GET SOME SLEEP

GET SOME SLEEP

Research shows not getting enough sleep leads to poor food choices by altering gherlin and leptin levels, two hormones that control our appetite. High gherlin levels and low leptin levels are known to stimulate appetite, increase our desire for high calorie foods and ramp up fat storage. Worst yet, this effect can last up to 24 hours. The solution: Get at least 6 hours of sleep a night. —Diane Welland

STATE OF YOUR PLATE

According to Cornell food researcher Brian Wansink, portion size is all about perception. When light-colored foods are served on light- colored plates, portions sizes appear smaller. Try using black dinner plates to provide a contrast with your food, thus prompting you to eat less.

This holiday season, you swear that you’ll

stick to your diet plan, but how do you avoid

the deadly diet destructors? Here’s how!

This year, the holiday season is going to be different, you vow. No more

overindulging and no guilty mornings after. You're going to make better

eating choices and achieve the fat loss success you’ve always wanted.

And for a while everything goes as planned. But just as you're cruising along

on your balanced healthy diet, wham! You're derailed at a party by one of

the Diet Destructors. These invisible dark forces can set you back in your fat

loss success, blowing your confidence and motivation in the process.

As anyone who has ever faced a buffet table loaded with tasty holiday hors

d'oeuvres knows, it's not easy to make good food choices in certain

surroundings. "For every step forward we take, our food environment can

send us back two steps," says Janet Washington, M.P.H., R.D., coordinator

of the sports nutrition program at Simmons College in Boston. Learning

where the Diet Destructors lurk and how to combat them is the key to your

weight loss success.

Read on to discover situations where you're most likely to encounter the Diet

Destructors and simple strategies to keep them from sabotaging your

healthy diet.

Balanced Healthy Diet Danger Zone 1: parties, special

occasions and holiday celebrations

You can stick to your balanced healthy diet plan without being a party

pooper. Before heading out the door, decide what your limit will be. Will you

have a big plate of salad or raw veggies and just a bit of the cold cuts from

the meat and cheese tray? Make those choices before the event.And, just for 

extra insurance, set a goal for morning-after damage control.

For example, you might decide that if you overindulge, you'll drink plenty of

cinnamon tea for a few days afterward and increase your cardio workouts.

Balanced Healthy Diet Danger Zone 2: work

With holiday cookies, vending machines and sweet treats around virtually

every corner, there are very few places the Diet Destructors love more than

the workplace. Your best chance for weight loss success while at work is to

enlist help from like-minded colleagues.

Consider taking turns bringing healthful foods to meetings, or ask the person

in charge of refreshments to offer some healthier options such as fresh

veggies.

For maximum control of work-time eating, you'll need to plan ahead and

bring your own healthful lunch and snacks from home. Keep Ideal Protein

packet in a desk drawer and have a protein drink and some sliced

cucumbers instead of a candy bar when an afternoon slump hits. For around

125 calories you'll get a balanced mini-meal with about 20 grams of protein.

Balanced Healthy Diet Danger Zone 3: the gym

Gyms and health clubs have expanded into the lucrative fast-food market,

selling everything from energy bars and sports waters to smoothies and

protein drinks. But just because these foods are available at your gym

doesn't mean they're low in fat or calories.

Judy Phillips, M.S., R.D., project manager of the childhood obesity program

at South End Community Health Center in Boston, recommends saving

calories and money by skipping these tempting products. "If you're eating

normal, well-spaced meals throughout the day, don't bother with food at the

gym. Bring protein snack for after exercise if you feel you need it," she says.

Balanced Healthy Diet Danger Zone 4: vacations

Vacations are all about taking a break from our normal routines, which

includes your balanced healthy diet. As a result, we often end up breaking

our diet rules and gaining weight. All-inclusive vacations and cruises in

particular can be challenging. Being on a luxury liner is like being on a

floating island loaded with fabulous, free food, says Karl Muhlberger,

corporate executive chef for the five-star Cunard cruise line. "Most people

feel like, 'Hey, I paid for this and I want to enjoy it.'"

But it is possible to maintain your fat loss success by choosing the right

vacation. Many resorts and cruises offer vegetarian, low-carb and low fat

options. Just do your research before you go and know what your options

are.

No matter what your vacation destination, avoid packing on the pounds by

planning how you'll eat before you go. One solution is to choose to phase off

correctly before you go and then treat yourself on even days and practice

moderation on odd days. Or, if you decide you want to enjoy whatever you

want whenever you want it, include a plan for getting back on track as soon

as you return home.

The best plan for the holiday diet destructors is to have a plan that is well

thought out in advance. 

Why You Got Fat

Inspiration

Cravings

Why do you crave chocolate in the middle of the afternoon while your husband craves steak at the end of the day? Why do pregnant women have peculiar cravings and why do women crave more carbs in the days prior to their period? These and other questions plague people who want to maintain a healthy diet, yet feel undermined by their own body’s insistent demands for off-limits foods.

Cravings: The Driving Forces

Cravings — defined as “an intense desire to eat a certain food” — are both psychological and biological. "It's definitely a mixture,” says nutrition researcher Susan B. Roberts, PhD, a senior scientist at Tufts University in Medford, Mass.

Researchers have proposed various theories to explain why just about everyone struggles with cravings:

• Your body learns, over time and exposure, that certain foods trigger a positive response. That’s why you continue to crave the “comfort foods" you grew up with.
• Some foods may trigger a neuro-chemical response that releases pleasure hormones, such as dopamine, after eating them.
• The sight or thought of certain foods causes another chemical cascade that compels you to believe the food in question will be very tasty (which is a good argument for keeping the foods you crave out of sight!)
• Your diet may lack variety, which causes you to want a change.
• You may need some nutrient or component of the food that your diet is lacking.
• Your diet lacks your favorite foods, and you miss them.
• You’re hungry.

Cravings: The Diet Impact

The impact of cravings on a set diet has been widely researched. Roberts and colleagues studied food cravings and behavior reported by 32 adult women participating in a six-month low-calorie diet. They learned that:

• A person’s highest weight over her lifetime was related to the amount she ate when she gave in to cravings: the greater her weight had ever been, the more she ate.
• People who were less active tended to crave fattier foods.
• The most commonly craved foods were about twice as calorie-dense as the person’s prescribed diet foods and 30 percent higher in fat, while being 50 percent lower in protein and 30 percent lower in fiber.
• Craved foods tended to be a mix of carbohydrates and fats, which Roberts argues may double the pleasure in terms of the body’s reward system.
• Chocolate was the most commonly craved food, followed by salty snacks.
• People who successfully lost weight on the diet had just as many cravings for high-calorie foods as their peers, but they gave in to them a lot less often.

The take-home message: People who want to lose weight should accept the fact that cravings will happen while they are dieting. Once they have reached their weight-loss goals, they need to develop a strategy to give in to cravings on a limited basis and in a portion-controlled manner.

Cravings: Women vs. Men

Everyone has his or her own special weakness, but cravings do tend to break down along gender lines and seasons of life.

“Women tend to crave sweet stuff — chocolate, candy, cookies. Men tend to crave steak, chips, salty stuff,” says Roberts, who has authored a diet book based on managing cravings, The Instinct Diet: Use Your Five Food Instincts to Lose Weight and Keep it Off. “Pregnant women have cravings that are all over the map, up to and including pica — eating things like clay — occasionally. We don't know why there is a difference between men and women; research hasn't gotten that far yet.”

Scientists continue to examine the relationship between cravings and weight loss (or gain), but in the meantime, experts like Roberts recommend accepting the universal nature of cravings. Work with them instead of trying to suppress them.

Mock Garlic Mashed Potatoes {Phase1-4}

Ingredients description

1 Head of Cauliflower - steamed until tender

1 Clove of Garlic - Minced

1/2 Cup Fat-Free Chicken Broth

1 Tbsp Olive or Grapeseed Oil

Sea Salt & Pepper to taste

Preparation

Using blender or bullet, whip cauliflower then add in remaining ingredients.  Enjoy!