Are You Powerless to Holiday Pounds?
The season of deck-your-waist-with-extra-pounds is officially here.
So what are you going to do about it?
Will you join the masses who faithfully gain 5 pounds between November and January?
Or will you do something different this year?
It is entirely possible to avoid the dreaded holiday chub by following this simple strategy:
All About Power
To begin, it's important that you approach your goal from a place of "I can" rather than "I can't."
Most diet and weight loss plans begin by outlining everything that you
can't eat. You can't enjoy the buffet at your office holiday party. You
can't taste the fudge that your Aunt Frances made. You can't partake in
the seasonal coffee drinks. You can't, you can't, you can't.
It shouldn't be surprising when the diet only last a few days before
your inner rebel breaks out and defies all the rules by mowing through
an entire plate of Christmas cookies in one sitting.
When you begin from a place of can't, you forfeit all of the power.
On the other hand, when you approach your goal from a place of "I can,"
the power swings back into your favor. Use these 3 steps to re-gain your
power:
1. Focus on positive action.
Rather than obsess over what you can't eat this holiday season, I want
you to take the positive action of exercising into your own hands. Every
time that you complete a workout feel the surge of empowerment that
comes with the accomplishment.
2. Schedule positive action.
The next step is to concretely schedule your workout sessions. I advise
that you exercise even more during the holiday season than normal, since
you will be taking in more calories. If you normally exercise 3 times
each week for 30 minutes, then plan to exercise 5 times each week for 45
minutes.
3. Reward yourself for positive action.
At the end of each week take the time to reward yourself for
successfully completing each scheduled workout. Don't use food as a
reward, since you'll be taking in extra calories as it is. A massage, a
new outfit, a leisurely hour spent at a coffee shop, or even a well
deserved nap are all great ways to reward yourself.
What You Believe
The people who won't gain any weight this holiday season already know
it. How? They've decided not to gain weight, and they believe it.
Do you believe that you won't gain weight this year? Or are your past failures keeping you less than confident?
Let's create a strong belief that you won't be powerless to holiday pounds.
In his book, Awaken the Giant Within, Anthony Robbins explains 4 steps needed to create a belief:
Step One: Identify the basic belief. "I will maintain a healthy weight this holiday season, without gaining any extra."
Step Two: Reinforce your belief by adding new and more powerful references.
This means focusing on the reasons that you don't want to gain the
weight. Get out a sheet of paper and list all of the cons to you gaining
an extra 5 or 10 pounds over the holidays. Spend a lot of time on this
step. Reiterate to yourself over and over why you don't want to gain the
weight. If you have old pictures of yourself at an unhealthy weight,
pull them out and keep them as visual reminders of why you don't want to
gain any extra weight.
Step Three: Find a triggering event, or create one of your own. Disturb yourself.
Try on your bathing suit, or better yet go out and try on bathing suits
in dressing rooms with that awful lighting. Try on your skinny jeans.
Try on last year's cocktail dress. Try on that outfit at the back of
your closet that you still can't fit into.
Step Four: Take action. Get started on your exercise program – right now. Taking action is the most important step, and the most rewarding.
Call or email me right now, and I will help you get started on an
exercise and nutrition program that will guide you step-by-step all the
way to success. Who knows? I may even get you to your New Year's
Resolution before January even starts.
Give yourself the power to overcome holiday pounds – get started now. Call today: 512-296-5883
Don't Stress
The
holidays can be a stressful time, with places to go, presents to wrap
and parties to plan. There is ample evidence that stress has a negative
effect on your body and your metabolism. When your body is under stress
it produces cortisol, a hormone related to the fight or flight response.
This increase in cortisol causes weight gain, decreased metabolism and
even depression.
This holiday season, don't let stress get the better of you. Give yourself time to relax – you'll be leaner for it.
Spinach & Egg White Wrap
This wrap is delicious for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It's ready in a flash, tastes amazing, and is filled with lean protein, veggies and whole sprouted grains. Try it today, but don't be surprised if you get hooked!
Servings: 2
Here's what you need:
1. Spread a tablespoon of pesto over each tortilla and set aside.
2. In medium sized skillet warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until golden. Add the tomato and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until it is soft and wilted. Remove the veggies from skillet, set aside in a bowl.
3. Pour the egg whites into the skillet, season with salt and pepper. Cook until the egg is no longer runny.
4. Arrange half of the egg whites in a line down the center of each tortilla. Top with half of the veggies and then fold the ends up and wrap like a burrito.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 288 calories, 10g fat, 28g carbohydrate, 6g fiber, and 21g protein.
Healthier Eating with Yogurt!
Move over, regular yogurt. Going Greek is in, and this exotic option has elbowed its way onto refrigerator shelves everywhere. Most give a big thumbs up to its taste—tangier and less sweet, as well as creamier—but is it healthier than its conventional counterpart?
First, to be clear: Both Greek and regular yogurt, in their plain, nonfat or low-fat forms, can be part of a healthful diet. They're low in calories and packed with calcium and live bacterial cultures. But our Mediterranean friend—which is strained extensively to remove much of the liquid whey, lactose, and sugar, giving it its thick consistency—does have an undeniable edge. In roughly the same amount of calories, it can pack up to double the protein, while cutting sugar content by half. Those are "two things dietitians love," says Dawn Jackson Blatner, a registered dietitian and author of The Flexitarian Diet. "For someone who wants the creamier texture, a little bit of a protein edge, and a sugar decrease, going Greek is definitely not all hype." And it's really got a following: In the past five years, Greek yogurt sales nationwide have skyrocketed, likely because it satisfies consumers' needs for health, convenience, and taste, according to Nielsen, a global marketing and advertising research company.
Here's a closer look at how the two stack up nutrition-wise.
Protein. Greek yogurt is high in protein, which helps promote fullness. A typical 6-ounce serving contains 15 to 20 grams, the amount in 2 to 3 ounces of lean meat. That makes it particularly appealing to vegetarians, who sometimes struggle to get enough of the nutrient. An identical serving of regular yogurt, on the other hand, provides just 9 grams, meaning you may feel hunger pangs sooner.
Carbohydrates. Going Greek is a smart choice for low-carb dieters. It contains roughly half the carbs as the regular kind—5 to 8 grams per serving compared with 13 to 17. Plus, the straining process removes some of the milk sugar, lactose, making Greek yogurt less likely to upset the lactose-intolerant. Remember, however, that "both types of yogurt can contain high amounts of carbs if they're sweetened with sugar or another sweetening agent," says Kari Hartel, a Missouri-based registered dietitian. "No matter which type you choose, opt for yogurt with less added sugar."
Fat. Be wary of Greek yogurt's fat content. In just 7 ounces, Fage's fill-fat Greek yogurt packs 16 grams of saturated fat—or 80 percent of your total daily allowance if you're on a 2,000-calorie diet. (That's more than in three Snickers bars.) Dannon's regular full-fat yogurt has 5 grams of saturated fat in an 8-ounce serving. Saturated fat raises total and "bad" LDL cholesterol levels, increasing the risk for heart disease. Read nutrition labels carefully. If you're going Greek, stick to low-fat and fat-free versions.
Sodium. A serving of Greek yogurt averages 50 milligrams of sodium—about half the amount in most brands of the regular kind. (Low-sodium versions of regular yogurt are available.) Too much salt can boost blood pressure and increase the risk of other heart problems. The federal government's 2010 Dietary Guidelines urge Americans to cap sodium at 2,300 milligrams a day, or 1,500 milligrams if they're older than 50, African-American, or have hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease.
Calcium. Regular yogurt provides 30 percent of the federal government's recommended daily amount. Greek yogurt loses some of its calcium through the straining process, but still packs a wallop. A 6-ounce cup typically supplies about 20 percent of the daily recommendation. If you're still worried about calcium intake, load up on milk, seeds, and almonds, says Sarah Krieger, a registered dietician and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.
Still undecided on which team to join? Compare the labels of Dannon's regular and Greek varieties. (Other popular brands of Greek yogurt include Chobani, and Stonyfield Farm's Oikos.)
Greek (5.3 ounces, nonfat, plain)
Regular (6 ounces, nonfat, plain)
Though most experts agree that Greek yogurt has a nutritional edge, both kinds help you lose weight by keeping you full on fewer calories. The key is sticking to plain, nonfat, or low-fat varieties. In a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Harvard researchers found that yogurt can keep help keep age-related weight gain in check. People tended to lose nearly 1 pound every four years if they added a daily serving of yogurt to their diet, probably because of the way bacterial cultures affect our intestines.
If you do opt for Greek yogurt, take advantage of its versatility. Mix it with seasonings like garlic, dill, and parsley to create a unique dip for carrots, celery sticks, or cucumber slices. Toss in some berries or high-fiber granola. You can also substitute Greek yogurt for sour cream on tacos, for example, or for the eggs and oil in baked goods. It's an acceptable replacement for fatty ingredients like cream cheese, mayonnaise, and butter. "Its thick texture makes it an excellent swap for mayonnaise on sandwiches, or in dishes like potato salad, egg salad, pasta salad, and coleslaw," Hartel says. "Since these are comfort foods, it makes it easier to transition to using yogurt in recipes."
Source: U.S. News & World Report, 10/10/11