Mmmmm Chocolatey Goodness

I haven't written in a while since I've been kind of busy. Let's just say that the stress that's been keeping me from writing in here has also taken its toll on my diet. Bad times.
But we are now sticking to healthy foods, no more binges on McDonald's McChickens after a long, boring and stressful day at work. No more late night grilled cheese or mozzarella sticks. If I do go to the diner at 5 a.m. and am starving, it's egg white omelets or perhaps some fruit haha.

We shall see how it goes. So far the adventures in dieting have been more like Flo's failed attempts at dieting...but when one thing doesn't work, I try something else.

My mother was interested in chocolate and I was totally craving some at work today. Dark chocolate is the best.



Try and fit about 100 calories or about 2 pieces or so of a regular chocolate bar into your diet every day. Make sure the chocolate is the darkest you can get- the more cocoa the better- I love the Endangered Species organic dark chocolate. Some of the proceeds from all their chocolate goes to help endangered species and their habitats, and it's ethically traded.



Chocolate is good for your skin: the flavanoids (polyphenols found in chocolate and red wine, tea, cranberries and some other fruits) absorb UV light to help protect your skin. They also increase blood flow, improving skin's appearance.

The antioxidants also help prevent heart disease and high cholesterol and blood pressure.

Since chocolate is high in calories, make sure you limit it to a piece or two a day. The higher the cocoa percentage, the better, but also the more bitter it tastes. This will satisfy your chocolate cravings better though, so you need less to feel satisfied by the richness.

(Photos: navigenics.pmhclients.com, greenissexy.org)

You Go Girl!

Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women


Not a diet thing, but hey, these gals are amazing! Loved reading this, and Angela Merkel (German Chancellor) is #1...again...ya! Schon wieder!



More diet tips after this week...too much stress.

(Photo: topnews.in)

Glycemic Index

My brother sent me a site today about the Gylcemic Index- which is basically a scale to measure how fast carbohydrate foods break down and their effect on blood glucose. Here is a chart:



Essentially: the longer a food takes the breakdown, the slower the glucose enters the bloodstream, and the longer we feel satiated. Low GI foods also help with weight loss since they keep your insulin levels stable, and so the body doesn't promote fat storage. Here is a list showing some of the foods and their GI score.



You can read more about the Glycemic Index and what foods to eat here.

If I were to recommend a diet, I would recommend the Mediterranean diet. According to the Mayo Clinic, it is based on eating foods from plant sources: fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. You should be basing your meals around fruits or vegetables, while trying to include a whole grain at every meal.

*Note: check food labels on grains. Only 100% is really 100%. Whole wheat means nothing, unless the first ingredient listed is whole grain or wheat. Wheat flour means white flour. The first three ingredient constitute most of the product, so make sure wheat, white, or enriched flour is not listed there. (Real whole grains can be hard to find: Trader Joe's carries a great organic whole grain bread you can try until you find other brands.)

There is also a focus on healthy fats. Nuts are eaten in small amounts. Olive oil (use extra-virgin, it comes from the first pressing of the olives) is consumed in small amounts daily. Fish is consumed at least twice a week. There can also be consumption of poultry, but red meat should be eaten sparingly, perhaps once or twice a month. Instead of salt, use herbs and spices to flavor your food (I love Mrs. Dash!). The best part: you can drink red wine every day and get great heart-healthy antioxidants! Of course you only get the health benefits from a small amount: 5 oz or less a day for women. And of course...be sure to exercise! (this can even just be walking more, playing with the dog, or finding a physical activity like tennis or biking that interests you- make working out fun!)


Even if you don't follow this diet perfectly, try following it for the most part and it will keep you slim and much healthier. Just try to make most of the foods you eat fruits, vegetables and whole grains, with healthy fats from nuts and fish thrown in.

Check out some great Mediterranean Diet Recipes here!

(Photos: diabetic-diet-secrets.com, fitnesstrainingroom.com, gustolab.com)

Eat Less, Exercise Less, Lose More?

This article from Time today talked about how exercise can actually lead to weight gain.


There may be some truth to this. While it's good for your heart, and to fight disease, exercise also increases your energy expenditure- which causes you to eat more. It's more important that we move during the day in general: take stairs, park in the furthest parking spot, walk when you can. Also we need to watch waht we eat. Calorie consumption is important when trying to lose weight- so avoid the muffins and the cookies and the cakes. It can add up fast. Stick with veggies, fruit, fish, poultry, whole grains and low fat dairy.

Read Article

What do you think? Is exercise that important for weight gain, especially streuous exercise that isn't really fun for anyone? Perhaps just some weight training and yoga in addition to walking with friends or the dog, going for social bike rides, window shopping at the mall for a few hours, or playing with kids would be better for all of us. So get up, get moving, and just avoid the junk food :)

(Photos: time.com)

Drinky Drink?

My mom and I were sitting outside on my porch last night at home in Jersey. My sister sent me the most random text about how she was out with coworkers in CT and needed to know what drinks were low-cal. I advised vodka sodas, light beer, or any hard liquor/diet soda mix...aka rum and diet coke.

This got me to thinking. All the diet books always advise cutting alcohol as one of the first things to do. But let's face it, we are young and cutting alcohol may not be something we want to do, at least not in today's society. Sure, you could have club soda and lime and pretend it's a drink...but when everyone is drunk (those of you 21 to 27 understand) it's just not fun to not be at least a little buzzed.



On top of that: who doesn't like to have a glass of wine at dinner. Or hang with friends over fresh guacamole and amazing margaritas. Or grab sangria with a date on a warm summer night (plus a alcohol always helps a first date go more smoothly). Face it: at our young age, most people just don't want to give it.

Here's the deal on the booze: alcohol is toxic to the body, so in it's infinite wisdom, the body decides to get rid of it as fast as possible. This means it "burns" calories from alcohol first. So, if you eat and drink wine, your body will burn the wine calories first and store the food calories as fat. Sound bad, right?

To fix: Some nutritionists will advise you drink and eat together to savor flavor: I advise against. A glass of wine itself could be like a dessert, so why not split half between the meal and then after to keep you from noshing on dessert.
Better yet: if you're going out- eat at a regular time. Sure, you may head out at 11pm or later, but eat at 6 or 7pm. That way your body will be able to get rid of some of these calories before you start ingesting the booze. Then, when you go out to drink, as Lady Gaga would say: just dance. It'll burn the calories you are ingesting via booze, and if you do it for hours, perhaps even then some.

If you're choosing drinks avoid anything sweet, read: margaritas, sangria, bay breeze, etc. Fruity drinks pack in the calories like crazy due to the mixes (this includes sour mix).
Wine is ok in moderation, a glass a day is good (red more so than white) as it delivers important antioxidant for heart health. Stay away from regular beer: calorie bomb, stick to light versions. My favorite this summer is Bud Light Lime (tastes like a German radler, so yummy!)



Low cal cocktails to try:

Vodka Soda (my drink of choice)
~Depending on the amount of vodka in it, this can have anywhere from 65-240 calories per drink (most likely around 130) as the vodka has 64 cals per ounce, and the club soda is calorie free. this is a good option for vodka tonic drinkers, as tonic has 124 calories per 12 oz, making a drink around 300 calories (also works with gin)~


Hard Liquor with Diet Soda
~(rum and diet coke, vodka and diet sprite, whiskey and diet coke etc) These have the same cals as Vodka Sodas, enjoy.~



Shots
~Obviously you can take shots...my favorite are tequila, mmmmm)~


Margarita (kinda)
~Skinny Girl Margarita: 2 oz clear premium tequila (or normal clear tequila, we're in a recession here), splash of orange liquer, juice of 4 lime wedges (about 1/2 lime), mix over ice. 245 calories per serving, way better than a 400 calorie+ regular margarita~



Juice-Mixed Drinks
~If you don't like club soda or diet sodas go with a healthy mixer: OJ has lots of vitamin C, cranberry juice helps keep your urinary tract clean, tomato juice has antioxidants (bloody mary's are a great brunch choice)~


So go get your drink on this weekend, but remember to go for the low cal drinks so they don't ruin your whole diet. Oh, and obviously stick to a low number...like 3. Enjoy, and please share any low cal drink recipes you have!

(Photos: jonbarron.org, creativemag.com,kegworks.com,
yersweetchimneys.blogspot.com, brainfall.com,
examiner.com, easy-cooking-club.com)

Break An Egg

I'm not a very good cook...yet...but I tried making an omelet for the first time ever and it worked!

It was so big and so scrumptious: I was very proud.
I don't like the idea of an egg white omelet- it looks weird, no yellow. So I make mine with one egg and two or three egg whites. That way you get one yolk in there to give it extra color and flavor. Also when I whisk them together I add some Mrs. Dash for flavor without sodium that reaches through the whole omelet.


I used whatever I had around: onion, turkey and feta. I cant wait to try new combinations: spinach, goat cheese tomato, or mushroom, tomato, onion, peppers, gouda. Fun new combos- we shall see. But hey- they are filling and healthy- lots of protein. Add in lots of vegetables and a little cheese and you've got a great meal (even for dinner!)


Got any combo ideas- let me know!

(Photos: deviantart.com)

Dress Well, Feel Even Better

We had a beauty sale at work on Friday and the fashion girls brought up two bins of sports clothes. I ended up with some great pants and colorful sports bras. Wearing fun things to workout is so much better than throwing on baggy shorts and an old t-shirt. I just think that if I look cute, not only will I be happier, but it will make going to the gym seem less dull.

Getting cute gym clothes definitely will force you to go, because hey, you'll want to wear those cute new shorts! Also invest in good sneakers that fit well, a water bottle to save money (you can fill it at the water fountain at your gym) and an MP3 player of at least headphones for the cardio equipment jacks. When I'm watching Friends, I hardly notice the half hour on the elliptical.

Here are some of my favorite pieces:

Look cute and stylish in a workout tank with an empire waist that flows away from the body, hiding any imperfections (until they are worked off).

Champion Powerlite Seamless Empire Tank
$17.99
buy: championusa.com

Look cute and slim in these adorable low-rise capris.

Margarita Capris
$77.95
buy: sandiegofit.com















Carry your gear in style (not in a plastic grocery store bag).

Puma Remix Grip Bag
$60
buy: shopbop.com

Probiotic Goodness

I went to a press event for work today. It was at Red Mango for their new probiotic iced teas. The teas include GanedenBC30, a strain of probiotic bacteria. They help support digestive health and maintain your immune system. The teas come in 3 delicious flavors: Mysteaque (a vanilla black tea), Fanteasia (a wildberry hibiscus tea, it's brewed with hibiscus flowers mmm), and Lemonocity (a lemonade green tea, it has citrus flavors not lemonade in it). My favorite by far was the Mysteaque, with Fanteasia being my least favorite as it was very sweet but reminded me a bit of Passion iced tea from Starbucks.


Red Mango has also added this specific probiotic into their Original, Pomegranate (made with POM Wonderful) and Tangomonium (this is BY FAR my favorite, so delicious!) frozen yogurts in New York (will be everywhere by September). All yogurts, including the Green Tea flavor, also have active cultures, 100% natural ingredients, are fat free, are gluten- ree, are kosher, and have 100 calories or less per serving. A very healthy snack, especially in the hot summer! And you can top them with healthy fresh fruits and protein like almonds. Yummy!
Dr. Steven Pratt, M.D. was there to speak about the benefits of probiotics. Dr. Pratt is the author of the bestselling SuperFoodsRX and his new book SuperHealth: 6 Simple Steps, 6 Easy Weeks, 1 Longer, Healthier Life (which I will be reviewing and getting tips from for you all).


He explained that the GanedenBC30 is special because it is able to survive all the way down to the digestive tract where it's needed. Because it comes in spore form, it doesn't sprout until the environment is right- and that environment is your gastrointestinal tract! These bacteria help your digestion and your immune system since 70% is actually in your GI tract. However, you need to replenish the bacteria every one or two days so that you keep them in your body and growing.

Yogurt, berries, tea, almonds: all Super Foods. Add some to your diet and be a little healthier. Yogurt, such as DanActive Immunity and Activia are best- they help regulate digestion- try some and any bloating you have should go away soon.


Speaking of yogurt, there are two new smoothies I am in love with that I experimented with yesterday and today:

Pear Strawberry Bliss

1 pear (cut up)
4-5 medium strawberries (cut up)
3 tablespoons nonfat plain organic yogurt
1 tablespoon ground organic flaxseed
1 tablespoon Benefiber
A few ice cubes

Combine everything in blender until smooth. Feel free to add ground supplements. Makes about 2 cups

Pink Delight

1 pear (cut up)
5-6 medium strawberries (cut up)
2 medium bananas (cut up)
4 tablespoons nonfat plain organic yogurt
2 tablespoons ground organic flaxseed
1 1/2 tablespoons Benefiber
A few ice cubes

Combine everything in blender until smooth. Feel free to add ground supplements. (Bananas are calorie dense so this is perfect for breakfast or a quick lunch) Makes about 3 cups

Enjoy!

(Pics: redmangousa.com, barnesandnoble.com, thejuicecaboose.com)

Nuts About Tins

I packed all my clothes for the gym today but decided not to go. I've been nodding off at work all day due to the horrible 7 hours of sleep I had last night. Lets just say, there is definitely no energy left for the gym. The plan is more like leaving the clothes here for tomorrow and then heading straight home and into bed. I can't wait.

On another note: have you ever wondered how to bring a portion control of nuts to work? Well I love almonds, and I carry them in an empty, cleaned altoid tin.



The box is the perfect size for the 24 almonds in an ounce, giving me the perfect 160 calorie snack but with lots of filling fiber and protein (4g and 6g), AND 8% of my daily calcium. I plan to decorate my little tin and make it my own, like these great tins from makeitmyown.net.


Let me know if you have any great idea for transporting your snacks and lunchs to and fro. Until next time- it's nap time.

(Pics: dessert.net.au, candyfavorites.com, makeitmyown.net)

Real Smooth

The first weekend on the diet went well. While alcoholic drinks were consumed at the bars, it was only vodka sodas. If you're a big fan of gin and tonic or vodka tonics, try having drinks with soda water or diet soda instead of anything caloric and you'll slash hundreds of calories.

Also at a bar, dance. Dancing burns hundreds of calories and hour and you can have a great time with your girlfriends. Best (and most fun) workout ever.

In attempt for a healthy lunch today I attempted to make a smoothie. It included strawberries, blueberries, plain nonfat organic yogurt, ground flaxseed, and benefiber (about a tablespoon of each gives you great fiber/filling benefits). I also crushed my vitamin and two calcium pills and stirred them in, though this left a little odd taste. I would say avoid adding the calcium pills unless you also add some splenda.
Will try another smoothies tomorrow- I shall post the results.



Note on berries: raspberries go bad fast. Buy frozen fruit if you're a young, twenty-something girl like me who can only make smoothies at night or on the weekend and doesn't have time to grocery shop more than once a week.

I also plan on adding veggies, will let you know how the experiments work out.

(Photo: actionebook.com)

Pizza is Yummy

As a poor, 22 year old living in Brooklyn, there are not always a bunch of food options. Sure, I try to buy healthy things, and will continue to improve on it, but sometimes I just crave the food I had in college: pizza.

A friend of mine introduced me to these ready-made personal pizza crusts. They are great, but as I am ridding my kitchen of all processed grains, I cannot buy them again unless I find them in a whole grain option. If you do find some, just make sure that enriched wheat flour or wheat flour isn't in the first three ingredients (that means it has been enriched, i.e. the wheat germ is gone and so is most of the nutrition).

If you find whole grain pizza dough, you can use that too. I like to top it with tomato sauce (no salt added) spinach leaves to get in my dark leafy greens and goat cheese...I am addicted. Put it in the oven at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes and there you go: a healthy, personal sized pizza. Add more veggies on top and other low fat cheeses to increase the nutrition factor.


Of course...after dinner I indulged in the yummy chocolate I brought back from my recent trip to Germany. My logic is that once it's gone I can't eat it any more...I know, not very healthy. Definitely have a piece of fruit for dessert or a side of clear broth veggie soup that's low in sodium to fill you up.

Coming up: my first weekend on the health plan: no high cal drinks (goodbye LITs) and no late-night snacking (goodbye McDonalds fests). I hope you all enjoy the weekends, and don't indulge too much!

A Journey Begins

Every diet magazine contains success stories about overweight women who lose 40, 50, even hundreds of pounds. But what about those of us who have to lose 30 or 20 or 15 pounds to be a healthier weight? What about the "not fat" girls who want to be healthier, fitter, more toned? We have to work twice as hard to lose half as much.

Everyone always tells me I'm not fat, I'm "normal." Well, when the average woman in America is 5'4 and weights 165 lbs, normal isn't so great.

I recently discovered that not only had I been gaining weight consistently, but if I gained 6 more pounds I would be overweight. This was unacceptable, and I have decided it's time for a change. The task: get healthy, get fit and get slim.

History:

While I had about a year in college when I was heavy, I have been pretty slim or normal most of my life. Granted, when I was thinner I didn't eat, like ever. I lost weight in college by eating less and sleeping a lot during a semester where I had no part-time job. Then I moved to NYC after graduation. The pounds packed on.

I thought since I was walking everywhere I would lose weight: boy was I wrong. All the takeout, the cocktails, the meeting people for dinner: it packed on the pounds. At only 5'3, I went from a healthy 114 to a nasty 135 in half a year.

When I started working as an editorial intern at Shape magazine this summer, I knew it was time to change. I spent all day reading about diets and health food and have decided that it's time I started to feel better, fitter and healthier.



There will be no (or less) junk. I want to eat mostly vegetables and fruits and whole grains. I plan to throw some chicken and fish into my diet. I plan to exercise more and go to the gym at least 3 times a week to get fitter and stronger. I hope to get back to my goal weight...which will be somewhere between 108 and 112 lbs. I want to look good in a bathing suit next summer. Don't you?

Follow me on my journey (and start one of your own)...it's going to be a tough one.

(Photos: yell.com, deviantart.com, title image: Heidi Barbara)