Our mothers were right to tell us to eat our vegetables.  After protein, vegetables are a wonderful food choice along with lower glycemic fruits and complex carbohydrates.  I’ve changed my habits so much that vegetables are now a food that I crave and look forward to.  If you’d told me that 10 years ago I would have laughed hysterically as I ate my Big Mac.  Whether vegetables are your favorites or a dreaded necessity, that are a must in a healthy nutritional plan.  Not only do vegetables charge us low consumption of calories but high in nutrition AND fiber.

To incorporate vegetables into your eating program, check these out:

1. Try at a new vegetable each week.  Go to your local farmer’s market and discover a new vegetable find.  Farmer’s markets are great because you patronize your local farmers plus you can ask about the vegetable, how best to prepare and enjoy it.  You can also pick out something in the produce section at the grocery store that appeals to you and give it a try.

2. Make a meal out of a salad. Not as a salad bar loaded with cheese, mayo-laden salads and croutons.  Rather, use mostly lettuce, add in some vegetables, and throw on some chicken, turkey, steak, tuna or cottage cheese for added protein. Top with a spray dressing, fat free vinaigrette, or low-calorie option.

3. Use pre-made salad mixes from the grocery store. Its an easy and fast way to eat your vegetables.  Change your definition of fast food to pre-made salad mixes available in bags and even pre-cut vegetables.  Now – that’s fast food, healthy style.

4. Add vegetables into an omelet.  The protein from the eggs and added vegetable make the perfect meal for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  I also love scrambled eggs and one of my personal favorites is to add vegetables to cook with my eggs.  Tomatoes, spinach, peppers or mushrooms add flavor and color to plain eggs.

5. Use celery sticks or cucumbers as dippers versus crackers or bread. Dip vegetables in hummus, tuna or chicken salad for a nice meal or snack. Extra nutrition for lower calories and carbs.

6. Try roasting or grilling vegetables. Coat chunks of peppers, zucchini, squash, onions and eggplant with some vegetable spray and a sprinkle of balsamic vinaigrette and grill or bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes, turning occasionally. One of my favorite things to do in the spring, summer and event fall is to grill vegetables on the bbq.  Vegetable skewers are absolutely delicious.

7.  Keep cut vegetables front and center in your fridge.  If you open the refrigerator for a snack, you’re less apt to search for something else if you have pre-cut vegetables ready to eat.

Enjoy all the colors and brilliance of spring not just in the blooming flowers but in the magnificence taste, texture and nutrition of vegetables.

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy, CLC
Certified Life Coach, Weight Loss Surgery Coach
Certified Back On Track Facilitator

When you have had weight loss surgery or following a particular diet plan, eating becomes a means of fueling your body rather than a recreational sport.  Instead of filling boredom by eating, you fill your time with meaningful activities that fill you.

The nutritional breakdown of foods doesn’t begin and end at calories.  Check it all out for the full picture of what you are considering as a food choice.  How many portions are in the package?  What is the nutrition you will be putting into your body – high quality with a punch of nutrition or empty low quality (or no) nutrition?  Check the fat content, saturated fat, carbohydrates and grams of sugar, fiber content and protein.  Then ask yourself if this food choice is a nutritional deal or a nutritional dud?

You wouldn’t purchase a car that qualifies in the legal definition as a lemon.  Who wants to pay premium money or calories for sub-par nutrition or junky food?  That is what we do every time that we make a poor food choice.  Every now and then, you can indulge in a less than nutritional deal.  If your daily dietary intake consists of mostly nutritional duds, your body and health will pay the price.

Consider 1,200 calories.  You can either think that is not very much or enough for you.  If you eat 1,200 of high quality calories such as lean proteins, complex carbohydrates of whole grains, fruits and vegetables then that 1,200 is a lot of nutritional deals.  If you eat 1,200 of simple carbs, that isn’t much food.  You’ll zoom through those 1,200 in no time and it will leave you wanting more and more.  The nutritional deals will leave you feeling full and satisfied where the nutritional duds leave you empty and craving more never feeling satisfied.

Just as you wouldn’t purchase a car that was legally defined as a lemon, why would you consume nutritional duds.  Just as you want to spend your money (calories) in smart ways to get the most for what you spend, the same applies to your food choices.  Spend your money wisely; spend your calories wisely as well.

When you adopt the mindset of nutritional deals as the majority of your food choices, you’ll feel full, satisfied by the fuel you give to your body thus reach your weight loss goals.

Spend wisely in all areas of your life – your time, your money and your nutrition!

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy, CLC
Certified Life Coach, Weight Loss Surgery Coach
Certified Back On Track Facilitator

*Sugar Free DaVinci Gourmet Syrups (http://www.davincigourmet.com/)

*Smartforme Chocolate Soy Crunchies (http://www.smartforme.com)

*Power Crunch Bars (http://www.n101.com – You can buy them elsewhere by Internet.  This is the site I get mine from.)

*Jack Link’s Beef Steak (http://jacklinks.com)

*Dessert Tabs (http://www.simplydeliciouscandy.com)

*Fit 365 Protein Drink (I love the chocolate….mix with decaf coffee, some Carmel Sugar Free DaVinci Gourmet Syrup, blended with ice and a nutritional YUM!) (www.fit365.com)

*Walden Farms items, especially their salad dressings!  (www.waldenfarms.com)

*No More Naked Popcorn flavorings (I put this on cottage cheese, vegetables, and anything I want for extra flavor.  Ranch is my favorite.)  (www.NoMoreNakedPopcorn.com)

What are some of your favorites??  I’d love new discoveries to help enhance my healthy lifestyle!!

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy, CLC
Certified Life Coach, Weight Loss Surgery Coach
Certified Back On Track Facilitator

Sugar isn’t always listed as “sugar” as there are many forms and disguises of sugars in foods.  High fructose corn syrup is a big one.  No indication of sugar in the ingredient name but that is exactly what it is.  Check out the sugar content in grams on the nutritional breakdown of all food items.  Items claiming healthy and fat free can be full of sugar.  Fat free products especially make up for the fat by adding sugar for flavor and texture.  You need to be a food detective to make sure your choices are exactly what you think they are in being healthy for you.

You’d be surprised to learn that foods that seem innocent enough are packed with sugar and lots of it.  To convert grams of sugar on a nutrition label into easy to understand teaspoons, divide the grams of sugar listed by four.

Check out how much sugar is in some of your favorite “healthy” foods.  As a comparison, only one Oreo contains one teaspoon of sugar.  Here’s some others:

1 container of lowfat blueberry yogurt (healthy, right?):  10-1/2 teaspoons of sugar.
1 cup vegetetarian baked beans:  5 teaspoons of sugar
1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce:  2-1/2 teaspoons of sugar
1 cup low sodium vegetable soup:  2 teaspoons of sugar

Knowledge is power in making food choices.  Check out your favorites to make sure they are worthy of a place in your nutrition program.

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy, Certified Life Coach
Weight Loss Surgery Coach
Certified Back On Track Facilitator

When shopping, spend most of your time and budget in the produce and meats section and avoid the inner area.  The bulk of the processed (also known as high-calorie, lower nutrition) foods are.

A great weight loss strategy is to minimize your time and money in the inner aisles (can we say Peanut Butter Captain Crunch and frozen pizzas??) and focus on the produce, meats, dairy, whole grain breads and complex carbs which are kept on the outside of those processed food aisles.

Another idea of whether to buy an item is to check out the ingredient list.  If you don’t know what the first few ingredients are or need a dictionary to find out what an item contains, don’t buy it.  The ingredient list on produce, meat and dairy are very simple and obviously, those are the healthiest choices you can make.

Have a list AND stick to the list.  Make your list at home for the items that you need.  At home, you can leisurely take inventory of the items that you need.  In your own home, you aren’t in the environment of the grocery store and the temptations that lie in wait for you.  Something may look good in the store but that doesn’t mean you need to buy it.  The marketers of products at the grocery store have strategies to encourage impulse purchases.  They’ve spent time and research in knowing how to appeal to our impulse buying tendency.  Don’t succumb to those marketing strategies.  Know what you need and stick to your list.

Also, put on your blinders when it comes to standing in line to check out.  The snacks and candy are those impulse items that are waiting to be picked up.  When it comes to waiting in line at the check out areas, have tunnel vision and make it a habit not to make any purchases in those areas.

Stick to your list for your calorie and monetary budget!  Your weight loss and finances will thank you!!

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy, CLC
Certified Life Coach, Weight Loss Surgery Coach

Pre-op, Krispy Kremes were my thing. I loved them.  I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I could down an entire dozen easily in a day. I can’t believe it but it is true.

Now, post-op, I’d like to tell you that a KK (I’m on such friendly terms with them that I’ve given them a pet name of KK!!) has not crossed my lips but it has.  In fact, multiple KKs have.  I have a long-standing love/hate relationship with KK’s.  I love them but want to hate them.  I must admit that these images I’ve shared in this post help me with the “hate” part of my relationship with them.  Even I have to admit they are gross here!!

Now being more health conscious and incorporating healthy habits in my life, I am more respectful of what I eat.  As we all know, Krispy Kremes are NOT a healthy choice……fat and sugar. That’s it.  Nothing more.  I might as well sit down to a dish of lard with sugar poured on top.  I’m going to try to imagine that the next time I drive by my friendly KK!

Check this out……as if it couldn’t get worse:

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy, CLC
Certified Life Coach

If you depend on restaurants, fast food places, or junk snack food for your meals, you’re going to get huge portions, lots of excess fat, sugar, carbs and calories, and foods void of nutrition but plenty of extra weight.  It is challenging, if not impossible, to reach your goal of losing weight and maintenance with these foods as your primary source of nutrition. 

If you make a short visit of planned grocery items on your list every few days, you can get many healthier, fresher foods.  You have a huge range of healthy choices.  You’ll save lots of money and calories too.   By shopping for your own food you will naturally begin to choose and eat in a more healthy, conscious way.

Cooking yourself lets you control your carbs, fats, sodium, and sugars.  If everything is prepared for you, then you give up control.

Shop and prepare your own food…..you and your health are worth the time and energy.

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy, Certified Life Coach
Weight Loss Surgery Coach

*Add chopped spinach to lasagnas and meatloaf. 

*Mix shredded carrots into tuna or chicken salad.

*Create a fancier version of a sandwich by adding sprouts, cucumber slices, carrot slices, and other vegetables.

*Grill vegetables.  Grilled vegetables have a different flavor that many dieters enjoy.

*Prepare a brunch omelet with sauteed peppers and tomatoes.

*Try one new vegetable per week.  You never know what new discoveries you may make.

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy, Certified Life Coach
Weight Loss Surgery Coach

With the food they serve before your dinner, it can turn into a meal itself.  Before you reach for the bread basket or bar treats, consider this:

French bread (4 slices):  384 calories, 4 grams of fat, 72 grams of carbs.
Garlic bread (4 slices):  545 calories, 21 grams of fat, 75 grams of carbs.
Butter (2 pats):  72 calories, 8 grams of fat, 0 carbs.
Olive oil (2 tablespoons):  240 calories, 27 grams of fat, 0 grams of carbs.

Snacking on bar treats to pass the time waiting for your table or guests simply packs on additional calories to your meal.

Peanuts (1/4 cup):  212 calories, 18 grams of fat, 7 grams of carbs.
Tortilla chips (1 cup):  130 calories, 7 grams of fat, 16 grams of carbs.
Pretzels (1 cup):  171 calories, 2 grams of fat, 36 grams of carbs.

Do the french fries or pasta sound good?  Check this out:

French fries (1 medium order):  450 calories, 22 grams of fat, 57 grams of carbs.
Pasta with meat sauce (1 cup):  301 calories, 10 grams of fat, 33 grams of carbs.

Be prepared and plan before you eat out…your waistline will thank you and so will the scale.

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy

Nutritionists have tested the various methods of cooking vegetables and the effects of each.  The study used fresh broccoli to compare the effects of steaming, boiling, and microwaving.  Steaming resulted in only a minimal loss of antioxidants.  Boiling led to a 66% loss of flavonoids (a type of antioxidant).  Microwaving resulted in an amazing 97% loss of flavonoids, and major losses of other antioxidant types as well.

Vegetables are a wonderful source of fiber and nutrition.  Get the most from your vegetables as possible! 

Believe In Yourself,
Cathy