Green Diamonds

Here is a summary of my Weight Watchers meeting on January 12, 2010.

Remember that those lovely green diamond foods are usually the lowest in points, pack the most nutrition, and keep you satisfied for the longest amount of time. I can’t find a downfall with them. I sure don’t like being hungry. Remember that most of the filling foods can also count towards your good healthy guidelines. Ha 2 birds one stone.

Super-Satisfying Temptation Tamers
Other mealtime tricks for pumping up the volume in your food to maximize your satisfaction on fewer calories:

• Start meals with a first course of broth-based soup, vegetable juice or a salad with reduced fat or low-fat dressing. Make sure that first course isn't more than 100 calories. Otherwise, you could end up eating too many calories at that particular meal.

• Eat more vegetables, such as leafy greens, lettuce, tomatoes, green beans, summer squash and onions. In fact, stash them in stews, soups, pasta sauces, pizza and meat loaf. They're high-volume, high-satisfaction, low-calorie superstars because they're loaded with water and fiber.

• Limit very dry foods, such as pretzels, crackers and chips. Dry foods lack water and thus are low in volume. These dry foods pack a lot of calories into a small portion and are easy to overeat. Plus with foods like this….it seems like 10 minutes later you are hungry for something else.

• Choose foods you enjoy, personal satisfaction is the key to long term weight loss. You are more likely to stick with this program if you spend your points on the foods you enjoy. When you deprive yourself of the foods you want you are sabotaging your success and eventually you will give in to those foods and binge. Take advantage of your 35 points. They are your friends, learn to love them!

Staying on Track

Here is a summary of my Weight Watchers meeting on January 5, 2010.

Here is a shocking fact for you. Did you know that the average person tends to underestimate their daily calorie intake by 500-100 calories a day!!

Studies have shown that people who keep a food diary/journal/tracker of the foods they consume tend to lose 3 times as much weight as those that don’t. Soooo in conclusion we all know how beneficial tracking our points can be but…. That doesn’t mean that it is going to be easy. I have heard hundreds of reasons why we don’t track.

Here are a few of the common tracking pitfalls:
*no time/too busy
*underestimating the points values of restaurant foods
*overestimating your daily activity
*not adhering to portion sizes
*eating mindlessly…these are those BLT’s bites licks and tastes that we tend to “forget” about
*not knowing where to find points values/ not willing to look up points values

Tracking can not only help you lose weight, but it can also help you manage your portions. It can help you learn about what you eat and when you’ve been eating them. It can help determine exactly what time in the day you are getting hungry and help you determine what you can do to prevent that hunger. Tracking is also a good way to keep you focused and consistent with your goals.

So we have already discussed what doesn’t work…now lets focus on what does work:
*tracking both the good and bad…..tracking means tracking everything

*planning ahead- use your pocket guides, food companions, websites, and e-tools to figure out the points values of foods before you eat them.

If you are dining out check out www.dwlz.com before you go to help narrow down your point friendly options.

*don’t let small setbacks throw you off! Nobody is perfect and everybody slips off the tracks a little on this program. The most important thing is to get right back on the very next meal! Don’t give yourself a whole other day…because that’s giving yourself permission to overeat.

*weigh and measure your foods pull out those measuring cups and really be accurate remember if you are going to double serving sizes, you need to double nutrition facts and then recalculate the points values.

*don’t be caught without your pounts slider/calculator keep it someplace handy so that you will always have it when you need it!

1. Remember this week’s challenge is to focus on tracking what you eat. I am looking forward to punching your challenge cards next week with my high-speed star hole punch.
2. Also every time you pick up a fork imagine that pencil on the end and think “Pick up your pencil before your utensil!”
3. All of our baked snacks and 2 point bars are on sale for 1.00 off making them 3.50 until the end of the month. Take advantage of those savings. This sale does include the new almond sensation bars you all sampled this week yummmmm!
4. Last thing- Brookshire’s is having a buy one get one for a penny sale on all of the weight watchers ice creams so if you love them as much as I do you would be smart to check that out!

Let's Get Started

Here is the latest email from Dr. Jacobs.

Happy New Year! I hope you have started your year off well! Here is a tip from Kim Komando on nutrition to get you going:

Eat better

If you’re like millions of Americans, you’ve resolved to lose weight in 2010. Or, maybe your weight isn’t a concern, but you still want to eat better.

In that case, you’ll want to follow the food pyramid set forth by the Department of Agriculture. It will help you achieve a healthy, balanced diet.

But the food pyramid can be difficult to follow. You may need help deciding what category a food falls into. You may also need help with portion sizes.
MyFood-a-pedia can help. It will show you nutritional information on the foods you eat.

It will show you what category a food falls into. It will also help you with portion sizes and food pyramid recommendations.

You can also compare two foods. It really will help you make better choices about the food you eat!

Check it out: http://myfoodapedia.gov/

Getting Thin in 2010

Here is a summary of my Weight Watchers meeting on December 29, 2009.

In the meeting this week we talked about New Year’s Resolutions and setting goals.
Two of the most common resolutions of every New Year are to lose weight and exercise more.

When setting goals there are a few important things that should be considered:
• Stay positive!- This is your goal what you want to accomplish. Remind yourself how much you want it and how much it means to you to achieve it. Leave post it reminders around for encouragement. Come to the meetings…ha we’re here for you.

• Stay specific!- You can’t just set a goal stating “I am going to exercise more”. You have to have a plan. You also have to start the plan and get the wheels in motion. You could say something like “I want to exercise for 30 minutes 3 times a week this year. To accomplish this I am going to practice getting up earlier and working out to dvd’s that I have accumulated through the years. I am also going to play on the wii everyday for atleast 15 minutes when I get home from work 5 days a week.”

• Focus on what is doable!- Be realistic with yourself and your goals. If you set a goal that you cannot ever see yourself physically achieving then you have set your goals too high. Start small. Long term goals are comprised of many short term goals. Pace yourself and learn to reward your achievements at each interval.

• Make sure the goal is sensible for your lifestyle.

• Write down your goal and keep it somewhere that you will see it often. The members that attended the meeting wrote down their goals and I placed them in their folder that they pick up at the front of the room. That way anytime they need to refresh they have access to it.

I want everyone to be really specific and really think about what you think you can accomplish this new year. Take the time to set a personal goal that you want to achieve. Be sure that this goal meets all the above qualifications. Think back to the resolutions that you have made in prior years. Which ones worked and which ones didn’t? What was it that made them not work? Use this feedback to help influence your goal making this year.

Celebrate and Recognize Your Success

Here is a summary of my Weight Watchers meeting on December 22, 2009.

While you are celebrating the end of a long year I think that it is important to be able to celebrate your own personal success. So often we put aside our accomplishments when they are so important to your success with weight watchers! I want you to make a list of all the things that have changed for the better over this past year.

Here are a few suggestions that you might could add to your list:
*Feel better about yourself- Have you noticed a little spring in your step. Maybe you have caught yourself smiling in the mirror.

*Measure up with a tape measure- Your pants seem to fit a little looser. Maybe you have had to create another hole in your belt. Your christmas clothes from last year fit better. Maybe you even have some bones that are beginning to show (hip/cheek/collar).

*Bought a smaller size?- How glorious is it when you go into a dressing room with your old size…only to find that it is way too big!

*Know when to say “no thanks”- This time of year especially have you found yourself turning down food that you used to consume no questions asked?

*Able to recognize your trigger foods-These are the foods that once you start eating them you can’t seem to stop. When you can recognize these foods before hand it is easier to avoid them or not even buy them at all.

*Order and cook like a pro- When you are at a restraunt you have no problems ordering food just the way you want it. Or when you cook at home have you noticed an improvement in the healthiness of the food you are cooking?

*Actually take time to enjoy your meals- Savor every bite and not just the whole dine and dash concept. Really look forward to each dish you consume. Plus with the points system you get to choose what you want to eat…which is soooo nice.

*Exercise without exhaustion-Maybe you don’t get winded going up a flight of stairs anymore. You might even find that your energy level has boosted.

*Accept compliments gracefully- When someone says “wow you look amazing”… instead of saying “thanks but I still have 40 lbs to go”…you could say something like “thank you so much I have really been trying to focus on eating healthier”

Getting compliments about your appearance can really help motivate you to get to your goals.

Be sure to take time to be thankful for all that you have done this past year. I know weight loss isn’t easy so you really have to decide that this is what you want. Then you have to make it all about you. It is not selfish to focus on your success and happiness. Whenever you start to feel tempted or discouraged over the holidays…read back over your list and remember the transformation that you have been through.

Staying Committed

Here is a summary of my Weight Watchers meeting on December 15, 2009.

I know that with all the stress from the holiday season it has been really hard to stay committed to your weight loss plan. Don’t let yourself become victim to the snowball effect of a lapse-> relapse-> collapse! Lets try to push against that huge snowball on our backs! Remember that slip ups are going to happen. What we have to do is learn from each slip up that occurs and use positive feedback to get right back on plan! Here are a few things to keep in mind when you find your tongue licking the bottom of the ice cream carton.

1. Forgive yourself - ok yeah you slipped up you ate the entire tube of cookie dough but it’s not too late all is not lost!

2. Get right back on plan…the very next meal - Do not convince yourself that you will get back on plan tomorrow…because by tomorrow you could have gained yourself another 5 pounds.

3. Use feedback - analyze what just happened. Why did you eat that? What were you feeling at the time? Find a way to learn from each encounter!

4. Figure out the points of what you just ate - Sometimes documenting the amount of points in that pint of ice cream can keep you from splurging on that same item again.

5. Exercise - eeek there is always a way to try to make up for what just happened. Make an attempt to burn off some of those sneaky calories that just appeared in your tummy! Do some extra workouts to make up for it.

6. Ask for help and then accept it - So often we will ask for help from our friends/family…but then get mad when they tell us we shouldn’t be eating something ha ha. If you need help ask for it and then appreciate the help when it is given to you….besides they are probably right…you shouldn’t be eating 3 pieces of cheesecake!

7. Find an anchor - (in the meeting we used a penny to remind us of perseverance) find something that when you see it, it reconnects you to your goals and what you are trying to achieve. Some people use their 10% keychain, others have used newly appeared bones like hip bones and collar bones or cheek bones (bones that you used to not be able to see before the weight loss) Whenever they rub those bones or see them in a fresh picture it can be their inspiration to continue onward!

8. Recommit!!- You have made it this far and there are still 2 weeks left in this month. Do not allow yourself to let it all go and start over in January. We all know how easy it is to gain weight when we don’t try. It’s your choice do you really want 5-10 more pounds on you to have to lose?

Remember that you can do this….one cookie isn’t going to spoil everything. Commit to the plan and finish up this year the right way.

Stress and Eating

Here is the latest email from Dr. Jacobs.

As wonderful a time as Christmas is, it can often be stressful. Here is an article about dealing with the stress and eating:

Food, Stress, and Strategies
12/15/2009

“I eat when I’m bored.”

“I eat when I’m tired.”

“I eat when I’m lonely.”

“I eat when I’m stressed.”

Sound familiar? These are all reasons for eating which have nothing to do with actual hunger. It can even be viewed as part of a normal eating pattern as long as it only happens occasionally. It would be a problem if we ate for reasons other than hunger and nourishment more often than not. That’s when weight gain and other health issues arise. With these challenges in mind, we can arm ourselves with knowledge.

It’s important to learn what triggers our eating patterns. The next step is to learn how-to combat the temptation to eat when we are simply over stressed.

Stress can come from many places such as relationship strain, financial challenge, job demands, moving, and even happy stress—like what you might experience while planning a wedding. Your body does not discriminate against different types of stress and it reacts by pumping out hormones. Cortisol is one of those hormones which, over time, will increase your appetite and lead you to overeat.

The experts from the University of California, San Francisco Department of Psychiatry and Center on Obesity Assessment, Study, and Treatment tell us that cortisol and insulin shift our preferences toward comfort foods. Therefore, we crave high-fat, high-sugar, or high-salt foods. It’s one of the many reasons that we put on weight during the holidays which can be full of stressful triggers.

Lack of sleep is a trigger. Consistently missing the essential eight hours of rest and repair encourages certain metabolic changes that may lead to weight gain. A lack of sleep affects two important hormones that control appetite and satiety—leptin and ghrelin.

According to a recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, people who slept only four hours a night had an 18 percent decrease in leptin (a hormone that signals the brain that the body has had enough to eat) and a 28 percent increase in ghrelin (a hormone that triggers hunger), compared with those who got more rest. Overall, study participants reported a 24 percent boost in appetite. The authors of the study also noted that too little sleep could eventually affect glucose (carbohydrate) metabolism which sets the stage for type 2 diabetes.

Here are a few more suggestions to help manage food and mood, according to Dr. Richard Wurtman from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology:
• Boost your alertness with lean protein. Protein foods are broken down into their amino acid building blocks during digestion. One amino acid, called tyrosine, will increase the production of dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine. These neurotransmitters are known for their ability to increase levels of alertness and energy. Consider lean proteins like fish, chicken, turkey, lean red meat, and some vegetarian combinations like legumes with brown rice.

• Choose whole grain carbohydrates but remember to watch your portion size. Eating carbohydrates will trigger the release of insulin into the blood stream. Ultimately, the neurotransmitter serotonin will be triggered and serotonin has the effect of reducing pain, decreasing appetite, and producing a sense of calm. Research has shown that dieters tend to become depressed about two weeks into a diet, about the time their serotonin levels have dropped due to decreased carbohydrate intake.

• Adequate Folic acid can help counter mood. Folic acid deficiencies have been linked to depression in clinical studies. Folic acid deficiency causes serotonin levels in the brain to decrease. In these studies, as little as 200 micrograms was enough to help with depression. You can get that amount from a cup of cooked spinach or a glass of orange juice.

• Lack of selenium can cause bad moods. To help normalize mood, get adequate selenium by adding foods like Brazil nuts, tuna sandwiches, sunflower seeds or whole grain cereals to your weekly routine.

Now, let’s assume there will be “moments of humanity” which will consist of mistakes or lapses. On occasion we succumb to the stress and overeat. Guilt is rarely a positive motivator so consider these hints to get over the aftermath:
• Start with forgiveness – one day does not undo a healthy diet so don’t let one slip become three days or three weeks of excess.

• Start again – they say that the definition of success is falling two times and rising three so begin the next day with some exercise and a healthy breakfast. Try a great low fat breakfast burrito made with egg whites and fresh vegetables sautéed in a small amount of olive oil and wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla.

• Learn from the misstep – think about what triggered your food frenzy so you can come up with a better strategy for next time.
Remember, normal eating does include the occasional overindulgence—we all do it, but constant stress eating will result in declining health and expanding waistlines. You are unique and your coping strategies may need to be unique as well.

By Meridan Zerner, M.S., R.D., C.S.S.D., L.D. at Cooper Clinic is a registered and licensed dietitian with a masters degree in nutritional science. She is a certified sports specialist and believes in a balanced, science-based approach to health and wellness.