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Behavior & Lifestyle
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Eating Healthy on Vacation Top
If you plan to shake off your cabin fever with a spring getaway, keep these nutritious eating tips in mind during your travels.
- Don’t be at the mercy of vending machines, fast food stops and airport cuisine. If you want healthy, convenient meals and snacks, take along a variety of our no-fuss weight management products. Many products simply require water to mix, such as our creamy puddings (Double Chocolate, Lemon Chiffon). Other products provide a truly grab-and-go treat, such as our delicious nutrition bars (Peanut Butter Crunch, Crisp ’n Crunch Fudge Graham) and our hit-the-spot snacks (Pretzel Twists and chocolate flavored Mini Crisps).
- If you’re traveling by car, pack a cooler filled with a variety of fruits, cut-up vegetables, milk for cereal (such as our Cinnamon Crisp or Cocoberry), ice cold water, etc.
- If you’re traveling by plane, ask about special menus available, such as low-fat, sodium-restricted and vegetarian selections. (Note: You’ll need to make this special request when you book your flight.)
- Consider eating breakfast in your room instead of heading for the hotel restaurant. It will save you calories and free up extra time to enjoy more of the sights.
Remember, when you take a vacation from the daily grind, don’t take a vacation from your healthy lifestyle.
Avoid These Grocery Store Blunders Top
Eating smart starts with shopping smart. Take a look at these common shopping missteps, and review the helpful strategies to ensure you fill your grocery cart with sensible solutions instead of calorie-loaded cravings.
- Shop when you’re full. You’re more likely to make impromptu, unhealthy food choices when you hear your stomach growling. Eat a healthy meal or snack (like our Crunch O’s, Double Bites or Pretzel Twists) before you go shopping so you’re less likely to cave in to cravings.
- Shop with a list. Write down what you need at home when you’ve got the time to use good judgment and make healthy choices that fit into your meal plan. Then stick to this list once you get to the store.
- Beware of bad bargains. Just because the store is running a "buy-one-get-one-free" special on 2 lb. bags of cookies doesn’t mean you should buy them. Stick to the healthy choices you wrote down on your shopping list.
Bottom line: You can’t eat what you don’t buy.
Old Habits Die Hard Top
Passing by a candy dish, seeing scrumptious pictures of food on TV, or the aroma of freshly baked cookies can tempt you. Unfortunately, there are many visual cues and situations that could lead to relapse. The sight or smell of food, time of day, social events and activities, and certain feelings or moods can trigger the urge to eat even when we're not physically hungry. It's important to recognize triggers to prevent yourself from relapsing into old habits.
Common triggers include:
Time of Day—When the clock strikes noon, you want lunch. Or at 3:00 pm you routinely head to the vending machine.
Event or Circumstance—When you walk into a movie theater, you must have popcorn. Or every Saturday after your son's baseball game, you stop for ice cream.
Activities—Eating while you watch TV or work on the computer.
Take the time to identify the triggers that urge you to abandon your weight maintenance plan. Once you recognize your triggers, plan in advance for how to deal with these challenges to prevent yourself from relapsing. Here are a few strategies to help you gain control:
- Keep problem foods out of sight. Hide tempting foods in rarely opened cabinets or in the back of the refrigerator. Remove the candy dishes around the house or from the desk at work. Designate a cabinet for your kids' snacks and make the contents off-limits to you.
- Keep healthier foods within easy reach. Place nutritious foods, like cut-up raw veggies, fresh fruit or nonfat yogurt in the front of the refrigerator. Keep lower-calorie substitutions of tempting foods on hand. For example, have sugar-free fudge pops instead of a chocolate bar, or a mini bagel with light strawberry jam instead of a jelly donut.
- Limit the number of times you eat daily. Try to structure your eating around three meals a day. If you prefer a between-meal snack, build it into your eating plan. Stick to your schedule as much as possible to minimize unplanned eating and unwanted calories.
- Limit the number of places where you eat. Decide on a few specific places to eat, and try to eat only in those places. For example, choose a specific spot at the kitchen table or at the office. Make the TV room a "no eating" zone. Finish watching the show and if you still want to eat something, do it at your designated eating spot.
- Watch out for danger zones. Side-step situations that will entice you to eat. For instance, if fresh pastries are your nemesis, choose a walking route that doesn't pass the bakery. If you can't avoid a danger zone, decide that you won't let it control you. For instance, refuse to enter the bakery if you pass it on your walk.
Sometimes old habits die hard, and despite our best efforts, we sometimes go back to our unhealthy behaviors. If you do slip, remember that relapse is not a failure. It is just a sign that you may not have a workable plan in place. Acknowledge that you can start over again that very day, or even the very next meal. Good luck.
Treat Your New Figure Well Top
You've done the hard work, now it's time to treat your new body well. Here are a few great tips to follow so that when you look in the mirror you can say to yourself, "I look fabulous!"
- Moisturize. Applying moisturizing cream every morning makes skin look fresher and firmer. Massaging areas where you've lost weight can help reduce the excess skin. Use a cream that contains Vitamin E and sun protection (SPF 15 protects against 93% of UV rays.)
- Update your wardrobe. Buying yourself new and stylish clothes is good motivation to be conscious of your eating and exercise habits.
- Try out some new makeup tricks. A dusting of shimmer eye shadow over your lids refracts light and brightens the eyes. Also, rim your lids with an eye pencil to define your eyes and plump lashes—smudge the line a bit for a more flattering, soft effect.
- Make sensible eating choices. Beware of processed foods. Make it a habit to prepare your food from its raw, natural state. Keeping low fat levels in your everyday diet will keep your metabolism smooth.
- Drink lots of fluids. Keeping your body well hydrated helps cleanse your body of toxins and helps to decrease headaches and stress.
- Vary your exercise to keep it fun. Get some new exercise videos, go for a walk or a swim or take a new dance class. If exercise seems like a chore, it will be easy to procrastinate. Plan ahead or exercise with a partner so that you can provide encouragement for one another.
Use these tips or "booster shots" for continuous motivation and enjoy your new healthy lifestyle.
Dieting Saves Money! Top
Penny pinching seems to be the trend for most people with the current economy, but that doesn’t mean your waistline should be affected. Many people may run to their comfort foods as soon as times get tough or some may feel they can’t afford to buy the healthy food or nutritional supplements they used to. However, when we compared weekly grocery food costs (food costs when a person is not dieting) to weekly food costs while on our diet, dieting was actually less expensive. When your budget is tight, there are many options that allow you be on a diet and save money.
Here are some tips:
- Continue to replace some meals and/or snacks with delicious meal replacements and protein supplements. Talk to us about your meal plan.
- Start your meal with a low fat soup. Studies show that dieters eat less when starting with a low-fat soup such as our Chicken Flavored Soup!
- Eggs fit in your budget and your diet. Add some low-fat cheese and veggies, and you will have yourself a meal. Two large eggs are only 150 calories. Or better yet, try our Cheesy Eggs with Vegetables. Perfectly portioned and full of nutrition, this would be a great part of any meal at a great price.
- Frozen veggies are a good way to bulk up your dinner and stay within budget.
- Get together with some friends or family and check out some bulk stores, remember to think healthy, and steer clear of processed food isles. Splitting the cost between the items can save everyone money.
- Portion food into small re-usable containers to provide single serving calorie control.
Sources: http://eating.health.com, http://www.livingonadime.com
No More Tossing and Turning Top
You've upgraded your mattress and even splurged on those satin pjs that you were sure would help you fall asleep, but you still find yourself wide awake and frustrated at night. Fortunately, there are some simple adjustments you can make in order to get a restful sleep.
- Try to establish a regular sleep schedule. Napping on the weekends or in the early evening can interrupt your routine and do more harm than good.
- Give your bedroom a makeover. Eliminate any bright lights or disturbing sounds. Decorate your bedroom in soothing shades of green and blue. Bright colors of red, orange and yellow can be over stimulating.
- Eat a starchy snack. A low-fat, low-calorie carbohydrate snack can trigger sleep by boosting levels of serotonin and tryptophan in the brain, according to research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. A cup of dry cereal, English muffin, or instant oatmeal about four hours before bed should help without adding too many calories.
- Exercise in the late afternoon can increase the amount of deep sleep that you will experience at night. However, do not engage in exercise in the evening; it will get your adrenaline pumping and keep you awake.
- Avoid alcohol, nicotine and caffeine before bedtime. While alcohol helps you relax and fall asleep, once the alcohol wears off, it has the opposite effect, causing you to wake up and have fragmented sleep for the remainder of the night, according to Rochelle Zak, M.D. from New York Presbyterian Hospital. Cigarettes will make you more alert and thus, you'll have a harder time falling asleep. And as we all know, caffeine simulates the brain; so steer clear of caffeine within four to six hours of bedtime.
Try to incorporate these strategies consistently each night in order to develop a healthy sleep pattern. If you're still experiencing a lack of sleep, we suggest that you consult your physician.
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