diet journal Archives

Superfoods Fruits Veggies

14 Apr

Superfoods: Fruits & Veggies To Boost Your Metabolism and Promote Your Health

There has been a lot of talk about the benefits of “superfoods” recently. What makes one vegetable or fruit more super than the other? It all comes down to the range of vitamins and minerals contained in the vegetables. Many foods also help you stay fuller longer, helping you stay on track to lose weight. Here are some examples of super fruits and vegetables you can add to your diet.

Tomatoes are an incredible food. Very low in calories and high in antioxidants, it contains vitamins A, K, B, and C. When you’re a vegan or vegetarian, it can help replenish your system with much needed nutrients. It is also a great compliment to proteins. Spinach is also beneficial, having the same combination of antioxidant, vitamins, and minerals. Consider adding one or both of these superfoods to your breakfast for an energy-packed way to start your day.

Blueberries are often called the miracle berry. They are full of vitamins, helping keep your skin healthy and your organ systems running smoothly. Their antioxidants can help guard against cancer. They’re also really easy to incorporate into your diet. Try whipping up a smoothie, tossing in salads, or throwing into a high fiber muffin recipe.

An apple a day can help you do more than keep the doctor away. Eating an apple before each meal helps you lose weight! It’s high in pectin and fiber so you feel full longer. Consider keeping an apple on you to curb cravings during the day or right before a meal so you eat more mindfully during lunch or dinner.

Look over your diet journal and see where you can substitute foods for superfoods. It may also help you get past a plateau in weight loss. Variety is the spice of life, so jot down some superfoods that sound appealing and delicious and add them to your grocery list.

Recovery from Mommy Makeover

14 Apr

Recovery from Mommy Makeover

Congratulations! You finally decided to spoil yourself and give yourself a treat at the plastic surgeon’s office in order to help you feel like you again. As a new (or old) mom that is used to spending all of her time taking care of other people, it is wonderful of you to prioritize your own self image and self esteem to look and feel refreshed and rejuvenated.

Or perhaps your husband or another family member decided to spoil you with this type of surprise. Either way, we are happy you have your pre-mommy body back and hope you are recovering nicely from the procedure package that you enjoyed.

One of the most important things to keep in mind when recovering from a Mommy Makeover is the essential ingredient of adequate downtime while your body is repairing itself. Many moms don’t have the luxury of slowing down for very long, so it may be prudent to arrange for a little help around the house for a few days after your surgery. We understand that it is impossible for you to slow down completely. After all, if that were the case, you wouldn’t be in need of a pampering Mommy Makeover in the first place! However, your doctor has given specific instructions regarding how to spend your post-operative recovery time and it is important that you follow them closely.

Depending on the type of procedures you had done, heavy lifting may be off-limits for a little while. This includes children over a certain weight and definitely includes hoisting bicycles or gym bags or sports equipment in and out of the minivan. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Mothers are always the cornerstone to the stability of their families, but it’s okay to admit you can’t do it alone and ask for help once in awhile. Other family members such as brothers, aunts, grandmas, cousins, and definitely husbands may make themselves available to help you during your post-operative recovery period. It may be helpful to arrange a cooking or cleaning or driving schedule between family members beforehand to keep everything straight.

One of the biggest delays for post-operative healing and recovery that we see are moms that jump right back in where they left off before the surgery. It is important to realize that your body needs rest to recover and heal those incisions from the inside out. Depending on the type of Mommy Makeover package that you have chosen, we will be able to outline a specific plan to help you recover in a short period of time with a minimal amount of pain.

For more information about a mommy makeover, interested individuals should contact a local plastic surgeon.

Diet Journal Lose Weight

13 Apr

Keeping A Diet Journal Can Help You Lose More Weight

If you’ve been looking to lose weight but haven’t quite found the right way to handle it, one of the easiest ways to start thinking about how you eat is keeping a diet journal. Writing down what you eat and how much you eat can be revealing.

Although exercise is important, what really helps you lose weight is eating differently and maintaining a good diet. Instead of going on a short-term fad diet, you need to start thinking about life long eating habits. Doctors have recently released studies that what causes weight gain and makes it difficult to lose weight is not overeating a lot. Every small amount adds up and that is what keeps you overweight.

The write down everything you consume within a given month. You can be specific or approximate, but using a kitchen scale to weigh portions and using measuring cups is more helpful to you. There are plenty of tools out there to help you, from books to smart phone applications, but even just pen and paper can reveal your habits. Once you have kept a journal for a while, you’ll see where you’re eating too much or identity problem junk foods you continually go to. From there you can start to pare down portions and eliminate regular offenders.

After the first three or four weeks, keep journaling! You can track your progress by also weighing yourself every day and make a note in your diet journal. If you start to exercise, write that down, too. You don’t have to pay for a special diet plan or only buy low calorie substitutions for real food. It’s all about portioning and about being mindful of what you eat, even during special occasions such as the holidays.

Diet Journal Ideas

13 Apr

Diet Journal Ideas for Healthier Living

Studies have shown that keeping a diet journal can be an important tool to losing weight. You don’t necessarily need to count calories but it is helpful to look at what you eat and what choices you make when you are hungry.

Journaling is different for everyone. You may not know the best way to go about starting. For many people with smartphones, it’s an easy decision. There are many diet apps, free or inexpensive, to log what you eat all day. It takes the guesswork out of counting calories as many count them for you. There are also more social programs, places where you can go to speak with others about dieting, get guidance from nutritionists, and have someone discuss your journal with you. While there are lots of options out there, sometimes just a simple blank notebook can do the trick. In addition to what you eat, you can also log exercises.

Whether you log it on your phone, start a blog, or keep a private notebook, journaling can help you understand your habits and adopt better ones. Regardless of how much you invest in a diet journal, don’t cheat. The only way it really works is when you write down what you eat when you eat it. The more truthful you are, the better you’ll understand how you operate, and that is the best way to start changing.

Keeping A Diet Journal for Long Term Achievement and Maintenance

13 Apr

Keeping A Diet Journal for Long Term Achievement and Maintenance

There are different reasons why a diet journal is helpful in keeping many men and women on track with their healthy living. Whether it exists in a computer calendar document or in a notebook, it has to be convenient to the user’s lifestyle so that it can be routine rather than bothersome obligation. The fact of the matter is that diets are usually seen as these short term forms of torture that the participants can’t wait for these periods to be over.

The short term goals are usually to fit into a particular item of clothing, to attend an event or in preparation for summer; however, a diet journal is meant to monitor your daily diet, the food you eat, over your lifetime to keep your health on track. The results vary based on your goals: to lose weight gradually, to maintain your weight loss or maintain a healthy weight level during long term illness, or to help with management of a health condition.

A diet journal is documentation for habit and food effect trending over time. You can use it to keep track of daily caloric intake as well as daily exercise accomplishments. The accountability to oneself is paramount in the usefulness of this tool. If you are completely honest, your personal progress can be measured through exhibited will power shown during stressful periods at work or home, or just your progress with your weight goals over long periods of time. Those should be proud moments and in hindsight you can notice how far you’ve come. You can keep these with you as useful documentation for doctors appointments if you need to make adjustments to compensate for deficiencies or recalibrate for muscle development or any tweaks you want to make with your body, organization, even with food, can help you achieve or maintain your goals.

Dieting, Science, and What It Really Takes To Lose

13 Apr

Dieting, Science, and What It Really Takes To Lose

Is dieting science an exact methodology? It is something that we can study and prove what works and what doesn’t? Dr. Jules Hirsch, a professor and physician at Rockefeller University, has been researching obesity for nearly 60 years.

In a recent Q&A with New York Times he discusses the newest study from Journal of the American Medical Association that presents findings that suggests people on a high-fat, high-protein diet will burn calories than those eating more carbohydrates. In his own study, he found that this is not the case.

Does he reveal the magic? No. The truth is that there will always be new diets that claim to be the solution. In his own studies, there was virtually no difference between caloric intake and types of calories when comparing high fat and low fat diets. However, he does talk about genetics playing a big factor. We do know that early on in life, your genetic makeup and hormones determine whether you will store more fat than another person. Some bodies are just programed to store more fat.

So what does this dieting science mean for dieters? It means several things. For one, if you want to lose weight, you have to cut your calorie intake. You have to exercise. It means that some people are going to have to make dramatic lifestyle changes to maintain weight loss, especially if their genetic code is wired for fat storage. It means some of us are going to have to be highly disciplined and keep a diet journal for decades where others may be able to live more flexibly. There is no one miracle diet, there’s just the lifestyle that you find works best for you.

Fad Diets Just Say No

13 Apr

Just Say No to Fad Diets

Fad diets come and go and so will the pounds if you don’t make some lifestyle changes. Every day, there are crazy new diets touted as easy, permanent ways to shed bulges. Unfortunately, fads don’t offer long term solutions. According to the Mayo Clinic, in order to achieve permanent weight loss, a dieter needs commitment, inner motivation, and realistic goals.

Commitment means that you’ve decided to adopt a healthy diet and exercise routine as a way of life. You’re saying no to liquid diets, rounds of starvation, or only eating protein. You’re committing to paying attention, staying focused, and making sound choices.

Inner motivation means you’re trying to achieve your weight loss goals for your own reasons. Perhaps you want to feel more confident as you enter the job market or go back to college. Maybe you want to fit into a smaller sized pair of blue jeans or reduce your risk of the many diseases associated with obesity. To stay motivated, join a support group or hang a photo of the coveted skinny jeans on your refrigerator.

Having realistic goals means losing the pounds at a pace that’s attainable. Don’t strive to drop 20 pounds in a month or to fit into a size 5 by summer if you’re a size 14 in the spring. Your weight loss goals can happen but in a realistic amount of time.

Don’t go for fad diets. Opt for commitment, inner motivation, and set realistic goals to move toward long term success.

Five Superfoods That Can Help You Lose Weight

13 Apr

Five Superfoods That Can Help You Lose Weight

When you’re looking to lose weight but keep a varied diet, you can look to superfoods to help you along the way. Here are some examples of incredible foods that help you lose weight more effectively:

Salmon is a super fish! It’s heavy in healthy omega 3 fatty acids, protein, and calcium. These are all very important compounds to maintain a well-functioning body. It also provides a great source of vitamins D and B to boost your energy. Another source of healthy fats and protein are walnuts. It also has much needed fiber.

When you’re dieting, you need to drink a lot of water but consider sipping some green tea to boost your metabolism. Iced or hot, this super drink is also rich in antioxidants. According to WebMD, it is beneficial for everything from cancer prevention to a healthy heart. Another important superfood for risk reduction is garlic. Garlic has been shown to reduce cholesterol and blood pressure.

Another cholesterol fighter is oats. While you may be trying to stay away from complex carbs on your diet, oats provide much needed fiber. And you don’t have to have oats on it’s own for breakfast. You can substitute oats for bread crumbs in recipes.

When you look over your diet journal, see where you can substitutes your favorite foods for super foods. Swap cod for salmon and cereal with oatmeal. When you’re creating your grocery shopping list, make sure that you’re stocking your home with these and other super foods. When they’re in the house, you’ll eat them!

Foods To Control Your Cravings

13 Apr

Foods To Control Your Cravings

When you’re on a diet, you may find yourself craving unhealthy foods. It’s not that your body is craving chocolate, sugar, and bread, but it is craving vital vitamins and nutrients. If you’re looking through your diet journal and find that time and time again you’re reaching for the junky stuff, here are some common reasons why and a few appropriate substitutes.

Chocolate is the king of all cravings. When we crave chocolate, we are actually craving magnesium. It’s a vital nutrient that supports over 300 biochemical reactions in the body, including detoxification, energy production, and the formation of healthy bones. Chocolate contains magnesium because it is made from the seeds of the cacao fruit. So, when you’re craving chocolate, try reaching for nuts, seeds, or fruit instead.

Sugar is another common craving, especially when you are on a low sugar diet. When we’re craving sugar, we’re actually craving carbon. Carbon is the second most important element in the body. We’re about 18% carbon! We need carbon to bond to and trap the vitamins and minerals we consume. So when you’re craving sugar, don’t grab cake or a cookie, but fruit – natural source of sugars.

When we’re trying to lose weight, many of us give up complex carb sources like breads and crackers. When we’re craving bread, we’re actually craving nitrogen. Nitrogen is an important part of proteins, the building blocks of the body. Nitrogen is found in all cells. Instead of going for bread and butter, eggs and lean proteins are a better alternative.

How Keeping Hydrated Helps You Lose Weight

13 Apr

How Keeping Hydrated Helps You Lose Weight

Drinking water before each meal has been shown to help promote weight loss, according to a study from Virginia Tech. If you’re looking to lose weight, drinking 8-ounce glasses of water before meals can help you feel more full and help you eat more mindfully during meals.
The study was discussed on WebMD. It looked at water consumption as an effective weight loss strategy. It found that patients in their middle aged and older who drank two cups of water before a meal at 75 to 90 fewer calories during a meal.

If these patients substituted all drinks throughout the day with water, they were less likely to retain water weight and they lost weight more effectively.
It is said that to lose weight through diet alone, you need to cut your calorie intake by 500 calories a day. By the end of a week, you will cut enough calories to lose 1-2 pounds. Many people can achieve this simply by replacing high calorie drinks like juice, soda, and sports drinks with water. If you’re really after something that tastes good, consider unsweetened iced tea or a squeeze of lemon or lime in your water, just for variety.

If you’re craving foods, have a glass of water before heading to the fridge. While we think our bodies are craving food, we’re really just dehydrated! If you’re keeping a diet journal, try and replace those mid-day snacks with a glass of water instead. Also, note down when and how much water you’re drinking during the day. You should be having a 8 to 10 8oz. servings to stay hydrated and healthy!