Wow! Two guest posts in one day. The gift that keeps on giving all year long. Thanks Jennifer for coming back to share more thoughts with us…
With the Holidays upon us, it is that time of year again when we make plans to celebrate! However most gatherings, specifically Thanksgiving, are centered around some of our favorite foods.
Growing up, my family would drive from Pittsburgh to Detroit to celebrate Thanksgiving with all of our cousins. We would spend the holiday weekend playing board games, shopping in the mall and eating. I have the fondest memories of those meals with food highlights of turkey, stuffing, rolls, sweet potato casserole and of course the desserts…pumpkin cheesecake torte and pecan pie were my favorites.
Now that I am a bit older – I tend to watch what I eat; more often than not. Eating the right balance of foods is important in order to feel good with sustained energy throughout the entire day. Understanding carbohydrates and how your body uses them, is key to feeling good. Most foods contain carbohydrates, which the body breaks down into simple sugars — the major source of energy for the body. When you eat carbs, your body breaks them down into simple sugars, which are absorbed into the bloodstream. When this process goes fast — as with simple carbohydrates such as white bread, desserts and sugared sodas — you’re more likely to feel hungry again soon. When it occurs more slowly, as with a complex carbohydrates like whole-grains, fruits and vegetables you’ll be satisfied longer. These types of complex carbohydrates give you energy over a longer period of time.
Here are some tips I’ve learned along the way that can help you make some better choices during the Thanksgiving Day smorgasbord.
Help yourself to turkey – The turkey itself is actually a very healthy bird. It’s a good source of protein, high in niacin, phosphorous, selenium, vitamin B6 and zinc. A three ounce serving of turkey breast meat is just 87 calories, 15 grams of protein and 3 grams of carbs.
Don’t stuff yourself on stuffing – The stuffing can pack a calorie, fat and carb wallop. It’s dense, usually made with bread, saturated in butter and has more molecular weight than a black hole in outer space. If you have control over how it’s made, substituting fat-free chicken broth for the butter goes a long way towards cutting the fat grams. Adding a lot of chopped vegetables to the recipe can also help. If you aren’t in charge of making the stuffing, try to keep your helping small, around 1/2 cup.
Add Nutrilite® Carb Blocker 2 to your daily supplements – Carb Blocker 2 may prevent up to 500 carbohydrate calories from being absorbed when taken with a meal. It blocks carbs without depriving your body of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Jennifer is the proud mother of an active teenage boy and enjoys watching his sporting events. She is an Associate Brand Manager in Health Marketing and has been with Amway for 10 years.
But, is it possible to lose weight by eating snack cakes, chips, sugary cereals, and cookies? Technically, yes.
Mark Haub, a Kansas State University professor of human nutrition recently proved it. For 10 weeks, he ate a sugary snack every three hours, in place of meals. He continued to eat vegetables in front of his kids at dinner to at least try to maintain a good example.
In two months, he dropped 27 pounds by consuming less than 1,800 calories per day and lowered his BMI from 28.8, considered overweight, to 24.9, which is in the normal range.
Before you dash out to the nearest gas station to stock up, the important lessons to focus on here are pieces of advice that nutritionists have been dishing out for some time now: calories count and everything in moderation.
Your body burns off a certain amount of calories every day through normal activity. Take in more calories than you burn and you’ll gain weight. Take in fewer calories than you burn and you’ll lose it.
As for moderation, eating a piece of chocolate or a handful of chips here and there won’t make you gain weight, provided you’re keeping your total calorie count in check through balanced eating and exercise.
So, even though you might be able to lose weight eating the way Haub did, there’s no way to know how that type of diet would impact health over the long term. I know I always feel better when my diet has a lot of fruits, vegetables, lean protein, whole grains, and healthy fats like olive oil and avocado. Eating this way naturally keeps your total calorie count lower, plus by selecting colorful fruits and vegetables you get the added bonus of phytonutrients, which are packed with health benefits, something that can’t be said for sugary treats.
For a healthier alternative to simply and safely cut calories, check out the NUTRILITE® Weight Management Program eating plans: Better Balancer, Carb Reducer, and Fat Trimmer.
Losing weight is hard. So is trying to climb out of debt.
Researchers have actually found a correlation between weight and debt, with studies that show people who lose a large amount of weight also tend to build more wealth. It’s also been shown that people carrying excess weight often have a larger debt burden.
I’ve been thinking about the connection lately because while I’m not trying to climb out of a big financial hole, I am trying to save for a big expense: my wedding! The steps I’ve taken in the past to get out of debt, such as clearly defining the situation, making a game plan, and sacrificing little splurges in favor of a healthier balance sheet are the same steps I’m taking to save for the big day. My fiancé and I have set a budget, are diligently sticking to it*, and we’ve both agreed to set aside a certain dollar amount each month so that we can pay the florist, the photographer, the DJ, and feed our hungry guests!
The same behaviors that can help you gain wealth can help you lose weight: • First, define the numbers. How much weight would you need to lose to be healthy? Check your BMI for a quick glance at an appropriate weight range based on your height. If you want to get out of debt, you’ll need to paint an accurate picture of how many outstanding debts you have, total the balances, and determine how much money you can squeeze out of your monthly budget to start paying it down. • Next, set small goals to stay focused. It may not be realistic to start your weight loss journey by eliminating all your favorite foods and committing to jogging six miles every day of the week. In fact, that approach is a recipe for burnout and guilt when you can't stick to your unrealistic expectations. Set small goals each week and build on your success. Realistic goals to start could include aiming to get more fruits and vegetables at each meal and committing to taking the stairs at work every day. You can work your way up from there. Similarly, start with your smallest debt first and try to tackle it by paying more than the minimum until it’s paid off. Then, move on to the bigger balances. Soon, you’ll get a snowball going because you’ll be able to use the money you’re saving on the smaller bills to pay even more on the bigger bills – until they’re all gone. • *Don’t make it an all or nothing equation. Yes, you want to stick to your plan as much as possible, but life sometimes beckons with a piece of birthday cake or an adorable pair of shoes – don’t let small slips in your diet or your debt reduction plan become an excuse to go back to your old ways. Progress is progress and one transgression does not make you a total failure!
As part of my personal savings strategy, I’ve committed to making a majority of meals at home, which means I eat breakfast at home or grab a quick meal bar and pack a healthy lunch the night before. I love trying new recipes, but I tend to fall back on my trusty (food-spattered) Trim Body System journal. We’ll be discontinuing the Trim Body System soon, but it’s being replaced by three new easy eating plans: the Carb Reducer, Better Balancer, and Fat Trimmer. All three follow the same concept of easy daily meal plans and super-simple, yet still tasty recipes. You can find out which one is right for you by taking the Inherent Health® Weight Management Genetic Test or by choosing a plan similar to others that have worked for you in the past.
I mention this because not only do I believe in the program – check out the results – but because I find that when I do follow the plan, my grocery bill tends to be far less than when I pick and choose recipes from different books in my kitchen. I think it’s because you use a lot of the same base ingredients, so you’re not using a different (expensive) oil or spice for each recipe. So, if you need to lose weight and save money, you might want to check the new eating plans out!
Tell us about any new healthy habits you’re trying to incorporate into your life and how it's going. Good luck with the process!
