12 Ways to FINALLY Get Healthy – And Yes, Lose Weight and Keep It Off!

People are always asking me how to lose weight, especially in the months leading up to swimsuit season. You probably already know that eating less and moving more leads to weight loss; however, health is more than just a number on the scale or a dress size. Instead of focusing only on your weight, pursue a healthier lifestyle – it will lead to weight loss as well as a better overall quality of life.

Here are a few specific guidelines that lead to a significantly healthier lifestyle.

1.      Determine your motivating factor. This is of utmost importance. Don’t ask yourself the question, “Why does my wife want me to lose weight?” Ask yourself why YOU want to lose weight. This reason needs to be important enough to keep you motivated as you pursue your health goals. It needs to be big enough to help you help you maintain those changes for the long term. You can definitely have more than one reason, but be sure to keep them clear, concise, and personal. They can serve as a self-empowering mantra when faced with temptations to veer off the path to a healthier lifestyle.

 

2.      Keep a food & activity journal. It doesn’t have to be every single day, but studies do show that journaling can help keep your diet on track and support lasting weight loss. You don’t have to do calorie counts and run all the numbers, but maintaining a food log keeps you accountable to yourself. You can look for overall patterns of being more active, or eating more fruits and vegetables, more whole grains, and fewer sweets or fatty snacks, for example. If you are interested in keeping track of specific numbers, try a website like livestrong.com, sparkpeople.com, or a phone app, or you can crank out the numbers yourself using a site like calorieking.com. However, all that accounting can wear a person down, and really isn’t necessary unless you are doing everything you think you can and still feel like you aren’t seeing any results.
  

3.      Find a support group/person. Whether it’s a health professional, relative, neighbor, friend, spouse, or someone you meet through a weight loss group or forum, it’s so important to find someone (or a group of people) who will offer their help and support in your journey to a healthier way of living. Additionally, those people who most closely affect your health habits (such as significant others or household members) need to be clued in that you are trying to make changes; letting them know about your new lifestyle gives them the ability to show support by not begging you to try a new fast food restaurant, buy you big boxes of chocolate to show their affections, or asking to drive to the corner market instead of walk or bike. Having a support system adds accountability to your lifestyle – not just to yourself, but with someone else. Make sure this person is a positive influence in your life, not someone who will bring you down when you have bumps in the road.

4.      Eat regularly spaced small meals and snacks throughout the day. Eating only 2-3 square meals a day makes your blood sugar peak and drop drastically after each meal, which leads to energy bursts and crashes as well as a decreased ability to portion control at mealtimes. Eating regularly throughout the day keeps hunger in check and has been shown to support weight management and helps curb hunger. See my blog on snacks for more information.

5.      Read your labels and ingredient lists. What we don’t want is to simply assume that a food is healthy without first examining the ingredients and label. The exception? Fresh fruits and vegetables. Those are always good choices. Remember, saturated and trans fats are the bad fats (see blog entry on fats here), added sugar is a no-no, and we want all our grains to be whole (check out more about label reading in my entry about picking a healthy cereal). Overall, the more unpronounceable ingredients there are on the ingredients list, the more processed it is. We want as many fresh, whole ingredients as possible.

6.      Eat more plant foods and drink plenty of water. This means fruits, veggies, beans & legumes, tofu, nuts & seeds, and whole grains. These foods provide fiber, vitamins, minerals, and lots of phytonutrients as well. Plant foods are completely cholesterol-free since cholesterol only comes from animal foods; most are also low in saturated fat. You don’t have to eat completely vegetarian to reap the benefits of plant foods, just shift your animal food to plant food ratio! Drinking more water will keep your body hydrated and ensure you don't mistake thirst for hunger.

7.      Lead an active lifestyle. Just move more. Taking your dog for a walk, your child to the park, going for a hike through a nearby metro park, walking around the zoo, gardening, biking to a friend’s house, taking the stairs at work, mowing the lawn, exergaming, vacuuming; all these add up to an active lifestyle. It isn’t exercise, but it does keep you from living a sedentary life.

8.      Make time to exercise most days of the week. And be realistic about your expectations! Gentlemen, you may never look like Vin Diesel. Ladies, you may never be a size two. Instead of going into the gym with unrealistic expectations of losing 5 pounds in a day, having cut abs and Michelle Obama arms, and finally fitting into those skinny jeans by this weekend, aim to gain self-confidence in yourself and in your body. Fixating on a “right” size will just lead to frustration and negative associations with working out. It’s easy to think being a certain weight will lead to happiness in all other realms of your life, but that isn’t how it works. When you exercise, think of what you are doing for your heart, for your longevity and long-term mobility. Learn to take pride in your body and its ability to carry you farther, lift more weight, or become more flexible. Exercise to clear your mind, help your body, find a sense of peace, create a routine, and sleep better, and stop worrying about those skinny jeans. Most health experts recommend fitting in at least 150 minutes of moderate to intense exercise each week, so work on increasing those minutes week by week until you hit your goal.

9.      Get at least 7 hours of sleep every night. This may sound impossible for some, but it really is the best thing to do for your health – and your weight. Neglecting your sleep schedule can mean messing up the amount of certain hormones your body makes while you’re sleeping, including hormones involved with signaling hunger, appetite, and satiety. Turn off the TV, put down your work, and get into bed at a decent hour; sleep needs to be a priority in your life.

10.  Limit the salty snacks, savory desserts, fast food/eating out, and sugary drinks – in short, lay off the junk food. This is an obvious one. Is it a food that is going to help you or hurt you? Are you eating it to fuel your body or your appetite?

11.  Eat appropriate portion sizes. Use smaller plates, smaller cups, smaller utensils. Serve yourself. Look at serving sizes on food labels for guides. Think quality, not quantity. Eat more slowly and don’t go back for seconds until at least 20 minutes as passed. All in all, eat less of the not-so-great stuff and pile high the fruits and veggies. MyPlate (the new food "pyramid") is a good example of what a balanced meal can look like. 

 

12.  Stay positive. Staying optimistic about your progress and dealing with obstacles as they come greatly improves the chances of turning your lifestyle around permanently – as well as losing those extra pounds and keeping them off. Negative self-talk puts you at risk of falling back to old habits. When you see a number on the scale you don’t like, or if you really veered off your diet for a day (or a month), instead of talking down to yourself and focusing on the bad, think about the ways you can get back on the wagon and what has worked for you in the past. Studies show that people who were more positive throughout a weight loss journey were the ones that managed to achieve their weight goals and keep those extra pounds off for the long run.

Thanks for reading!

Anna

Recipe: Easy Cucumber Salad

When my friend invited me over for a night with the girls, I knew I wanted to make something healthy and fresh-tasting for the potluck, but I also didn’t want to spend much money and I was pretty strapped for time. This cold cucumber salad was the perfect balance of nutrition, ease, and taste, and cost me less than $4 to make. Best part? I didn’t have any leftovers to take home – I call that a successful recipe!

Makes 6-8 servings.

Ingredients:

·         1 ½ English cucumbers, chopped

·         3 ripe tomatoes, chopped

·         1 orange, red, or yellow bell pepper, chopped

·         ¼ cup light oil and vinegar salad dressing (try Ken’s Lite Italian)

·         2 Tbsp grated parmesan

·         A little black pepper and Italian seasoning, to taste

Directions:

·         Combine all the ingredients in a big bowl. Mix well.

·         Cover and chill for at least 2 hours, shaking occasionally.

Yep, that’s it. Simple, cheap, healthy, and delicious – this is the way food is supposed to be! It doesn't have to be complicated to taste great.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Thanks for reading!

Anna

Product of the Week: Maple & Brown Sugar OatFit Instant Oatmeal

As an oatmeal enthusiast, I definitely understand that cooked oatmeal is not necessarily the easiest food on-the-go. For those times when you’re especially in a hurry, or while you’re at work, I would recommend trying OatFit Instant Oatmeal, made by BetterOats.

This oatmeal is a great mid-morning snack, and takes only 90 seconds in the microwave to cook. There are several similar products on the market, but the thing I like about this instant oatmeal (besides the taste) is that is has no added sugar and is only 100 calories a pouch. This makes it stand apart from similar products, which can have upwards of 12 grams of sugar a pouch (that’s a full tablespoon of sugar!) With 3 grams of fiber and added flaxseed, this whole grain product makes a filling snack with the health benefits of whole grains.

Any other lower sugar instant oatmeal products you've found? Please share with us!

As always, thanks for reading!

Anna

*Please note: I am not paid in any way for any product endorsement at this time. I just like to share!

How to Roast Asparagus

As the months turn warmer, the foods (and prices!) in the produce section at the grocery store begin to change. Asparagus is at its peak during spring, but is often overlooked simply because people don’t know what to do with it.

Many people think they don’t like a particular vegetable at all, only to find that they DO like it when it’s prepared in a way that brings out its greatest attributes. When I was little, I always thought I didn’t like green beans because we always had them canned. Then, my mom started buying fresh green beans, which taste amazing! (Just boil them until tender, drain them, slap them in a pot with some garlic and a little olive oil, and serve hot!)

Similarly, people may have an aversion to asparagus after having some that was overcooked until it was a slimy, limp mess, or maybe they had tried it canned before – after all, the appearance of canned asparagus alone is enough to turn off anybody! But just wait until you try it roasted! And this recipe is easy for even the most amateur of chefs, I promise.

My absolute favorite way to prepare asparagus is roasting it with a little olive oil, garlic, and parmesan. Honestly, this is my favorite way to prepare many vegetables, including summer squash, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. Roasting is a great way to prepare vegetables since it keeps the nutrients in the asparagus. This is in contrast to boiling, where nutrients leach out into the water, which is later discarded. Additionally, it’s a no-mess, quick and easy preparation method that leaves vegetables tasting fresh, crisp, and flavorful.

Here’s what you do to roast asparagus:

1.     Preheat the oven to 400*F.

2.     Wash your asparagus - I use about half a bundle to make two servings. Snap off the hard, woody bottoms of each piece of asparagus and discard this part – the asparagus will just break where it needs to, around 2-3 inches from the bottom.

3.     Line a baking sheet with foil (optional step – this just decreases the clean-up time to practically nothing!)

4.     Drizzle a little virgin olive oil on the baking sheet. Place the asparagus on the sheet in a single layer and wiggle them around in the olive oil to distribute the olive oil all over the foil and the asparagus.

5.     Plop some minced garlic (fresh or bottled) on the asparagus – I use maybe two teaspoons of the bottled kind to make two servings. Sprinkle the asparagus with some grated parmesan cheese.

6.     Put the whole thing in the oven for about 7-12 minutes (closer to 7 minutes for thinner asparagus, closer to 12 minutes for thicker asparagus) until the asparagus is crisp, hot, and tender. Hint: I just snack on them intermittently during this range of time until they taste amazing. You can’t mess it up that way! Enjoy!

Asparagus is a nutrient powerhouse absolutely loaded with vitamin K, A, C, B1, iron, fiber, and folate, as well as many phytonutrients, giving it great anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Research even suggests some pretty powerful cancer-fighting properties for this super-healthy veggie. If you aren’t currently an asparagus-lover, it is definitely time to give this vegetable another try.

Remember, eating your vegetables doesn’t have to be a chore – roasting is a great way to ensure your cooked veggies stay crisp and bursting with flavor. Try it out yourself and let me know what you think!

Thanks for reading!

Anna

The Power of Snacking

Who decided that Americans should only have 3 square meals a day? Definitely not a dietitian!

Including small, healthy snacks between meals can help you keep your energy at a maximum and your hunger levels at a minimum, meaning less of a chance of overeating later or crashing mid-afternoon.  

The idea is not to increase total daily calories consumed, but to spread the calories throughout the day. Many Americans pile all their calories to one side of the day (dinnertime), giving their bodies nothing to work with for the first part of the day and increasing their chances of binging later. (See my breakfast entry!)

If you want to do something good for your body and metabolism, try to regularly consume healthful foods and water throughout the day. The phrase most often used to describe this is "fueling the fire." You have to tend to the fire all day for it to stay flaming at its full potential.

Healthy, well-timed snacks help that fire burn its brightest all day long. This might mean one mid-morning snack as well as another mid-afternoon – generally, it’s a good idea to go no more than 3 or 4 hours without eating something. But what to eat?

For many people, a snack of around 150-200 calories is typically a good place to start. Make sure it contains some carbohydrates as well as some protein – a little fat is fine, too. Here are some good examples:

·         A small banana and a fat-free yogurt

·         Light string cheese and 5 whole grain crackers (like Triscuits)

·         1 slice of whole grain toast with peanut butter

·         Raw veggies (at least 1-2 handfuls) with hummus (around 3 Tablespoons)

·         A scrambled egg on ½ a whole grain English muffin

·         1 cup of skim milk and ½ cup of Cheerios and fresh berries

·         Ants on a log (celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins)

·         Oatmeal (if you’re in a hurry or at work, try BetterOats OatFit 100 calorie instant oatmeal –   so good!) and an orange

·         A lower sugar, higher protein and fiber granola bar (I love the Kashi TLC granola bars and the Nature Valley Protein Chewy Bars)

·         A half serving of almonds (around 12 almonds) or walnuts (about 8 halves) and a handful of grapes

·         Non-fat Greek yogurt sprinkled with some granola

·         Apple slices topped with almond butter

Including snacks in your daily routine can help stave off hunger and keep you from crashing mid-day. Remember, food is your body’s fuel, and calories are just a unit of energy. You deserve energy, so don’t deprive yourself if you are feeling hungry! Just be sure not to stifle that flame with too much firewood J

Any other good snack ideas? What role do snacks play in your lives? Leave comments and questions below!

As always, THANK YOU FOR READING!

Anna

Recipe: Chicken Tortilla Soup

A few weeks ago, a friend passed along a recipe for Chili Chicken Tortilla Soup created by American Heart Association's chef Mark Casale, so I decided to give it a try last night. It was FANTASTIC! I made a few small changes here and there, and it turned out very spicy and completely delicious.

This is one recipe that proves low-fat, nutrient-rich foods don’t have to taste bland. Here’s the recipe I used:

Makes about 3-4 servings.

Ingredients:

·         ½ lb boneless skinless chicken breast tenders, cooked and shredded

·         15 oz black beans with diced jalapenos, partially drained*

·         14.5 oz petite diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained

·         1 green bell pepper, chopped

·         ½ white or yellow onion, diced finely

·         1 tsp bottled minced garlic or 2 fresh cloves, minced

·         Spices - cayenne pepper, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder (to taste)

·         16 oz low sodium chicken broth

·         1 whole grain tortilla, sliced into strips

·         Optional: ½ cup shredded Mexican cheese

·         Optional: 1 cup corn

*Note: If you are particularly sensitive to spicy foods, try using regular black beans instead – be sure to drain and rinse them before adding them to your pot!

Directions:

1.      Heat 1-2 tsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add diced onions and garlic; cook for a few minutes (until transluscent). Add green bell peppers.

2.      In a soup pot, add tomatoes and black beans. If using corn, add corn now as well. Heat over medium heat for a few minutes.

3.      Spray tortilla strips with a little cooking oil, and bake for about 10 minutes at 350*F until crunchy.

4.      Add the veggies in the skillet to your tomatoes and black beans. Add broth and spices to taste. If using cheese, add the cheese now.

5.      Once hot throughout, serve into bowls and sprinkle with tortilla strips. Enjoy!

I like to taste soups and stews throughout the cooking process to make sure I’m spicing it appropriately. Remember, recipes are just guidelines, so feel free to alter this one to suit your family’s tastes. Thanks for sending this recipe my way, Kristen! Happy cooking, everyone!

Thanks for reading!

Anna

Play More to Lose More

The weather has been gorgeous lately in Cleveland, so I have been taking every opportunity to get outside and enjoy the sunshine. This means walks with friends after work around the neighborhood, long runs before making dinner, hitting the Cleveland Metroparks on the weekends, and taking my charges outside for walks to the park when I babysit.

Time outside also means I can get some extra vitamin D – skin can make this “sunshine vitamin” from sunlight. Since it is very difficult to get enough vitamin D from food alone, sun exposure helps your body get the nutrition it needs to stay healthy.

When the weather is less than ideal, however, there are still plenty of ways to stay active. Many people have a gym membership to turn to when the weather turns sour, or keep fitness equipment or workout videos in their homes to help keep them active, regardless of weather.

However, in recent years, technology has opened up even more options to help us exercise comfortably year-round. For example, an old college friend came into town to visit last weekend, and brought along his XBOX 360 Kinect as well as a few games for us to try out. I was really impressed with the system. After sweating for a few hours playing Kinect Adventures and Just Dance 3 with friends, I definitely give these video games my seal of approval as a great way to stay active and have fun.

If you’re interested in trying out a motion video game, you have a lot of options that will get your heart rate up and keep you moving. And they aren’t just for kids! There are games for all interests, from Wii Fit and Wii Sports for the Nintendo Wii, Zumba Fitness and Kinect Sports for XBOX 360 Kinect, and Dance Dance Revolution for Playstation, XBOX, Nintendo Wii, and PC. Movement-based video games can be enjoyed alone, with a friend, or even with family – many are kid-friendly.

Times have definitely changed over the past several decades. Our day-to-day lifestyles are less active than ever, and our schedules so packed it can be difficult to fit in regular exercise without dipping into our leisure time. One of the best ways to navigate this challenge is to make exercising something we enjoy – sort of like wellness multi-tasking. By incorporating fun ways to stay active into our days, our leisure time isn’t cut short, but instead becomes an integral part of our healthful lifestyles. Motion-control video games can be a great option for people seeking to mix work and play in their homes.

Keeping physical activity enjoyable increases the likelihood of sticking with an active lifestyle, so make it work for you! Think about what you like - outdoor or indoor, with friends or by yourself, competitive or recreational? Personalize your exercise habits to suit your individual tastes; what works for one person may not be effective for another!

What video games or other indoor activities keep you moving and sweating? What about outdoor activities you have recently picked up again as it as winter winds down and spring begins? Please share in the comments section below!

Thanks for reading!

Anna