vadimstudio.com Blog

November 4, 2008

Keeping the holiday pounds down

Filed under: By Tamra Rosenfeld — Administrator @ 8:29 pm

 Tamra Rosenfield

First comes Thanksgiving, then the holiday parties, then the weight.  Make this year different.  Remember gaining 1 pound a year over 30 years really adds up.  Here are a few tips that may help:

·        Don’t skip meals.  Skipping meals especially breakfast may not only slow your metabolism but will make you hungrier at your next meal.

·        Don’t give up.  Just because you ate a lot on Thanksgiving does not mean you can eat whatever you want until New Years.   

·        Focus on weight maintenance rather than weight loss.  This is not a time to start a diet.

·        Limit beverages with calories.  Soda, juice, and alcohol can add from 100- 200 calories in 8 ounces.

·        Have a light snack before going to a party.  That will prevent you from over-eating when you get there.

·        Be physically active every day.  This will help you maintain your weight.

·        Try to load up on healthier items such as vegetables and fruit so you will be less hungry for the higher calorie foods.

October 9, 2008

Tips for Halloween

Filed under: By Tamra Rosenfeld — Administrator @ 12:22 pm

  Tamra Rosenfeld

October is a difficult time for most people to maintain or lose weight.  It is difficult to avoid the temptation to eat candy when it is placed at a co-workers desk, when it is in your home in preparation for trick-or-treaters, or when your children go trick-or-treating and bring home bags of goodies. 

Here are a few tips that may help:


·        When buying candy for Halloween, choose candy that you do not like.
·        Keep healthy foods easily accessible and put candy in hard to reach places where it is difficult to keep coming back for more.
·        If you know candy will be around make sure that you have a meal or healthful snack.  The more hungry you are the more candy you are likely to eat.
·        Keep your mouth busy by drinking water or chewing gum.
·        Every time you take a candy write down the time and quantity.  Before taking another one look at how much candy you had already that day.
·        Increase your exercise to compensate for the extra calories – 100 extra calories a day can cause you to gain about a pound a month.

If you do decide to snack on some Halloween treats, use this information below to choose the items lowest in calories and fat.

Candy
 Serving size
 Calories
 Fat
 Carbohydrates
Almond Joy, Miniatures
 3
 200
 11
 25
Dum Dum Pops
 2
 51
 0
 13
Hershey’s Kisses
 9
 230
 13
 24
Hershey’s Miniatures
 5
 210
 13
 25
Hershey’s Nuggets
 4
 200
 12
 25
KitKat, Fun Size
 1 package
 100
 5
 12
Milky Way Fun Size
 2
 150
 6
 24
Baby Ruth Fun Size
 1
 100
 4.5
 14
Butterfinger Fun Size
 1
 100
 4
 15
Nestle Crunch Fun Size
 3
 210
 10
 29
Nips Caramel
 2
 60
 1
 11
Smarties Candy Rolls
 1 roll
 25
 0
 6
Snickers Fun Size
 1
 95
 5
 12
Tootsie Roll Pops
 1
 60
 0
 15
Twix Minis
 3
 150
 8
 20
York Peppermint Patties
 1
 140
 2.5
 31
Three Musketeers Minis
 7
 170
 5
 32

* Some amounts have been approximated. Please see actual product labels for complete information.
Good luck and enjoy your Halloween!
 

September 22, 2008

Can artificial sweeteners cause weight gain?

Filed under: By Tamra Rosenfeld — Administrator @ 4:55 pm

  Tamra Rosenfeld

If you have been consuming foods or beverages with artificial sweeteners to lose weight you may want to think again… Although these foods contain no calories or fewer calories than food with sugar you may be craving more food later. 

A recent study by Perdue University’s behavior research center compared rats given foods with sugar with rats given foods with artificial sweeteners.  The rats given the artificial sweeteners later consumed more calories and gained more weight than those given sugar.

Even though these foods or beverages do not add calories to your diet, the body is tricked into thinking that it had something sweet, and as a result your appetite can increase. 

Try these suggestions to reduce added sugar and artificial sweeteners from your diet:

1.      Beverages without artificial sweeteners or added sugar include:

·        Unsweetened iced tea with lemon,

·        Water,

·        Seltzer,

·        Flavored seltzer water (Poland spring makes one with no sugar or artificial   sweetener)

·        Mixing unsweetened fruit juice with water. 

2.      Blend plain, non fat yogurt with fruit puree such as unsweetened applesauce or add  fresh fruit.

3.      Limit diet and regular sweet snack foods and snack on fresh veggies, fruit, low fat cheeses.

4.      Try adding cinnamon, nutmeg, and raisins to oatmeal, cereals.

August 11, 2008

Barbeques and Carcinogens

Filed under: By Tamra Rosenfeld — Administrator @ 9:56 pm

  Tamra Rosenfeld

The way you barbeque may release harmful cancer causing agents (carcinogens) into your food.  These carcinogens are released when smoke is created when fat drips onto a heat source.  These carcinogens cover our food when the smoke rises. Another carcinogen is created when meat is overcooked or charred.  Here are some tips to reduce carcinogens when you barbeque:

•           Cook meat at a lower temperature to prevent charring.

•           Marinating meat allows it to tenderize, adds flavor, and reduces the cancer causing elements.

•           Make kabobs to reduce cooking time and to cook meats more evenly.  

•           Precook meat prior to barbequing and finish on the grill for flavor and grill lines.

•           Cover the grate with punctured aluminum foil to prevent flames from touching the food and drippings.

•           Trim fat from meats, cook chicken with the skin and then remove the skin prior to eating.

•           Grill plenty of vegetables – grilling vegetables does not release cancer causing compounds.  You can even grill fruit too!

April 7, 2008

Meal Replacement Bars

Filed under: By Tamra Rosenfeld — Administrator @ 2:59 pm

  Tamra Rosenfeld

Meal replacement bars are geared towards athletes who need quick energy or people on the go who do not have time to have a meal. 

Pros to meal replacement bars: They are better than stopping at McDonalds or Burger King.  It is also better to have a meal replacement bar than to skip a meal.  Skipping meals can slow metabolism. 

Cons to meal replacement bars: They can be high in calories, sugars, and fats (including saturated fat).  Many people use them as snacks which can be detrimental to weight loss and weight maintenance.  These bars may contain anywhere between 150 and 350 calories.  A serving of fruit is 60 calories; Dannon Light N Fit yogurt only contains 60 calories.  Combine a fruit and a light yogurt and you still have fewer calories than a meal replacement bar.  Meal replacement bars also do not contain all of the nutrients a well balanced meal would provide.

Other comments: Meal replacement bars are usually high in protein.  The average person in America consumes more protein than they need from their diet.  If being used for a meal replacement the high protein content can be beneficial, but if used as a snack it is probably not needed.  Many meal replacement bars are fortified with 100% of the RDA for some vitamins and minerals.  With a well balanced diet this fortification is not necessary.  In addition if you have 2 meal replacement bars a day and a bowl of fortified cereal in the morning you may be getting 3 times what is recommended for some vitamins and minerals. 

How should you chose a meal replacement bar?  If you are going to have a meal replacement bar here are the things to look for:

  1. Read the labels and look at the calorie content.
  2. Check the amount of fat and saturated fat on the label.  Look for under 30% of the bar coming from fat.  Look for 1 gram of saturated fat or less.
  3. Look for added sugar. 
  4. Look for stimulant such as caffeine that you may not want.
  5. Check the fiber content – the higher the fiber, the better.

Meal replacement bar examples: 

Below are examples of some protein bars that are very high in calories, fat, or sugar.

 

High calorie bars (over 300 calories per bar) –

American Body Building Extreme Body Peanut Crunch Bar,

Detour Caramel Peanut,

Meso-Tech Caramel Nut Crunch,

Myoplex Storm Chocolate Peanut Caramel,

Tri-O-Plex Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip.

 

High fat bars (10 grams of fat or more):

Atkins Advantage Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar,

Carb Solutions High Protein Bar Creamy Chocolate Peanut Butter,

Detour Caramel Peanut,

Myoplex Storm Chocolate Peanut Caramel,

Tri-O-Plex Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip.

 

High sugar bars (25 grams of sugar or more):

Advant Edge Complete Nutrition Energy Bar Peanut Butter Caramel,

American Body Building Steel Bar Crunchy Peanut Butter,

GeniSoy Southern Style Chunky Peanut Butter Fudge,

Promax Chocolate Peanut Crunch.

 

Here are some better options:

 

If you are looking for a lower calorie (under 200), lower fat (5 grams or less), and lower sugar (15 grams or less) option:

Doctor’s CarbRite Diet Chocolate Peanut Butter,

Kashi Go Lean Crunchy Chocolate Peanut Bliss,

Luna Nutz Over Chocolate,

Pria from Power Bar Chocolate Peanut Crunch,

Rapid Results Diet System Soy Protein Bar Chocolate Almond,

Slim Fast Succeed Chocolate Peanut,

 

If you are an athlete looking for quick energy these are high in calories and carbohydrates but low in saturated fat which can raise cholesterol levels:

Biochem Ultimate Low Carb Bar – Creamy Peanut Butter

Cliff Bar Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch

Power Bar Chocolate Peanut Butter

Revival – Peanut Butter Chocolate Pal

Tri-O-Plex Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip

 

 

February 22, 2008

Fad Diets

Filed under: By Tamra Rosenfeld — Administrator @ 4:45 pm

  Tamra Rosenfeld

 

Have you ever walked into a bookstore and noticed there is an entire stack of diet books in the most popular book selections?  There is so much confusion on the “right way to eat”.  Do you choose low fat, low carb, low glycemic index, etc.? 

A diet in moderation with healthy choices is the healthy way to go and this needs to be followed lifelong.  There is no magic way around it, 3500 calories is equal to 1 pound.  If you have 3500 calories in excess to what you need you will gain 1 pound.  If you have 3500 calories less than what you need you will lose 1 pound.  Fad diets work temporarily because if you eliminate something you normally eat, you will be eating fewer calories.  Chances are you will eventually crave these food items and plummet at them full force when you go off the diet.  Many of the diets today limit important nutrients that your body needs.  Fat is an essential part of a diet and so are carbohydrates.  Without fat you are depriving yourself of fat soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, D, E, and K plus essential fatty acids.  Without carbohydrates you are depriving yourself of valuable anti-oxidants found in fruit, plus many of the B vitamins found in grains.  Without protein you deprive yourself of essential amino acids, iron, and vitamin B12.  With the correct balance of food all of these vitamins and nutrients work together in your body to give you energy, and keep your body systems in balance.

Fad diets also do not address behavioral modification, personal problems and goals, and emotional eating.  Without behavioral modification it is difficult to stick to a diet plan.  As a result many people “yo-yo” diet.  “Yo-yo” dieting is a term to describe losing and gaining weight back.  When you lose weight you lose lean body mass.  To maintain your lean body mass you need to exercise along with dieting.  When the weight is gained back only fat mass returns.   

So skip the fad diets, learn how to eat the right foods in moderation, and focus on deterring emotional eating!

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