Bloggers with weight-loss expertise and experience share tips
Three experts in nutrition and three people who have actually "been there" on the wrong side of the scale regularly blogs as part of USA TODAY's Weight-Loss Challenge. Here are some excerpts from their recent posts offering advice and insight:
Doctor and children's nutrition expert Keith Ayoob:
"You hear it all the time: 'Only the rich can afford to eat a healthy diet.' You're probably thinking of wild salmon, 95% lean ground beef, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, yada, yada. Then there are the red and orange peppers for $2.99/lb. and you go drown your sorrows in a large soda (cheaper than milk) and resign yourself to a life of burgers and fries.
There is another way. The two foods with the best quality of protein -- that is, the protein that's most efficiently used by the body to form muscle -- are also the cheapest: eggs and milk.
Youi heard me. The protein in eggs and milk is of higher quality than the protein in meat, poultry, and fish, and it's cheaper than all of them.
sure, the prices of milk and eggs have escalated, but they're still a bargain. Let's see how.
I recently bought a dowzen jumbo eggs for $2.99. the extra large eggs were $2.89 and the large were $2.79. with the jumbo eggs you're getting 6 to 8 ounces more egg per dozen, for only 2 cents more, so that's clearly a winner. Plus, figuring two eggs per person, you've got a main course for about 50 cents a person, and 160 calories. Hard to get that combo with beef. Plus, eggs are loaded with tons of nutrients, even some antioxidants. I often recommend eggs for rushed weeknight dinners. They cook up almost instantly, and you can add stuff like leftover veggies. You can even scustomize to each family member's taste.
As for milk, a 1/2 gallon is about $2.50 where I live, but that gives 8 glasses of milk -- about 31 cents a glass. Twelve ounces would be 45 cents and only 120 to 150 calories (if it's sfat-free or 1%), yet you think you're getting a steal if you get a can of soda for 45 cents. Think again. Do I even have to tell you about the nutrition in milk? As it is, you're probably not drinking enough (nor are your kids).
When we're talking healthy eating on a budget (and who isn't these days?) let's not forget the obvious. Have an egg-based meal once a week. Trade that soda for a glass of milk once a day -- at least when you're at home and easier to do. You'll save money and some calories to boot.
Walker, diary-dieter Kelly Rhoads has kept it off four years:
"I took a very critical look at my food journal, yes I STILL write everything down that goes into my mouth. I saw that my protein was low and my carbs were high, so I am taking steps to reverse that. I find that protein helps me deal with stress better, as my blood sugar seems to be more stable over a longer time period. I 'fessed up to the stress at my Weight Watcher's meeting and heard again some good suggestions. I am changing my daily foods, as I was in a rut and getting bored with my menu. I'm adding more fish and seafood. I'm also glad to see seasonal vegetables and fruits more readily available. I haven't gotten back on the scale, but I am feeling more like myself again.
Dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner:
"It is possible to be gas-free when eating healthy foods. There are three tricks to ban the bloat: 1) keep a fiber log, 2) use over-the counter remedies right and 3) eat slowly and chew well. Most Americans eat 12 grams of fiber each day. When you go on a health kick and try to rapidly double or triple your fiber intake, the change can be too abrupt for your body and lead to feeling gassy because fiber can be difficult for your body to digest. When we don't digest foods well, bacteria in our gut work to help us digest it and in doing so produce gas It takes your body time to get used to healthy, high-fiber foods so you have to add fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains gradually. Keep a food log on a typical day and count up how many fiber grams you normally eat. Then slowly increase your fiber by 1 to 2 grams every day or two until you hit 30 grams or more each day. To find fiber grams, look for "total fiber" on food labels and use websites such as www.calorieking.com. Once you are eating 30 grams of fiber each day be sure to drink plenty of water (at least 9 glasses or 72 ounces per day) so that the fiber can pass smoothly through your digestive track. Make sure you spread the 30 grams of fiber evenly through the day instead of eating it all at one extremely high fiber meal. For example 10 grams at breakfast, 10 grams at lunch and 10 grams at dinner so your body has time to digest a small amount of fiber at a time.
In addition to upping fiber slowly, over-the-counter enzymes (such as Beano') in pill or liquid drop forms can work wonders if you take them at the right time and in the right amount. These enzymes help us break down and digest food which reduces gas and bloating. I know you mentioned that they haven't worked for you, but be sure that you are taking them at the right time and in the right amount before you give up on them. The pills or drops have to be taken right before your first bite of food. If you take it later in your meal it will not have enough time to work. For every 1/2 cup of gas-forming food you need 1 pill or 5 drops so for most meals you have to use 2 to 3 pills or 10-15 drops.
One of the most important and over-looked ways to reduce gas and bloating is as easy as chew, chew, chew. Chewing is the first step of digestion. If you don't slow down and chew your food well, large pieces of swallowed food are more difficult for your stomach enzymes to breakdown leading to feelings of bloat and gas. Take 15 to 30 minutes to eat meals and chew your food well, until it is close to an applesauce-like texture in your mouth, before you swallow.
If you work to keep a fiber log, use over-the counter remedies right and chew well, you will be able to tolerate and enjoy a healthy diet with much less bloating, gas and uncomfortable distention. If you do these three things and still have trouble with bloating and gas, talk to your doctor and consider seeing a registered dietitian to review your diet.
Nutrition consultant Bonnie Taub-Dix:
"How many of you have a closet filled with clothes of varying sizes? There may be a size 4 hanging in there from when you got married ... Yet there you stand, staring at your closet, wearing size 16, and wondering which size is the aberration and which size is really you.
Can you picture yourself actually wearing any of those other clothes? What was different about your life when you last wore them? Were you exercising more often or were you dining in restaurants less often? You may need to dig even deeper and ask yourself whether fitting into a smaller size is something that is truly important to you; something that has great value. What are the barriers that are stopping you from losing weight and taking better care of yourself?
While you collect your thoughts and try to think of strategies to get on the right path, here are a few tips that may inspire you to do a little spring-cleaning:
- Get rid of those low sizes that represent an unrealistic goal that you may not (and probably shouldn't) attain. That size may have housed a body that used to be extremely active and at that time you may have only been in charge of your own eating habits (when you were able to control your intake more easily).
- Choose an article of clothing that's snug on you but that you can remember wearing not too long ago. Hang it on the outside of your closet so that you can try it on the last day of every month. I prefer using clothing as a frame of reference instead of a scale to help tangibly assess weight loss efforts.
- After you lose a few pounds treat yourself to a new (inexpensive) article of clothing. Don't invest too much money in new clothes because if you enjoy and appreciate losing weight, you may be able to fit into those clothes that are waiting for you at home, and it might even be more rewarding to shop in your own closet!
Claudia Vercellotti's on the road to losing 237 pounds:
50 frozen meatballs (or less) bascially lining the entire bottom of your crockpot. Open a large can of diced tomatoes and dump in, then pour in 2 -3 bags of frozen mixed vegetables, add a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce, 2-3 bayleaves, next, cut up a large onion and layer that in, and add liberally spaghetti all spice (or your favorite seasonings). We also tend to add some misc. veggies cut up from the fridge: green beans, carrots etc. If you like kick add a little crushed red pepper. Set on low and let it simmer for 8 hours. An hour or so before serving, add 1-2 tbsp of sugar to the crock pot (or a little molassas) just to cut the acidity of the tomatoes and give it a good stir.
Everybody loves this. The slow cook brings out the very best in the frozen meatballs and the vegetables take on a great flavor. It's very filling too.
Today we went to the gym with plenty of time to do an hour of cardio and lift weights. I was still recovering from yesterday (celebrating or not, I didn't feel well), and ran out of steam after cardio. This is where it's nice to have someone to go to the gym with, Brian today, had enough energy for the two of us so we lifted too.
Today we went to the gym with plenty of time to do an hour of cardio and lift weights. I was still recovering from yesterday (celebrating or not, I didn't feel well), and ran out of steam after cardio. This is where it's nice to have someone to go to the gym with, Brian today, had enough energy for the two of us so we lifted too. I'm sore. But, happy because weight lifting continues to be the part I have great difficult incorporating. But, I did it!
What did I eat today? Water, meatball stew for brunch,
What did I do today on Route 237? - 4.0 miles of cardio on the Precor Elliptical. 100 crunches, lots of stretching and a complete upper body workout.
389-pound woman turned personal trainer Kemichelle Taylor:
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that San Francisco recently approved the request for chain restaurants to post nutrition information on their menus and menu boards.
This change has been a long time coming, although some restaurant chains already provide this type of helpful information for their patrons. This momentous change will give people the opportunity to make informed choices before ordering, allowing them to monitor their caloric, fat, and sodium intake daily while eating out. I know many people who are health conscious who tend to shy away from eating out because of the serving size and because they had no way to monitor the nutritional value of the meals they order-although they "sound" nutritious.
This change will not only help those who want to know the nutritional facts about the foods they choose for themselves as well as their families, but also can bring some people back to dining out and enjoying it.
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