The Spartan Warrior: Whole Eggs vs. Egg Whites
What’s the REAL deal with eggs?
You’ll hear many people state as fact that you shouldn’t eat whole eggs and that you should just stick to eating the egg whites due to the yolks in eggs containing fat and cholesterol. Well, guess what. They’re absolutely right when it comes to the nutritional…
eat. workout. repeat.: alice's best tips: diet mistakes that pile on the pounds
1. you dip veggies into fat.
raw veggies are great for you. but if you dunk them into dips such as creamy dressings or peanut butter (pb is good but not if you consume too much of it, which is what you do when you dip stuff into it), it spells trouble. if you MUST use dips, try plain nonfat…
1lb of Muscle vs. 1lb of Fat
- One pound of muscle will burn ~10 kcal per day.
- The pound of fat will burn ~3 kcal per day.
- Weight is a poor measurement of fat loss, for obvious reasons.
So, you lost a pound? That’s a pretty big deal.
Did you know you build more muscles from lifting heavy and paying more attention to your diet? Who woulda’ thought?!
If you want to track your progress accurately then you should use some sort of journal to log your measurements and strength changes.
Stay off the scale.
“5 MOST COMMON BAD EATING HABITS”
1. EATING ON THE RUN:
If you live a busy life, there may not be enough time to prepare meals or sit down to eat. Eating in the car or going through a fast food drive-thru may be part of your eating habits. The challenge with eating on the run is that you don’t have a chance to pay close attention to what you’re eating.
Eating quickly makes it easier to eat more. When you eat quickly in the car or while on your way somewhere, your mind is on other things and not on how much you’re eating. If you’re eating fast food, you are also very likely consuming more fat and excessive calories without the necessary nutrition.
2. EATING LARGE PORTIONS:
As bad eating habits go, eating more food than the body needs is a common behavior. This can happen for a variety of reasons. If you’re distracted by the television, you might eat more. Some people eat more when they’re feeling lonely.
To control portion sizes, think ahead about how much food will be enough. Serve yourself on a small plate or bowl and sit down at the table to eat. Avoid eating foods right out of the box or bag. It is easier, for example, to eat many more cookies when the box is sitting right in front of you as you watch television. Decide ahead of time how many cookies you will eat and put the box away before you sit down.
3. USING FOOD TO RELIEVE STRESS:
Many people use food to relieve stress. After a long and difficult day at work, eating many slices of pizza and drinking beer may be an attractive option. Using food in this way, however, leads to greater weight gain. When feeling stressed out, find ways to relax yourself that don’t involve food. Spending time in nature, talking with friends, meditating and exercising are a few options.
4. SKIPPING MEALS:
Many doctors and nutritionists will tell you repeatedly to avoid skipping meals. When you don’t eat regularly, your hunger increases and you may also experience drops in blood sugar level. Many people compensate for this by eating larger meals later in the day or by excessive snacking. Be sure to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.
5. LATE NIGHT EATING:
Eating late at night is one of the bad eating habits that’s very common. Nighttime eating often consists of snacking and excessive calorie consumption. This may be due to boredom or being distracted by sedentary activities such as watching television or surfing the web. To avoid eating late at night, find interesting things to do that take away the boredom. Possible options may include a fun hobby, an interesting book, meditation, an exercise DVD or a conversation with a good friend.
Supersize vs. Superskinny: Documentary series in which two extreme eaters - one very overweight and the other severely underweight - swap diets in an attempt to change the way they view food and eating.
Watching this right now. I’m fascinated by the extremes our bodies go through.
STAY AWAY FROM!! (or in moderation!)
BUT NUTELLA IS SO DERICIOUS.
I wish nutella went to my ass…
Fifteen Fat-Burning Foods
Fruits
Grapefruit: Want to ingest fewer calories during meal time? Eating half a grapefruit prior to gathering around the dinner table can help fill you up enough to where you are able to resist that second helping of tortellini. The plentiful amounts of soluble fiber in grapefruit slow down the digestion process.
Watermelon: Everyone has experienced the stuffed feeling that comes from this colorful fruit. The water invades the space that your stomach leaves open for food, thus making you less likely to pig out. Apples and pears produce a similar result, too.
Berries: If Hollywood still made horror films based around foods, The Attack of the Killer Sweet Tooth could easily be the name of a new thriller. Instead of allowing yourself to succumb to the temptation of a cookie, pop some blackberries or strawberries into your mouth. Frozen blueberries also provide the illusion of enjoying a cold, high-calorie treat (step away from the Häagen-Dazs!).
Veggies
Cucumber:Refreshing and crunchy, is there anything better? Cucumber has very few calories and helps to stave off liver disease and pancreatic cancer, and even keeps your nails looking amazing due to the high mineral content. Keep a few slices in the fridge for a nourishing bite!
Hot peppers: Although they haven’t been directly linked to weight loss, spicy habaneros or jalapeños aid in curbing the desire to gorge since we typically eat less when our food has a fiery flavor. Hot peppers also comprise the compound capsaicin, which speeds up the metabolism.
Celery: If you’re a self-proclaimed snacker, celery will be your best friend. Not only does it satisfy the need to eat something, but it has virtually no calories (one cup of celery equals a measly nineteen calories). Tip: instead of adding cream cheese or peanut butter to the stalk, give fat-free cottage cheese or fat-free black bean dip a go!
Protein
Greek yogurt: Some of us can’t stand traditional yogurt, but when it’s this thick and creamy we will race down to our favorite market just to stock up on it. Besides its wonderful texture, Greek yogurt “keeps you satisfied longer,” according to sports nutritionist Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, because all proteins take their sweet time leaving your stomach.
Eggs:Start the day off right with seven grams of protein! Having an egg in the morning will keep your body busy because digesting eggs burns more calories than a carb-infested breakfast.
Fish: It has been engrained in our brains that fish is full of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. But did you know that wild salmon, tuna, and sardines all make your body more responsive to the fat-burning hormone leptin, which is responsible for suppressing your appetite? If you won’t eat fish, turkey can also help you ditch the extra pounds, as it encourages the release of tryptophan, which helps you sleep. Remember: lack of sleep wreaks havoc on your waistline!
20 Reasons Why You May Not Be Losing Weight
Decades ago, around the time of Steven Tyler’s last haircut, a completely wrong-headed idea started being passed around America’s dinner tables: Eating fat makes you fat. But it’s just one of many “get fat” habits that can be turned into a “slim-down” habit, starting today. All you need is a pinch of resolve and a few new routines. Here are the 20 habits you can replace right now.
Wrong. Eating fat won’t make you fat, any more than eating money will make you rich. Calories make you fat, and most “low-fat” or “fat-free” foods actually have just as many calories as their full-fat versions, because of added sugar and chemicals. And there’s no debate on this one: Since we made “cut down on fat” our favorite food craze roughly 30 years ago, the U.S. obesity rate has doubled. Among children, it has tripled. That’s a failed food policy if ever there was one.
Push past your limits and start living.: How I get rid of my love handles
1. Oblique twists: I usually use a 10 lb weight and do 4 sets of 30
2. Dumbbell side bends: I use either 10 or 12 lbs weights. I don’t really count when I do these. I just kind of do them until I feel it.
3. Side planks: I hold these for 15…
may also result in an increase of confidence, energy and longing stares
Trans Fats & Heart Health
When you get your blood tested for cholesterol, you typically get a panel that includes total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL), and triglycerides. To reduce your risk of heart disease and better manage existing heart disease, you want your LDL level low and your HDL level high. Altering the TYPE of fat you eat can affect both of these lipid levels.
Synthetic Trans Fats
Synthetic trans fats (partially hydrogenated oils) are the most harmful fats in terms of heart health since they raise our LDL level while lowering our HDL level. That’s a particularly bad double-whammy. Unfortunately, they are plentiful in the food supply. In regular and fast food restaurants, they lurk in deep-fat fried foods and in many desserts (cakes, pastries, pie crust, cookies, and shakes). Chain restaurants are required to have nutrition information available, so either check for trans fat content online, or ask the store manager for nutrition information. If you use MyNetDiary, you can track trans fats and view contents of meal items on the web or on the mobile apps.
In packaged foods, anything that contains “partially hydrogenated oils” will contain synthetic trans fats. Unfortunately, because of a quirky labeling law, any food that contains less than ½ gram of trans fats can be reported as “0 grams.” That means we need to read the list of ingredients to locate partially hydrogenated oils. No amount of synthetic trans fats is considered healthful, so switch brands if the products you currently buy contain them.
Stick margarine and vegetable shortening are particularly high in trans fats so avoid them completely. Instead of stick margarine, use soft-tub margarine with no partially hydrogenated oils in the ingredient list. Instead of regular shortening, use trans-fat free shortening or switch to lard or butter if the substitution will work in terms of flavor and texture.
Shelf-stable packaged foods are also likely candidates for containing synthetic trans fats. Be sure to check the ingredient list of doughnuts, cakes/muffins (including mixes), cookies, candy, crackers, chips, microwavable popcorn, prepared frosting, and whipped toppings.
Naturally Occurring Trans Fats
Naturally occurring trans fats come from meats and butterfat. If you limit intake of meat and butterfat, you will limit intake of naturally occurring trans fats. The rule of thumb for a portion size of meat is 3 oz cooked, or about the size of a deck of cards.
Conjugated Linoleic acid (CLA) is a naturally occurring trans fat found mostly in beef and dairy products. This particular fat appears to have health benefits, so you do not need to cut out all beef or butterfat to ensure heart health. CLS is found in the non-visible, interstitial fat (within the edible meat) as well as in the visible fat. If you choose lean cuts of meat, you will get the benefit of CLA without ingesting too much saturated fat. As well, consuming small amounts of full-fat dairy or including low fat dairy will provide CLA while limiting intake of saturated fat.
Intake Limit
The American Heart Association recommends limiting total trans fat intake to less than 1% of your calories intake. To calculate your goal, multiply your calories goal by 0.01, and then divide by 9. For instance, if your caloric goal is 1800 calories, then your total trans fat intake would be less than 2 grams. To maximize your heart health, consider this goal for naturally occurring trans fat and completely avoid all forms of synthetic trans fats.
For more information on other dietary fats, see “Fats” on MyNetDiary’s website.
Have questions about this topic? Let’s hear from you! Post your questions on MyNetDiary’s Forum.
Best,
Kathy Isacks, MPS, RD
Consulting Dietitian for MyNetDiary
More Online Resources
The American Heart Association. “What Your Blood Cholesterol Levels Mean.”
Harvard School of Public Health. The Nutrition Source: Shining the Spotlight on Trans Fats.
Eynard, AL and Lopez, CB. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) versus saturated fats/cholesterol: their proportion in fatty and lean meats may affect the risk of developing colon cancer. Lipids Health Dis. 2003; 2: 6. Accessed online at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC201014/Disclaimer: Please note that we cannot provide personalized advice and that the information provided does not constitute medical advice. If you are seeking medical advice, please visit a medical professional.
Even MORE of America's Worst Foods
Eating 2 days worth of calories in one meal should be banned.
