The End of Overeating

The title of this book caught my attention so I picked it up.  Although it's quite dry and his conclusions are somewhat obvious, there are a few good points I thought worth sharing.  Here is a watered down version of his explanation and cure to this dilemma.

When we eat foods that are high in SUGAR, SALT and FAT it triggers our brain to crave more.  Even if we aren't hungry, it still triggers our brain because it wants more pleasure. Although his conclusions seem quite elementary or obvious, sometimes we forget that's why we're craving so much.  We wonder why we can't stop eating and we don't stop to ask ourselves what we've been eating, which is usually the culprit.

His first suggestion to overcoming overeating is being AWARE.  That's basic enough for us I think.

The second  is to ENGAGE IN COMPETING BEHAVIORS.  For example, change your routine from going straight to the refrigerator after work or taking a different route to avoid a tempting fast-food restaurant that calls your name every time you drive by.  He says "the competing behavior needs to be planned before you encounter a cue."

The third explanation is to FORMULATE THOUGHTS TO COMPETE WITH.  So now that we've got the behavior down, we focus on the thoughts.  His example is instead of saying, "'That pint of ice cream looks really good to me; I'll just have a few bites,'" instead say, "'I know that I can't have one bite because it will lead to twenty.'"  Remind ourselves of our goals instead.

SUPPORT is his fourth suggestion.  You can take that how you want.

The author suggest setting RULES to "help us make the steps of habit reversal real."

Basically, we want to reverse our habits of overeating.  We can help ourselves accomplish this by being AWARE of the foods that trigger us that are very high in sugar, fat, and salt.  (Basically any junk food.)  We can AVOID our "bad" behavior and try to replace it with "good" behavior.  Next is to keep our THOUGHTS in check.  Don't let food be the highlight of your day.  Don't expect so much pleasure and satisfaction from it because then when you have it, it's almost never enough.  Of course I'm not saying don't enjoy food, but you know what I mean when we set such high expectations that if we eat this cookie or cake it will make us happy, or make our day.

Colorful Diet

When you look at your plate to eat is it full of bright colors?  I'm sure you've all heard that the brighter your fruits and vegetables the healthier they are for you.   Here are a few ideas, besides the obvious, from Fitness Magazine on how to add color to your diet:

RED:  Add red chili peppers or red bell peppers to scrambled eggs, puree a handful of strawberries and add it to a breakfast drink or hot cereal

ORANGE: Mash or bake sweet potatoes, add mango to your salad

YELLOW: Put yellow bell peppers in stir-fry, or layer them on a turkey sandwich, make a salad of pineapple, red onion, and mint, or grill pineapple rings for a turkey burger topping, enjoy a corn on the cob

GREEN: Cut up pears and put honey on them for a treat, drizzle sliced avocado with lime juice, brush with olive oil, and grill; then season with salt

PURPLE/BLUE: Put slices of plum on your toast instead of jelly, puree blueberries or plums and put them in ice trays to use for drinks or popcicles, mix blueberries into rice crispy treats, keep raisins handy when you're craving something sweet  



 

FoodSmart

The Thin Commandments uses the term FOODSMART.  It means picking foods that give you volume but allow you to eat more often.  A high volume food is one that is very satisfying but not high in calories.  It keeps your blodd sugar stable and helps stop cravings.

An example is a tiny steak, which is low in volume or size, but very high in calories.  But a 2-pound lobster with pomodoro sauce or with a teaspoon of butter has less calories.

Here are a few other choices that are high in volume, but low in calories.

• White-meat fish and seafood: shrimp, crabmeat, lobster, scallops, cod, mussels, sole, orange roughy flounder, skate, char, snapper.
• Egg whites: egg white omlets, plain or with low-calorie cheese or vegetables. 
• High-calcium diary foods: low/fat-free yogurt, milk, low-fat/fat free cheese (cottage, ricotta, cream, American), protein shakes
• Nonstarchy green and white vegetables: broccoli, green beans, asparagus artichokes, spinach, lettuce, cauliflower, zucchini, and cabbage. 
• Soups: made from green and white vegetables and fat-free broth.
• High-fiber bran crackers

Of course there are high volume foods other than these but these are just a few ideas.  When you're fixing your meals, or eating out, this is a good thing to think about.  Think of getting foods that are high in volume, yet low in calories.

Choosing a Method

Some of you have asked if I agree with some diet plans out there who suggest eating perfectly during the week and then allowing yourself one free day to eat whatever you want.  The Eating For Life book suggests this plan for instance, and there are several others out there that do as well.

I've done this before and I still lost weight from it.  But in my personal opinion I don't recommend or encourage it.  Here's why.

1.  It's not realistic.  If someone is having a birthday party on Wednesday (i.e. there will be dessert served) and you already had your free day on Sunday and gorged out all day long, do you really think at a birthday party you aren't going to have dessert?  If you can resist, good for you and you probably don't need a free day of any sort because you have such great self-discipline.  My point it, there are things that come up unexpectedly and if you've already chosen a 'free day' then I think you're adding extra calories than what you would have eaten had you not chosen this diet plan.

2.  It encourages binging.  In the Eating For Life book it says that after a while you won't binge because you won't like the way it feels after wards.  Well I wish that were the case or none of us would EVER binge!

3.  It feels like a diet.  I don't do anything that makes me feel like I'm on a diet.  When you feel restricted is when you make choices you usually wouldn't make.  For example, if you constantly tell yourself all the foods you can't have, you'll be much more drawn to them, than if you were to say you could have a small amount instead of none at all.  If you restrict yourself, and you're in the same room with the food you "can't" have, the whole time you're in that room that food will be calling your name.  But if you allow yourself to have a small portion, the effects will be far less dramatic, than if you tell yourself you can't have any a thousand times, and then end up eating the whole pan because you "couldn't resist."  Don't tell me that's never happened to you :)  If so, props to you.

So there are different ways of dealing with sweets and desserts.  Here are a few ways to do it:

1.  Some people like one free MEAL a week.  This doesn't leave you with sugar withdrawals the next day or with terrible binging habits.  But it does allow you to have some pizza every once in a while, or other meals that are not a whole food.  This also doesn't mean you can eat as much as you want.  Just that you can have a less healthier choice of food.

2.  Others like to have something sweet immediately after their meal.  This way the sugar gets digested with the rest of the fat and protein as their meal so the effects aren't as bad on your insulin and weight gain in general.  This way they get something sweet and aren't searching for it a few hours later.  Again, this is something very small, like a few pieces of quality chocolate, not a big bowl of ice cream after dinner every night.  Nice try :)

3.  Others don't restrict themselves at all and try to do portion control.  This works for some, not for others.

4.  You can allow yourself a dessert or junk food (with a specific portion in mind) only on special occasions such as birthdays, holidays, or social gatherings.  This way you aren't bringing those sweets into your house.

There are lots of different methods to choose from when dealing with sweets and desserts.  Because remember, your figure is much more affected by what you eat than how many miles you run a day.  So just make sure you DO have a method and it's one that works for you.  You might try a few and see which one works best, but if you don't have one you might find yourself in trouble by eating sweets and junk whenever it's in front of you in whatever amounts you feel like it in the moment.  And unless you're a very rare person, that doesn't make anyone thin.

So have fun deciding what your method is and good luck to ya!  This should be especially helpful to you for the upcoming holidays!

Three Rules to Live By

The Flat Belly Diet book gives "Three Rules to Live By" that I think everyone can benefit from. They are:

1. Stick to 400 calories per meal
   
2. Never go more than 4 hours without eating
   
3. Eat a MUFA at every meal
   

1. Stick to 400 calories per meal. Once again, I'm NOT an advocate for counting calories, but this is around the portion size of meal you should be eating. (I'm about eating the right types of foods and not worrying so much about calories) but portion size is still huge. We'd all be wise to have consistently smaller portions throughout the day with our meals, and this rule emphasizes that. I don't think that means counting your calories every single time you have a meal, but you should figure out about how much is TOO much and what a good portion for your body is. This might be a good way to start.

2. Never go more than 4 hours without eating. HUGE FAN of this rule! This is SO TRUE! There is more than just common sense to this rule. The obvious reason is that if you go more than 4 hours without eating you'll be so starving for your next meal that you'll overeat. But what some people don't realize is that when you skip meals, your metabolism actually SLOWS DOWN and you'll only end up burning the amount of calories that your body thinks it needs. So when you start eating more (because you always do) your body will only burn the amount of calories it thinks it needs to burn, which is less than what you're eating.  So if you're skipping meals, your body won't be burning as much, but instead STORING that food you eat as fat. It's your body's way of keeping itself alive called - starvation mode. If you eat (healthy choices) every 3-4 hours, then your body will be constantly burning that food instead, because it knows it will eat again soon and wants to burn off the food or energy you just put into your body. Our bodies are very smart, we just need to learn how to work with them :)

3. Eat a MUFA at every meal. When I first read this I said a MUFA what? It stands for "monounsaturated fatty acid". These are the good fats (you know, the opposite of bad fats such as trans fats...) in foods like almonds, peanut butter, olive oil, avocados, and hummus. Here are some benefits the book gives to why these fats are so important:

• Protect your heart
• Ward off Type 2 Diabetes
• Cut Metabolic Syndrome Risk (low HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, or high insulin)
  
• Reduce Inflammation
  
• Lower your risk of Breast Cancer
• Keep your Brain Healthy
• Extend your life
  

The book gives greater detail for each of these obviously, but I just wanted you to see the benefits. The last one you might be most interested in:

• Target Belly Fat: "A 2007 study...found that a MUFA rich diet prevented central body fat distribution, compared with a high carbohydrate and high-saturated diet of the same calorie level."

There were other studies done as well that showed those with a higher MUFA intake opposed to other unhealthy fats had a smaller waistline and lower fat mass than those on a different diet.

I know our society is so afraid of fat and everything is fat-free. But just remember, Fat doesn't make you Fat. Bad fats do, yes, you're right. But GOOD fats are GOOD for you. So maybe you don't have to do what the book says and eat it at every meal, but don't shy away from the good fats and try to incorporate them into your diet, keeping portion sizes in mind.

So these are just some things to think about that might set you in the right direction to being aware of what kinds of foods and how much food you're putting into your body.

Metabolism 101

I thought since I refer to our metabolism, oh... just about every post,  I'd do some explaining specifically on our metabolism, instead of only explaining how food and exercise affect it.  I like the explanation the Flat Belly Diet from Preventative gives for the metabolism:

"The word metabolism refers to the number of calories you burn per day. Some of that comes from the energy your cells use to perform everyday lifesaving functions...That's called your basal metabolic rate.

You also burn calories through activity, whether that's taking out the garbage or running a 5-k. The last piece of the metabolism puzzle comes from digesting your food, which burns calories. This is called the "thermic effect" of food. The sum of all the calories you burn (basal + activity + digestion) equals your total metabolism, or total metabolic rate.

"Being less active affects your metabolism in two ways: it makes the second 'plus' in this equation smaller, but you also lose muscle, which reduces the basal number in the equation."

Ah ha.  So basically you want that Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR to be as HIGH as possible because that means you're burning the most amount of calories during the day, without even trying.   That's why it's important to stick with whole foods, avoid trans fats or man made foods, and stay active.  That doesn't mean going to the gym for a half hour everyday, but laying around for the rest of the day.  (Who has the time to do that anyways?)  But, trying to stay active during the day besides your work out is important too.

Hopefully now when you read posts about specific things to eat or avoid eating and how they affect your metabolism, you will understand it better because you understand that your metabolism is the key to the way you look, and feel.

In a nut shell - it's all about your metabolism baby!  You take care of it, and it will surely turn around and return the favor.  Unfortunately the opposite is also true.  If you neglect it and don't take very good care of it, it won't work as hard for you and burn as much as you'd like.  So baby that metabolism by staying active, eating whole foods, and avoiding junk such as:

• Refined or non-whole grain flour products, all types of bagels, breads, rolls, wraps, and pastas
• Sugar- candy, cookies, cereals, pastries, pies, sodas, etc.
  
• Artificial sweeteners- Aspartame, Stevia
• Sugar alcohols- sorbitol, maltitol
• Artificial colors
• Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils
  
• Canola and Peanut Oils
• Fat Substitutes- Benefat, Olean
• Sodium Nitrate
• Caffeinated drinks

Flat Belly Diet

Portion Sizes and Healthy Food Choices

There are a few things I'd like to share from The Abs Diet for Women.  There is a lot of good information in here, although I don't agree with everything.  I found a few things that might be helpful to you.

The first is that although I don't agree with counting calories, it's always good to have a general idea of what you're eating since portion size is a HUGE factor for weight loss.

Here is a list of 100 Calorie Portions:

Proteins

• 2 ounces or 2 slices low-fat American or Cheddar Cheese
• 2 Slices of Bacon 
• 2 ounces Chicken (no skin) 
• 2 small Eggs 
• 1 1/2 cups fat-free Milk 
• 1 cup 1-percent Milk 
• 1/2 ounce roasted peanuts 
• 2 ounces Pork 
• 2 ounces Salmon or Tuna 
• 4 ounces (about 15) Shrimp

Fats

• 1 tablespoon Butter
• 2 teaspoons Olive or Corn Oill 
• 1 tablespoon mayo (*which I don't recommend ever eating!)
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter 

Carbs

• 3/4 cup All-Bran Cereal 
• 1 large Apple
• 1 medium Banana
• 2 cups (about 50) green beans 
• 1/2 cup Corn 
• 3/4 cup plain oatmeal 
• 1 ounce Pasta 
• 1/2 medium Baked Potato 
• 20 medium Strawberries 
• 8 teaspoons Sugar
• 2 1/2 slices low-calorie Wheat Bread

Second, this list is a concise way of looking at what types of foods you should be eating.  The main word is ABS DIET POWER, and the type of food branches out from that.  I thought it was clever, so I thought I'd share! 

• Almonds and other nuts
• Beans and Legumes
• Spinach and other green vegetables
• Dairy (fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese) 
• Instant Oatmeal* (unsweetened, unflavored)
• Eggs
• Turkey 

• Peanut butter
• Olive oil 
• Whole-grain breads and cereals 
• Extra Protein (whey) powder 
• Raspberries and other berries

*The one thing I don't like is the instant oatmeal, like the packets you can buy in the store.  The real oatmeal is much better for you.  I don't ever eat anything instant.  It's usually processed and has more sugar in it and doesn't have the same effect as the real thing.

I want you to think for a minute.  If you were to write out what foods you ate on a consistent basis...what would it spell or say?!   Would it say,

• Sugar cereal 
• Granola/supposedly healthy fiber bars with tons of high fructose corn syrup 
• Salad at a restaurant with hidden calories (up to 2,000).  Oh yeah, trust me, don't be fooled by getting a salad at a restaurant. 
• Left over grilled cheese or Quesadilla your kids didn't eat

And the list goes on.  This isn't supposed to be a guilt trip on yourself, just think about what your list would say.  It's okay if it hasn't been perfect, because it probably hasn't.  Just try your best from now on to make it look more like the one above and try to incorporate those foods into your daily lifestyle.

*Disclaimer- I don't ever recommend going on a diet.  The most important thing is to choose a healthy lifestyle.  Although I like to read lots of 'diet' books, I pull out what useful information they have to offer, and discard the rest.  It's also a great way for me to stay motivated when I'm reading something new about health or fitness because it keeps my mind focused.  So when I'm reading a 'diet' book, it doesn't mean I start following that particular diet, and I'd recommend the same to you.  The way to lose weight is consistently eating whole foods, and staying away from harmful foods to your metabolism i.e. trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, etc.

Wanna Look Good?

Seriously. Do you want to look good?! What a stupid question. Of course we all want to look our best! If you understand these basic principles below, then actually execute them into your life, YOU WILL LOOK GREAT! This is not a diet, this is a healthy way of life and the facts of how your body works.

Even though this information is from a book, Ultra Metabolism, it is not a novel concept or his new idea, I just like the way he puts things all together. But this information is used by registered dietitians and is the real thing, it's not a fad diet. That's why I like the book. I've already written posts on this information, but since there are several posts it could get easy to get lost. Here is a summary of the most important information for you to look your best. If you want to read the whole post explaining each in detail (which I would recommend at some point if you really want it ingrained in your head) then click on the title which is the link that will take you directly to that post.

1. Your Metabolism.

• Your focus should be your metabolism. It shouldn't be, "How many calories can I burn today," or, "How many calories should I eat today," or, "Maybe if I skip a few meals I can eat more tonight and won't gain so much weight." It's not about calorie counting or how many calories you burn when you go for a run. Everything you do effects your metabolism. It's your fat burning machine. YOU determine how good your metabolism works for you. Don't say, "Oh, I have a slow metabolism," because YOU can change that and YOU are responsible for it. Having said that, that is why these next few points are so important, because it's all how it affects your metabolism, which is what will make you look healthy and lean, or...we all know the alternative to that :) So when you read these next points, keep in mind how they affect your metabolism. Instead of asking yourself those questions I began with, ask yourself throughout the day, "How does this affect my metabolism? Does this boost it, or is this damaging it to make it harder for my body to burn fat?"
  

2. Not all calories are created equal.

• All calories are not created equal.
• Food controls information for your genes that controls your metabolism, not just energy in the form of calories.
  
• The information changes your metabolism and can increase or decrease your weight.
• A whole-food diet is the best way to help food communicate to your genes in a language it understands.
• (From Lola) Basically, choose your food wisely because it DOES make a difference if you eat 1,300 calories worth of junk all day, versus 2,000 calories of whole foods. Even though the first is less calories, the effect will be far more harmful to your metabolism (which is our fat burning baby that we want to treat very nicely) rather than the latter, which will help us maintain a smaller waistline. Yup, you heard me. Smaller. Waistline.

3. Stay away from Bad Carbs and Sugar.

• Yes, there are Good carbs and Bad carbs, just as good and bad fats.
  
• If you eat the bad carbs, or as he calls high glycemic load or low in phytonutrients (which are what carbs are for) then your body will process that sugar and everything else you eat with that meal so quickly that it will get stored as fat. Although, if you eat the good carbs, it doesn't get the sugar into your blood stream as fast because of the balance of fiber and protein.
  
• (From Lola) You want to control your insulin level, and that's what eating protein with good carbs does. When your insulin levels get too high it stores the extra energy into fat because you can't possibly burn off that much energy in the amount of time you ate it.
• When you eat bad carbs, such as simple sugars, i.e. crackers, white bread, cookies, etc. imagine yourself eating CARDBOARD because it basically has that same effect on your body. Only, it'd probably be better if you did eat cardboard because at least it doesn't have sugar in it :) But that's how empty the nutrients are in Bad Carbs.

4. There are Good Fats and Bad Fats. Learn what they are and stay with the Good.

• Good fats turn on the genes in your DNA that increase your metabolism, help you burn fat more quickly, and become healthier.
  
• Bad fats are the ones that affect your metabolism adversely, making it difficult to burn the weight you would like to.
• Ugly fats (trans fats) are a different animal entirely. These are man-made fats that simply cannot be properly digested by your body at all. These fats interrupt the natural operation of your cells and have the capacity to affect your health in radically negative ways.
• It is not a question of eating low-fat versus a high-fat diet: it's a question of the type of fat you eat.
  
• Essential Omega-3 fats are good fats. They come from fish, flaxseeds, and nuts, enhance and improve your metabolism, and promote weight loss. Eat more of them.
  
• Trans fats are ugly fats that cause weight gain, impaired metabolism, inflammation, and diabetes. NEVER eat them.
• (From Lola) Basically, it's not that fat makes you fat, it's the TYPE of fat that makes you fat. So eat the good fat, and stay away from the bad. That means not buying fat free food everywhere you go, but instead avoiding foods with trans fats, i.e. Oreos, Crisco, frosting, etc. These foods are killers. Put Crisco out on the counter and see if the flies will touch it. They won't. They know better.
  

So you might ask, "What does this mean for me?!" Hopefully once you understand WHY it's so important it will be easier to make those healthy decisions instead of poor food choices and you'll be on the road to slimming down. If you need help knowing exactly what foods are out there that are healthy to eat and which ones to stay away from, here are three complete lists of foods to enjoy and avoid:

Foods to Enjoy- Phase I (Detox phase for 2 weeks)
Foods to Avoid- Phase I

Foods to Enjoy- Phase II (Simply adds back the dairy and some grains. They are first eliminated to see if you are allergic to them and if they are causing inflammation you weren't aware of. I always still include them in my diet anyways. Phase II is for the rest of your life basically, whereas Phase I is only for 2 weeks to clean your system out.)

Chocolate

...and other delicious sweets. Hm. How to address these delicacies in our lives :)

Here is an excerpt from French Women Don't Get Fat.

"Too often, American women eat on the sly, and the result is much more guilt than pleasure...If you really enjoy something, there is a place for it in your life. But we cannot allow guilt-ridden scarfing. Only with cultivated pleasure can you enjoy chocolate in the clear light of day."

What she is referring to is that Americans will hoard chocolate for a random Wednesday night and sneak it to ourselves. There's really no one in particular we're hiding it from. Oh, that's right, it's ourselves! We're eating it while saying, "I shouldn't be eating his. But it's sooo good!" And the feeling like we shouldn't be eating it drives us to eat even more. Oh the vicious cycle. Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about :) She says French women do not do this. They eat chocolate (and other sweets) while at a social gathering, or for a simple pleasure. But it is not an every night ritual and they are mentally very cautious of what and how much they are putting into their mouths while doing it. And, they are truly appreciating it, not feeling guilty with every bite.

The author of French Women...says this:

"I had to cultivate my appreciation for what I was having...The keys are sensory awareness, portion sense, quality, and an eye to the big picture of overall wellness."

So yes, you are going to indulge in some sweets now and then. But use your head.

• Eat it if you are truly enjoying it, not just because it's there and it contains sugar.
• If you know you're going to get-together where there will be food, decide beforehand what you will have. And enjoy it. Don't beat yourself up all night for eating it as long as you stay within your bounds.
  
• A treat is a treat. Exactly. Treat it like one. It shouldn't be an every night excursion.
  
• Quality = a few scoops of delicious Ben and Jerry's Ice cream.
  
• Quantity = 3 bowls of sugar free ice cream. (Please tell me you don't do this! It's so much worse than the real thing as far as your metabolism is concerned.) Always take quality over quantity.
  

Healing your Mitochondria

Mitochondria are the little factories inside our cells that generate energy and play a central role in our metabolism, our vitality and our well being.

First, address the causes of mitochondrial damage:

1) Minimize your intake of processed food, junk food, sugar, empty calories, artificial sweetners, artificial colors, and other chemical food additives. Their toxic effects can damage your mitochondria and prevent them from producing energy property.

2) Detoxify. Support your body in ridding itself of the environmental and internal toxic "sludge" it has accumulated over the years.

3) Address inflammation. Chronic, smoldering inflammation slowly destroys our organs and our ability for optimal functioning and leads to rapid aging.

4) Balance your hormones. By resetting your metabolism and improving the way your body handles sugar and insulin, a master hormone, you can make your cells more intelligent and cooperative, and less resistant to doing their jobs.

Then, boost and protect your mitochondria:

1) Exercise. In essence, exercising encourages your body to upgrade its energy factories. Interval training, for example, increases the efficiency and function of the mitochondria.

2) Eat food that's full of antioxidants, and phytonutrients. Get eight to 12 servings of fresh vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains every day.

3) Take mitochondria-protective and energy-boosting nutrients. These include acetyl-L-carnitine, alpha-lipoic acid, coenzyme Q10, n-acetyl-cysteine, NADH, D-ribose, resveratrol and magnesium asparate. While not a cure-all, these nutrients, taken in conjunction with a whole-food, plant-based diet, can provide metabolic support for those low on energy.

4) Increase omega-3 fats to help build your mitochondria membranes. Coldwater fish, such as wild salmon, sardines and herring, are good sources of omega-3 fats, as are flaxseeds and omega-3 eggs. They all help strengthen the fragile cellular membranes that make your mitochondria work the way they're supposed to.

This was taken from the Experience Life Magazine, p66, December 2008.

The Most Informative Video Ever

Okay so you know those cheesy videos you see that are trying to sell something? I hate them and I usually don't waste my time. But I ran across one that was actually super informative about the right way to eat and lose weight. It goes along with the book Ultrametabolism (which is my favorite book on nutrition because it's right on and is not a fad diet, just a healthy way of eating.)

The only problem is that the information isn't until the middle of the video, so you have to sit through a few minutes of them trying to convince you to watch the video. But in the middle, they share great information and explain very clearly why sugar is so bad for you and other useful information. Understanding why things are bad for me and the way they work in my body, helps me to make healthier decisions because I understand the consequences of them.

In the end, of course they are trying to sell you their packages. I AM NOT PROMOTING THESE PRODUCTS, nor do I think you should buy them. I just like the information they give and I think it makes it clear why it's so important to eat healthy.

So if you've got a few minutes, click on this to check out the video: The Diet Solution Program

THINK!

In an article from Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine it gives some interesting facts to watch out for when we're eating. The author of Mindless Eating, Brian Wansink, writes about our eating habits and that "most of the 200-plus choices we make every day about food are mindless and ill-advised."

Here are some interesting statistics that he found showing that how we eat has less to do with how hungry we are, but more to do with the influences around us.

1. Office workers ate nearly three times more chocolate when bowls of sweets were on their desks rather than 6 feet away on a file cabinet.
2. People eating with a friend consumed 35% more than when they ate alone.
   
3. People consumed 22% more calories when eating from a 12-inch plate than when they ate from a 10-inch plate.

His recommendations:

1. Keep healthy snacks nearby (so you'll eat those instead of the tempting sweets)
   
2. Devote half of your plate to salad or vegetables (but you do that anyways, right?! Since you eat only whole foods?!!)
   
3. Eat from smaller plates

So just be a little more mindful of when you're eating, what you're putting into your mouth, and how much you're consuming.

Foods to Enjoy Phase II- Ultra Metabolism Cont'd

In Ultrametabolism the idea is to kick start your metabolism by detoxing your body. That is PHASE I for two weeks. Phase II is basically for the rest of your life :) Be sure to go back and read the previous posts so you can understand why it is so important to eat whole, unprocessed foods, and the affects of sugar and bad carbs (white flour) on your body. (Click here to see previous post.)

Remember that all lists apply to the foods to enjoy for Phase I of the detox. So they are in addition to the other foods you can enjoy. The reason there are more is he added the dairy and more grains, because he wanted you to notice if your body was sensitive to those foods since they are high in allergies.

FOODS TO ENJOY- PHASE II

(All foods to enjoy in Phase I apply)

FRUIT
Dried Fruit
Pure, unsweetened fruit juices used in cooking

GRAINS
Gluten-containing whole grains:
Barley
Oats
Oat Bran
Rye, whole
Sprouted whole wheat
Wheat, whole wheat
Wheat berries
Wheat bran
Wheat germ, raw
Food products made from the above 100% whole or sprouted

BEANS
Miso
Timpeh

RED MEAT
Tenderloin, trimmed
Sirloin, trimmed

NUTS AND SEEDS
Peanuts and peanut butter
Pistachios

FATS AND OILS
Almond oil
Avocado oil
Coconut butter and oil
Flaxseeds (ground and as flaxseed oil)
Grapeseed oil
Macadamia nut oil
Olives, black and green
Olive oil, extra virgin
Pumpkin Seed oil
Sesame seed oil
Walnut oil
Wheat germ oil

DAIRY (Choose organic dairy products)
Cheese (all types unprocessed)
Cottage cheese
Cream cheese
Goat's milk
Milk, 1%, skim
Sheep's milk, cheese, yogurt
Sour Cream
Yogurt

EGGS
(Omega-3 type)

SWEETENERS
Honey
Agave nectar

FOOD TO AVOID (Phase II)
GRAINS
White Rice
Grain products that aren't 100% whole or sprouted grain
White flour products

POULTRY
Poultry with skin on
Processed poultry products

RED MEAT
Grain fed

PORK
Bacon
Ham
Sausage

DELI MEATS
All processed meats

BEVERAGES
Caffeinated beverages (coffee, teas, sodas, waters)
Fruit drinks and fruit punches
Instant teas
Sodas


Basically eat whole, unprocessed, organic foods as much as possible and you will be healthier, and thinner. Eat the foods that our ancestors ate and your body will understand what you're putting into your body and know what to do with it. I love being able to understand what the effects of food are on me, but it's nice to have a comprehensive list like this to see what foods I should be eating and avoiding. Again, these lists are from the book, Ultrametabolism.

Foods to Enjoy- Phase I (Ultra Metabolism cont'd)

If this was all you ate and you got rid of all the processed foods, white flour and sugar, you'd look pretty darn good. I'm sure you'd feel much lighter and more energetic throughout the day. Try and implement these foods into your diet as much as you can and eliminate the foods on the FOODS TO AVOID list (on another post.)

Remember this is on what the doctor/author of the book Ultra Metabolism calls the detox phase which is for two weeks. It isn't always this strict. He cuts out most dairy because he wants you to notice when you start eating them again, if you are allergic to certain foods. But this will clean out your system and help you get back under control.

FRUIT

• Apples, Apricot, Avocado, Banana, Blackberries, Blueberries, Cantalope, Clementine, Cranberries, Peach, Plum, Strawberries, Figs, Grapefruit, Grapes, Honeydew, Kiwi, Lemon, Lime, Nectarine, Orange, Pear, Raspberries, Watermelon
  

VEGGIES

• Artichokes, Asparagus, Beans Green, Bell Pepper, Chile Peppers, Leeks, Potato (russet), Squash, Tomato, Zucchini, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Celery, Corn, Onions, Snow Peas, Sweet Potatoes, Spinach, Sprouts

GRAINS

• Buckwheat
• Brown Rice
  
• Corn and sprouted corn tortillas
• Quinoa (keen-wah)
  
• Wild Rice
  

BEANS

• Black beans
• Chick Peas
• Kidney
• Lentils
  
• Refried
• Lima
  
• Pinto
  
• Soy milk (plain)
  
• Soy beans
• Soy yogurt
  
• Split peas
• White beans
• Tofu
  

FISH

• Halibut
• Salmon
  
• Shrimp
• Talapia
  

POULTRY

• Chicken, skinless white breast
  
• Turkey, skinless white breast
• Lamb (red meat)
  

NUTS AND SEEDS

• Hazelnuts, Almonds, Cashews, Flaxseeds, Pecans, Sunflower seeds, Natural nut and seed butters, Walnuts, Soy nuts, Pumpkin seeds, Macadamia, Pine nuts

FATS AND OILS

• Almond oil
  
• Avocado oil
  
• Walnut oil
  
• Pumpkin seed oil
  
• Grapeseed
• Olive oil extra virgin
  
• Flaxseeds
  

BEVERAGES

• Filtered water
  
• Herbal Tea
  

FLAVORINGS AND SEASONINGS

• All fresh/dried herbs, spices i.e. basil, cilantro, curry, etc.
  
• Broths, low-sodium, organic (veggie and chicken)
  
• Chocolate, dark, minimum 70% cocoa
  
• Cocoa powder
  
• Pepper
  
• Salsa
• Sea Salt
  
• Soy Sauce (low-sodium)
  

MAKE SURE YOU READ THE PREVIOUS POST ON FOODS TO AVOID during the PHASE I of the detox phase for two weeks.

This is all from the book Ultrametabolism. Read it to find out more about your metabolism and how to utilize it.

Foods to Avoid- Phase I (Ultra Metbolism Cont'd)

If you want to take the challenge and change your life and health by getting rid of processed foods with man-made (trans fats and hydrogenated oils) fats, here are the things to avoid. Don't worry, there is a list just as long of things you can eat and enjoy :)

These are items to ELIMINATE, basically forever because they are not good for our bodies:

• Refined or non-whole grain flour products, all types of bagels, breads, rolls, wraps, and pastas
• Sugar- candy, cookies, cereals, pastries, pies, sodas, etc.
  
• Artificial sweeteners- Aspartame, Stevia
• Sugar alcohols- sorbitol, maltitol
• Artificial colors
• Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils
  
• Canola and Peanut Oils
• Fat Substitutes- Benefat, Olean
• Sodium Nitrate
• Caffeinated drinks

This next list is to detox your body for TWO weeks. You don't always have to be this strict, but if you're ready to clean out your system and start on a clean slate, these are foods to avoid:

FRUIT

• Dried fruit
• Canned Fruit
• Fruit Juices
  

GRAINS

• Barley
• Couscous
• Oats
  
• Whole Wheat
• Wheat Bran
  
• Wheat Germ
  
• White Rice
  
• Bread
• Cake
  
• Cereal
• Cookies
• Crackers
• Pasta
• Rolls
• Tortillas
  
• Wraps
  

DAIRY

• Butter
• Cheese (all)
  
• Cottage cheese
• Cream (cheese)
  
• Ice cream
• Milk
  
• Sour cream
  
• Yogurt
  
• Frozen Yogurt
• Eggs
  

POULTRY

• Chicken with skin
• Turkey with skin
  
• Processed poultry
  
• All Beef
  
• Pork (ham, bacon, sausage)
  
• Deli meats
  

NUTS

• Peanuts and peanut butter
• Pistachios
  

FATS AND OILS

• Canola (rapeseed) oil
  
• Peanut oil
  
• Wheat germ oil
  

SEASONING MIXES THAT AREN'T WHOLE OR GROUND HERBS AND SPICES

• Taco seasoning
• Ranch
  
• Southwest
  
• Soy sauce
  
• Flavorings
  

BEVERAGES

• Caffeinated Beverages
• Chocolate Drinks
• Fruit Drinks
• Regular/Diet Sodas
  

It has you avoiding dairy and wheat products to see if your body is allergic or has reactions to them. So once the two weeks are up and you incorporate them into your diet and get headaches, stomach aches, changes in digestion, changes in you skin (acne) muscle aches, etc, then you'll know what you're allergic to, because everyone is different. Look for following posts on PHASE II, which incorporates more food into your diet, after the detox for two weeks.

From Ultrametabolism.

How to Eliminate Sugar and White Flour

Here are some ways that Ultrametabolism gives to eliminate sugar and white flour from your diet.

• Just go cold turkey
  
• Include protein in breakfast: eggs, nuts, sees, nut butter, tofu, protein shake.
• Combine protein, good-fat, and good carbs at each meal i.e. Good Fats: fish, extra-virgin olive oil, olives, nuts, seeds, avocados. Good Carbs: beans, veggies, whole grains, fruit. Good Proteins: fish, eggs, nuts, soy, whole grains, and legumes.
• Don't go low fat- consume olive oil, olives, nuts, seeds, and avocados
  
• Eat every 3 hours- snack on nuts, almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds (raw or dry roasted, in about a handful.)
  

I've been doing this for a week now and I feel great! I'm not eating any sugar or white flour and I am still satisfied. I already feel thinner and healthier. I'll let you know how I feel after doing this for a month.

Understanding the Effects of Carbs and Sugar

From Ultra Metabolism:

When most Americans think of carbs, they think of bread, pasta, and sugar. These are carbs, but there is much much more than that.

Our diet mostly consists of meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, fish, beans, seeds, and nuts. Carbohydrates are everything else and are the biggest food group we eat. Of course we can't function without carbohydrates and they have specialized chemicals that keep us healthy and turn up our metabolism. But again, just as there are types of fat, the same goes with the types of carbs.

EAT good carbs: vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds. "If you want to be healthy and thin for the rest of your life, you absolutely must eat these good carbs."

STAY AWAY from the "white menaces": white flour, white sugar, or variants of these, and most kinds of breads, pasta, and cereal you find in the local grocery store.

"When carbs are processed, many of their important phytonutrient properties are stripped from them. This is one of the reasons processed carbs are so bad for you: they are basically empty calories. They are empty of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients."

Basically what he says is that carbohydrates are also the way we get another major source which is sugar. If sugar enters our body by itself, i.e. soda, it is bad because it enters to our blood stream quickly and increases our insulin and we crave more sugar to balance out our insulin levels. This in turn creates weight gain. If the sugar enters our bodies accompanied with fiber, minerals, vitamins, and phytonutrients, (i.e. beans, and found in whole, unprocessed foods), they are beneficial to our bodies by helping us fight off extra weight and keep it off. That is why we want to eat the good carbs.

What carbs should we eat and which ones should we stay away from?

Good Carbs

• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Beans
• Nuts
• Sees
• Olive oil
• Whole grains
• Teas
• Herbs and spices
• Just remember that carbs should come from whole, unprocessed plant foods!
  

Bad Carbs

• Flour or flour products
• Refined grains (white rice)
  
• Sugar in any form
• Processed foods
• Junk food
• Large starchy potatoes
  

For the reason explained above, if you eat the bad carbs, or as he calls high glycemic load or low in phytonutrients (which are what carbs are for) then your body will process that sugar and everything else you eat with that meal so quickly that it will get stored as fat. Although if you eat the good carbs, it doesn't get the sugar into your blood stream as fast because of the balance of fiber and protein. That is why you should always have a few almonds with an apple so that your blood sugar levels don't jump up, which increases insulin, and then weight gain.

"If you've been eating mountains of highly processed foods such as candies and crackers and decide to switch to whole, real unprocessed foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, olive oil, organic, range, or grass-fed animal products (poultry, lamb, beef, pork, eggs) and wild smaller fish such as salmon, starting right now, you will lost weight."

I know this all sounds very technical, but by understanding what the different food groups do to your body and how it affects your metabolism is crucial information to know so we can make the right decisions in our every day diet. Don't believe the fad diets that all carbs are bad for you! Carbs are essential to the body and for weight loss. Just make sure they are whole, unprocessed carbs and you will be healthy.

The Fat Myth

Here's another lesson from Ultrametabolism :) I think it's so important to understand FAT and not buy into the myth that fat makes us fat. Check this out:

The author says there are three kinds of fats, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

• Good fats turn on the genes in your DNA that increase your metabolism, help you burn fat more quickly, and become healthier.
  
• Bad fats are the ones that affect your metabolism adversely, making it difficult to burn the weight you would like to.
• Ugly fats (trans fats) are a different animal entirely. These are man-made fats that simply cannot be properly digested by your body at all. These fats interrupt the natural operation of your cells and have the capacity to affect your health in radically negative ways.
  

Here is a list of the fats:

Good fats

• Omega-3 Fats :
  ( Including: Wild fish, wild salmon, herring, sardines, and fresh anchovies. Flaxseeds and flax oil. Some types of nuts and seeds like walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and hemp seeds.)
  
• Monosaturated Fats:
  (Extra Virgin olive oil, Hazelnuts, Almonds, Brazil nuts, Cashews, Avocado, Sesame seeds, Pumpkin seeds)
  
• Some Saturated Fats:
  (Raw coconut, Coconut Milk, Coconut oil, Palm fruit oil, Macadamia nut oil)
• Unrefined Omega-6 Polyunsaturated Fats (in small doses)
  (Grape seed oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, walnut oil, sesame oil)
  

Bad Fats

• Refined Polyunsaturated Vegetable Oil
  (corn, soy, safflower, and vegetable oil)
• Most saturated Fats
  (Beef, pork, lamb, chicken and dairy foods are the main sources of saturated fats.)

Ugly Fats

• Hydrogenated Oils or Trans Fats
  (Margarine, shortening. "They are found in nearly every processed or commercially baked or packaged food because they never spoil. They are like plastic: they stay stable in landfills for generation after generation. Ever wonder how a package of Ritz crackers can have an expiration date of a few years from now? Keep a tub of margarine open on the counter and you'll find that no bug will go near it!" (Creepy isn't it. And to think, we're putting this into our bodies! ) "If you eat Twinkies and Hostess cupcakes you are consuming large amounts of trans fats. Those fats speak directly to your DNA, turning on a gene that slows down your metabolism, causing you to gain weight... Read your food labels and watch out for 'hydrogenated' and 'partially hydrogenated' oils that are the two culprits."
  

As a side note, a feedlot-raised steer, has 500 percent more saturated fat in its tissues than a grass-fed steer. So try and choose the cleaner forms of animal protein whenever possible.

In summary:

• It is not a question of eating low-fat versus a high-fat diet: it's a question of the type of fat you eat.
  
• Essential Omega-3 fats are good fats. They come from fish, flaxseeds, and nuts, enhance and improve your metabolism, and promote weight loss. Eat more of them.
  
• Trans fats are ugly fats that cause weight gain, impaired metabolism, inflammation, and diabetes. NEVER eat them.

What I love about this book is it's honesty and clarity. It shows how it's difficult to eat the healthier foods as the unhealthy ones are subsidized and advertised for. But try and get your diet as clean and whole as possible and you will be much healthier and thinner for it.

Not All Calories Are Equal

I am reading this book right now and I LOVE it because it follows true to what I learned as a personal trainer, not from fad diets. I want to share a few things (I've said before) but in a different way. If you're interested in understanding more about the metabolism and how it works, this is a great book to read, Ultrametabolism. There are seven myths that he counteracts and I want to share some of the most important ones with you over the next couple of days. Out of all the health books I've read, this is by far the most helpful, true, and eyeopening to the way our society is filling its bodies with junk and lies.

One point he makes is that not all calories are equal. Some people think if a sandwich and a candy bar are the same calories you won't gain anymore weight with the candy bar than you would with the healthy sandwich. But through this Dr.'s explanation, he shows that is not true. Hear this out:

"The sugar from soda enters your blood very rapidly, while the same amount of sugar from kidney beans enters your blood slowly. If you drink a soda all the sugar in it goes into your bloodstream at once, the calories you aren't using at that moment will be stored as fat. On the other hand, if you eat the kidney beans and the sugar in them is absorbed over time, your body has a greater chance to make use of those calories."

A Harvard professor, Dr. David Ludwig, did a study of three groups of overweight children. Each group had a breakfast with the same amount of calories. One group ate instant oatmeal, the second ate steel-cut oats, and the third ate a vegetable omelet and fruit. They all had the same thing for lunch. They told them they could have anything they wanted for dinner when they were hungry.

Guess who ate the most? The ones who ate the instant oatmeal ate 81% more than the ones who ate the omelets, which ate the least. The instant oatmeal group were hungrier and had a higher insulin level (which we all know increases weight gain.)

Interesting isn't it!?! So from this Dr.'s perspective, not all calories are equal. Then what do we eat? Whole foods and stay away from processed foods. Here is a list of some whole foods:

HIGH-FIBER FOODS:

• Beans
• Whole grains
• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Nuts
• Seeds

QUALITY PROTEINS:

• Beans
• Nuts and Seeds
• Eggs
• Fish
• Lean poultry, lamb, pork, or beef (preferably organic, grass, or range-fed)
  

HEALTHY FATS

• Fish oil
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Cold-expeller-pressed plant oils, such as grapeseed, walnut, and sesame
  
• Avocado
  
• Olives
• Coconut
• Nuts
• Seeds

HEALTHY CARBOHYDRATES

• Vegetables
• Whole grains
• Beans
• Fruit
• Nuts
• Seeds
  

In Summary:

• All calories are not created equal.
• Food controls information for your genes that controls your metabolism, not just energy in the form of calories.
• The information changes your metabolism and can increase or decrease your weight.
• A whole-food diet is the best way to help food communicate to your genes in a language it understands.
  

Fascinating isn't it! So basically you can eat only 1,300 calories all day but do it by eating junk all day, and yet look better if you ate 2,000 calories a day with only whole foods! I love it. So true.

Great Snack

I LOVE these crackers for snacks when I'm trying to watch how much starch I'm eating. Ok I'll admit, they don't taste like delicious wheat thins or Cheese Its :) But I like them because I have a hard time when I don't have something crunchy with my meal. With these it doesn't matter that they are pretty bland (because they are) because I put tasty things on them.

For example if I'm rushing out the door I'll grab a banana, one of these crackers, and put some peanut butter on them for some protein. It's even better than putting it on a piece of bread, calorie wise. Each one is only 35 calories. Yeah. Seriously.

I also like to put tuna, hummus, or low fat string cheese. I also eat it with a fried egg and fruit. Click here and check out their website for more recipes, or type in www.wasa-usa.com