This is a pretty common occurrence.  We are in a committed relationship, in love, happy, and the pounds start to just pack on!  You feel comfortable with your mate, eat out more, and skip workouts.  Before you know it, an extra 15 pounds is on your once slender frame.  There are ways to deal with this, and ways to avoid it.

Do Not Match Him Bite for Bite

Why does it seem that no matter how much your spouse eats, they never seem to put on an ounce?  This may not be the case for everyone, but it’s often true!  Men have faster metabolisms than women.  They are often leaner as well.  Men tend to gravitate towards a heartier comfort type meal, while women may stick to the standard lean protein, veggie, and salad type meal (pre-relationship).  It’s so easy to indulge in a triple meat double cheese pizza with your spouse… You’re both doing it… so why not? Right!?!?  Just because he orders and consumes a 22oz porterhouse steak does not mean you should too!   I’m not saying to avoid these foods all together, by all means, you should eat foods you truly love, but know your limits.  A 5′3″ female requires much less calories than a 6′2″ male.  Keep your portions in check.  Order your pizza ½ cheese & veggie and ½ sausage.  If you want a steak, go for a leaner cut like a Filet.  Know that you’re consuming high calorie foods and keep your portions small.

Each Person’s Eating Schedule is Different

It’s pretty rare that two people are both hungry at the same time each day.  Each person’s body will most likely feel hungry at different times.  For example, let’s say we got home from work at 5:15pm starving.  We are so hungry we can’t stand it.  So, we snack our way to fullness.  By the time your spouse gets home, dinner is ready, you’re not hungry anymore, but you eat anyway.  If we consistently do this, weight gain can be the unpleasant result. 

An easy way around this is to get to know each other’s schedule.  Communicate with each other regarding what time each of you will be home and what time dinner will be.  If you’re hungry for lunch at 1pm and dinner isn’t until 7:30pm, you want to plan a moderate snack somewhere in the middle, that way you feel comfortably hungry at dinner.  The same goes for the weekends.  Communicate, come up with a plan, and go from there.

Do Not Become A Sympathetic Eater

Just because he’s eating does not mean you have to eat.  This is a hard one… I know! You’re both watching TV and all of a sudden he’s got a box of buttery crackers on his lap.  Like I mentioned before, each person’s eating schedule is different.  Just because he’s munching on Cheeze-It’s does not mean you should join in… If you’re not hungry, don’t eat.  If you’re new to this type of thinking, it may be challenging in the beginning, but it will get easier.

Know Yourself

I’ve said this in just about every article, but you have to know yourself!  Get to know your body and how it works.  You know when you are eating too much and you know when you are slacking on your workouts.  If you know you’re the type of person who needs to workout consistently to keep your weight in check, then continue to do that.  If you find yourself consistently avoiding workouts in favor of cuddle time, it is just a matter of time before the weight creeps up.

Make Yourself a Priority

It’s important to take care of yourself and make yourself the priority.  Knowing we are taking care of our body and making decisions each day towards the right direction makes us healthier, happier individuals.  When we are happy with ourselves, this is likely to make us happier in life and in our relationship.

If you have any questions about this article, want to know more, or have suggestions for future topics, add a comment in the comments section below.  If you know of anyone who may benefit from this article click on the “share this” icon below; from there you can post a link to this article or you can email it to a friend.

I am truly excited by the response of this giveaway!  To see so many readers interested in learning more about health and nutrition is awesome!!

Due to the overwhelming response and popularity of todays giveaway, I decided a couple of things…

1. To continue this giveaway once or twice per month!  So check back daily to see when the next contest is.
2. AND… to pick two winners today instead of one!!!  These winners were randomly selected. 

The Winners Are:

NICOLE – commented at 12:33pm

ANGELA – commented at 9:37am

Nicole & Angela, please email me privately at contact@weeklybite.com and we can start the process.

Remember to check back daily for another chance to win!

Weekly Bite will be giving away a FREE Initial Nutrition Consultation today. 

Who’s it for?

This is for anyone and everyone… Whether your goal is weight loss, overall wellness, medical nutrition therapy, or you would just like to consult with a dietitian.

How does the Consultation Work?

Detailed paperwork is emailed to you where you document your weight history, exercise regimen, medical history, and what your goal/expectation is for the visit.  A three-day food journal will be emailed to you as well.  This gives a good idea of what your daily eating habits are like.  A typical “face to face” consultation takes anywhere from 60-90 minutes.  This can be done over the phone, or via web email.  If done via web, a complimentary follow-up is included.  If you live in the DC Metropolitan area, you have the option of a face-to-face consultation.

To enter, comment on this post!  The winner will be selected via random generator.  The winner will be announced later today on the blog at 4pm Eastern Standard Time.

Good Luck!!

My friends at Keep It Simple Foods are giving away coupons for FREE Oikos Greek Yogurt!!  This is one of my favorite greek yogurts and is the perfect addition to any snack or meal!  These coupons are available to the first four readers who submit a comment.  Keep It Simple Foods also has some incredible recipes that are the perfect addition to any healthy lifestyle!

There are thousands and thousands of diets out there that have a “cheat day”.  We are supposed to follow rigid guidelines all week and then have that one-day where we can eat whatever we want.  What this can do is eventually lead to an all out binge day (trust me, I’ve been there).  We feel we have to eat everything we can’t have during the week on that one-day.  This leads to a mentality where we think to ourselves “tomorrow I’ll start over again”.  The problem is that this mentality can spread to days other than our “cheat day”.  If we go off our diet, it’s so easy to “just call it a cheat day”… which leads to a full on binge, which leads us back to the thinking “tomorrow I’ll start over again”.

Letting Go of the Cheat Day

Another common way of thinking is to eat healthy all week and “splurge” on the weekends.  I definitely went through a phase of thinking this way.  Don’t get me wrong… I enjoy a good splurge every now and again… it’s the quantity of the splurge that matters.  Eating healthy during the week and allowing ourselves to eat out more on the weekend is perfectly healthy, but what we need to watch is the amount of food we splurge on.  We still need to listen to our bodies, listen to our hunger, eat food we truly love, and stop eating when we’ve had enough.  Remember… it’s all about the portion sizes.   If it tastes so good you want to keep on eating, keep in mind that you can take the rest home to enjoy the next day. 

How to Splurge the Right Way

Be realistic in terms of the calorie content of your food.  I’m not going to encourage full on calorie counting, but think of calories in a very loose and realistic way. If we order a dish of fettuccine alfredo, we know that dish has upwards of 1,600 + calories.  Realistically, we do not need to be eating that much food.  Think about the bread, side salad, and wine we’ve already consumed prior to our dish arriving.  This can put us way over a 2,000-calorie dinner.  Have a game plan and assess the menu before you order.  If you really want the fettuccine, you can pass on the bread and/or wine, or, you can order it all and have a small taste of everything, but in reality, you’re not eating much food at all.  It’s the amount of food we eat that matters the most.

Never Deprive Yourself

If we let ourselves eat the foods we love whenever, we don’t need to have a designated day to enjoy them.  Eighty percent of your diet should be healthy, and 20% is whatever else you want (healthy or not).  As long as you are honoring your body, eating when you are truly physically hungry, and being mindful of your portion sizes, you can easily reach and maintain your healthy weight all while allowing yourself you daily “cheats”.

If you have any questions about this article, want to know more, or have suggestions for future topics, add a comment in the comments section below.  If you know of anyone who may benefit from this article click on the “share this” icon below; from there you can post a link to this article or you can email it to a friend.

Ever heard the saying, ”We eat with our eyes”? The more food there is to choose from, the more food we eventually eat.  An easy way to control our portions is by choosing a smaller plate.  By doing this we can trick our eyes into thinking portions are bigger than they really are! And don’t heap food on your plate… the more we put in front of us, the more we are likely to eat. For example, if we’re at a buffet or gathering with many different food choices, it can be very tempting to want them all!  Something I always like to do when faced with those situations is to scope out the food & dessert table and figure out what it is I really want.  There are times when I want everything that’s offered!  In this situation, I let myself taste everything, but in reality, I’m eating a small amount of food.  You taste everything, but basically eat nothing.  Shrink your plate, shrink your appetite, and – shrink your waistline!  Below is a great tool I like to use.  It shows people how to divide their plate and control portions.

Here is what you want to do:

• Start out by using a 9 inch plate
• Take your plate and divide it in half
• One half of your plate should be filled with non-starchy veggies
• Take the other half of your plate and divide that in half.
• A fourth of your plate is where you’ll put your protein (meat, chicken, fish, or a meat substitute like beans or veggie burger.
• The other fourth of your plate is where you put your starches such as pasta, rice, potato, bread, etc….

The question I often get is what to do when dessert is there, and your really want it…. my response is…. eat it!  This is where assessing the food spread comes in handy.  If there is pasta salad you really want, but there is pound cake your love too, you want to serve yourself a1/4 cup (eyeball it) serving of the pasta salad, and for the pound cake, serve yourself half a portion.  That way you can continue to eat what you love without overdoing the portions.  The quality of the food is very important as well as the quantity.

By Estela Schnelle MS, RD

 Identifying Natural Hunger –

Are You Really Hungry or Just Bored?

 My approach to weight control is very similar to “Intuitive Eating”.  For those who are not familiar with intuitive eating, the main basis is to “eat when you are truly physically hungry and stop when you are satisfied, eat exactly what appeals to you at that time.” While I do firmly believe this, I also feel people need to have some structure and rules that work best for their body.  In working with my clients, I have found that identifying when they are hungry is not the problem; it’s knowing when to stop eating.  Some may find it challenging knowing “how much food is enough”.  This is where the rules and portion control start to come in. 

One of the main keys to reaching a healthy weight is identifying our natural hunger.  We should be feeling hungry each time we eat.  This is why it is so important to make your own rules.  Setting a rule such as eating every 2-3 hours regardless of our hunger is not the best idea.  If your body is truly hungry that often, then that’s was works for you.  A general rule I give is to space your meal between 4-5 hours apart.  We should not go longer than 5 hours without a meal.  

What is True Hunger? 

True hunger comes when your body has burned off the calories from the last meal.  Your stomach is basically empty.  Without getting too scientific on you, this is what happens:  Your brain sends a signal to your stomach that it needs food for fuel/energy to continue functioning.  This is what cues the growling in our stomach.  Our muscles in our abdominal wall start to contract, the gastric acids start to erupt, our stomach growls, and we experience hunger pangs.  This is what true hunger is. 

 I’ve worked with clients who have never experienced true hunger, or tell me they haven’t felt hungry in years.  Here is an exercise I give them to feel what true hunger is:  For on day only, go at least 5 hours without any food or calorie containing beverages, only water.  This should be long enough to trigger hunger.  This should not be done every day, just once, so they can experience hunger. 

Are You Hungry or Bored? 

Have you ever noticed that when we’re really busy we tend to push our hunger aside to get our work done, but when we’re bored, we often imagine ourselves feeling hungry and can easily find a reason to eat?  This can be the case for many of us.  When we’re bored, we try to find something to do, and eating is at the top of our list.  As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, weight gain occurs when we consistently eat for reasons other than hunger.  Mindless eating and snacking is a quick way to pack on the extra pounds.  This is where the rules come in.  Here some basic rules to get started:

• Make it a point to eat something healthy for breakfast:  It doesn’t have to be a big huge breakfast.  Play around with different breakfast ideas.  Make sure the portion size is moderate.  If your starving 2 hours later, recognize that you need more food or fiber in your meal.
• Keep an eye on the clock:  Keep track of what time you ate your meal and know you should be eating again in 4-5 hours.
• Plan a snack:  If you know it will be longer than 5 hours until your next meal, plan to have a small snack to avoid feeling overly hungry.  Take a look at the “snack bite” page for ideas.
• Eliminate mindless noshing:  Before you dive into a back of chips, check yourself!  Ask yourself if you are truly hungry.  Think back to the last time you ate.  Always check yourself before you dive head in to a bag of empty calories.

 These are just some very basic rules.  You are the only one who truly knows what will work best for your body.  Hopefully these will guide you in the right direction.  What rules do you make for yourself?  How do you keep track of your food intake?  Stay tuned for Part 3!

By Estela Schnelle MS, RD

We are all looking for that magic solution to weight loss.  Whether we feel we have 5 or 50 pounds to lose, most of us have tried more than one “diet” with the hopes that it will be our last attempt.  I decided to start a series of articles on “How to lose Weight”… there will be several parts to this series… how many… who knows.  This can be anywhere from a 6 part series to a 12 part series.  There is so much information/education that I want to be sure all the RIGHT information is being delivered to you.

Sometimes The Harder We Try… The Harder We Fall!

No matter how hard we try, no matter how hard we want it… we always seem to fail.  The wrong way to approach this is by viewing it as a diet.  Permanent weight loss comes from permanent changes.  It can be hard work at times… especially if we eat for emotional reasons.  Change isn’t always easy.  It is VERY important to not view this as a diet.  I’m not going to tell you to eliminate dairy, give up carbs for two weeks, or give up your favorite foods.  What I will do is guide you in the right direction and help you set your own rules for your body, so you can live a healthy lifestyle, live your life, all while enjoying the foods you love.

DO NOT Set a Goal Weight!

Think about it… every time we decide to lose weight we set a goal.  We either set a goal of a certain “number” of pounds we want to lose, or we set of a goal of what we should weigh when the dieting is done.  This is absolutely the wrong route to take.  What we are doing is setting ourselves up for failure.  Here’s the deal… our body wants to be at a healthy weight for our body type, whatever that is.  An ideal healthy weight is different for each person.  Each body is different, each metabolism is different, each bone structure is different, and therefore, each body weight will be different.  So instead of trying to force ourselves to fit an “ideal weight” the focus should on making permanent healthy lifestyle changes.  As far your weight goes, a better goal or mentality to have is “your body will land where it wants to land.”  Start by making small changes, and your body will take care of the rest. This stops us from having an end to all the healthy changes we’ve made.  Instead of saying to yourself, “I want to weigh X number of pounds”, say to yourself “My body will land where it wants to land”.  As time goes on and we continue to change our lifestyle, our body will continue to change for the better.

Know Your Food Limits – Listen to Your Body

If we wanted, we can literally eat food all day long.  Does our body really need all that food?  Most likely NO!  One of the keys to reaching your Natural Weight is portion control.  Knowing how much food you really need and knowing your limits is very important.  Like I mentioned before, your body wants to be at a healthy weight for your body type, the problem is we stopped listening to our body.  If we only ate when we’re hungry and stop when we’re satisfied, we most likely wouldn’t have a weight problem.  The problem is we eat for so many reasons other than hunger.  Birthdays, family gatherings, social commitments, boredom, stress, loneliness… I could go on and on.  Losing weight takes more than just that.  It’s a combination of learning to identify when your hungry, eating the right food for you, and more importantly, eating the right amount of food. 

My next article will focus on how to identify your natural hunger.  Between now and then, try to identify your natural hunger.  What is your definition of hunger?  What are your views of weight loss?  I will be answering blog comments on Tuesday and Part 2 of the series will be posted on Wednesday.

If you have any questions about this article, want to know more, or have suggestions for future topics, add a comment in the comments section below.  If you know of anyone who may benefit from this article click on the “share this” icon below; from there you can post a link to this article or you can email it to a friend.

By Estela Schnelle MS, RD

www.weeklybite.com

Each week the Weekly Bite will be featuring a cocktail of the week along with some survival tips for the weekend!  This week’s cocktail is called “Orange Crush.”  This in an incredibly refreshing tasting drink!  This recipe can also be multiplied for a “party drink”.  For those who are heading to happy hour, here are some tips to enjoy the evening without widening your waistline.

1.     Always have a game plan:  Stick to healthy choices throughout the day; try to get a workout in if you can.  Find out where you’re going for the evening.  Stick with appetizers.  Limit yourself to two servings of “heavy” appetizers, than stick with a non-fried shellfish like shrimp cocktail or veggies for the evening.

2.     Alcohol equals Calories:  Make a point to limit yourself to no more than two low-cal cocktails for the evening.  Avoid any drink mixed with a sugary mix such as soda, juice, or sweet-n-sour mix.  Alternate your drinks with club soda and lime… this makes for a great “fake out” cocktail.  People think your drinking, but your not.

3.     NEVER drink on an empty stomach:  This is a recipe for disaster.  If you drink on an empty stomach, you’ll find yourself inhaling the buffet table!

4.    Surround yourself with good company:  The better the company, the more talking you do.  You find yourself having such a good time you don’t even miss all the calorie-laden foods.

Cocktail of the Week:  ORANGE CRUSH

2oz orange flavored vodka (I like grey goose)

Splash of Gran Marnier

3oz Diet Sunkist

3 oz Diet Sprite

Juice of ½ small orange

Mix ingredients together in a shaker, pour over ice, and enjoy!  If you don’t like diet soda, you can substitute any citrus flavored seltzer water.  This recipe can be multiplied and used as a “party drink”

If you have any questions about this article, want to know more, or have suggestions for future topics, add a comment in the comments section below.  If you know of anyone who may benefit from this article click on the “share this” icon below; from there you can post a link to this article or you can email it to a friend.

By Estela Schnelle MS, RD

www.weeklybite.com

Everyone has his or her own theory about this.  I’ve heard it all… “No carbs after 4pm”, “Food turns into fat after a certain hour”.  All these myths are false!  The truth is, our bodies run on a 24hr clock… not an eight or twelve-hour day.  If you are truly physically hungry, you need to eat! 

Why are these rules made?

In my article “Dieting vs. Calorie Counting” it states, “eating healthy is very important, but how much we eat is even more important”.  This is the main reason why these rules are made.  It’s called MINDLESS EATING.  For most of us, mindless eating happens in the evening, after dinner, watching TV, when we’re bored, etc…  Weight gain generally occurs when we consistently eat for reasons other than hunger (mindless eating).  Think about it… we eat dinner, we’re comfortably full, definitely not hungry anymore, but somehow, we still find a way to squeeze a cup or two of ice cream in there.  Don’t get me wrong, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with dessert, but you have to account for it.  Make it part of your meal.  Not the mindless noshing that can occur after dinner.

Make your own rules!

You should know your body better than anyone!  Make your own rules.  I’ll use myself as an example.  It took some time, but I’m happy that I’ve gotten to know my body pretty well.  I know how much food is too much for me.  I know how much I can eat at dinner and feel content and satisfied.  I know that after each meal (including breakfast) I HAVE to have a small piece of DOVE dark chocolate.  I know that if I snack too much after dinner, I will not be hungry for breakfast.  I know how I will feel the next morning when I over do it at a restaurant the night before.  I make it a general rule for myself not to snack or eat after dinner.  If I am truly physically hungry after dinner, I will have something small to satisfy the hunger, but the lesson that I take away from that is I either didn’t eat enough for dinner, or didn’t eat enough throughout the day.  With my clients, I give them the general rule to stop eating two hours before they go to bed.  That way they can feel hungry for breakfast the next morning. 

Get to know your body!  Try different things out and see what works best for you.  Don’t be afraid to make a mistake… that’s the best way to learn!    Know that following the rules you have made for your body are better than what any book can tell you!

If you have any questions about this article, want to know more, or have suggestions for future topics, add a comment in the comments section below.  If you know of anyone who may benefit from this article click on the “share this” icon below; from there you can post a link to this article or you can email it to a friend. 

By Estela Schnelle MS, RD

www.weeklybite.com

We all want to reach a healthy weight… we want to know how to reach it and how to maintain it.  The confusing part is finding the best way to do this!  For those of you who’ve read my bio, you know that there was a phase in my life where dieting was the only option.  I was constantly thinking a diet would solve my problems.  A common thought I would often have would be, “Once I reach my goal weight, my life will begin”… “I can finally have fun”.  It got to a point where no diet was working for me, I became a slave to the scale, and worst of all, it affected every other aspect of my life.  No matter how hard I tried, or how much I exercise… nothing worked. 

At what point in our life do we think we need to “go on a diet?”

It all comes down to unhappiness.  It may be that we are unhappy with our appearance, unhappy with the way our pants fit, unhappy with the person we see in the mirror, unhappy because we realize we are truly overweight, or, just unhappy with life in general.  All the while we still think the next diet will solve our problems, make us happy, and finally enjoy life. 

Does a Diet Really Work?

The answer is yes… and no.  People want to see results!  When we make the decision to lose weight, we want the weight gone yesterday!  Diets promise quick results.  Some diets often going to extreme measures such as unsupervised detoxes, cleanses, and eliminating entire food groups.  Can we see results doing this?  Absolutely!  Why do we see results? Because we are cutting back on calories and the foods we love… resulting in a nice gift we call weight gain in return!

It all comes down to basic math.  If you want to lose weight, you have to eat fewer calories than what your body needs.   There’s no miracle diet or solution.  If you’ve had success on a past diet, it’s because you were eating less calories than what your body needed, not because we ate our protein 20 minutes before we ate our starch.   Programs such as Nutri-System and Jennie Craig will definitely produce weight loss because they are reducing your calories.  Everything comes pre-portioned or frozen.  They do all the work for you.  You don’t have to count calories or measure anything out.  All you have to do is heat and eat.  This does produce great short-term results, but what we really have to ask ourselves is “how realistic is it to follow this for life?”  That’s the question you want to ask yourself every time you are tempted with a diet.  “Can I commit to this for the rest of my life?”

A Calorie is a Calorie 

No matter what ratio of carbohydrates, protein, and fat our meal comes in, a calorie is a calorie.  If we eat more than our body needs, we will gain weight, whether our meal is vegetarian, vegan, low carb, or fast food.  I’ll say it again… IF WE CONSISTANTLY EAT MORE THAN WHAT OUR BODY NEEDS, WE WILL GAIN WEIGHT.

Now don’t get me wrong here.  I would be doing my role as a Dietitian an injustice if I said the health of a meal didn’t matter.  It certainly does.  A well-rounded healthy diet is important for heart health and disease prevention.  The point I’m trying to make is that we don’t have to follow a crazy diet.  It’s all about balance and moderation. 

Eating healthy is very important, but how much we eat is even more important.  We have to find that place of balance and moderation.  For example, lets say you’ve been craving a cheeseburger and French fries all week long.  Make a plan to eat it, and enjoy it.  Here’s how you do that… You know the average cheeseburger and French fry combo has at least 1000 calories if not more.  Let’s say you’re a 5’5” active female and require around 1800 calories per day.  Eating that entire cheeseburger meal will blow your calorie budget.  The goal here is to be mindful of what you eat during the day surrounding that cheeseburger.  This doesn’t mean to starve yourself all day so you can “splurge”.  The idea is to make sure you surround that meal with other healthy meals.  Make sure to be active that day.  Eat a healthy portioned controlled breakfast.  If you know your going out for cheeseburgers at dinner, don’t eat steak & eggs or a stack of pancakes for breakfast.  Opt for a healthy cereal or an egg white breakfast taco.  The same idea goes for lunch.   Choose something healthy and portion controlled.  Make sure your comfortably hungry prior to each meal.  When the time comes to enjoy the cheeseburger meal, take your time and try to only eat half.  Think to yourself “Does my body really need to ingest 1300 calories at one meal?”  The answer is most likely “NO!”    

What’s the point of all this?

The main point I’m trying to get across is that you can enjoy the foods you love every single day, it’s all about making a plan, balancing it all out, and enjoying in moderation.  If you eat a stack of pancakes for breakfast, a plate of pasta for lunch, and 4 slices of pizza for dinner, that’s unbalanced.   Make it a plan to keep your intake 80% healthy, and 20% junk!  If you went the whole day without eating any veggies, make it a point to get some in the next day.  What’s most frustrating to me is the “diet world” puts out so much conflicting information.  This confuses the heck out of people!  Including myself!  What I hope you get from reading this article is “go back to the basics”.  It all comes down to how much we eat.  Remember… EATING HEALTHY IS VERY IMPORTANT, BUT HOW MUCH WE EAT IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT!

If you have any questions about this article, want to know more, or have suggestions for future topics, add a comment in the comments section below.  If you know of anyone who may benefit from this article click on the “share this” icon below, there, you can post a link to this article or email it to a friend.