Diet Coke and my thoughts...

So I've been researching Diet Coke the last few weeks (p.s. I'm from the south. Some of you other folks like to call it Diet Soda/Pop.) I found a few interesting articles on the topic. If you're interested see below.

Article 1

Article 2

Article 3

Article 4

My take home. I can see both sides of the story. Some say Diet Coke is fine. That there's not enough aspartame and caffeine to impact the body negatively. Others say that the fake sugars leave you craving more sweets which in turn leads to weight gain.

I like to take a moderate approach to health. If you have one diet drink a week I don't think it's that big of a deal. Are you having a diet drink every day or multiple times throughout the day? Or do you drink a diet soda alongside your whopper and large fries feeling like your saving some calories while binging on junk food? Trust me you're not saving that many calories and this is a bad way to be thinking when it comes to getting healthy.

In the end we really don't know the adverse problems that diet soda may or may not be causing long term. This just reminded me of a flight I had when the air stewardess heard me wrong and gave me a Dr. Pepper instead of Diet Dr. Pepper. When I corrected her and asked for diet she went on to tell me how bad diet is for me with all the sugars and I should have taken the full soda since it's better for me. Hmm? After my research I don't know if I'd say it's better for me, but this is my point exactly we just don't know. I do know that when I drink a diet soda I don't feel guilty and bad about it thinking I'm going to get cancer. I enjoy it and then for the most part stick to water.

So I guess my take home message is figure it out for yourself. If you're a diet addict cut back. Being addicted to diet or regular soda period isn't good for you so try and get control of it and drink more water. If you enjoy a diet drink here and there I don't think you need to feel guilty about it. At least as guilty as the media and nutritionists try to make us feel. I say tackle bigger fish to fry like getting more fiber, cutting back on fast food and junk food, and increasing your fruits and vegetables before you beat yourself up about soda.

Baking Tips...

I love to bake. Sometimes more than others, but lately I've been on a baking kick and it has reminded me of a few of my favorite healthy tricks. When something calls for flour use half white/half whole wheat flour. I've experimented with this and using only wheat flour is too much wheatiness where as half the called for amount seems to be just enough to add a kick of fiber while not sabatoging the recipe and making it taste like cardboard.

Also another good tip is to exchange applesauce for butter. I've found this works best with breads, muffins, and cakey type things verses cookies. Although it works with cookies too you just have to add more flour because it causes them to be a little thin and flakey when they cook.

I also never use whole milk when they call for that. I always use skim or 1% and if you do use butter use smart balance and/or canola oil. Never shortening or margarine.

These are just a few of my tried and true tips that work for me everytime. I also would like to add I've tested these on my hubby and he doesn't notice how healthy they are either as long as I throw in a few chocolate chips as well. Moderation in all things right :)

Mini Meals

Just thought I'd give a quick reminder/challenge to eat mini meals through out the day. It seems like most people maybe get 3 meals if they're lucky. Best rule of thumb is to eat smaller meals that are more like snacks every 4 hours. By doing this you will actually speed your metabolism which will help you burn more calories just by eating. (Your body has to burn calories just to eat food and when you constantly fuel your body you will have an increase in your total calorie burn for the day.)

For those of you that still don't believe me I'd like to use my survivor example. If you were stranded on a island and were only eating once or twice a day your body would hold onto your body fat and not let you lose weight. Even if you're only eating 1000 calories or so. It doesn't make sense but it's true. Trade this with eating about 300 calories 5-6 times a day and you will likely lose weight and/or you won't be hungry anymore knowing that you can eat again in a few hours.

Challenge for the week: add mini meals to your day and notice the increase in energy and decrease in cravings and hunger pangs.

Traveling Tips...

Holidays are coming up and that means a lot of people are traveling on the road and spending extra time in the car. What's worse for your healthy lifestyle/diet than a road trip and sitting all day? Eating convenience food and fast food along the way. If you're lucky you'll get a Subway at your rest stop, but most of the time your left with either Burger King or even better Dairy Queen...(said with sarcasm in my voice.)

Don't play the game of "I had no other choices and I had to eat the junk food because that's all there is." Plan ahead!!! Bring snacks such as fresh fruit, string cheese, nuts, pretzels, granola bars, water, and gum. Rather than stopping at fast food places for lunch stop at a grocery store and get stuff to make sandwiches or something else that's light and easy to take on the road.

Also don't forget to get in your exercise along the way. Stop every couple of hours and stretch your legs, run around in a park or along the side of the road, and get your blood flowing by doing a few lunges, push ups, or even bring a jump rope. Plan extra time into your trip to stop and go on a hike or see a site along the way to get you outside and give your body a break from being cramped in a car all day.

Follow these tips and I guarantee you'll feel rejuvenated when you get to your destination instead of feeling like you've gained an extra five pounds.

Late Night Eating...

Tip of the Day:
There's a huge rumor out there to cut off eating at a particular time of day to lose weight and that eating late at night will make you gain weight. I've heard 7 is the magic number for some reason. The truth is there is no science that says if you stop eating at a certain time of the day your body is going to burn calories and you'll lose weight. I like to think of it as a overeating food trap if you cut off your calories at 7. Especially if you're a night owl like me you'll end up starving by 11 and you'll want to eat everything in sight.

A good rule of thumb that you can apply to your own schedule and lifestyle is to cut out food 3 hours before bed. Calories are calories and your body can't tell if you're eating at 6 p.m or 10 p.m. It's a good idea to cut off food about 3 hours before bed so you can digest your last meal. Otherwise you'll go to bed on a full stomach that will likely store those calories not burned away as fat.

But don't try and force yourself into cutting out your calories early in the evening thinking it's a magic trick that will solve all of your problems. Because it's not and the law of thermodynamics just doesn't work that way. Total calories during the day are total calories. Overeating in general causes you to gain weight. It doesn't matter when you eat them they all still count!

Just a little reminder...

Halloween can be dangerous on the pant size. Don't get too excited and tell yourself you have the energy of a two year old and you're going to run off the hundreds of extra calories from all the sugar. It's most likely that you'll overindulge and then feel gross afterward wondering how that whole pile of extra Halloween candy ended up in your mouth.

A few things that help me this time of year to avoid the excess junk is make a plan. Plan for the treats you are going to enjoy. Guaranteed every time you turn around you are going to have an excuse/opportunity to have extra treats that normally aren't around. Last week I allowed for a caramel apple and this week I am going to allow for one special treat on Friday. That's it. I plan for it into my day and then I don't feel guilty and I can enjoy the special holiday goodie.

Also if you're passing out candy don't pass out your favorite. I personally love M&M's and Peanut Butter Cups. However...there's no way I have these in the house. I get tootsie rolls or the sour candies that don't appeal to me. Takes a bit of the temptation away.

Just remember the holidays are full of fun and should be enjoyed, but just don't go too crazy because I will bet if you gain five pounds looking back it will not have been worth it!

Cooking/Baking Tips

One of the benefits of cooking your own food is knowing exactly what you're putting in it.  Still lots of recipes call for things that can be exchanged with healthier options to cut out excess fat and calories. And the best part is it can still taste good!

Here are a few of my personal favorites that I use all the time in the kitchen:

• Instead of using butter for grilling (or even a more healthy option olive oil) just use cooking spray.  zero calories is better than 150-300 extra calories that often aren't remembered.  
  
• If you have to use butter use Smart Balance or I can't believe it's not butter butter spray.  For oils best options are olive or canola.
  
• Substitute whole wheat flour for white flour.  I personally like the taste with all wheat flour, but if it's too strong for you do half white flour/half wheat flour.  Adds fiber to the recipe and isn't as noticeable.
  
• Swap out butter in baked goods with applesauce, mashed bananas, or low fat yogurt.
  
• Add vegetables to everything. 
  
• Don't add salt and if you do a little goes a long way.  In cooking I don't use it at all.  Average american has high blood pressure and we naturally get enough sodium from our daily foods.  Adding extra salt just isn't necessary.
  
• Use Splenda instead of sugar.  Zero calories yet again!
  
• Don't forget your spices.  They add tons of flavor to all sorts of recipes.  Cinnamon is my personal favorite because it helps with digestion and circulation. 
  
• If given an option always go for the low fat or zero fat option.  Ex: Sour cream, cheese, sauces, dressings, etc.
  
• Oatmeal is great for baking.  Adds fiber in a second.  I try add it into cookies and muffins even if it's not called for. 
  
• Need a chocolate fix?  Cocoa powder has quite the punch and dark chocolate and semi-sweet goes a long way.  Try and use these when baking.
  

Hopefully some of these will help you in the kitchen.  If you have a few of your own please comment and let the viewers know them as well :)

Food/Exercise Journal

I've recently recommitted myself to writing down my food and exercise logs in a journal. This is something I've been really good about doing the last 2 or so years of my life. I got a little off the bandwagon with the summer, but I've started it back up.
I like this idea for a couple of different reasons.
1. Accountability-It's like a little coach. Maybe I'm the only one, but I hate having to write down a junk food binge or not being able to jot down any type of activity for several days in a row. Even if I'm super busy I'll just get out and take a brisk walk so I can write something down for the day.
2. Recognize Habits/Trends-Getting everything on paper is a huge step to see what is going on. We like to make ourselves out to be perfect and oftentimes in our mind we think we're doing a lot. After a week of writing everything down you can look back and notice you might have a energy drop at 2 and you're always going for sugar or that if you don't get in a workout in the morning it doesn't happen. Just get in the habit of writing it down. Good or bad and then you can work on your weaknesses and recognize your strengths and build upon them.
3. It works-Of all of the clients I've trained the most successful were the ones who religiously kept a food/exercise log.
So what are you waiting for? Grab some notebook paper and start keeping a log of your food/exercise each day. Keep it simple and stick to it!!! I promise it will help you move forward in reaching your goal quicker than if you don't.

Exercise and Satiety

Do you ever feel more or less hungry after working out? For me it depends on what I'm doing. After running I'm never really hungry just thirsty, but after lifting weights or swimming I am ravenous. I headed to the research to see what I could find on this topic.

The verdict...It looks like the harder you work and the hotter your body gets the less you want to eat. For example if you go for a morning swim you will still feel ready for a big breakfast versus going for a morning run it's more likely that you're not going to be hungry at all. This difference is largely due to the cool water keeping your core body temperature low. Swimming is not the only exercise that seems to not decrease your appetite. If you go work out but you're not working very hard you're likely to not reap the benefits of a decreased appetite either.

Take home message...work out to help trick your stomach into feeling more full and also when working out you'll want to make healthier decisions with your diet so you don't ruin the extra calories that you just burned off.

(click here for more information on this topic. Also I got this post idea from one of my readers. Please feel free to keep throwing questions out there and I'll do my best to answer them!)

Pancakes for Breakfast...Count me in!!!

There was a study released June 17th that is helping to show the importance of eating breakfast and actually that by taking it to the next level and consuming about 600 calories for breakfast you can lose more weight. It's called the Big Breakfast Diet. When I first heard about this my initial thoughts were pancakes, sausage, bacon, etc. It's just another gimmick diet and there's no way this can work. But after doing a little research I liked some of the things I saw.

They had two groups on separate diets. One group followed a low calorie/low carb diet and the other group was on the low calorie/big breakfast diet. Here's the overall breakdown:

Low Carb Group

about 1000 total calories with 290 calories for breakfast

Big Breakfast Group

about 1200 total calories and 610 for breakfast

What were the results? After the first 4 months the low-carb diet had an average weight loss of 28 pounds while the big breakfast diet group lost an average of 23 pounds. It was after eight months, however, that the true benefits of a big breakfast diet became apparent. After eight months the low-carb dieters had regained 18 pounds. The big breakfast diet group continued to lose weight, losing another 16.5 pounds on average.

This is a substantial difference worth talking about. I always encourage my clients to really think about breakfast and make sure they get in a solid meal to start the day. One of my philosophies is eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper. This way you are tapering off the food as your body is winding down and you're not consuming extra calories that you don't need.

Take home message, evaluate what you're doing for breakfast and 600 calories might seem a little high for some, but 350 should be doable and your body and metabolism will thank you later for it.

(sample 600 calorie breakfast would be: 1 slice whole grain toast, 1 tbsp peanut butter, 1 cup milk, 1 cup orange juice, 1/2 banana, and 1 hard boiled egg)

6 Tips for Dining Out

Food is relatively cheap in this country, and as a result portions are often overly large, especially in fast-food restaurants. But if you're smart about what you order, you can get a healthy meal (including dessert) when eating out. Here are some guidelines:

• Avoid fried foods. Frying adds more fat to a food than broiling, baking, or sautéing. Restaurant fryers often use hydrogenated oils, a source of harmful trans fat.
• Avoid dishes prepared with gravy and heavy sauces. Because gravy is often made with fatty pan drippings from meat, it is relatively high in saturated fat. Many sauces are made with cream, which is also high in saturated fat.
• Ask the waiter how large the entrées are. If they're bigger than the meals you usually eat, consider ordering an appetizer instead or sharing an entrée with someone else. And you don't have to eat everything on your plate. Take home your leftovers for tomorrow's lunch.
• Find out how dishes are prepared. Ask whether a meal you're interested in is made with butter or animal fat. If it is, consider asking that the dish be prepared with olive oil instead, or that it be baked, steamed, or sautéed with less fat. Steer clear of meals that are prepared with a lot of cheese or cream.
• Eat a light, healthy snack. Munch on a piece of fruit or some carrots before going out. That way, you won't be so ravenous when you arrive at the restaurant that you'll gorge on the bread served at the table (which will probably be white bread and, therefore, have a high glycemic load).
• Share desserts. If you want a sweet dessert, consider sharing it with others at your table. You'll get the full taste, but just a fraction of the calories, sugar, and bad fats.