I was shopping for spaghetti today. I don't like parmesian cheese, so I wanted to get grated mozarella.
I saw a bag that was "new" - Mozarella with cream cheese added for creamier taste.
I looked at the calories - 90 per serving.
Normal mozarella - 70 calories per serving.
Now you know me -I want food to have the ingredients in it that its supposed to have - none of this "low fat" or "sugar free" nonsense. [Unless you like the flavor of it...go for it. But you need fat, and sugar, and carbohydrates in your diet - just in moderate portions).
However, I don't want food to have what it shouldn't have, as for example cream cheese in mozarella cheese! Mozarella tastes just fine the way it is, and for an extra 20 calories per serving is it really necessary to have it "creamier."
In the same way, fruit juice for kids. If you want your kids to drink fruit juice - and you should - have them drink real fruit juice, with no sugar added. There's enough sugar in them to begin with without adding more.
There are always hazards... for example oatmeal... who can eat oatmeal plain? No, you have to add brown sugar to it! But beware how much you add...just a tinge to make it sweet, not several spoonfuls to not only make it sweet but also calorie-ridden.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Water, water everywhere
If you feel hungry all the time, and that's why you snack uncontrollably, try this simple solution - drink water (but not within an hour of eating time. Drink it afterwards.)
If you drink water - or coffee - or even pop (but not alcohol because, really, it would be best to forego alcohol. Yes it has no more calories than pop, but it also effects your mood and your ability to think!) it fills up your stomach and you are not as hungry. It dulls the appetite.
If you drink a glass of water 30 minutes before you eat supper, you won't eat as much...which may or may not be a good thing - but if you have a large glass of water an hour or so after you eat, and another one a while later, those hunger pains won't come or if they do come they'll be dull enough to deal with with a carrot stick rather than a candy bar.
Give it a try.
If you drink water - or coffee - or even pop (but not alcohol because, really, it would be best to forego alcohol. Yes it has no more calories than pop, but it also effects your mood and your ability to think!) it fills up your stomach and you are not as hungry. It dulls the appetite.
If you drink a glass of water 30 minutes before you eat supper, you won't eat as much...which may or may not be a good thing - but if you have a large glass of water an hour or so after you eat, and another one a while later, those hunger pains won't come or if they do come they'll be dull enough to deal with with a carrot stick rather than a candy bar.
Give it a try.
Monday, October 24, 2011
The Horrible Holidays....
It is too bad that Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas all come within 3 months of each other, and all at the coldest time of the year. It's no coincidence that people do gain the most weight over these 60 days (end of October to Jan 1).
But do not despair!
You can enjoy all that good food - just in small portions.
And if things do get out of hand (but this will only happen a little bit! Because you've been working on your willpower) and you step on a scale on Jan 2 and find you've gained 5 pounds...don't worry about it. You do not want this to happen, but if it happens, so what? You'll have 10 months to lose that 5 pounds,along with the rest of the weight you want to lose, and you'll have learned that you must not let things get out of hand, so you'll have more experience and knowledge about your eating habits for what not to do next year when October rolls around again.
And it might be time to get interested in winter sports - skiing...even sledding...or just indoor mall walking!
But do not despair!
You can enjoy all that good food - just in small portions.
And if things do get out of hand (but this will only happen a little bit! Because you've been working on your willpower) and you step on a scale on Jan 2 and find you've gained 5 pounds...don't worry about it. You do not want this to happen, but if it happens, so what? You'll have 10 months to lose that 5 pounds,along with the rest of the weight you want to lose, and you'll have learned that you must not let things get out of hand, so you'll have more experience and knowledge about your eating habits for what not to do next year when October rolls around again.
And it might be time to get interested in winter sports - skiing...even sledding...or just indoor mall walking!
Dire Warnings for Halloween Already Starting
so I may as well get into the act as well.
Do you have a co-worker at work who likes to share a candy bowl on their desk at all times? Don't worry, candy bowls in the office space will shortly go the way of "Merry Christmas" signs - it offends people and people must not be offended, so they will either not be allowed at all, or those who bring them in will be instructed to hide them in their desk drawer - no sharing allowed!
Kind of takes all the fun out of it.
Don't get me wrong - little chocolate treats can be insidious - few people can eat just one....but come on!
You've got six more days to exercise your willpower muscles, so that when Halloween party bowls start appearing at work (assuming they're allowed) you can take one or at most two little goodies a day.
No need to feel guilty about it, and no need to make folks hide the candy as if its something to be ashamed of.
Do you have a co-worker at work who likes to share a candy bowl on their desk at all times? Don't worry, candy bowls in the office space will shortly go the way of "Merry Christmas" signs - it offends people and people must not be offended, so they will either not be allowed at all, or those who bring them in will be instructed to hide them in their desk drawer - no sharing allowed!
Kind of takes all the fun out of it.
Don't get me wrong - little chocolate treats can be insidious - few people can eat just one....but come on!
You've got six more days to exercise your willpower muscles, so that when Halloween party bowls start appearing at work (assuming they're allowed) you can take one or at most two little goodies a day.
No need to feel guilty about it, and no need to make folks hide the candy as if its something to be ashamed of.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Scrabble superseded Jigsaws...at least for a week!
I just put on a Scrabble tournament yesterday here in Cheyenne - not as successful as I'd hoped. There are 8 people in my club - they showed up, and that was it. Despite the fact that we'd gotten a nice write up in our Wednesday paper - it generated no new people and no new spectators. Very disappointing.
But preparing for the tournament had taken up all my time, and that's why I've been lax here.
Regular posting starts tomorrow.
But preparing for the tournament had taken up all my time, and that's why I've been lax here.
Regular posting starts tomorrow.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Life is like a jigsaw puzzle
As a kid, I used to do jigsaw puzzles, then got away from it. Now, age 50, I'm back into them again.
I don't work on them full time - indeed I've just now started the second of three puzzles I bought a while ago, a series of sea turtle artwork puzzles. Typically I work on them on Sundays when I'm watching football, and during Monday night football.
And occasionally when I've been working hard on my lil ol' computer, I take a break, go upstairs, and give it a few minutes...
And since I've been working on these jigsaw puzzles, philosophical thoughts come into my head.
For example - life is like a jigsaw puzzle. So is work. So is losing weight.
When you do a jigsaw puzzle, the first thing any sensible person does is sort out the edged pieces and put together the frame, and then work inward from there. [I say, sensible people, because I've been reading up on people who do jigsaw puzzles and there are folks who like to make things difficult for themselves. For example, they won't even look at the box while they're doing the puzzle!)
In addition, as you sort through your pieces, you also group together all pieces that have the same colors, or the same matching design, and so on, and put those together next. Once you've got those easily identifiable portions complete, you start working around the rest of the puzzle until voila, you've completed the puzzle.
And that's exactly what you do with life in general, with your job (in particular if you own your own business) and in losing weight.
How does this relate to losing weight?
Well, in a jigsaw puzzle, the first thing you do is put together your frame.
In losing weight, you also have to put together a frame - and accept your body frame, as well.
There are 3 main body frames for women - small, medium, large. (Other frames include big hips and small top (pear shaped), hour glass shaped (big hips and big breasts) and Twiggy like - small hips, small breasts.
Each of these frames dictate what your healthy weight will be. A woman who is pear shaped or hour-glassed shaped, with the same height of a woman who has a Twiggy frame, is simply going to weigh more. A woman with those two shapes simply must not try to achieve the same weight as a Twiggy framed woman - it is nothealthy.
Embrace your body frame!
That's one kind of frame. The other kind of frame is your framework for losing weight.
You need to put that together, before you can actually start to lose weight.
Framework, program, plan - those are all the same words - you must have a plan. (Fail to plan, and you plan to fail.)
I'll continue this analogy tomorrow, never fear. ; )
I don't work on them full time - indeed I've just now started the second of three puzzles I bought a while ago, a series of sea turtle artwork puzzles. Typically I work on them on Sundays when I'm watching football, and during Monday night football.
And occasionally when I've been working hard on my lil ol' computer, I take a break, go upstairs, and give it a few minutes...
And since I've been working on these jigsaw puzzles, philosophical thoughts come into my head.
For example - life is like a jigsaw puzzle. So is work. So is losing weight.
When you do a jigsaw puzzle, the first thing any sensible person does is sort out the edged pieces and put together the frame, and then work inward from there. [I say, sensible people, because I've been reading up on people who do jigsaw puzzles and there are folks who like to make things difficult for themselves. For example, they won't even look at the box while they're doing the puzzle!)
In addition, as you sort through your pieces, you also group together all pieces that have the same colors, or the same matching design, and so on, and put those together next. Once you've got those easily identifiable portions complete, you start working around the rest of the puzzle until voila, you've completed the puzzle.
And that's exactly what you do with life in general, with your job (in particular if you own your own business) and in losing weight.
How does this relate to losing weight?
Well, in a jigsaw puzzle, the first thing you do is put together your frame.
In losing weight, you also have to put together a frame - and accept your body frame, as well.
There are 3 main body frames for women - small, medium, large. (Other frames include big hips and small top (pear shaped), hour glass shaped (big hips and big breasts) and Twiggy like - small hips, small breasts.
Each of these frames dictate what your healthy weight will be. A woman who is pear shaped or hour-glassed shaped, with the same height of a woman who has a Twiggy frame, is simply going to weigh more. A woman with those two shapes simply must not try to achieve the same weight as a Twiggy framed woman - it is nothealthy.
Embrace your body frame!
That's one kind of frame. The other kind of frame is your framework for losing weight.
You need to put that together, before you can actually start to lose weight.
Framework, program, plan - those are all the same words - you must have a plan. (Fail to plan, and you plan to fail.)
I'll continue this analogy tomorrow, never fear. ; )
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Winter is coming
Winter doesn't officially start until December, but it starts to get cold in various parts of the country about now.
And that may or may not play havoc with your exercise routine, if you hate the cold. It certainly always played havoc with me.
But there are plenty of indoor sports to take advantage of if it's ever too cold to go biking or play outdoor tennis.
If you've got a flight of stairs in your house, run up and down that a few times to either increase or maintain your cardiovascular fitness. A "step up" step will work too.
If you haven't gotten your weight bench with leg attachment yet, now is the time to start saving for it - or get your significant other to buy it for you for Christimas. ; )
Performing leg curls and leg extensions on a suitably equipped weight bench will pay benefits right away.
There's another thing about winter. Days are shorter, nights are longer. Do you suffer from seasonal effective disorder? IN other words, without sufficient light, many people become depressed. If you regularly find yourself depressed during the winter months, that may well be the case. THere's ways to combat that. Special light bulbs, etc - and more importantly just the knowledge of what is causing your depression.
With knowledge comes power!
And that may or may not play havoc with your exercise routine, if you hate the cold. It certainly always played havoc with me.
But there are plenty of indoor sports to take advantage of if it's ever too cold to go biking or play outdoor tennis.
If you've got a flight of stairs in your house, run up and down that a few times to either increase or maintain your cardiovascular fitness. A "step up" step will work too.
If you haven't gotten your weight bench with leg attachment yet, now is the time to start saving for it - or get your significant other to buy it for you for Christimas. ; )
Performing leg curls and leg extensions on a suitably equipped weight bench will pay benefits right away.
There's another thing about winter. Days are shorter, nights are longer. Do you suffer from seasonal effective disorder? IN other words, without sufficient light, many people become depressed. If you regularly find yourself depressed during the winter months, that may well be the case. THere's ways to combat that. Special light bulbs, etc - and more importantly just the knowledge of what is causing your depression.
With knowledge comes power!
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