Alcohol and Weight Loss

As we get closer to Easter a few of us will be faced with alcohol and wonder how it will affect your weight loss. In addition to having empty calories, our bodies can't store alcohol and must metabolize it right away. Therefore, we won't metabolize sugars and fats as efficiently. Also, drinking heavily can also slow our metabolism. Another negative is that alcohol causes an increase in blood pressure.

Furthermore, alcohol actually stimulates your appetite. It also reduces inhibitions and willpower and we are more likely to overeat—especially greasy or fried foods—which can add to your waistline.

Can you drink and not gain weight? Health.com has some tips:

1. Before you go out, have dinner or a snack with protein, fiber, and healthy fat
2. The simpler the drink, the better
3. Have no more than one or two drinks
4. Drink a big glass of water for every drink you have. Then, before going to bed, have some more, along with a snack that is high in fiber and protein such as high-fiber cereal or oatmeal

For the sake of your short and long term health, it makes sense to avoid alcohol.

Calories Still Count

Over the past several years we heard less about how many calories you should eat a day to lose weight and more about no carbs/low carbs, high protein, clean eating, gluten free, drink at least 8 glasses of water, juicing, etc. However, the reality still is, as it was years and years ago, you have to eat less calories than you expend to lose weight. I feel like we got lost in behavior modifications on cutting calories. Many of these approaches are primarily aimed at easier ways to reduce calories. Sadly, what has happened is that many of us feel we can have half a chicken or large steak as long as we paired it with just a salad. Or cut out carbs or go gluten free and we'll lose weight. I too fell into that. I avoided bread for years with little to no effect on my weight. I also drank loads of water in the hopes that it would keep me full longer and flush the fat away.

To compound things, most of us hate counting calories. But you really do need to have a sense of how much you should eat. Essentially, you should aim for approximately 500 calories less per day to lose approximately 1 pound per week. This could be a combination of food and exercise. Sometimes I have seen where it's recommended for women to eat 1400 calories and no less than 1200 calories per day. However, YOUR caloric intake should be based on a number of factors, not just gender. Try CalorieKing to see how many calories you should eat daily. This site considers your current weight, age, gender and activity level. Another option is myfitnesspal.

One important point is that as you lose weight you will need to lower your calories. So it's best to base your calories on where you are now rather than go for a lower number that will make it difficult to sustain over time. So bookmark CalorieKing and go back to it every 10 or 20 pounds later.

As you journey to a being healthy and fit keep a keen eye on the number of calories you can consume daily. And don't be confused by strategies, tactics, behavior modification tips to help you do so.



Image courtesy of Naypong at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Grocery Shopping For Weight Loss

The only advice that I have ever heard about grocery shopping is to never shop when you're hungry. The reason is that you will make unwise choices. And of course, you'll eat whatever is near at hand.

For the past few years, I have used a grocery delivery service where you select your items online. This is perfect, no temptations, no impulsive buying, no chips or chocolate at the check out aisle. If this is an option available to you, I strongly recommend taking advantage of it. You can plan your week's menus and order the ingredients from the comfort of your home.

If a grocery delivery service is not an option for you Here's the best advice when shopping in person. Stay on the perimeter of the grocery store. Think about it. All your fresh, healthy items are on the border of the supermarket - fruit, vegetables, meat, poultry, seafood, and so on. You will have to also find the aisle with legumes or if you buy frozen vegetables, but for the most part that's all you need.

So remember to stay on the outside of the grocery store as you journey to a healthy and fit body.

Best Weight Loss Tool

As I continue on my journey to being healthy and fit, I'm slowly discovering that the best tool for weight loss is my stove. You really do have to cook most, if not all, of your meals. In my part of the world trying to eat healthy and stay within the recommended serving or portions sizes is very difficult with restaurant meals and package/canned foods.

And if you are going to cook your own meals, it means that you have to plan a weekly menu and grocery shop for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. You cannot leave it to chance because you'll end up being stuck with the desire to cook and missing the ingredients for the dish you'll like to make.

You'll also have to look at your week ahead and plan for any late nights, breakfast or lunch meetings. Think of the realities of your week. For example, do you eat breakfast at home, in the car or at your desk? Obviously, you'll have to purchase the appropriate items. Don't forget to have containers for your breakfast and lunch, if necessary.

Finally, I recommend that you start your own cook book. Otherwise, you'll be bored of the few healthy recipes you now have and will lead to diet fatigue.

Are You Eating Too Much Protein?

Practically every one I know is limiting carbs or going gluten free and eating more protein.

However, the experts such as the American Heart Association still recommends only1-2 servings of lean protein daily and about 6 servings of grains or carbohydrates. They also suggest 4 servings of vegetables and 3-4 servings of fruit. Additionally, you should aim for about 4 servings of nuts, seeds and legumes.

The American Heart Association chart also gives you an indication of what is a serving size. You'll see that a serving size of grilled fish is the size of a cheque book. I have also seen in other areas that the serving size of meat and chicken is about same as a deck of cards or the palm of your hands.

If you are having more protein than this, one tip is to slowly reduce your serving size. I have found it's helpful to replace some of your protein with the more filling legumes.

Best and Healthiest Banana Oatmeal Cookie

About a year ago I saw a recipe by Ambitious Kitchen for Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookie. The recipe was ridiculously easy to make and healthy. The best combination you can find.

The second time I made the cookies, I used 3 bananas instead of 2 and I found it was not only more moist but it tasted better. I also liked the texture of the oats, so I didn't blend it. I have only added in raisins and that was, as expected, great. Watch what you may choose to add, since some might not be in keeping with journey to healthy and fit.

Here's my take on the recipe:

Ingredients
3 large, mashed banana
2 cups oats
1/2 cup of raisins (optional)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix mashed bananas with the oats.
Spoon mixture onto cookie sheet
Bake for about 9-12 minutes, until slightly golden brown around the edges

If you like, instead of calling them cookies, rename them breakfast bars. They are prefect for a quick, on the go breakfast or snack. And of course, a great dessert.

Enjoy!

Sugar: The Root Of All Evil

More and more research is concluding that sugar is worse for you than fat. Recently the World Health Organization recommended that we limit our daily intake of sugar to no more than 13 teaspoons. This does not include sugar in natural foods like fruit and vegetables. At first glance, I'm sure you think you are well within that limit. However, you must remember to include the sugar in your drinks and foods. For example, a can of pop contains about 10 teaspoons of sugar.

In order to stay within the 13 teaspoons, you must become an expert at reading foods labels, because there is sugar in foods that you least expect like your cereals, condiments, sauces, etc. Also, sugar frequently has other names on food labels; as many as 200. Take a look at this list prepared by Pop Sugar.

The best advice I heard is from Dr. Oz who advises not to eat anything that has sugar (or any of it's other names) listed as the top three or four ingredient.

If you aim to cook most of your foods yourself, you'll see exactly what the ingredients are in the recipe. I love teriyaki and a few days ago I saw a recipe for salmon teriyaki and I was surprised to see that it included 1/2 cup of sugar for 4 servings of salmon!.

Your journey to healthy and fit must include less processed foods and home-cooked meals to reduce your sugar intake.

Know Your Blood Pressure

Getting healthy and fit is more than buying a smaller size dress or bathing suit. Another number to pay attention to on your journey to healthy and fit is your blood pressure. In my part of the world you can easily check (and continue to re-check) your blood pressure at any pharmacy.

This chart reflects blood pressure categories defined by the American Heart Association.

Blood Pressure Category	Systolic mm Hg (upper #)		Diastolic mm Hg (lower #)
Normal	less than 120	and	less than 80
Prehypertension	120 – 139	or	80 – 89
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) Stage 1	140 – 159	or	90 – 99
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) Stage 2	160 or higher	or	100 or higher
Hypertensive Crisis (Emergency care needed)	Higher than 180	or	Higher than 110

It's scary if your blood pressure is high because it increases your risk of heart attach and stroke so seek medical attention.

The diet and exercise recommendation to lower your blood pressure is pretty much the same as the recommendation for weight loss. As you have read before, a diet that's high in fiber and physical activity. Probably, the only additional requirement is to watch your salt intake if your blood pressure is higher than normal.

You can get more information here.