats
1/3 cup thinly sliced seeded kumquats
2 1/2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1 tablespoon oil
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1 5-ounce package baby spinach
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup sliced mushrooms

  1. Chop enough kumquats to measure 1 tablespoon. Mix kumquats, vinegar, shallot, oil, ginger and sesame oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
  2. Add spinach, almonds cilantro, sliced kumquats and mushrooms.

Sunny Side Up Lentil Salad (serves 4)
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, including liquid
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup lentils, rinsed
2/3 cup finely diced celery
1/2 cup finely diced carrot
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon (or parsley)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 eggs
4 cups mixed baby lettuces

  1. Boil 3 cups water, tomatoes, onion, lentils, celery, carrot and thyme in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until lentils are tender, 20-25 minutes. Drain; reserve cooking liquid. Return liquid to pan; boil over high heat to reduce liquid to 1/4 cup. Add 2 tablespoons vinegar and lentil mixture to liquid; stir over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon tarragon; season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat but keep warm.
  2. Whisk remaining 1/2 tablespoon vinegar in a bowl with mustard and oil; add salt and pepper.
  3. Set a medium skillet over medium heat. Carefully add eggs so yolks remain whole; cook until whites are set; add salt and pepper.
  4. Toss lettuces with mustard dressing; divide evenly amoung 4 plates. Top greens with 1/4 lentils and 1 egg each; sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon tarragon.

Spice Crusted Salmon with Ginger-Cilantro Yogurt Sauce (serves 4)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
3 teaspoons fresh lime juice, divided
3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
4 6-ounce salmon fillets with skin
lime wedges

  1. Mix yogurt, cilantro, 1 teaspoon lime juice, 1 teaspoon oil, ginger and garlic in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Place fennel seeds and coriander seeds in heavy duty plastic bag. Using mallet, crush seeds. Sprinkle fillets with salt, pepper and seeds.
  2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fillets, seed side down. Cook until brown, about 3 minutes. Turn over. Cook until just opaque in center, about 3 minutes. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons lime juice. Place fillets on plates. Top with sauce; servew ith lime wedges.

Spicy Turkey Chile Verde with Hominy and Squash
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound spicy fully cooked turkey sausages
1 large fresh poblano chile, stemmed, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
4 large garlic cloves
1 15-ounce can hominy in juice
1 cup bottled thick and chunky salsa verde (medium heat)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
2 cups 3/4-inch cubes peeled butternut squash (8 ounces)

  1. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add sausage. Saute to heat through, about 4 minutes. Add chile and oregano. Press in garlic. Stir 2 minutes. Add hominy with juice, salsa verde, 1/2 cup cilantro and squash. Bring to simmer.
  2. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until squash is tender, stirring occasionally, 12 to 15 minutes. Uncover and simmer to thicken, if desired.
  3. Transfer chile verde to bowl. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro and serve.

Sources:
Bon Appetit Magazine
Self Magazine

Is Your Diet Stressing You Out?

Women Need to Think Like Men When it Comes to Exercise

by | Jan 25, 2011 | Natural Weight Loss, Uncategorized

It turns out that we women have some valuable lessons to learn from men when it comes to exercise and dieting. There are three specific areas where women should try thinking more like men – goal setting, type of exercise training, eating habits and mindset.

Let’s talk about goal setting first. Having a goal is a very important part motivating yourself to achieve change. In general, men and women set goals differently. When it come to weight loss and exercise, women tend to set goals based on weight. They want to see a specific number on the scale and that becomes the only goal. This goal is good in that it is measurable, but it can be very hard to attain and hard to assess how well you’re doing while you’re actually doing physical activity. Men, on the other hand, tend to set goals based on specific exercise performance. More reps of a certain weight training exercise or cutting down running time for example. These goals are still measurable, and they are also more attainable. Performance specific goals keep people more motivated while they are exercising and they keep workouts interesting. When you’re more motivated, you will train better and when you train better, you will get closer to that number you want to see on the scale.

Have you noticed how the cardio classes tend to be filled with women, while the weight room seems to be dominated by men? Well here’s another area where women might want to take a cue from the opposite gender. Cardio is great and it should be part of your workout, but you need to mix it up with strength training. Cardio doesn’t build muscle like strength training does and building muscle is necessary part of losing weight and maintaining your weight loss. Having more muscle causes your body’s energy expenditure to go up; in other words the more muscle your body has the more calories it has to burn on a daily basis. Burning more calories will help you achieve and maintain that weight you’re aiming for. Not to mention you’ll look more toned and fit than you would if you just did cardio alone.

Scared to try lifting weights? It can be intimidating to walk into that weight room; we have some tips for you.

  • Go with a friend
    It’s not as intimidating when someone is there with you. You can learn together and cheer each other on.
  • Try a group class that includes strength training
    There are tons of really fun classes these days in group settings that do things such as weight lifting routines to music. If you’re someone who enjoys these choreographed group classes you should really give this a try.
  • Try functional fitness
    Functional fitness uses mostly your own body weight and minimal equipment to get the same strength training workout.
  • Buy free weights to use at home
    Pick up some free weights to keep at home, there are lots of great online resources for simple weight lifting routines that can be done without a problem in the comfort of your own home.
  • Check out pilates or yoga
    These types of classes focus on strength training without the weights.

You’ll be surprised at how rewarding lifting weights can be. It’s a great feeling when you can add more weight on the bar or do that extra set of reps. You can really see your effort paying off; unlike cardio machines where results are harder to measure.

Remember what we said about goal setting for exercise? The same sort of thing can be applied to your eating habits. Instead of setting a general goal of eating healthier, set specific daily or weekly goals such packing your lunch for work instead of eating out, having an extra serving of veggies, or substituting fruit for bacon with your eggs. This will give you something to focus on and help keep you on the right track because you can see that you are making healthy changes and accomplishing something. Men, in general, don’t binge eat as much as women do. This is because of the way most men view food. Food is fuel. You need to start thinking like this. Don’t turn to food because you’re sad or to celebrate; food is only to fuel your body, so listen to what your body is telling you and eat when you’re hungry!

The last thing I want to touch on is mindset. Women tend to over-think, over-research and over-plan when it comes to exercise and dieting. Men tend to just jump in and act. Stop waiting for the perfect time to join the gym or start eating healthier, just do it! The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll be seeing results.

Source: Dayton Daily News “Men, Women Have Different Diet, Exercise Goals”

Is Your Diet Stressing You Out?

$1.34 for a Pound of Fat

by | Jan 18, 2011 | Natural Weight Loss

When people are trying to make the change to a more healthy lifestyle a common complaint is that it’s expensive. It’s expensive to join a gym, expensive to buy whole, organic foods, expensive to enroll in a weight loss program. Instead of focusing on the expenses, you should really focus on how much money you will save in the long run. If you weigh more you probably eat more and if you eat more, you’re probably spending more money on food. The numbers will surprise you.

The USDA has calculated that it costs a person $1.34 to maintain one pound of fat per month based the average American’s calorie intake and food costs. This means that if you weigh 300 pounds, you are spending about $398.65 on food per month. If you get your weight down from 300 pounds to 180 pounds, you would be saving $159.46 per month on your food budget. How many pounds of fat are you investing in each month?

You can see that when you calculate how much money you’ll actually be saving for the rest of your life, the costs are offset. Not included in your savings is the amount you’ll save in healthcare costs. Instead of investing in pounds invest in lifelong health.

If you’re think you’re ready to make a change and start saving, take a look at the Optimal Body Balance program. We have many different program formats and there is sure to be something for you. Invest in the program and earn back the program cost and more when you become a healthier, happier you.

Source: Marty Hinz, MD “The cost of a pound of fat: gaining perspective”

How much time are your favorite foods costing you at the gym?

How much time are your favorite foods costing you at the gym?

by | Jan 11, 2011 | Natural Weight Loss

Did you treat yourself to that ice cream cone with the plan of working it off later at the gym? We’ve crunched the numbers with some popular foods and you may be surprised at how much time you have to put in.

Coldstone’s Love It size Birthday Cake Remix

749 calories
34 grams of fat
19 grams saturated fat

In order to work this off, you have to…

  • run (8 min/mile pace) for 53 minutes OR
  • swim (moderate pace) for 1 hour and 35 minutes OR
  • walk (moderate pace) for 3 hours and 20 minutes OR
  • lift weights for 3 hours and 40 minutes OR
  • do yoga for 4 hours and 20 minutes

Starbuck’s Grande Pumpkin Spice Latte

380 calories
13 grams fat
8 grams saturated fat

In order to work this off, you have to…

  • run (8 min/mile pace) for 27 minutes OR
  • swim (moderate pace) for 50 minutes OR
  • walk (moderate pace) for 1 hour and 45 minutes OR
  • lift weights for 1 hour and 50 minutes OR
  • do yoga for 2 hours and 15 minutes

Qdoba Chicken Burrito

1080 calories
35.5 grams fat
14.5 grams saturated fat

In order to work this off, you have to…

  • run (8 min/mile pace) for 1 hour and 17 minutes OR
  • swim (moderate pace) fr 2 hours and 15 minutes OR
  • walk (moderate pace) for 4 hours and 50 minutes OR
  • lift weights for 5 hours and 20 minutes OR
  • do yoga for 6 hours and 20 minutes

These numbers are based on a person who weighs 150 pounds. The amount of calories you will burn for each type of exercise will differ based on your weight. If you want to calculate how much you will burn, check out myfitnesspal.com. They have a great exercise calculator as well as great database for nutritional info for different foods.

Is Your Diet Stressing You Out?

Free Three Day Menu Plan!!!

by | Dec 30, 2010 | Natural Weight Loss

Here is a free three-day menu plan! Mix and match the recipes you like and remember to prepare extra servings to freeze for later or to take for lunch.

Breakfast:
Smoothie

1st Lunch:
Quinoa Salad
Strawberry, Fennel and Orange Salad with a side of cottage cheese (3/4 cup)
Ranchero Frittata

2nd Lunch:
Smoothie

Dinner:
Radiccio Pasta
Watercress Soup
Green Tea Chicken with Rice (more…)