Tag Archives: weight loss

Does End of World Mean End of Diet?

So if tomorrow was the end of the world what would you eat today? Would you make a big salad with lots of veggies and fruit so that you could go on to your next life with a healthy frame of mind? Or perhaps instead, you’re the type that will order a big bowl of Fettuccine Alfredo tonight and definitely not ask for sauce on the side.

Whatever you decide, you don’t have to wait for an apocalypse to enjoy your favorite dish. If you choose wisely most of the time, you can also enjoy wearing your favorite size. Balance on your plate, and in your life, should be on your menu everyday.

So what would I have if I knew tomorrow was dooms day? I’d go for the most expensive bottle of red wine I could find, enjoy every bite of butter melted over a steamy bowl of pasta, have a cappuccino made with whole milk and a sprinkle of cocoa, finished off with a warm dark chocolate molten lava cake!

Meanwhile, I’m baking cookies that I’ll call, “Oh Mayan Cookies” made with the Cacao Nibs shown above — very appropriate.

 

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A Souper Tasty Treat

Everyone knows that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and for our guests, my soup is one of their faves. To address the, “I wish I could take some home” requests, this time I’m making two pots of the recipe below – one for the holiday and the other for doggy bags (or doggy bowls, in this case). 

Although I prefer not to be a short-order cook, I enjoy catering to my customers when possible. My kids like their soup as smooth as silk, calling for a professional…my Vitamix machine. Known for creating superior smoothies, the Vitamix produces rich and creamy soups that you can either eat with a spoon or sip from a mug. My 9-year old mom, on the other hand, would like to eat her soup with a fork. She prefers to “taste every ingredient,” so her bowl is barely blended. For the rest of the crowd, I quickly pass an immersion blender through the pot to create a hearty mixture.

What originally started out as a classic split pea recipe evolved to welcome the sweet flavors of butternut squash, carrots, and apple cider. Not only does it taste great, this steamy bowl of goodness is an excellent source of hunger-squashing protein and heart-healthy fiber that acts like a speed bump to a big meal by taking the edge off of your appetite. Studies show that soup and other watery foods can assist in weight control…a concept you may want to keep in mind after the holiday!

         Here’s wishing you a souper holiday filled with warmth inside and out!  Continue reading →
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How to Beat 5 Embarrassing Ailments With Your Diet

Surrounded by cellphones, search engines, and apps at our fingertips, we expect to get everything we seek with lightening speed. But it’s not just information we want quickly—we also expectweight-loss diets to take effect immediately, and we want our workouts to make us look like body builders as soon as we join the gym.

You may never have to pick up a telephone book or encyclopedia again; but when it comes to losing and maintaining your weight, you’ll need to put in some time. On the other hand, there are some digestive problems that can be controlled in a relatively short period of time just by manipulating some foods in your diet. Although these tips may not “cure” your digestive conditions, this quick reference guide may help keep some of the following ailments from disrupting your daily routines. Continue reading →

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Breaking Your Fast Without Breaking Your Diet

According to Jewish tradition, everything a person does is written in the Book of Life. No deed goes unrecorded, whether good or evil. During the Ten Days of Penitence, beginning with Rosh Hashanah this Sunday and leading up to the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur, we reflect on days past, as well as ponder the future.

These High Holy Days are a time for deep thought, self-examination, and contemplation. What better occasion to look back on the past year and ask yourself: Did I take care of my body?Am I making the healthiest food choices for myself and my family?Am I setting a good example when it comes to my eating habits?

For some people the sound of the shofar—a ram’s horn whose blast signals the end of Yom Kippur—is like the sound of a gunshot before a race: There’s a mad dash from temple to table after evening services. Following the Yom Kippur fast, there seems to be a feeling of “entitlement” to eat one meal that’s the size of three! Would you ever think of going into a restaurant and ordering some cantaloupe, a dish of pickled herring in cream sauce, one bagel with cream cheese and lox, another bagel with whitefish salad, and then topping it off with a piece of babka and a few cups of coffee? I’ve never seen this ordered by one person in one sitting when dining out, but I have certainly seen this array of food consumed countless times by friends and relatives (who shall remain nameless) at my table.

So, you ask, how can you make this diet-challenged event guilt free? Continue reading →

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Dear (Food) Diary…Today Was a Disaster!

Harriet was one of my first patients. She kept a food diary diligently yet she hardly shed a pound. After several weeks, I suspected that she wasn’t accounting for the foods she “tasted” while cooking and entertaining. As an experiment, I suggested that she put tape on her lips while sheprepared meals. Sure enough, to her surprise, she banged into her lips more often than she ever expected. Only then did Harriet realize that total honesty was missing from her daily journal. She went on to change her faulty habit—and lost quite a bit of weight.

If there’s one instrument that effectively promotes weight loss, it’s the food diary. But if it’s not taken seriously, then, like anything else, its value will be limited. Seeing what you eat in black and white will help you define portions and help you become more aware of everything that crosses your lips.

The value of food diaries was explored in a recent study of 123 overweight or obese post-menopausal women who followed a weight-loss program for a year. Participants were advised to jot down everything they ate, and most adhered to about 1,200 to 2,000 calories a day. Results showed that participants who consistently kept a food diary lost about 6 pounds more than those who didn’t. Dieters who skipped meals or dined out more often lost less. Those who ate lunch out once a week or more lost about 5 pounds less than those who ate out less frequently. Results were similar for eating dinner out.

This doesn’t mean that you should stop going to lunch with your friends, but it may illustrate that it’s time to stop skipping meals and start picking up a pad and pen along with your knife and fork. Writing down what you eat will shine a light on the quantity and quality of what you actually consume.

So why not create a food diary of your own? Here are some tips to help you get started: Continue reading →

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When What You Wear Makes You Aware

Buds are blooming, sweaters are stashed, and calories are cut. It must be Spring!

This is the time of year when many of us realize that the pecan pie at Thanksgiving, pastries at Christmas and Chanukah, and Valentine’s Day chocolates are still appearing somewhere on our bodies. If even the thought of a pair of shorts or a bathing suit puts you in a cold sweat… this story is for you.

I am here to guide you to a diet that will help you shed pounds without feeling deprived. You won’t need to buy fancy products, your food won’t resemble cardboard, and you won’t feel like you need to lock yourself away until the calendar turns to June. This unique plan is called, “The CS Diet” and here are the rules: Continue reading →

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Menopause — A Pause Not A Stop

“I can’t lose weight anymore because of my age.” “My weight will never be the way it was when I was younger.” “Once I hit menopause, my weight shot up.”

I hear statements like this from my patients regularly. One patient even told me that she felt like she, “went to bed slim and woke up fat.” Although that may sound like an extreme exaggeration, for some women, it feels like excess body weight escalates quicker than justified. This seemingly abrupt weight change stirs up feelings of frustration, anger, and depression, which unfortunately lead to less attention to healthy habits. Since most of these behaviors are subtle, they are often overlooked and repeated day after day. When women in this state come to see me, either because I am their “last straw” or because their doctors send them to me, there are several common practices I notice that play a starring role in causing clothing to suddenly shrink.

Some statistics have shown that 90% of women gain weight during menopause, with an average gain of 12 to 15 pounds between the ages of 45 and 55. And it’s not like the weight settles in your biceps – is most cases, extra pounds tend to cling to your midsection quicker than paper clips on a magnet. Hormonal changes set the table for fiery flashes, sweaty sleeps, and libido loss, often resulting in an apathetic attitude towards balanced eating or an attraction to unrealistic fad dieting. Women, in general, have a hard time putting themselves on their ‘to-do’ lists, let alone focus on their own health when they are feeling tired and heavy. Bloat weighs heavily on their minds and bodies like an anvil they can’t seem to remove.

If you feel that you’ve “tried everything” and you can’t lose an ounce, even after moving your scale all around the bathroom floor, here are some tips that might help you get longer lasting results: Continue reading →
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Fighting fat with your mirror

Recently, journalists and scientists have attempted to explain why Americans are bursting at the seams. While they movingly described the challenges and issues in fighting fat, they may have left out one of the critical components of those who succeed.

In The New York Times Magazine story, ‘The Fat Trap,’ Tara Parker-Pope shared her heartfelt and personal account on the profound impact genetics and the home environment play. Parker-Pope conveyed her frustration: “What is clear is that some people appear to be prone to accumulating extra fat while others seem to be protected against it.”

In other words, there is science behind why obesity may run in the family. If obese parents raised you and their pantry was stocked with fat- and sugar-laden foods, there is a greater chance that you too have struggled with your weight. But there are people who grew up in similar environments and have managed, with difficulty and diligence, to wear a trim frame.

She also noted the results of a study that showed, “some people were more likely to eat fatty foods, presumably because they thought being fat was their genetic destiny and saw no sense in fighting it.” That approach is like putting out a welcome mat to heredity-related diseases like diabetes and heart disease when in fact, we may not be able to pick our parents, but we can pick what goes on our plates. Continue reading →

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Resolutions or Real Solutions?

Let me start by being totally honest with you — I have only made one New Years resolutions that I kept. Last year when I turned the page from December 31st to January 1st, I vowed to begin keeping an electronic calendar and put down the pen and paper journals that I clung to for decades. Those of you that are less technologically challenged than I am might look upon this as a small feat, but for me, this was a big step, and I have not looked back.

Most resolutions, however, come from the heart, but end up in the trash. Over 100 million Americans make New Year resolutions but about four out of five people don’t stick with them. Popular declarations like, “This year I’ll lose weight, exercise, spend more time with my family, and be more organized,” are statements that are sincerely spoken around the time the ball drops and are quickly forgotten by the time Valentine’s chocolates appear in stores.

Whether it’s New Years day, a wedding, or a vacation, a special date that prompts a positive change could create a spark of motivation that you otherwise would have continued to postpone. Most commonly, we seem to dwell on  to reflect on

Over the decades I have counseled clients I’ve heard many excuses for not making healthy resolutions and here are my top five faves: Continue reading →

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D-I-E-T is a Four Letter Word

The headline in Food Navigator USA on read, “Weight Management 2011: Diet is out but zero is in…” The reporter, Elaine Watson sited, “The number of new products launched in the US market featuring the term ‘diet’ in the brand or product name has plummeted in the last five years as weight conscious shoppers seek out more positive messages.” It also seems that claims like ‘low-fat’ and ‘low-calorie’ are no longer shoppers’ wish lists either.

Does this info come as a surprise? Consumers are saturated with stories about what not to eat. They are tired of plastic- and cardboard-tasting foods that are supposed to be “good” for them…and they don’t want to be duped by misleading labels. The tricky terms that bug me the most are highlighted in my book, Read It Before You Eat It. Food labels that entice you into falling for the words on the front of pack may not necessarily reflect the facts on the back. Fat-free products are often laden with sugar and sugar-free items can carry more fat than you bargained for. Serving size listings could be misleading, creating portion distortion resultignin overeating. With “55% of Americans trying to lose weight,” according to a 2010 Datamonitor survey, and “22% trying to maintain their weight,” truth in labeling is in demand.

You shouldn’t have to be a mathematician, librarian, or dietitian to put healthy food in your cart. A healthy, balanced diet is imperative to help Americans feel better and prevent diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, which drive health care costs up and keep a sense of well being at bay. Perhaps the best place to find the most effective “diet” foods is the produce aisle of your store; ironically these foods don’t even wear labels.
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