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You know how mom used to always say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? Well, guess what? She was right! Mom knows best when it comes to realizing that breakfast is the fuel that keeps us running throughout the day. Let’s talk about the importance of breakfast and some alternatives for anti-breakfast folks.So, why do we do it? Sometimes it’s just too easy to skip breakfast. You’re in a rush, you’d prefer to sleep a little later rather than prepare a meal, or it’s so hectic getting the kids off, you just can’t seem to make the effort or find the time. Slow down or resist that snooze button!
You can even find some breakfast ideas in this article that are portable! Eat it on the way to work or, pack it and eat it once you get there and get settled in. How about fixing the whole family a healthy breakfast instead of setting for Pop Tarts or donuts for the kids? Or perhaps you’re taking the (unwise) meal-skipping approach to losing weight. Chances are this is going to backfire on you because skipping meals almost always leads us to overeating. This is especially true in the case of breakfast, because you’ve just been asleep for 7 or 8 hours and your body needs to recover from this brief period of starvation.
If you don’t eat something in the morning, you are literally forcing yourself into running on empty. Say the last time you ate was 8 p.m. last night. If you didn’t eat lunch until noon today, that’s sixteen hours of no refueling! Your body is screaming out, “Give me some help here!”
The fuel that keeps our motors running is glucose. Your brain and your nervous system need glucose to work: that means walking, speaking, stretching, typing – any activity requires this fuel. If you don’t supply it, your system resorts to finding stored carbohydrates or it tries to turn fat into glucose. Why put your body through all this? Instead, do what mom said and eat that breakfast!
But… there’s a problem. So you don’t like traditional breakfast foods. Don’t worry! There are alternatives to traditional breakfast fare that you may not have considered!
Read the Full Story at about.com.
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One thing I’ve noticed in all the years that I have worked in both fitness and weight management is the amount of people who skip breakfast. Either people complain that they don’t have time to eat in the morning or they believe that skipping breakfast will cut calories and therefore, help them to lose weight. Research has consistently shown that that the people who successfully lose weight are the ones that wake up and eat breakfast.
Why is breakfast considered to be the most important meal of the day?
- Firstly: Eating a healthy breakfast can reduce hunger throughout the day so that better food choices can be made the rest of the day and portion sizes can be controlled.
- Eating breakfast will give you more energy for the rest of the day and studies have shown that people are better able to focus and function throughout the day.
- For many people, eating breakfast is part of a healthy lifestyle so they are more likely to set a healthy precedent for the rest of the day by making wiser food choices and exercising.
- People who eat breakfast regularly tend to eat fewer calories from fat and have a better vitamin and mineral intake.
So, how can we work breakfast into our busy lives?
- Prepare the night before by planning what you are going to eat the next morning and have it ready to go.
- Place a list of foods on your fridge that are quick and easy but also ones that you enjoy. It will make it easier to choose what to have for breakfast the next morning.
- Decide to drive through a fast food restaurant on your way to work but know ahead of time what healthy choice you will be ordering.
Finally, the following are some foods that you might consider for breakfast:
- Protein shakes. Select already pre-mixed shakes or ones that are easily prepared by adding water.
- Eggs. They are great for satiety and that is partly because they are high in protein. Proteins require more calories to digest. If cholesterol is a concern, egg whites are also high in protein and a great alternative.
- Dairy products such as cottage cheese, yogurts and milk are also high in protein but take the carbohydrate count into consideration for the rest of the day.
- High-fiber complex carbohydrates found in whole grains and cereals will also help to keep you satisfied because fiber increases the sensation of fullness. Low carbohydrate tortillas are great for using as wraps. Cheese, eggs, Canadian bacon and deli meat are just some of the foods that you could place inside the wrap. Just make sure that you are getting adequate protein and keep track of your carbohydrate intake for the rest of the day.
Next time you are tempted to skip breakfast, remember that many studies, in both adults and children, have shown that breakfast eaters tend to weigh less than breakfast skippers.
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There has been a bit of debate amongst diet experts regarding meal frequency; some say that eating three regular meals a day is more beneficial for weight loss, while others say it is better to have six smaller meals throughout the day. The truth is that some studies have shown eating six smaller meals has helped some people lose weight, yet other studies have been inconclusive. With this kind of confusion going on, where does that leave you when it comes time to decide on your eating habits? Here are a few things to remember:
- You should set your food plans to meet your lifestyle. For some, three regular sized meals with a small snack works fine and will not hinder their weight loss efforts. Others may find that six small meals are a better fit. The key thing to remember is that you do not want to get so hungry during the day that you overeat at one of your meals.
- For those who have diabetes (type 1 or 2), it may be preferable to eat smaller meals in order to better manage insulin and blood sugar levels.
- Whatever eating habits you adopt, make sure you abide by them from day to day so that your body can become accustomed to it.
- They call breakfast the most important meal for a reason. Make sure you eat breakfast every morning in order to start off your metabolism properly.
- Don’t eat simply because food is present or has been offered to you, unless it is time for one of your scheduled meals or snacks.
- Beware of the junk-food-for-energy cycle. If we are tired, our bodies can make us feel as if we are hungry, even if we are not. This can cause us to eat junk food with lots of sugars and carbohydrates in order to feel energized. This energy boost is only temporary, however, and leads to a “crash” which leaves us feeling tired again. Sticking to your food plans, getting proper sleep and exercising regularly can help avoid the tired feeling to begin with.
As always, be careful with the kinds of food you choose, regardless of how frequently you eat throughout the day
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Did you know that the timing of your meals is one of the most important nutrition secrets for successful weight loss and
maintenance? Unfortunately with our hectic lifestyles and schedules it can be very difficult to sticking with 3 meals a day never mind 6 small meals or 3 meals with several snacks interspersed! Once I explain why researchers have found eating more often improves weight loss – you may decide to make an extra effort to eat more often. Now, eating more often doesn’t mean increasing the amount that you eat, it means taking the calories that you would normally consume in a day and spreading them out throughout the day.
- It is believed that by spacing 3 large meals in one day, you allow your body to enter the starvation mode. When this happens your body tries to conserve as much energy as it can until the next meal because it assumes that the meal may not come. In the starvation mode your body reduces metabolism and conserves as much fat as possible to increase your chance of survival. The solution is to eat more often by dividing 3 large meals into 6 smaller ones. Many of us do this by having 3 main meals and several small snacks in between.
- By spreading your calories throughout the day you will prevent low energy and mood, and ward off hunger pangs because you will be supplying your body with enough fuel to function throughout the day. Meal frequency regulates blood sugar levels and that eases hunger. You will also be less likely to overeat at the next meal and that will help to prevent weight gain.
- By eating more often throughout the day your metabolic rate will also be faster since your body’s digestive functions are more active. Each time you eat your body’s temperature is raised slightly which, in turn, raises your metabolism. We call that “TEF” or the “thermal effect of food.” With your metabolism staying higher you will be in a state of burning fat throughout the day.
- Protein from the food you consume has nitrogen and nitrogen maintains your muscle. To maintain positive nitrogen balance throughout the day you need to consume some protein every 3-4 hours. If we lose muscle we will burn fewer calories during the day and I know that is what we are all trying to avoid.
The ability to lose weight is under YOUR control and I hope that I have inspired some of you to eat something every few hours so please don’t skip meals –especially breakfast!
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Just about everyone has been in situations where they have eaten too much. Perhaps a meal was so delicious that passing on one more helping seemed impossible, or maybe stress has led us to snack on too much comfort food throughout the day. Overeating causes us to fill up on food while not necessarily getting the nutrition we need and can definitely get in the way us reaching our weight loss goals. If you find yourself overeating at times, here are a few strategies to keep in mind:
- Take time to enjoy your food. If you eat in a hurry or eat while doing something else (driving, working, etc.), you brain may not quickly get the message that you are eating. This means that it will take longer for you to feel full and the desire to keep eating will continue. Try eating slowly and waiting half an hour after the meal is done. You may find that you did not need that extra serving after all.
- Prevent diet sabotage beforehand by limiting your portions. Putting a lot of food on your plate can make you feel obligated to eat a larger serving than you really need. Also, if you place additional serving out of immediate reach—for instance, on the kitchen counter rather than the dinner table—it can reduce the temptation for another helping.
- Have a healthy snack in between meals. Snacks such as fruit or low-fat cheese with crackers can help keep your blood sugar in check, reducing the need to eat high-carbohydrate foods for energy. Eating snacks can actually help you in your weight loss because your body will feel less hungry when meal time comes around and there will be less of an urge to eat a larger meal.
- Start your meal off with some fiber. Salads and vegetable broth soups contain fiber which, in addition to their nutritional value, causes your stomach to feel fuller. Having one of these healthy choices at the beginning can make the rest of the meal feel more satisfying.
- Drink plenty of water throughout the day and with meals. Dehydration is one of the factors that cuases your body feel hungry, so drinking a glass while you eat will make you feel fuller than otherwise. The action of drinking will also cause you to eat your meal more slowly.
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Here’s How:
Drink a glass or ice cold water as soon as you sit down for your meal. Or, enjoy a bowl of broth-based soup just before
your entree.
Precede your meal with an apple, raw vegetables or a salad with reduced fat dressing. Doing so will curb your appetite and give your diet a fiber boost.
Keep your blood sugar (and your appetite) at an even keel all day long by not going any longer than 5 hours without having something to eat.
Eat multiple, healthy mini meals throughout the day rather than a few large ones.
Eat a carb and protein-comprised snack 1 to 2 hours before your meal. For example, reduced fat cheese and crackers or cereal with low-fat yogurt.
Avoid overeating due to emotions by talking to a counselor or close friend, or keeping a journal. Or, log on to a message board or chat room you enjoy to get support from your “virtual” friends.
Exercise! When you feel a binge coming on, exercise is a great way to elevate your mood and get your mind of food. It also relieves stress.
When dining out, ask your server to package up half of your entree in to-go container when he brings your meal. Chances are you won’t open that container and eat the rest there and then.
Article from about.com
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Fast food chains are definitely already a part of our lifestyle. They are practically everywhere that we could not possibly avoid them at any cost. Whenever we are on the go, fast food chains are definitely an indispensable part of our lives. They provide us with foods off the counter, and we could gobble the delicious morsel off that burger in no time.
For those of us who are entirely health conscious, eating out in fast food chains is definitely a no-no. The food offered in fast food chains is too fatty, and they are also filled with carbohydrates. Eating a lot of carbohydrate enriched food can certainly be a problem especially when you are weighing yourself off the scale just to check how many pounds you have shed, or worse, how many pounds you have gained.
Choose Your Food Wisely while Eating at Fast Food Joint
Facing the fact that the fast food is necessarily a part of our lives and entirely avoiding them would be impossible. The only thing that is left to do is just to make smart choices of foods whenever you plan to eat in a fast food joint. You can consult your own physician first for a physical check up. In this way, you would be able to take note of the amount of carbohydrates and cholesterol that you have been taking up. He may also suggest some ways on how you could make healthy choices for your diet. In this way, you do not only take precautions about your weight, but you also observe ways on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
When you opt to eat in fast food chains, make sure to have a good grasp of the nutrition information on the types of food that you actually take in fast food chains. Most dieticians say that breads, rice and chips are the main culprits for giving you those unwanted carbs which make your body take in those extra pounds. Moreover, those favorite sundaes of yours would have to be avoided, because they contain a lot of sugar. Eating such items on the menu may in turn give you the carbohydrates which you would not want to have at any rate. However, do not falter at this fact. Most of the fast food chains offer healthy alternatives to these menus. Some of them include salads and low-carb chicken sandwiches. It also helps to check the amount of calories and carbohydrates that each food offers. You can at least tone down on eating these items on the menu if you cannot totally avoid them.
Avoid Fast Food during Low Carb Diet
If you insist on undergoing a low carb fast food diet, then you should reevaluate your perspective in losing weight. If you want to be successful in maintaining a low carb fast food, then so be it. You do not have to avoid everything on the menu and settle for the alternative choices. Be aware of the foods that you take in day after day, and try to maintain a healthy diet. It might just work for you.
Article from low-carb-diet-recipes.com.
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Mini Frittatas: This is not only an impressive dish, but so easy you’ll make them regardless if you low-carb or not. Best of all, you can eat these straight off the pan or at room temperature. I make them when having guests over for brunch, but you can easily pop the leftovers in the freezer and reheat, since the recipe makes about 40. There are about 4g of carbohydrates per mini-frittata, depending on your ingredients.
Mini Fritattas
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 8 large eggs
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces thinly sliced ham, chopped
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Spray 2 mini muffin tins (each with 24 cups) with nonstick spray. Whisk the eggs, milk, pepper, and salt in a large bowl to blend well. Stir in the ham, cheese, and parsley. Fill the muffin cups almost to the top with the egg mixture. Bake until the egg mixture puffs and is just set in the center, about 8 to 10 minutes. using a rubber spatula, loosen the frittatas from the muffin cups and slide the frittatas onto a platter. Serve immediately.
4g carb, 12 grams of protein, 120 calories
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Finally– here it is. You have been waiting to hear these words for years…or at least as long the zipper on your skinny jeans hasn’t budged. The key to weight loss success! It’s not a shake, a supplement, or an exercise gizmo. You have it already, right at your finger tips. 
“I feel the most important action one can take when trying to lose weight is to keep a food diary,” says SparkPeople dietitian Becky Hand. “Yes, it takes time to write down everything consumed during the day, but this in itself can curtail overeating and be vital for self-assessment and monitoring. Today, it is easier than ever with computer-based tools such as SparkPeople’s free Food Tracker. A few clicks, and your results are known immediately!”
Studies show that people who keep food journals lose more weight and keep more of that weight off in the long run. The National Weight Control Registry–an ongoing research project tracking more than 3,000 people who’ve lost an average of 66 pounds and kept it off for five years–found that keeping a food journal is the one strategy used by the majority of successful dieters. In fact, in a study of 1,685 dieters conducted by a health insurance company, the best predictor of weight loss throughout the first year was the number of food records kept per week. Another recent study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that dieters who tracked their food intake in a “food diary” lost twice as much weight as those who didn’t track their food.
Article from Sparkpeople.com.
To learn more about how food journaling can help you on your weight loss journey, contact us! We’re here to help you reach your weight loss goals!
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All too often, we make mistakes we may not even be aware of that can really sabotage our weight loss efforts. Here are a few of them:
1. Drinking Liquid Calories – Many people don’t realize how many calories they are consuming in the beverages they choose. Regular sodas, fruit juices, purchased coffees and alcohol can contain many calories and make weight loss very difficult. Research shows that these calories do very little to satisfy our hunger and may actually cause our hunger to increase.
2. Skipping Meals – Skipping breakfast is the most common mistake that many individuals make. They think that they are cutting back on their calories to enhance weight loss and don’t realize that they are setting themselves up to overeat later that day.
3. Underestimating Calories – Extra bites of food throughout the day really add up! We need to figure in all the extra taste testing we do at meal times and the foods we “pick on” during the day. Consider adding 25 calories for every extra bite of food that you take during the day.
4. Taking Weekends Off – We can destroy all our efforts made during the week by consuming many calories on the weekend. Every day is as important as the next and must be considered in our overall weight loss plan. This strategy will set us up for a long-term lifestyle change that will enable us to maintain our weight loss.
Stay tuned as Claire and Dr. Clark share some advice on how to eliminate or minimize these mistakes in your everyday life.
Learn about the key components of the weight loss program at CMH.
