Recently I stumbled upon a site called Fatsecret, a social network that’s all about supporting people who are wanting to lose weight.  After browsing around for a few minutes, I determined that it is a “must see” site for anybody who is trying to drop a few pounds. Fatsecret is a place to go where you can create your own personalized diet, find info on some of the diets that are popular right now, hear how people are doing on the diet that they are on, and much more. Helpful tools that they offer include an online journal, food diary, and exercise diary. This can help you keep track of everything in one convenient location.

Another favorite section is their recipe section. Here you’ll find all kinds of recipes, and you can even submit your own.  People rate each recipe so that you know how it stands, and all of the nutritional information is included. You can also add recipes to your “cookbook.” If you’re a member, your cookbook will be your collection of recipes that you find that you’d like to save. That way you can go back and easily access your favorite finds.

Given that it’s a social network, there are several “social” aspects to it.  You can add people as “buddies,” chat with people in the diet forums, read journals, and more. Users regularly “weigh-in” and Fatsecret keeps track of the progress and provides some nice graphs so that it’s easy to visualize and see the changes. It’s also interesting to look through the member’s profiles to see what their starting weight is, where they are now, and what their goal is. You can perform member searches and refine the search by age, gender, a specific diet, and progress which is nice.

If you’re looking for a place to keep track of your progress and receive support from others, definitely checkout Fatsecret. After checking it out, I can see what Time Magazine named it one of the 50 best websites of 2007!

With the holidays right around the corner, many of you will be consuming a little more alcohol than what you’re used to consuming.  Instead of just one glass of wine here and there, you’ll be drinking multiple glasses as you gather with friends and family and enjoy each other’s company.  Before you do that, you may want to think about what the excess of alcohol does to your body and how it can prevent you from losing weight. A recent article from Alive magazine helps explain this.

So how is it that alcohol can prevent you from losing weight? In a nutshell, it really messes with your metabolism. Here’s what you need to know:

• Alcohol calories are used as a preferential and easy form of fuel for the body, which stops your own body fat stores from being used.
• Alcohol is eventually metabolized into a compound called acetate. It is the amount of acetate produced that is responsible for preventing fat from being oxidized for energy.
• Alcohol can cause a rise in the muscle-wasting stress hormone cortisol, leading to a reduction in your ability to burn calories.

If you want to keep yourself on track to meet your weight-loss goals, you may want to go back and refer to an article back from before Thanksgiving, “Keeping the Holiday Weight Off.” One of the suggestions is to pick and choose the times that you are going to drink alcohol. If you can do this, you’ll still be able to enjoy the holidays and you’ll have an easier time maintaining your weight.

Once again this week I found myself searching for a new recipe, something I could make with chicken. Chicken is always so versatile, it’s like a blank slate, but figuring out what to do can be tricky sometimes.  Today’s chicken recipe is Balsamic Chicken and Vegetables and it comes from Fitness Magazine. It’s simple, easy, and has lots of flavor. Enjoy!

Balsamic Chicken and Vegetables Recipe

All you need:

• 1/4 cup bottled Italian salad dressing

• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 12 ounces chicken breast tenderloins

• 10 ounces asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces, or 10-ounce package frozen cut asparagus, thawed and well drained

• 1 cup shredded carrot

• 1 small tomato, seeded and chopped

All you do:

Nutrition information (makes 4 servings):

Per serving: 271 calories, 22g protein, 12g carbohydrate, 15g fat (2g saturated), 2g fiber

Recently I was reading about foods that are considered to have a low GI - or a low glycemic index and how incorporating them into your diet can help you lose weight.  My first thought was, “is this another fad diet” or is this something we should be doing. Of course I’m no expert, but after looking into it, it appears as though it isn’t a fad diet. Instead, it’s just a way of eating that includes foods that will help keep you feeling full for longer. The whole theory behind a low GI diet is that the foods will slowly release sugar into your blood so that you have a steady supply of energy and you’ll feel satisfied for longer. Interesting, isn’t it?

Keep in mind though, some foods that have a low GI index are high in fat, so you’ll want to make sure you try to keep your fat intake to a minimum as well. So what foods are considered to be low GI? First you’ll need to know what the glycemic index range is.  A Low GI is 55 or less, a medium GI is 56-69, and a high GI is 70 or more.  This site has a great list of low, medium, and high GI foods broken down into different categories which is extremely helpful. Below are several examples of foods that have a low GI of 55 or under:

In the May 2007 issue of O, the Oprah Magazine, there was an article called “Soothing Hunger’s Savage Beast” which talked about six different strategies for satisfaction. These strategies can help you overcome hunger in the toughest moments when you’re likely to go crazy and overeat when food is placed in front of you. I found all of the strategies to be helpful, and thought you might too.

1. Pile on the protein - it’ll make you feel more satisfied than any other nutrient. You can get protein from sources like yogurt, milk, and lean meats.
2. Fill up with Fiber - we’ve talked about the importance of fiber before but its importance in overcoming hunger is huge. It’ll take up space in your stomach and digests slowly so that you’ll feel full longer.
3. Get some nuts! - When your stomach is growling at you, it’s doing so because of a hormone called ghrelin.  Eating nuts will cause the ghrelin levels in your body to lower.
4. Take a walk! - A brisk walk has actually been found to temporarily suppress your hunger.
5. Keep your hands busy - choose a snack in which you’ll have to work to get the food like pistachio nuts.
6. Sooth the taste buds - perhaps you’re not actually hungry but you just want to taste something.  Dr. Oz says to try a strong mint or a breath strip and that just might be enough to satisfy your taste buds.

When you’re at the grocery store, there’s isle upon isle of packaged foods. We know to avoid many of them, but there are some that aren’t so bad for you after all.  These foods can be incorporated into your day for a balanced, well-rounded diet. Women’s Health sent out a nutritionist and weight-loss expert shopping to find the packaged foods that are actually on the healthy side. Here’s some of what she came up with (find the whole list here):

Breads, Pasta and Rice

• Thomas’ 100% Whole Wheat Mini Bagels
• Kashi Heart to Heart breakfast cereal
• Barbara’s Bakery Cinnamon Puffins for snacking
• Quaker Nutrition for Women oatmeal
• Bare Naked All Naturals Granola
• Prepperidge Farm 100% Whole Beat Natural Whole Grain Bread
• Barilla Plus Pasta

Dairy, Soy and Eggs

• Stonyfield Farm Fat Free Peach Yogurt
• Kraft 2% Milk White American Singles
• Sargento Light String Cheese Snacks
• Kraft Light n’ Lively Lowfat Cottage Cheese with Calcium

Meat and Fish

• Oscar Meyer Oven Roasted Turkey Breast Natural
• Healthy Choice Thin Sliced Honey Ham
• Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna in Water
• Oscar Mayer Louis Rich Turkey Bacon

Freezer Foods

• Lean Cuisine Spa Cuisine Chicken in Peanut Sauce
• Birds Eye Steamfresh Fresh Frozen Vegetables
• Boca All American Classic Meatless Burgers
• Gardenburger Portabella Frozen Veggie Burger

Soups

• Amy’s Organic Lentil Vegetables Soup Light in Sodium
• Healthy Choice Old Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup
• Imagine Organic Creamy Broccoli Soup in a box

Snacks

• PriaGrain Eswsentials Energy Bar
• Fiber One Oats & Chocolate Chewy Bars
• Nature Valley Roasted Almond Granola Bars

Desserts

• Skinny Cow Ice Cream Cones
• Weight Watchers Smart Ones Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Sundaes
• Edy’s/Dreyers Loaded Frozen Dairy Desserts
• FrozFruit SuperFruit Pomegranate Cherry

Drinks

• Tropicana Light n’ Healthy Orange Juice
• Minute Maid Light Raspberry Passion

Dressings and Condiments

• Peanut Butter & Co. Crunch Time All Natural Peanut Butter
• Philadelphis Light Strawberry Cream Cheese
• Smucker’s Low Sugar Red Raspberry Preserves
• Salpica Rustic Tomato Salsa
• Heinz Organic Tomato Ketchup

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been one that has to make a grocery list before I get to the store so that I know what I’m buying.  This also prevents me from forgetting something important that I need, and then making another trip to the store to get it later on.  The only exception to my list-making habit is when there’s just one or two things that I need. After reading an article over at Shape, I’m thinking I should make a list even when there’s just a few things that I need, and so should you.

So why is making a grocery list, no matter how big or how small important? Well, it helps you stick to what you actually need and helps you avoid buying things that you don’t, namely the unhealthy foods like cakes, cookies, and chips. This means even when you have just three things you need, still make a list and stick to it.  It’s easy to get into the store and pickup anything that you see even if you don’t need it.  According to a study from New York University, “The brainpower you use trying to remember what to buy takes away from the mental strength needed to resist temptation.”

Looks like I’ll be making yet more shopping lists…

With the holidays coming up, you deserve to treat yourself! I came across a wonderful recipe for Basmati Rice Pudding with Oranges that I think you’ll love! Give it a try and let me know what you think:

All you’ll need:

• ¾ cup basmati rice or any long-grain white rice
• 3 large navel oranges
• ½ vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
• 4 cups fat-free evaporated milk
• ¼ cup lowfat sweetened condensed milk
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios (optional, for garnish)
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds (optional, for garnish)

All you’ll do:

In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, boil 2 cups of water. Add the rice, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes until the rice is tender and most of the water has been absorbed.

Meanwhile, finely grate 1 teaspoon of zest from one of the oranges; set aside. Halve that orange and juice it; reserve the juice. With a sharp knife, peel the remaining 2 oranges, removing the pith (white part). Cut sections between the membranes. Set aside.

When the rice is tender, add ½ cup of the orange juice, orange zest, vanilla bean, evaporated milk, condensed milk, and sugar. Cook over medium heat, uncovered, stirring frequently until it has a creamy consistency, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and divide the rice mixture among bowls to serve warm, or cover and refrigerate to serve chilled. At serving time, garnish each portion with a few orange sections, pistachios, and pomegranate seeds, if desired.

Nutritional information:

This recipe will serve around 6 to 8 people, and it takes 40 minutes to prepare. By dishing up 3/4 of a cup of this delicious treat, you’ll consume 317 calories and under one gram of fat. Enjoy!

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