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:

This week on the Oprah Winfrey show, she invited people who lost dramatic amounts of weight to share their stories. All of the people that were there were able to drop the pounds without surgery, and without diet pills.  One women dropped over 500 pounds! Really, it’s amazing and is a great motivator. If these people can lose that much weight, we can reach our goals too whether it’s 10, 50, or 100 pounds. Here are a few before and after pictures:

Nancy

Current weight: 173 pounds
Total weight loss: 530 pounds

David

Current weight: 173 pounds
Total weight loss: 530 pounds

Bunny

Current weight: 168 pounds
Total weight loss: 267 pounds

Chris

Current weight: 180 pounds
Total weight loss: 187 pounds

Emily

Current weight: 135 pounds
Total weight loss: 160 pounds

It’s the time of year when many of us will be spending more time socializing with family, friends, and co-workers. Those who are throwing the party or invited you over are going to feel obligated to offer you food, and it’ll likely be foods that you’re trying to avoid. Food Pushers are going to be around every corner, so you need to know what to do in advance so that you can enjoy yourself, but keep your lifestyle and diet on track.

• You’re invited to happy hour … Your friends and co-workers are going to want you to enjoy a cocktail with them, but it’s not hard to get out of this one. If you must drink, choose a low calorie beer or wine spritzer. Then just babysit the drink all night long!
• Your spouse, partner, boyfriend or girlfriend … If they’re not watching their calories, they’ll probably want to indulge with your company. One way to solve this is to get them involved in eating healthy too, but allow one day where you two can indulge together.
• Boss bought lunch at the office… and it wouldn’t be polite to not show up. Eat a healthy snack in the middle of the morning so you aren’t so hungry, and then eat a few bites of what they’ve bought.
• The in-laws invite you over for a calorie filled, high-fat dinner… Offer to bring a dish to pass, and make it something you’ll feel comfortable eating. Then just take small portions of what they offer and eat a bite or two.
• You’re on a date… and your date takes you to a nice restaurant where he wants to impress you. Telling him you’re on a diet may not be such a great idea if you don’t know each other well, so either order something healthy for yourself, or make up an excuse like you ate a late lunch. Then he’ll be understanding when you just nibble on the five course meal he ordered for you.

Source: AOL Body

When you decide that you want to change your lifestyle so that you’re happier and healthier, it can be daunting to think of all the things that you need to do to get there. If you set out and think you have to do it all at once, chances are, you’ll fail.  Today we’re going to look at just five foods that you should cut back on that will give you the start that you need to get you on your way to a healthier lifestyle.

• Sodium
  Pay attention to the sodium content in the foods that you eat.  Frozen foods, fast food, and foods from restaurants are almost always extremely high in sodium. High sodium intake can lead to high blood pressure among other things. Use fresh ingredients when you cook, and you’ll have no trouble lowering the amount of salt that you consume.
• Caffeine
  You don’t have to eliminate caffeine from your diet, at least not yet. But what you should do is cut back. It really doesn’t do your body much good, and you’ll be better off without it.
• Sugar
  Sugar provides you with no nutrients and can lead to weight gain. Instead of turning to candy, cakes, and pies, try eating a piece of fresh fruit. It’ll help satisfy your sweet tooth and provide you with nutrients, all at the same time.
• Fats and Cholesterol
  Our bodies need fat- it’s a given. But, out bodies don’t need fat in the amount that many of us eat it. Fast food often times is nothing but fat and cholesterol, especially fast food that’s fried. Try to reduce or eliminate foods that are high in fat like butter and gravies, ice cream, fatty meats, and fried foods.
• Alcohol and smoking
  Most alcohol has a high sugar content which we know can promote weight gain. Remember to drink in moderation or eliminate it completely, and avoid tobacco.

Source: Yahoo Health

There are SO many diet myths out there that simply aren’t proven to be true. AOL Body took the time to go through some of those myths and provide the facts so that no one will have to waist their time trying to lose weight on a grapefruit diet, or eliminating carbohydrates. Today we’ll cover five of those myths, but of course that’s just the beginning of them!

1. Myth: Drinking liquid meal replacements will help shrink your stomach.
   Fact: Liquid diets were meant for babies! The fact of the matter is this – there is nothing that you can do to shrink your stomach. Your stomach is a muscle, and while it may expand while you’re eating, it will return to it’s normal size.  If you feel as though your stomach has shrunk, it’s all in your imagination. They say that over time, you can get used to eating less so it may feel as though your stomach has gotten smaller, but it hasn’t.
2. Myth: Exercising on an empty stomach burns more fat.
   Fact: If you skip a meal before exercising, you won’t have carb stores to burn, but that doesn’t mean that your body will automatically go to your fat stores to burn. What actually happens is that your body could end up burning your muscle which means a lower metabolism.
3. Myth: Eating white foods is bad for you.
   Fact: Never judge a food by its color! Garlic which is white is great for you, as are pears!
4. Myth: Drinking lots of water will help you lose weight.
   Fact: Certainly water is good for you and is needed, but simply drinking extra water is not going to help you lose weight. The important thing to remember is that when you’re hungry, drinking water may help you “feel” full, but those hunger pains are telling you that your body is craving nutrients which water can’t give.
5. Myth:  Calories eaten after 8PM turn to fat.
   Fact: Any time you eat more calories than you burn, they can be stored as fat. According to AOL Body, “whether you consume them during Good Morning America or Letterman doesn’t matter, there is no intrinsic connection between calories and the clock.

Remember Jared, the guy who lost lots of weight eating Subway sandwiches all the time? Well, now there’s someone else who took the same approach and  lost weight by eating burritos everyday from Chipotle , the McDonalds owned “Mexican” Grill. Now here’s the thing, if you select a low-fat 6-inch sub from Subway like Turkey or even Ham, it’s somewhat healthy (lower in calories, low in fat) so I can see why Jared lost weight. The problem with Justin Hall who went on the Chipotle Burrito diet is that the burrito he eats every single day has 1,330 calories. He says it fills him up for a long time and the rest of the day he just eats fruits and salad. It’s working for him, he’s lost 40 pounds so far, but eating one calorie dense meal each day just doesn’t sound like it will be good for his long-term health and weight.

One big component to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and losing weight is exercise.  Justin has not added any type of exercise to his plan — he just sticks to eating the daily burrito. On one hand, his method isn’t ideal, but on the other hand, he is losing weight that could bring him down to a weight where he’d have more energy to exercise. Should he be encouraged to continue it because he is losing weight, or is he better off trying to change his habits all around that will give him sustainable success?

My thought is that he’d be better off trying to change his habits, ditching the burrito, and incorporating exercise into his daily life – but at least he’s trying. Once he decides he’s had enough burritos and stops the fad diet, he’ll likely go back to old habits and gain the weight back. What he’s eating just doesn’t sound like something that would be good in the long run for anybody. If I had to pick between the Subway diet and the Chipotle diet, I’d definitely pick Subway.

Source: Diet Blog

When you’re trying to lose weight, it helps to know what it takes to drop a pound — the specifics. The information I’m going to share with you today is just the simple basics behind weight loss. To start with, we need to know the calorie deficit that it will take to drop one pound. Any guesses? The answer is 3,500. If you have a deficit of 3,500 calories, you will drop one pound. Given that, now we need to talk about how you cut out 3,500 calories in a healthy way over a realistic amount of time — a week.

• Cut 500 calories each day
• Increase your activity to burn an extra 500 calories each day
• Cut 250 calories each day and increase your physical activity to burn an extra 250 calories each day

By choosing one of the methods above, you should be able to drop about one pound per week which is certainly an attainable goal. So now you might need a few ideas to increase your activity or cut calories from your diet. Here are a few suggestions:

Increase activity by:

• Doing an extra 20-30 minutes of cardio exercise per day
• Clean your house – yes, washing windows and vacuuming actually burns calories
• Turn off the TV and go for a brisk walk
• Yard work- mow the grass, weed, water plants, etc.

Cut calories by:

• Start using smaller plates- you’ll likely eat less
• Eat slowly – you’ll enjoy your food and give your brain time to tell you when you’re full
• Snack Smart – cut out the chips, soda and ice cream and replace it with a healthy snack like fresh veggies
• Cut the salad dressing – switch from using a creamy dressing to using a good quality extra virgin olive oil and vinegar, or try squeezing a fresh lemon or lime over it

Eating healthy foods can really make a difference in your mood and how you feel. Today we’re going to talk about the different foods to eat that will boost your mood if you’re feeling anxious, nervous, depressed, sad, or lacking energy. With a few changes to your diet, you can easily improve your mood, so let’s take a look!

Protein for energy

Protein can give you a boost in energy thanks to the norepinephrine and dopamine found in protein. Great protein sources include:

• Beans
• Lean poultry
• Lean red meat
• Cheese

Carbs to ease anxiety

If you’re feeling really anxious, carbohydrates just may be what you need to calm yourself down thanks to the boost in serotonin production you have after eating carbs. Try a healthy cereal like “Go Lean Crunch” which is high in fiber and will give you the carbohydrates that you need.

Calm those nerves

If you’re really nervous about something, seek out foods that will stimulate the release of dopamine. Sources include:

• Bananas
• Leafy greens
• Milk

Get rid of depression

Omega-3 fatty acids can help you ease the symptoms of depression. Try to incorporate fish into your diet because it is a great source of these Omega-3 acids. Try foods like:

• Salmon
• Tuna
• Sardines

Turn that frown upside down

Bad moods not only make your day a little harder to get through, but they can also make it miserable for those around you. Studies have found that if your levels of selenium are low, you’ll be more irritable.  Here are a few sources of selenium to help you turn that frown upside down.

• Sunflower seeds
• Whole grain cereals
• Brazil nuts

Source

You didn’t really think I was going to tell you about some great diet pill that will help you lose weight fast, did you? Of course not! Why? Because diet pills are a HUGE no-no. If there was some magical diet pill that dropped the pounds quickly, I don’t think anybody would have an excuse to be overweight or obese. So today’s advice is simply this, there is no magic pill that’s going to get your weight to where you want to be that is healthy and good for your body.

I remember a while back when I was watching The Oprah Show and Oprah Winfrey said something like – If there was a diet pill that could keep her thin, no matter how much it cost, she would have it. Obviously she doesn’t have any magic diet pill, so all of those ads and commercials are just giving you false hope that there’s an easy solution. Losing weight is a challenge, trust me, I know! But it feels SO good when people ask you how you did it and you can say “by eating right and exercising.”

To add to this pro-losing-weight-naturally chat we have going on here, another thing to keep in mind is this: A recent study by the University of Connecticut found that sixty-five percent of diet pill users think they’ll shed pounds — and don’t know that most of the drugs aren’t government regulated. Would you allow your child to take a drug that wasn’t regulated or approved by the government? Probably not, so why should things be any different for you?

Anytime you see a commercial for a diet pill that sounds appealing and seems so convincing, remember, there is no diet pill that is going to allow you reach your overall goal of maintaining a healthy life style. Always look at the big picture and what will be best for you in the long run.

Eating right and exercising doesn’t have to be hard! There are so many simple things that we can do that may seem small, but every change for the better helps!! Here are a few diet and exercise tips that are easy to do, and should be very simple to incorporate into your lifestyle:

Diet Tips

• Pass on the dinner roll or bread when you eat out
• If you must eat fries, get the small order instead of the large
• Hold the cheese on your sandwich and opt for extra veggies
• Use one tablespoon of peanut butter instead of two

Exercise Tips

• Take your dog for a 30 minute walk instead of letting him out in the backyard
• Do an extra 25 minutes of cardio exercise one day a week
• Climb stairs in your house or lift dumbbells during the commercials of your favorite TV show.
• Add five minutes of jogging during your walk

And remember “Good and bad things happen in life, but what matters, what defines us, is how we handle them.” If you’ve labeled your struggle to lose weight and get healthy as a “bad thing” in your life, think about how you’re handling the struggle and what you’re doing to turn that “bad” thing into a “good” thing. A positive “I can do it” attitude can make all the difference!