Fit Life Spot

While at my sister’s house in New York City we discussed this blog.  I enjoyed hearing feedback from my sister and brother-in-law, and my favorite comment was that so many of the ideas on this blog are, “DUH!”  My sister Janelle even suggested I change the title to Duh.com.  So much of healthy eating is very easy but so many people don’t do it!  Putting grapes in a bowl at the front of the fridge is not rocket science but it sure gets you and your family to eat more grapes.  Buying healthy foods instead of junk foods is not brain surgery but it sure helps you eat healthier when you’re at home.

Janelle has a friend who laughed that she was buying rolos and spray cheese for my visit when I’m a dietitian.  Janelle pointed out what I have mentioned many times on this blog:  just because I’m a dietitian doesn’t mean I eat perfectly.  I think I mentioned my love for rolos already, and I look forward to the fact that when I go to New York City for my nephew Huck’s birthday, I’m going to share some rolos with my little buddy.  We also enjoy a little craziness with the spray cheese.  Rolos and spray cheese are not foods that my sister buys on a regular basis, but Huck and I look forward to some shenanigans with spray cheese each March.  Heck we didn’t even finish the whole bottle last week.

Eating healthy is not complicated.  You do not have to mix the perfect amount of protein with carbohydrate at the exact time of day.  You do not have to spend hundreds of dollars at the health food section of the grocery store.  You need to fuel yourself with healthy foods throughout the day and surround yourself with good choices.  DUH!

I just returned from a wonderful trip to New York City, where I visited family.  Traveling does not mean giving up on healthy eating and exercising.   I believe in enjoying vacations but still finding ways to be active and eat healthy.  Going on a cruise or to an all-inclusive resort does not have to mean lots of weight gain.  Weight maintenance rather than weight loss is a good goal during travel.

The best way to ensure weight maintenance is by remaining active.  New York City is a great place for walking, and I did a lot of walking around museums and down the streets of the city with my nephew close at hand.  We also went down by the Hudson River and I jogged while my sister and her family biked.  This was an activity that I brought up to help me get some exercise in during my visit.  We all ended up enjoying some time outdoors.

When you travel, it’s a good idea to bring food with you.  Just because you’re on a trip that doesn’t mean you have to start eating junk food.  I brought fruit and a granola bar in my bag on the plane.  Bringing healthy food sets you up to eat healthier and saves money.  I also brought some healthy food in my bag for the plane ride home.  While at your destination, keep your eye out for fruits and veggies to keep your diet high in nutrients and low in calories.  I enjoyed a wonderful fruit smoothie made by my brother-in-law Troy every morning, which started my days off right.

Travel does not have to equal weight gain.  Sometimes a trip will begin a spiral of overeating.  I still enjoyed lots of wonderful food in NY, but I came back the same weight as when I left and enjoyed some exercise outside and lots of healthy food with family.  Think positively about your future travels:  eat smart and find ways to be active.

(Sorry I couldn’t resist the Beastie Boys reference.)  Some of my weight loss clients are shocked when I start asking about sabotage.  Did you know it’s very common for spouses, significant others, friends, and family to sabotage your healthy eating and exercising goals?  ‘Tis true!  I’m not saying these people are out to get you, but without even realizing it, they may be sabotaging you.

Many of my weight loss clients are perplexed when their spouse starts bringing home desserts just as they are succeeding with weight loss.  I’m no psychologist, but I believe that some people feel insecure when their loved ones are making positive changes in their life.  They may wonder how their relationship with their spouse, friend, or loved one will change once that person loses a significant amount of weight.

If you feel that you are being sabotaged in your healthy lifestyle efforts, have a conversation with that person about how you feel.  Explain that you need total support in your quest for a healthy life. 

I think one of the reasons I have been so successful with eating healthy and exercising regularly is that my spouse is so supportive of my healthy lifestyle.  We take turns exercising on the weekends, and he often encourages me to get a workout in even though our day is full of basketball games and dance practice.  When you work and have a spouse and children, making healthy eating and exercise a priority takes two.  Make sure that your significant other, friends, and family are behind you 100%!

I follow some nutrition blogs written by fellow dietitians.  I wanted to share them with you, so I added links to my three favorite blogs on the righ-hand column.

Janet Helm is a Registered Dietitian with a blog called “Nutrition Unplugged”.  In her “about me” section she lists what she believes.  I agreed with every last one of her beliefs, and so I’m sharing them with you:

What I believe

• Nutrition is too often mired in myths, misinformation and misery.
• Food should be enjoyed, not feared.
• Some nutrition claims and evangelists should be viewed with a skeptical eye.
• Nutrition is a science, not a point of view.
• If something sounds too good to be true — it usually is.
• No single food is the downfall of the American diet — or a saviour.
• Taste and health can happily co-exist.
• It’s important to eat what you love and love what you eat.

Nutrition is a science, not a point of view…Bravo!!!  Check out www.nutritionunplugged.com

I don’t like calling foods “bad.”  Of course your diet should have a base of healthy foods, but referring to French fries, chocolate, and cake as “bad” means that you will feel guilty after you’ve eaten this “bad” food.  I like to refer to higher fat or higher sugar foods as “splurge” foods.  I think if you expect yourself to eat a perfect diet with only healthy foods 100% of the time, then you will fail.  When you fail, you will feel guilt.  When you feel guilt, you will get depressed and have a low view of yourself. 

Take away the term “bad” when referring to foods.  I eat ice cream, chocolate, and potato chips (I revealed that in the last blog).  I don’t want to give them up.  I will not give them up.  I don’t feel that the food is bad or I’m bad when I eat the food, but I try to eat these foods in small amounts (I do that by buying smaller amounts or only eating these foods when I eat out, which is rarely).  I realize that these foods are high in calories and low in nutrients.  I try to fill my diet primarily with nutrient dense foods, but I don’t think it’s possible to do that 100% of the time.

Give yourself permission to splurge once a week.  Take the guilt away from the splurge, and enjoy yourself!  Allowing yourself to splurge even while losing weight or while maintaining a healthy body weight can help you feel sane in a world overflowing with splurge foods.  After you have your splurge, get right back to eating healthy foods.

Have you ever found yourself eating from a big bag of potato chips or a large basket of breadsticks?  In those scenarios, did you overeat?  Years ago my adorable niece was eating chips and dip at Christmastime and she said, “I’m full, but I keep eating!”  All of us adults looked around at each other and laughed (a little nervously).  She said aloud what most of us were trying to ignore…

When you eat from a large container of food, you have no idea how much you’re eating or when you’re satisfied.  Many of us eat too fast, so it’s hard to monitor our level of fullness.  The more food we are given, the more we eat.  The best solution to this dilemma of mindless eating is simple:  put your food on a plate or in a bowl.  Portion out an appropriate serving, and sit down and enjoy your meal or snack. 

Eating from a plate or bowl vs. a large container is an important lesson for children as well.  When my son was about 3 years old, he walked around the house with a big bag of goldfish just munching away.  I had an epiphany (as a first time Mom) that maybe this wasn’t a great idea.  I learned to give my children an appropriate portion of food on a plate or in a bowl.

Dinner parties and get-togethers encourage grazing and overeating.  My wise niece at the young age of 5 put it so well…we are full, but we keep eating!  When you go to a party, get a plate and fill it with healthy foods primarily (you know, fruits and vegetables) and then pick a few of the splurge items you want to try.  But don’t sit at the counter next to the food and eat all night! 

For many years I would find myself overly full and uncomfortable on Christmas Eve because I indulged in too many chips and French onion dip.  Two years ago I had the brilliant idea to practice what I preach, and I made myself a plate of chips and dip (about 10 chips and a few tablespoons of dip), sat down, and enjoyed.  Guess what?  I didn’t go to bed feeling ill, but I still got to enjoy one of my favorite splurges on Christmas Eve.  I’d say that’s a win-win.

In my office I have fake (rubber) foods to show clients appropriate portions.  The foods are a little comical and quite unappealing, but I feel they help to get the point across.  How much you eat is so important.  Any food can fit in a healthy diet but portion control is essential.

You can actually buy a portion plate to reinforce the need for portion control.  Here is an example:

http://theportionplate.com/

Half of your plate should be fruits and vegetables, one-quarter of your plate should be lean protein, and one-quarter of your plate should be whole grains.  You can have a full plate of food, but you need to fill your plate with the appropriate combination of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and protein sources.  Many restaurants serve half a plate of high fat meat (6-8 oz) and half a plate of fried potatoes.  Eating 12 servings of grains at Olive Garden (3 cups of pasta and 3 breadsticks) is not going to help you achieve your weight loss or weight maintenance goals.  Instead try eating a salad first (salad dressing on the side and use sparingly) and limit yourself to 1 cup of pasta, 1 breadstick, and a lean source of protein. 

The more food we are presented with, the more we eat.  Some people eat out every day at lunch and many times each week for dinner, and the result is weight gain.  One test is to ask yourself how you feel after a meal.  If you feel stuffed and uncomfortable, then you ate too much.  Eating at home and portioning out your plate appropriately can help you maintain a healthy body weight and still eat a whole plate of food!

Over the Valentines Day weekend, my husband bought a large heart-shaped box of chocolates for a costume (that will be another blog) and placed the chocolates on our kitchen counter.  Over the next three days, our family ate way too many chocolates.  Every time we passed the counter (the kitchen is the central hub of our house), we grabbed one or two chocolates.  On Monday morning, I took all of the chocolates left and put them in a bag and put them out of reach.  Oh how I wish I would have done that on Friday evening.

The foods that we see are the foods we grab.  Having bowls of candy on your desk or a cookie jar on your counter increases the likelihood that you will grab a treat when you are hungry.  Make an effort not to buy unhealthy foods, but if splurge foods make it into your house (like around holidays) do not put the foods on the counter for all to see!

On the flip side, keeping healthy foods on display encourages healthy eating.  We have a fruit bowl on our kitchen table which reminds all of us and visitors to our home (like our children’s friends) to eat more fruits.  I keep baby carrots and other cut-up vegetables in the refrigerator.  When I buy grapes, I wash them and put them in a bowl that everyone can see when they open the fridge.  It’s so easy to grab a handful of clean grapes which makes healthy eating easy.

Please learn from our mistake and keep unhealthy foods off the counter and off your desk at work.  Display the fruits and vegetables you are going to eat at your desk instead, and you’ll make eating healthy easy.

Have you ever talked on your cell phone while driving and arrived at your destination, parked, and entered the building without remembering the drive?  When you are on the phone your mind is distracted from driving but you are still able to drive and park without focusing on that task.  The same goes for eating.  If you ever eat while driving, cooking, or watching television you are not focused on eating.  You finish your meal or snack and may not even remember eating. 

Take time to sit down and focus on your meals and snacks.  Make the rule that you can only eat breakfast at the kitchen table (not the kitchen sink), lunch in the cafeteria (not at your desk while reading email), and dinner with your family at the table (not in the car on the way home from basketball practice).  When you are distracted while eating, your mind doesn’t even register that you have taken the time to eat.  There are a number of reasons to avoid eating while watching television.  First, you may be eating due to the commercials cuing you to eat food rather than true hunger.  Second, you are not focusing on eating and you won’t notice when you’re getting satisfied.  Third, you’re creating a bad habit:  a connection between watching television and eating food.

Changing behaviors can result in healthy habits.  Make the rule that you have to be seated at the kitchen table to eat a meal or snack.  If you have to leave your comfortable couch and blankie to go sit at the table and eat popcorn, you may find that you’re really not that hungry.  We live in a world full of distractions (cell phones, computers, television, and video games).  Focus on your health, turn off the distractions, and have a seat!