Q:  Is it important to take a daily multivitamin?

A:  I view a multivitamin as a good insurance plan.  It should not replace your daily intake of fruits and veggies, but it’s a great way to ensure you’re getting all the nutrients you need.

Q:  What made you decide to become a dietitian?  I read about your struggle with food… is that why?  What’s your educational background?

A:  Ironically, my struggle with food and weight insecurities didn’t start until I was in college studying to become a dietitian.  I decided to go into nutrition because of my strong family history of cancer and diabetes.  I was diagnosed with cancer at the very young age of 9.  After a year of chemotherapy treatment, I am very happy to be in remission for 24 years now.  Growing up, I wanted to do everything I could to make sure the cancer never came back.  That’s where my love of nutrition came in.  I learned on my own that proper diet and exercise was and still is the best preventative medicine out there!  I still carry that passion today and am grateful that I get to share my knowledge each day.  As far as my educational background goes, I have a bachelor’s degree in Food & Nutrition Science from Texas A&M – Kingsville and a masters degree in Clinical Nutrition from Texas Women’s University.  I completed my dietetic internship in Houston, Texas.

Q:  I struggle with a large appetite and feeling hungry most of the day. I eat whole grains, healthy fats, adequate protein, and drink 8+ cups of water/day. I try to eat slowly with minimal distractions so I can focus on my food. I have a desk job, but typically exercise 30 minutes to one hour every day after work. Do you have any tips or suggestions so I don’t feel hungry all the time?

 A:  It’s really hard to answer this question without know what your meals consist of, or knowing what your current weight is.  The first thing that comes to mind is how much food you are eating at each meal.  Are your meals large enough?  Also, there is a difference between “appetite” and “hunger”.  It’s very important to distinguish the difference between the two. Hunger refers to a physical discomfort caused by the lack of food. One common sign is a rumbling stomach. This rumbling can be accompanied by a feeling of lightheadedness and weakness. Hunger only occurs after an extended period of time since eating. Appetite is more like a desire for food, or a craving that may be prompted by the sight or smell of food. Passing a bakery and getting the smell of freshly baked bread, or seeing the dessert-trolley in a restaurant, are typical examples. In this case, we are not really hungry, but mistake the urge or craving as hunger.  My best advice is to try to spread out your meals and decipher if it’s true hunger, or a craving that’s making you want more food.  If you need more help, just send me an email .

 Q:  I am interested in lowering my cholesterol since it is high but my HDL is very good, says my OB-GYN nurse practitioner. I also need to lose a very more lbs.  Any advice?

 A:  Congrats on having a high HDL!  That’s great!  From my experience, clients who start to lose weight will see a decrease in their total cholesterol.  In terms of eating to lose weight and lower your cholesterol, it all about making the right food choices coupled with portion control.  A diet rich in whole grains, fruits, veggies, lean protein, and healthy fats is key.  A great resource for this is my blog post on “How to Control Portions.”  This should be a good place to get started.  Minimizing your intake of refined sugar is extremely important as well.  This includes candies, cakes, cookies, donuts, etc…

 Q:  Hello there! I was just introduced to your website, and I think it’s fantastic! I take long and intense dance classes several days a week, and as a result I often wake up the next morning with incredibly sore muscles, even though I am really good about stretching,  I do have a food-related question involving sore muscles and exercise… I was told that certain foods such as bananas help relieve sore muscles when eaten before and after exercising…what are your thoughts on this, is it true?  If so, what other foods may help? Are there specific items I can include in my diet to help my body perform at its best for long workouts?

 A:  Bananas are a potassium rich food.  Symptoms of deficiency of potassium in the diet include diarrhea, vomiting, weak muscles, breathing abnormality, hypokalemia, and more.  Those who have a potassium deficiency may often have muscle cramping (like a Charlie horse).  As far as sore muscles… this can be caused by a couple of things.  You may be pushing your body differently with each dance class.  When you use new muscles, you will most likely feel sore.  One thing that can attribute to sore muscles is dehydration.  You want to make sure you keep yourself well hydrated before, during, and after your dance classes.  As far as nutrition goes, fueling properly for long workouts is extremely important!  If you don’t fuel properly, you will feel week.  Getting proper amounts of carbohydrates, protein, and fat is vital.  Potassium rich foods include the bright colors fruits and veggies, as well as dark green veggies.  Some examples are:  Apples, Apricots, Bananas, Brazil Nuts, Brown Rice, Cantaloupe, Figs, Honeydew, Kiwi, Legumes, Lima beans, Milk, Oranges, Orange Juice, Peaches, Potatoes, Prunes, Rasins, Roasted Peanuts with skin, Spinach, Squash, Vegetable Juices, Wheat Bread, White Rice, Winter Squash, Yogurt

 Q:  Hi, I have been reading your blog for a while now and really appreciate the great information. I have a question I hope you can help me with. I recently gained back the 40 lbs I lost (and kept off for 5 yrs) plus another 10. My workouts are stellar but I know I am eating too much and not always the right foods. I want to lose the weight again but am lacking the motivation to get started. I already feel defeated because it’s so overwhelming. I know the thing that will get me motivated will be results, but I have such little patience! What can I do to get some quick results that will keep me pushing towards me goal?

 A:  I wish I could give you an answer for some quick results… but when it comes to healthy weight loss, there is really no such thing.  The first thing that needs to be done is to recognize why you gained back the 40+ pounds.  Once you recognize and address that reason, it will make it easier for you to move forward.  It can be very overwhelming when it comes to losing weight, but instead of looking at total number of pounds you want to lose, break it down into small goals.  Permanent weight loss involves patience.  Lack of patience is one of the main reasons we tend to gravitate towards quick fix programs.  Do something each day that will push you towards the right direction.  If you haven’t been exercising, set a small exercise goal each day.  Set a goal to eat breakfast each day, or to not mindlessly snack between meals.  More importantly, tell yourself you are going to take it one day at a time, one meal at a time.  Little by little, the weight will come off.  If you have anymore questions, I’m happy to help!

Got a question for Weekly Bite?  Submit your question on this blog post and I’ll put in the next Q&A.

I want to start off by saying that not all dietitians are perfect eaters.  I’m not a perfect eater.  I’m human, with normal cravings and needs.  I’ve gotten a lot of questions on what I do to stay healthy and how I eat.  There is no simple answer to those questions.  How I eat to stay healthy is something I’ve learned over time.  A lot of what I’ve learned is through the countless mistakes I’ve made.  When I was thinking of a way to put how I eat into words, I knew the best way to describe it was to let you know how I got to the healthy place I am now.  I could easily list what I eat on a daily basis, but without you knowing how I got there seemed pointless.

Before I get started, I have to let you know that I’m 7 ½ months pregnant.  So everything I reference in this post is based on pre-pregnancy.  Eating while pregnant is a whole other topic.  I had to get to know my body all over again. I had to learn how to deal with morning sickness, massive cravings, and the hardest of all… accepting the physical changes my body was going through.  So, everything I talk about is pre-pregnancy.

About Me

I’m a petite 5′2″ female and have dealt with weight insecurities most of my life.  I’ve always been an avid exerciser… often exercising too much.  The funny part is during that time in my life, I was at my heaviest.  The more I exercised, the heavier I was.  And what I mean by too much exercising, I mean exercising for 2+ hours… and not because I was training for a race or event.  The more I exercised, the hungrier I got.  The hungrier I got, the more I (over)ate.  The more I ate, the more I weighed.  The more I weighed, the more insecure I became.  The messed up part is that all of this was happening while I was studying to be a dietitian.  I viewed exercise as a form of weight control, and viewed eating as a something that could only be done once calories were counted and portions were weighed.  I was straight-up un-healthy!!  My relationship with exercise, food, and my weight were way off.   

How I came out of it

I knew what I was doing was unhealthy.  I thought to myself “how can I be a dietitian and tell people how to be healthy when I was struggling with it myself?”  Without getting too detailed, I did have sort of a moment and I new a change had to be made.  I had to help myself before I could help others.  This process took a lot of time.  When all this was happening, I was living in San Diego, CA.  I contacted one of the author’s of Intuitive Eating (just 2hrs away from me) and began to slowly come out the “funk”.  As a Dietitian, I am well aware of calories, portions, and everything else regarding food.  What I had to do was develop more of a healthy relationship with food, and look at calories in a non-judgmental way.  This process took time… a lot of time.  I worked really hard to eat when I was hungry.  The difference was I knew what a proper portion size was for me.  I stopped eating “diet” foods and moved to “real” food. 

All of the mistakes I made I viewed as a learning experience.  I know what happens to my body when I consistently eat when I’m hungry, and I know what happens when I consistently eat when I’m not hungry.  The reason I know this is because I’ve seen the results.  I’ve gained weight when I mindlessly snack.  I’ve lost weight when I cut out the mindless eating.  Another big difference is my exercise routine.  I view exercise in a totally different way then before.  I run and practice yoga (bikram is my favorite).  I’m healthier physically and mentally now more than ever. 

Why am I Sharing This??

The reason why I’m sharing this personal info is to help people.  Dietitians are not perfect… I know I’m not!!  Dietitians are a wealth of nutrition knowledge and our job is to give accurate nutrition info based on sound science.  There are tons of RD’s who have never had any food issues and some who have.  I can only speak for myself.  As far as the way I eat now.  I never look at calories on a day to day basis.  I based when I eat on hunger and sometimes convenience.  When I do eat, it’s kind of impossible to ignore the calories… it’s my job to know the calories of things.  I look at calories differently now.  I don’t obsess over them or crunch my daily numbers.  Sometimes I may eat a meal that has 300 calories, and then eat 1 or 2 cookies because I want them and I’m still hungry.  As long as I’m listening to my body I am happy.  It’s when I get out of touch with my body that I know something is wrong.  Like I said… this took a lot of time for me to figure this all out.

I truly hope this post has helped!  If you’re interested in see what a typical day looks like for me, let me know… I’m happy to share!

With swimsuit season just around the corner the emails have been pouring in for quick ways to lose weight and get in shape.  I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you’re looking for a quick fix… you’re not going to find it here.  Permanent weight loss takes time and patience.  There is however, some fine-tuning you can do to tighten up your diet, eliminate excess eating, and be well on your way to a healthy weight.

Tune into REAL Hunger

You should be feeling hungry each time you eat.  If you’re a regular reader of the blog, I know I may sound like a broken record, but when you consistently eat when you’re not hungry, you will gain weight.  Tuning into your true hunger is key.  Using the hunger scale is a great guide to help you identify your true hunger.

The Hunger scale ranges from 0-10.  Zero is extreme hunger… you feel so hungry you might pass out.  The opposite end of the scale is 10.  I call this the Thanksgiving Dinner Syndrome.  You ate some much food you feel physically ill.  Right smack in the middle of the scale is “5″.  This is a neutral feeling.  You’re not hungry or full.  You basically have no desire to eat. When you’re at a five, you should feel hungry in about 2-3 hours.  The key time you should be eating is between a 3 and 4 on the scale.  This is what I call a comfortable hunger.  You feel the grumbling in your stomach and slight hunger pangs.  At this level of hunger you can consciously make a healthy decision on what to eat without letting the hunger control you.  Anything lower than a “3″ and the hunger will control you.  From a “2″ down, you are so physically hungry that it doesn’t matter what you eat, how much you eat, or where you eat.  At this extreme level of hunger it’s common to overeat.  It’s very important to not let yourself get overly hungry. 

Eat Only Until Satisfied

Never eat until you’re full, stuffed, or sick.  Only eat until you’re satisfied.  This means eating until you’ve reached a “7″ on the hunger scale.  This is where portion control comes in.  Only YOU know when you feel satisfied.  You also know how you feel when you ate too much.  A meal that satisfies one person may not satisfy you.  The amount of food you need to satisfy yourself is sort of a trial and error deal.  You need to take your time when you eat.  If halfway through your meal you feel satisfied, then stop eating.

Rules to Get You Started

•       Eat three meals per day and one or two snacks only.  No snacking between meals unless you’re truly hungry.  If you feel hungry between meals, this is a sign you didn’t eat enough at your last meal. 
•       Space your meals 4 hours apart, no longer than 5 hours between meals.
•       Plan your snack when you know you will be going longer than 5 hours until your next meal.
•       Cut off eating after dinner.  This is a way to eliminate mindless snacking or boredom eating.  If you feel a little hungry before you go to bed, chug some water.  You could easily be thirsty rather than hungry. If you’re feeling a little hungry, think back to the time you had dinner.  If you had a light dinner at 5:30pm and you’re hungry at 9pm, you may need a little something to keep you from feeling overly hungry when you sleep… Make sure this is true hunger and not boredom eating… use the hunger scale to gage you’re hunger level.  You want to look for a grumble in your stomach.
•       Avoid “clean the plate syndrome”!  Make it a rule to always leave some food on your plate.  When you eat out at a restaurant, only eat half of what’s served… doggie bag the rest.
•       Exercise!!!!  Do whatever kind of exercise you enjoy!!  Get outside and move your body.  If you’re new to exercise, start out with 30 minutes per day.

Eating to Satisfy! – Putting a Meal Together

Eating healthy is very important, but how much we eat is even more important!  This is not a license to eat whatever we want, whenever.  You have to get to know your body.  Learn what food satisfies you the most and what doesn’t.  Like I’ve said before, 80% of what you eat should be healthy and the other 20% percent is whatever you want.

What Satisfies You?

It’s no secret that food in its natural state is better for us than processed foods… but why?  What exactly is happening in the body that makes a meal stay with us longer than a bag of potato chips?

Real Food versus Processed Food –

We all know that carbohydrates include bread, rice, cereal, pasta, fruits, veggies, and all sugar and sweet products.  Carbohydrates also come in the form of packaged and processed food.  When I talk about REAL FOOD, I’m referring to food in its most natural state (whole wheat bread vs. white bread, whole wheat pasta vs. white pasta, brown rice vs. white rice, fresh fruit vs. fruit juice, etc…)

When a carbohydrate is in it’s natural state, our body has to work physically harder to break it down.  The whole grain and fiber is in tact, which makes it harder for the body to breakdown.  The longer the body takes to break down that food… the longer that meal will stick with us and keep us satisfied for a longer period of time.  This is why emphasis is placed on consuming whole grains, fruits, and veggies.  They are higher in fiber.  The more fiber a food has, the longer that food will take to be converted to energy in the body and the longer that meal will stay with us.

With pre-processed foods, our body has to do a minimal amount of work to break it down.  It is absorbed quickly in our body, therefore, it can leave us feeling hungry and wanting more food in a shorter period of time.  The result can leave us feeling unsatisfied and wanting more food.  Great examples of processed carbs are anything that comes packaged.  A good question to ask yourself is “Did this food naturally come this way?”  We know that Oreos don’t grow on trees and Skittles don’t naturally fall from the rainbow in the sky.  They are processed and should be eaten in moderation.

The Protein & Fat Factor

So now we know the importance of eating real food versus processed food. There are other factors involved in making a meal satisfying and protein & fat play a big role.  Protein comes in the form of lean meat, chicken, fish, low-fat dairy, & some plant based foods such as beans.  Protein provides a much needed satisfaction factor to our meal.  Protein naturally takes longer for the body to breakdown; therefore, it sticks with us longer, providing more satisfaction.  What even more important to know is what protein does when eaten with a carbohydrate. 

Carbs are our body’s form of energy.  No matter what form the carb is in (natural or processed) the body breaks it down (into sugar) and utilizes it for energy.  Protein, when eaten with a carbohydrate, slows down that process, thus making that meal last longer.  Here is a good example.  If we eat an apple, our body would go through its natural process of breaking that apple down and converting in the energy for the body.  If we added a piece of cheese with that apple, our body would take even longer to break that meal down because we’ve added protein, which will slow down the conversion of the apple to energy in the body (providing more satisfaction).

The same thing goes for fat.   Fat provides more satisfaction factor because it takes much longer to be processed in the body.  When we combine a meal of whole grains, lean protein, and a small amount of healthy fat, the meal will stick with us longer and leave us feeling more satisfied.  Healthy fats to consider are plant-based oils such as olive and canola oil, nut butters, nuts, and seeds.

Where do processed foods come in?

It’s unrealistic to say we will never eat processed foods.  They are everywhere and provide a quick and easy convenience.  The goal is to not make processed foods the based of our diet.  Eighty percent of our diet should come from “REAL” food and the other 20% can be whatever we want.  This makes our diet more livable and realistic.  If we have a day where we eat more processed foods than intended, don’t beat yourself up over it.  Just take it for what it is and move on.  No need to obsess over something that’s already been done.  We always have our next meal to make up for it.

Quick Summary

Here is a quick summary of what we’ve gone over in the series and what it takes to lose weight.

1.     Get to know your hunger!  This is a very important rule.  When we consistently eat when we’re not hunger, weight gain will happen.

2.     Know your limits! – Listen to your body.  Portion control is extremely important.  Get to know your body and your limits.  Eating healthy is very important, but how much we eat is even more important.

3.     Are you really hungry, or just bored?  Consistent mindless noshing can easily pack on the pounds.  I know this is a hard one, but boredom eating is a bad habit.  Try to really focus and identify when you’re eating when hungry versus eating when bored.

4.     EAT REAL FOOD!  Food in its most natural state will provide us more satisfaction.  Try to keep your intake to 80% real food and 20% whatever you want.  This will keep us balanced, and keep out diet for “Livable”.

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.

The Biggest Loser has become the most popular weight loss show in history.  The physical transformations these contestants go through is mind-blowing.   I think the main reason I find it so intriguing is because it’s what I specialize in.  These contestants aren’t following a fad diet, taking diet pills, or resorting to weight loss surgery.  They are literally working their tales off! 

A lot of people ask me if I think these results are realistic.  In a real-life situation, yes and no.  It can be done, but not in the same time frame as the show.  A year-and-a-half ago, I had the pleasure of going to a presentation given by the brains behind the Biggest Loser (the dietitian and physician who see these contestants everyday).  What they admitted first off was that the reason the contestants consistently lose so much weight is because they are taken out of their environment.  All the barriers we face in real life (job, family, friends, lack of time, lack of knowledge) have been removed.  Think about how much easier it would be for us to lose weight if we had none of those challenges. On the ranch, their entire day includes meeting with the dietitian, psychologist, doctor, and of course, exercise for hours and hours.  Their “job” is basically to exercise, learn about proper nutrition, and practice it everyday.  Here is the diet they are taught to follow.

Biggest Loser Principles & Diet

•       With a regular exercise program in place, you must burn off more calories than you take in each day.
•       Recommended daily caloric intake for weight loss is “modified low carb diet” made of 45% carbohydrate calories, 30% lean protein, and 25% healthy fat.
•       45% Carbohydrates – vegetables, fruits, whole grains
•       3 servings of healthy proteins (fish, skinless chicken breast, lean ground turkey)
•       Healthy fat include an occasional spray or splash of olive oil or canola oil for salads or cooked dishes.  It also includes healthy fats from small servings of nuts and seeds.
•       There is room for one optional treat per day
•       Cereals must have at least 5 grams of fiber per serving
•       Daily calories are based on 7 calories per pound of body weight. (adjusted with significant weight loss)
•       Their diet is analyzed weekly by the dietitian.  The contestants usually adhere to the diet 70% of the time.

Common Characteristics of Contestants

The contestants had no idea of the number of calories they consumed daily.  They ate very few fruits and veggies, little whole grains, too much refined carbs (white stuff).  They did little planning of their meals, ate out a lot at restaurants or fast food.  Majority of their calories came from calorie laden beverages (juice, soda, fruit punch).  Very little exercise was reported and their health was not made a priority.

My View on the Program

I think the Biggest Loser is a fantastic program, however, I can’t help but notice the amount of weight some of these contestants put back on a year or so after the show.  The most important thing to take away from this is the importance of PERMANENT LIFESTYLE CHANGES!  I cannot stress this enough.  These contestants are placed in a controlled environment, and even at that, we can see on the show how they struggle emotionally.  Imagine how much harder it is to implement this at home?  The diet they follow places emphasis on whole grains, fruits, veggies, lean protein, and healthy fat… that is a healthy diet.  What’s even more important is the optional treat they are allowed.  It is so important to include foods we love in moderation.

How Can We Do This At Home?

The Biggest Loser diet places emphasis on all the right foods! 

•       Rather than counting calories, focus on controlling the portion sizes.       (See my article on “Eating with Your Eyes”)
•       Keep your intake 80% healthy and 20% whatever you want.
•       Listen to your hungry – Your body should be asking for food every 4-4.5 hours, try not to go longer than 5 hours without eating.  Waiting too long to eat can cause us to over eat.
•       Set a realistic exercise goal – Exercise is important for many reasons… the main one being our health!  The amount of exercise the Biggest Loser contestants do on the show is unrealistic in “real life”.  If you’re new to exercise, start out slow and increase as your endurance picks up.  If our goals are reasonable, it’s easier to keep them, rather than setting unrealistic goals and feeling overwhelmed. 

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

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.