Frosty Newsletter 4
efritschel
Posts: 10
Newsletter Four
Without a doubt, plan it out
Are you living like a monk so you can splurge on the weekends? Are you losing weight to prepare for the
buffets on a cruise ship, vacation, or holiday gathering? Successful maintainers in the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) do just the opposite: They eat consistently across the week and throughout the year. The secret is planning.
Strategy works better than will power
These four proven strategies from David Kessler’s book The End of Overeating help turn food into the fuel that will keep you satisfied:
1. Replace chaos with a plan. Think about—whether weekly or daily—what you’re going to eat
for meals and snacks so you can be prepared when you work late, work through lunch, run errands, etc. Eating
a couple of small snacks throughout the day (100–250 calories with a mix of carbohydrates and protein) helps keep your metabolic fires stoked for a slow, steady burn. FAST
2. Practice just-right eating. Think in advance about what your meal or snack should look like and put
only that much food on your plate. Try setting aside half of what you would normally eat and wait an hour to see if you are still hungry. You might find that you’re satisfied with smaller portions than you’d expect.
3. Choose foods that keep you satisfied. Meals should keep you
full for three to four hours. Satisfying snacks should fill you up for at least two hours. Focus on your favorite unprocessed, nutrient-packed foods:
• Select whole grains. Aim for making half your grains whole, such as brown rice, popcorn, and
whole-wheat pasta, breads, and rolls. Look for the word “whole” followed by the name of the grain as one of the first ingredients on the label’s
ingredient list.
• Include fruits and vegetables. These nutrition power houses are packed with water and fiber to fill you up with fewer calories. Go for a variety of colors. Limit fruit juices. A USDA study shows that getting the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables costs around $2 a day— approximately 40–50 cents a serving. Choose fresh, frozen, whole, cut, pureed, canned, or dried fruits and vegetables. Beans, peas, and lentils are excellent, inexpensive sources of
protein. FRUGAL
• Choose nonfat or low-fat dairy. Enjoy at least three servings of milk, cheese, or yogurt a day. 1 serving milk or yogurt = 1 cup (8 ounces). 1 serving cheese = 1½ ounces (about the size of two nine-volt batteries).
Or try kale, broccoli, collards, canned sardines or salmon with bones, or calcium- and vitamin D-fortified cereals, juices, tofu, and soy products. Money saver: Milk can be frozen for up to three months. Buy extra when it’s on sale. FRUGAL
• Lean protein —Try lean meat, poultry, seafood, beans and peas, eggs, soy products, nuts, and seeds.
4. No foods are off-limits — Rather than avoiding all tempting foods, figure out how to eat the foods you enjoy in moderation—1/2 cup of frozen yogurt, a small piece of chocolate, a handful of chips—so you won’t feel deprived. Invest in long-term habits, not short-term dieting.
Small steps
Most adults gain weight gradually: 1–2 pounds a year. It doesn’t take much—just 100 extra calories a day can add up to 10 pounds in a year. The good news is that making small, positive changes can lead to big improvements in your weight and health.
Studies have shown that there is a “mindless margin” of about 100 calories that you can cut from your diet without even noticing. How can you cut 100 calories? Grab a piece of fresh fruit instead of cookies or chips; drink diet soda instead of regular; hold the bacon; leave three to four bites of food on your plate. FAST
Rethink your drink
Soft drinks are the single biggest source of food and beverage calories in Americans’ diets. Calories also add up from coffee, energy, and sports drinks; and from alcohol, fruit drinks, smoothies, and fortified waters.
Can you: Drink water instead of sugary drinks? You’ll save calories—and money. FRUGAL
Liquid calories add up
Type of Beverage
Serving Size Calories
(approximate)
Plain coffee, tea, or water; diet soda Any size 0
Sports drink (example: Gatorade) 12 ounces 94
Sobe Life Water, bottle 20 ounces 100
Bottled sweet tea 12 ounces 135
Beer 12 ounces 153
Regular soda, bottle 20 ounces 250
Starbucks Mocha with whipped cream and 2% milk Grande (16 ounces) 330
McDonald’s McFlurry with M&M candies 12 ounces 710
Keep the USDA My Plate in mind throughout the day:
• Make half your plate fruit and vegetables; add one-quarter grains, one-quarter protein, and a single serving of dairy.
• Make at least half your grains whole grains.
• Eat a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables.
• Choose nonfat or 1% dairy such as cheese, fortified soy or cow’s milk, or yogurt with minimal added sugar. Cream cheese, butter, and cream don’t count as dairy—they’re mostly fat.
• Mind the mound! Keep food about the height of the width of your thumb. Source: USDA
Without a doubt, plan it out
Are you living like a monk so you can splurge on the weekends? Are you losing weight to prepare for the
buffets on a cruise ship, vacation, or holiday gathering? Successful maintainers in the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) do just the opposite: They eat consistently across the week and throughout the year. The secret is planning.
Strategy works better than will power
These four proven strategies from David Kessler’s book The End of Overeating help turn food into the fuel that will keep you satisfied:
1. Replace chaos with a plan. Think about—whether weekly or daily—what you’re going to eat
for meals and snacks so you can be prepared when you work late, work through lunch, run errands, etc. Eating
a couple of small snacks throughout the day (100–250 calories with a mix of carbohydrates and protein) helps keep your metabolic fires stoked for a slow, steady burn. FAST
2. Practice just-right eating. Think in advance about what your meal or snack should look like and put
only that much food on your plate. Try setting aside half of what you would normally eat and wait an hour to see if you are still hungry. You might find that you’re satisfied with smaller portions than you’d expect.
3. Choose foods that keep you satisfied. Meals should keep you
full for three to four hours. Satisfying snacks should fill you up for at least two hours. Focus on your favorite unprocessed, nutrient-packed foods:
• Select whole grains. Aim for making half your grains whole, such as brown rice, popcorn, and
whole-wheat pasta, breads, and rolls. Look for the word “whole” followed by the name of the grain as one of the first ingredients on the label’s
ingredient list.
• Include fruits and vegetables. These nutrition power houses are packed with water and fiber to fill you up with fewer calories. Go for a variety of colors. Limit fruit juices. A USDA study shows that getting the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables costs around $2 a day— approximately 40–50 cents a serving. Choose fresh, frozen, whole, cut, pureed, canned, or dried fruits and vegetables. Beans, peas, and lentils are excellent, inexpensive sources of
protein. FRUGAL
• Choose nonfat or low-fat dairy. Enjoy at least three servings of milk, cheese, or yogurt a day. 1 serving milk or yogurt = 1 cup (8 ounces). 1 serving cheese = 1½ ounces (about the size of two nine-volt batteries).
Or try kale, broccoli, collards, canned sardines or salmon with bones, or calcium- and vitamin D-fortified cereals, juices, tofu, and soy products. Money saver: Milk can be frozen for up to three months. Buy extra when it’s on sale. FRUGAL
• Lean protein —Try lean meat, poultry, seafood, beans and peas, eggs, soy products, nuts, and seeds.
4. No foods are off-limits — Rather than avoiding all tempting foods, figure out how to eat the foods you enjoy in moderation—1/2 cup of frozen yogurt, a small piece of chocolate, a handful of chips—so you won’t feel deprived. Invest in long-term habits, not short-term dieting.
Small steps
Most adults gain weight gradually: 1–2 pounds a year. It doesn’t take much—just 100 extra calories a day can add up to 10 pounds in a year. The good news is that making small, positive changes can lead to big improvements in your weight and health.
Studies have shown that there is a “mindless margin” of about 100 calories that you can cut from your diet without even noticing. How can you cut 100 calories? Grab a piece of fresh fruit instead of cookies or chips; drink diet soda instead of regular; hold the bacon; leave three to four bites of food on your plate. FAST
Rethink your drink
Soft drinks are the single biggest source of food and beverage calories in Americans’ diets. Calories also add up from coffee, energy, and sports drinks; and from alcohol, fruit drinks, smoothies, and fortified waters.
Can you: Drink water instead of sugary drinks? You’ll save calories—and money. FRUGAL
Liquid calories add up
Type of Beverage
Serving Size Calories
(approximate)
Plain coffee, tea, or water; diet soda Any size 0
Sports drink (example: Gatorade) 12 ounces 94
Sobe Life Water, bottle 20 ounces 100
Bottled sweet tea 12 ounces 135
Beer 12 ounces 153
Regular soda, bottle 20 ounces 250
Starbucks Mocha with whipped cream and 2% milk Grande (16 ounces) 330
McDonald’s McFlurry with M&M candies 12 ounces 710
Keep the USDA My Plate in mind throughout the day:
• Make half your plate fruit and vegetables; add one-quarter grains, one-quarter protein, and a single serving of dairy.
• Make at least half your grains whole grains.
• Eat a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables.
• Choose nonfat or 1% dairy such as cheese, fortified soy or cow’s milk, or yogurt with minimal added sugar. Cream cheese, butter, and cream don’t count as dairy—they’re mostly fat.
• Mind the mound! Keep food about the height of the width of your thumb. Source: USDA
0