Category: Food Choices

Feel Better With Chicken Noodle… Hold The Noodle

Cold weather can make you feel like eating all the time. You actually are burning more calories keeping warm The problem is getting calories that won’t make you put on warming layers of fat. Soup always is a great choice. But it can be full of hidden calories and carbs. This is where chicken noodle soup without noodles comes in. A handy container of chicken broth is a fast, easy snack. Pop a cup in the microwave and enjoy a satisfying snack. By simmering some veggies you make a substantial meal. I also really like matzo ball soup. But of course the matzo is full of carbs. But I’ve found that by just cooking celery in the broth you have a really close replica.

So stock up with stock and when spring comes you’ll be less stocky.

TODAY: ADD SOME STOCK TO YOUR PANTRY.

Don’t Stock Up For Super Bowl

You’re going to be tempted by all the grocery sales leading up to Sunday. Take this time to step back, evaluate what’s in the pantry and tackle changing the way you eat. Do you still have treats left over from Christmas? I bet if you even look closely you’ll find some candy corn and Easter eggs in the stash. It’s time to purge the high calorie stuff. I know, I know, it’s painful. But think of the pain in your knees and start replacing things in your diet that have lead you to putting on the pounds. You don’t have to give up things entirely. Just enjoy less of it. Don’t let snacks be a meal. Fill up on protein and raw veggies, then give yourself a much smaller treat that you can enjoy without guilt or remorse. With just a few changes you will be able take your diet all.. the… way!

TODAY: CLEAR YOUR PANTRY OF LEFTOVER SNACKS.

It’s A Marathon Not A Sprint

The temptation at the beginning of every year is to try and change all of your habits at once. That’s a recipe for failure. Take it easy, make just a few healthy changes, like drinking more water and getting up and moving at least 10 minutes a day. Even 10 minutes can seem like a long time when you haven’t been doing anything. That’s the first step, and every step adds up.

TODAY: CUT BACK ON HOW MUCH YOU EAT AND GET MOVING.

Wash, Rinse, Repeat

Have you ever read the instructions on the shampoo bottle? Or do you already follow the “wash, rinse, repeat” mantra? Well do you know how that came about? The truth is that you only need to wash once. The concept of doing it twice came from the P&G marketing department decades ago. Why? Well it’s simple. Because you use twice as much, it doubles their shampoo sales!

What does that have to do with dieting? Eating seconds does the same thing to your calorie intake. You really DON’T need seconds after you finish a plate. The logic continues that if you eat twice, you get twice the calories. YOU DON’T NEED THOSE CALORIES!

So if the urge to go back for more hits you, step away. Go take a shower and wash your hair… ONCE.

TODAY: STOP HAVING “SECONDS”.

The Pantry Diet

If you really want to keep yourself on track to lose weight, you need to reduce the temptations. Start by putting your pantry on a diet. Do a quick inventory of the high calorie temptations that are there waiting for you to indulge.

TODAY: ELIMINATE THE HIGH CALORIE SNACKS IN THE PANTRY.

AYCE

The American Institute for Cancer Research found that 67% of Americans eat everything on their plates, regardless of size. So you could use a smaller plate! I know you’ve heard that trick before. But the fact is that by watching portion sizes you can cut the most calories the quickest. That means you literally lose weight by doing nothing more than eating single servings of your favorite foods instead of eating as much as you can.

TODAY: ERASE THE TERM “ALL YOU CAN EAT” (AYCE) FROM YOUR VOCABULARY.

Dad Would Think We’re Crazy

In the United States, clean water is readily available yet people insist on carrying bottles with them everywhere. The trend to drinking bottled water is just a few years old. I remember when I first heard of Perrier. Then I tasted it and wondered what all the fuss was about. Others decided that they didn’t need fizzy bad tasting water in a bottle, but maybe nice clean spring water would be good. And so it came to be. We started paying the same for plain water as we used to pay for a soda, or even a beer! It’s nuts. It also contributes to massive ecological damage in the form of tons of waste.

When I was a kid I remember getting thirsty when out and about with friends, (Yes actually outside playing, talking directly to them without text messages or online chat.) we’d head to a hose on the side of the house and get a cold swig (when was the last time you heard that word) of water. Amazingly, we actually thrived on it.

Dad always kept a water bottle in the refrigerator. Mom always told him to pour it in a glass before drinking. It never happened.

So in our quest for eight glasses a day, there is no need to spend big bucks on bottles. Just turn on a tap. If you want to use a filtered container that’s great too. Of course they’re too hard to drink out of, so you’ll have to use a glass.

TODAY: DRINK TAP WATER.