Friday, November 19, 2010
My Life's Biggest Project: Tips for Dining Out
My Life's Biggest Project: Tips for Dining Out: "OK so as most of us know instead of going out to eat being a treat like it use to be, we do it more than cooking these days (at least I do)...."
Tips for Dining Out
OK so as most of us know instead of going out to eat being a treat like it use to be, we do it more than cooking these days (at least I do). It's a hastle when you're trying to be health conscious, but it doesn't have to be. One of the good things about ordering the P90X is all of the little tidbits of information they send you via e-mail. One I got a while back gives 8 Tips When Dining Out so I figured I would pass this information your way so that it can help you as well :)
1.) Use the Internet (seriously you can find almost anything on it these days, so we might as well utilize it). Before going out look up the menu. This way you can decide what it is you are going to eat before you ever get there. This will keep your friend and the waiter from breathing down your neck while you try to decide what it is you want. Not only is it a time saver it is also beneficial to you and will weed out stress (which is unhealthy on the body too).
2.) Look up the nutrition fact. Once you've decided what you want to eat after looking up the menu online you can also look up the nutrition facts. Many resturants list these facts online and for those that do not you can look at each ingredient to figure out how much protein, fat and carbs are in each meal. Knowing this helps you figure out the best thing for you to eat as well as what not to!
3.) Eat your snacks and meals as you already have them scheduled. One of the biggest issues that people face when going out to eat is that we have to get our money's worth. With this kind of thought we feel it neccessary to completely clean our plate. This is why you should never go out to eat when you're starving (just like you shouldn't go grocery shopping when you're super hungry). The problem is most restaurants serve large portions of things and if we have it in our minds that we have to eat it all we are goign to be misserably full as well as packing on pounds. So eat like you normally do in a day and if you are still starving before you go to the restaurant eat an apple (just like Dr. Oz said, 15 minutes before you go). Keep in mind that you should stop eating when you are full and if you take half your meal home in a to go box not only are you getting your money's worth, but you have now paid for two seperate meals only once!
4.) Work out like normal. A lot of people think that if they have skipped a workout then they have already messed up for the day so why the heck does it matter. It matters. Everyday matters. You aren't neccesiarily going to ruin your workout by eating. In fact in a study done by researchers in Brazil they found that exercise increases the feeling of fullness in the brain.
5.) Write it down. You should be keeping track of your calorie intake in a food diary, but even if you're not know that by writing something down (once you've made your decision about what you are going to eat) you are more likely to keep with it and less likely to add things like an appetizer or dessert to your meal. If you know how many calories you are supposed to be intaking for the day you will also know how to adjust your intake if needed. Writing it down helps you keep a record of what you're doing. It's like the to-do list of food.
6.) Be honest and firm. If you stand your ground you are less likely to get peer pressured into things. Explain to your friends how hard you've been working toward your goals. Tell them about them so that they understand. Chances are much higher that they will be supportive if they understand and less likely to try to sway you to order that slice of cheesecake. The problem is once you make a bad food mistake you have opened the door to make much more. Not to mention how proud of yourself you will be for standing up for yourself.
7.) Have a conversation plan. This may sound silly, especially if you are meeting friends or family out, but if you are meeting a date or a co-worker chances are high that there will be some quite periods which is when most people keep eating breadsticks or whatever to fill in silence at the table. A lot of calories are wasted on nervous energy. If you have something to talk about chances are higher that there will be less of these moments and you will be so into your conversaton you will probably eat less anyway. It's also a plus if you are eating with someone you hardly know because they will feel like you are interested in what it is that they have to say which will probably lead to this situation ending on a much better note.
8.) Wear skinny jeans. By this I don't mean to make a fashion statement, but instead wear something more tight fitting, whether it be a shirt or pants. Once you feel your tummy pressing against your clothes that is a fairly clear sign that you should stop eating. Apparently there use to be an old diet trick for people who ate at home, they were told to do so in a swimsuit. Well obviously you don't want to go on a lunch date in swimwear.
In terms of dieting it has been said that the hardest part isn't watching what you eat, but instead watching what other people eat. This is true because while you're sitting there eating your grilled chicken breast and steamed vegetables you can look around and see that other people are consuming their own body weight in fat grams. By having a game plan and sticking to it you can walk out of that restaurant with a full tummy and a clear mind. Just remind yourself that it is worth it and maybe just maybe you will have inspired someone else to do the same thing. With Friday night being date night, chances are high that some of you will go out to eat tonight and if you do I hope that you keep these tips in mind!
2.) Look up the nutrition fact. Once you've decided what you want to eat after looking up the menu online you can also look up the nutrition facts. Many resturants list these facts online and for those that do not you can look at each ingredient to figure out how much protein, fat and carbs are in each meal. Knowing this helps you figure out the best thing for you to eat as well as what not to!
3.) Eat your snacks and meals as you already have them scheduled. One of the biggest issues that people face when going out to eat is that we have to get our money's worth. With this kind of thought we feel it neccessary to completely clean our plate. This is why you should never go out to eat when you're starving (just like you shouldn't go grocery shopping when you're super hungry). The problem is most restaurants serve large portions of things and if we have it in our minds that we have to eat it all we are goign to be misserably full as well as packing on pounds. So eat like you normally do in a day and if you are still starving before you go to the restaurant eat an apple (just like Dr. Oz said, 15 minutes before you go). Keep in mind that you should stop eating when you are full and if you take half your meal home in a to go box not only are you getting your money's worth, but you have now paid for two seperate meals only once!
4.) Work out like normal. A lot of people think that if they have skipped a workout then they have already messed up for the day so why the heck does it matter. It matters. Everyday matters. You aren't neccesiarily going to ruin your workout by eating. In fact in a study done by researchers in Brazil they found that exercise increases the feeling of fullness in the brain.
5.) Write it down. You should be keeping track of your calorie intake in a food diary, but even if you're not know that by writing something down (once you've made your decision about what you are going to eat) you are more likely to keep with it and less likely to add things like an appetizer or dessert to your meal. If you know how many calories you are supposed to be intaking for the day you will also know how to adjust your intake if needed. Writing it down helps you keep a record of what you're doing. It's like the to-do list of food.
6.) Be honest and firm. If you stand your ground you are less likely to get peer pressured into things. Explain to your friends how hard you've been working toward your goals. Tell them about them so that they understand. Chances are much higher that they will be supportive if they understand and less likely to try to sway you to order that slice of cheesecake. The problem is once you make a bad food mistake you have opened the door to make much more. Not to mention how proud of yourself you will be for standing up for yourself.
7.) Have a conversation plan. This may sound silly, especially if you are meeting friends or family out, but if you are meeting a date or a co-worker chances are high that there will be some quite periods which is when most people keep eating breadsticks or whatever to fill in silence at the table. A lot of calories are wasted on nervous energy. If you have something to talk about chances are higher that there will be less of these moments and you will be so into your conversaton you will probably eat less anyway. It's also a plus if you are eating with someone you hardly know because they will feel like you are interested in what it is that they have to say which will probably lead to this situation ending on a much better note.
8.) Wear skinny jeans. By this I don't mean to make a fashion statement, but instead wear something more tight fitting, whether it be a shirt or pants. Once you feel your tummy pressing against your clothes that is a fairly clear sign that you should stop eating. Apparently there use to be an old diet trick for people who ate at home, they were told to do so in a swimsuit. Well obviously you don't want to go on a lunch date in swimwear.
In terms of dieting it has been said that the hardest part isn't watching what you eat, but instead watching what other people eat. This is true because while you're sitting there eating your grilled chicken breast and steamed vegetables you can look around and see that other people are consuming their own body weight in fat grams. By having a game plan and sticking to it you can walk out of that restaurant with a full tummy and a clear mind. Just remind yourself that it is worth it and maybe just maybe you will have inspired someone else to do the same thing. With Friday night being date night, chances are high that some of you will go out to eat tonight and if you do I hope that you keep these tips in mind!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
My Life's Biggest Project: The Friend Effect
My Life's Biggest Project: The Friend Effect: "Is it possible that our friends can effect our health? In most cases our friends are the people in our lives that make us happy and our supp..."
The Friend Effect
Is it possible that our friends can effect our health? In most cases our friends are the people in our lives that make us happy and our support system so could it be true that they could also be bad for us? In a story found on CNN written by Amanda Chan, MyHealthNewsDaily Staff Writer she describes what is referred to as the "friend effect" and I will share it with all of you.
There was a study done and while it showed that obesity rates have slowed down, but will continue to increase, just at a lower rate. The prediction is that 42 percent of Americans will be obese (currently it is 34 percent) how long it will be until these are the statistics is inconclusive in this particular study. However besides being completely uninformative there the study did find some other things.
The study showed that people can create a ripple effect among their peers who are not obese, according to Alison L. Hill, a graduate student at Harvard's Program for Evolutionary Dynamics. This is because the more that a non-obese person comes into contact with someone that is considered obese, the greater a chance of them becoming that way too. The researchers data found that obesity rate is affected by three factors:
1.) person-to-person contact through social networks
2.) personal factors like diet and exercise
3.) the rate at which obese people lose weight
Even though it is impossible to say that obesity can infect people like a contagious disease, the research found that being in contact with other people who are obese does increase the likelihood of becoming that way yourself.
"After analyzing 40 years of data from 7,500 people in the Framingham Heart Study, researchers found the average person has a two percent chance of becoming obese in any given year...That chance increases by 0.5 percent for every obese family member, friend or coworker a person has regular contact with," said Hill.
It may be because we mimic the behavior or adopt similar lifestyles as those we hang out with. Hill also suggests that we may simply change what we think is a normal or acceptable weight for ourselves based on the weight we see on the people that are around us. Hill also assumes that social influence is an obvious factor.
Am I saying that you should stop being friends with someone because they are over weight, no not at all. However based on this study it is fair to say that we are who we hang with and if we want to influence the people in our lives to be healthy (not necessarily ripped with a six pack), but just more healthy then maybe it is our job as a friend or family member to try to get the other person to do something healthy with us.
I know for example my senior year of college I was working out with a friend of mine in the mornings (she was getting ready to get married and I was getting ready to go to Spring Break in Panama City Beach). My butt was in that gym every morning being hardcore. It was because I didn't want to let my friend down. This is what we call an accountability buddy! No I know that this post had absolutely nothing to do with the series FRIENDS, but I love the show and since it was about our friends and the other people in our lives I thought I would add some spice to the post today. It was also a scam to try to get you all to read it :)
Be happy and healthy and I'll update you all tomorrow! Some exciting Cassandra news however. I have lost 10 pounds to date since starting this project. It may not sound like a lot, but it was nice to see on the scale. For those of you doing the same thing trust me it is a wonderful feeling and good luck to you all.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
My Life's Biggest Project: 11 Random Things That Make You Gain
My Life's Biggest Project: 11 Random Things That Make You Gain: "Obviously being inactive and eating unhealthy is a cause of weight gain, but there are some other surprising things that make people gain we..."
11 Random Things That Make You Gain
Obviously being inactive and eating unhealthy is a cause of weight gain, but there are some other surprising things that make people gain weight. I came across this article ant figured I would share it with you too!
1.) Catching a Cold- One particular strand of the common cold virus called adenovirus 36 can cause obesity. According to the journal Pediatrics in September they found that in a study of 124 children, approximately 80 percent of the kids exposed were obese and weighed about 50 pounds more than children that were not exposed.
2.) Turning on the A/C- When people live in comfortable temperatures our bodies don't have to work to keep cool or warm, according to the 2006 article in the international Journal of Obesity.
3.) Having a mom that works- kids with a working mom are more likely to be obese than kids whose mom stays at home. This was found in a study published in May in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
4.) Not sleeping enough- By doing this we increase the risk of being obese, according to a 2007 study in the Journal Archives of Disease in Childhood. This is because of hormonal changes (kind of what I've already talked about). According to a study in the 2008 Journal of Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition sleep restriction can cause hunger, and obviously when we're tired we don't want to be very physically active which makes us gain even more weight.
5.) Getting your tonsils removed- Research from St. Louis University found that kids who had their tonsils taken out gain more weight after having the procedure done. In the study they found that BMI (body mass index) increased by 5.5 percent to 8.2 percent after the surgery.
6.) Keeping the light on at night- According to a study that was published in October in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, they found that mice that were exposed to dim light at night gained 50 percent more weight over a period of eight weeks than mice that spent the night in complete darkness. To make sure that the study was fair the mice obviously had the same amount of food and physical activity. The researchers of this study said that these results could also be applied to those who eat meals late at night (which we all know is bad).
7.) Having a mom that is older- OK so obviously our mothers are going to age just like the rest of us, but according to a study in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood it was found that children born to women ages 30 or older had 2.6 to 2.8 percent more body fat than children born to women younger than 25. The Journal of the American Medical Association found in a study in 1997 that obesity was higher among nine and 10-year-old girls whose mother's gave birth to them after the age of 35, compared to girls whose mothers gave birth to them when they were 21 or younger.
8.) Exposure to environmental contaminants- According to studies published in the Journal Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition and the International Journal of Obesity, pollution could have an impact on the bodies metabolism. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals like bisphenol A (I talked about this a while back, this is why we don't microwave things in plastic) and polybrominated diphenyl (a flame retardant), have been found in obese people. This is because these chemicals interfere with hormone signaling. Also pesticides can affect the hormone synthesis and metabolism and make their way into our bodies by going up the food chain.
9.) Genetics- Scientists have found 18 new genetic markers that make us obese, and 13 new markers that could determine whether fat builds around the waist or the hips. These findings were published in two studies this month alone founds in the journal Nature Genetics. Most of these markers were in or near genes not previously connected to obesity and by learning what it is that these genes do, scientists may find causes of obesity in different people.
10.) Having a mom who ate a high-fat diet during pregnancy- Researchers from the University of Cincinnati and also from the Medical College of Georgia found that mice fed a high-fat diet were more likely to have babies that were bigger than those fed a normal diet. A study in the FASEB Journal done in 2009 found that being oversized at birth was a risk factor for obesity later in ones life. The researchers of this study believe that the findings of the mice could also apply to humans.
11.) Meds- Some medications taken for depression, diabetes, hypertension and birth control can cause people to gain weight. Anti-depressents in the United States has increased by about 5 percent between 1988 and 2002 (according to a study in the Journal Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition in 2009).
So based off these random things that can cause weight gain I can say that having an A/C is kind of a necessity to me and it saddened me to see that it was a cause of weight gain. Another thing would obviously be the not getting enough sleep I am truly guilty of that, but I blame college/grad school for that. Environmental contaminants I now know to look out for and will hopefully no longer be a problem and as far as genetics I know that's an issue and that I will just have to work that much harder. I was glad to see that I only had four of the 11 things working against me. Sadly some of these things (if not most) are things that we have no control over, however I guess being aware of the situations make it easier for us to understand why). I hope this was informative to you all. More factoids to come tomorrow!
1.) Catching a Cold- One particular strand of the common cold virus called adenovirus 36 can cause obesity. According to the journal Pediatrics in September they found that in a study of 124 children, approximately 80 percent of the kids exposed were obese and weighed about 50 pounds more than children that were not exposed.
2.) Turning on the A/C- When people live in comfortable temperatures our bodies don't have to work to keep cool or warm, according to the 2006 article in the international Journal of Obesity.
3.) Having a mom that works- kids with a working mom are more likely to be obese than kids whose mom stays at home. This was found in a study published in May in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
4.) Not sleeping enough- By doing this we increase the risk of being obese, according to a 2007 study in the Journal Archives of Disease in Childhood. This is because of hormonal changes (kind of what I've already talked about). According to a study in the 2008 Journal of Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition sleep restriction can cause hunger, and obviously when we're tired we don't want to be very physically active which makes us gain even more weight.
5.) Getting your tonsils removed- Research from St. Louis University found that kids who had their tonsils taken out gain more weight after having the procedure done. In the study they found that BMI (body mass index) increased by 5.5 percent to 8.2 percent after the surgery.
6.) Keeping the light on at night- According to a study that was published in October in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, they found that mice that were exposed to dim light at night gained 50 percent more weight over a period of eight weeks than mice that spent the night in complete darkness. To make sure that the study was fair the mice obviously had the same amount of food and physical activity. The researchers of this study said that these results could also be applied to those who eat meals late at night (which we all know is bad).
7.) Having a mom that is older- OK so obviously our mothers are going to age just like the rest of us, but according to a study in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood it was found that children born to women ages 30 or older had 2.6 to 2.8 percent more body fat than children born to women younger than 25. The Journal of the American Medical Association found in a study in 1997 that obesity was higher among nine and 10-year-old girls whose mother's gave birth to them after the age of 35, compared to girls whose mothers gave birth to them when they were 21 or younger.
8.) Exposure to environmental contaminants- According to studies published in the Journal Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition and the International Journal of Obesity, pollution could have an impact on the bodies metabolism. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals like bisphenol A (I talked about this a while back, this is why we don't microwave things in plastic) and polybrominated diphenyl (a flame retardant), have been found in obese people. This is because these chemicals interfere with hormone signaling. Also pesticides can affect the hormone synthesis and metabolism and make their way into our bodies by going up the food chain.
9.) Genetics- Scientists have found 18 new genetic markers that make us obese, and 13 new markers that could determine whether fat builds around the waist or the hips. These findings were published in two studies this month alone founds in the journal Nature Genetics. Most of these markers were in or near genes not previously connected to obesity and by learning what it is that these genes do, scientists may find causes of obesity in different people.
10.) Having a mom who ate a high-fat diet during pregnancy- Researchers from the University of Cincinnati and also from the Medical College of Georgia found that mice fed a high-fat diet were more likely to have babies that were bigger than those fed a normal diet. A study in the FASEB Journal done in 2009 found that being oversized at birth was a risk factor for obesity later in ones life. The researchers of this study believe that the findings of the mice could also apply to humans.
11.) Meds- Some medications taken for depression, diabetes, hypertension and birth control can cause people to gain weight. Anti-depressents in the United States has increased by about 5 percent between 1988 and 2002 (according to a study in the Journal Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition in 2009).
So based off these random things that can cause weight gain I can say that having an A/C is kind of a necessity to me and it saddened me to see that it was a cause of weight gain. Another thing would obviously be the not getting enough sleep I am truly guilty of that, but I blame college/grad school for that. Environmental contaminants I now know to look out for and will hopefully no longer be a problem and as far as genetics I know that's an issue and that I will just have to work that much harder. I was glad to see that I only had four of the 11 things working against me. Sadly some of these things (if not most) are things that we have no control over, however I guess being aware of the situations make it easier for us to understand why). I hope this was informative to you all. More factoids to come tomorrow!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
My Life's Biggest Project: LOL
My Life's Biggest Project: LOL: "I will tell you all about the amazing night I had last night. It didn't really start off that way, but ended up being fantastic. As I said y..."
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