Do You Have ‘Quick Fix’ Dieters In Your Life?

When it comes to losing weight and living a healthy lifestyle, everyone has to do what works best for them.  I can give all kinds of reasons why a balanced diet and regular exercise is the way to go.  But in the end, everyone has to find a style of eating and activity that they can live with for the rest of their lives.  It’s not my place to judge whether or not someone is right or wrong if they choose to go about weight loss in a different way. Read More ›

How to Conquer Your Snack Attack

I’ll admit it up front: I am a snacker. In fact, I have a snack twice a day. My body screams for food around three p.m. every day, even though I make a point to eat breakfast and lunch. If I ignore the hunger, I end up grabbing and devouring handfuls of chips or cookies as soon as I get home around five p.m.  Therefore, I plan ahead and have a non-perishable snack stashed in my desk drawer at all times, usually homemade trail mix.
 
My second snack attack hits in the evening, and is not related to true belly hunger at all.  In the evening, I want to eat food for comfort.  You know what I’m talking about. At the end of a long day, all I seem to want is chocolate ice cream along with my favorite TV show, book or magazine. 
 
There is nothing inherently wrong with snacking. In fact, snacking can help with weight loss by warding off afternoon and evening binge eating.  However, the snack should be factored into your total calorie intake for the day, and should contain about 150 calories. A balanced snack should have about 15-30 grams of carbohydrates and three to five grams of protein.

Unfortunately, this type of healthy snacking is NOT happening in America, for children or adults.  While I know you are probably not really surprised by this statement, you may be surprised at the numbers.  Read More ›

Should You Maintain Your Weight before You Lose?

"Weight loss is really hard---but maintaining that weight loss is even harder!"  If anyone out there agrees with this statement; please raise your hand. 
 
That’s what I thought. There are lots of hands held high.  It seems that most people struggle with the yo-yo syndrome: lose the weight, gain the weight, lose the weight, gain the weight.  But, what’s a dieter to do?  Perhaps it is time to put the cart before the horse.
 
Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine recently conducted a "switcharoo" when it came to weight loss and weight maintenance.  They took 267 overweight and obese females and divided them into two groups.  The control group went through a traditional 20-week weight-loss program followed by an eight-week maintenance phase. 

The test group went through the eight-week maintenance phase first, and then focused on weight loss for 20 weeks.  The results were surprising to say the least, and significant.  While each group lost about the same amount of weight--17 pounds or 9% of their initial body weight--the "maintenance-first" group only gained back three pounds at their one-year follow-up but the "weight loss first" group had gained back seven pounds, on average. 
 
Sounds crazy, doesn’t it!  But guess what?  Those women who first spent eight weeks mastering the tools, techniques and skills for weight maintenance were better equipped mentally and physically to handle the day-in, day-out struggle of their toxic food environment after the 28-week program was completed.  Are you itching to discover how?   Read More ›

Do Raspberry Ketones Really Help You Lose Weight?

Before you jump on the raspberry ketone bandwagon, there are a few things you should know about this over-priced, proclaimed weight-loss miracle in a bottle. I tell you what they don't want you to know about raspbery ketones, in my latest blog on Huffington Post. Click here to read it.
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Smart Strategies to Bust Big Cravings

There's more to healthy eating and weight loss than simply tracking your food. The way you think about food, respond to hunger, and deal with cravings also affects your diet and overall health. Look up ''crave'' in the dictionary and you will find that it means ''to long for; want greatly; desire eagerly.'' So, it makes sense that you don’t usually crave specific foods due to physical hunger; cravings are often complex and happen for a variety of reasons, both physical and emotional. There is a big difference between a craving and actual hunger.

But cravings are not necessarily ''bad.'' They are normal and can have a place in any healthy lifestyle. However, constantly giving in to your cravings can lead to overeating and an unbalanced diet. Learning to satisfy your cravings in a controlled manner will keep your relationship with food in balance. Here are some common scenarios when cravings tend to strike—and how to bust them in a healthy way.
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10 Tips to Lose 10 Pounds

Congratulations: You have officially survived the holiday season! Now it's time to get back on the wagon and reach some major milestones in the new year. Weight loss may be at the top of your list of goals for 2013, as it is for many people. And whether you want to lose 10 pounds or 100 pounds, you're going to have to make some changes to your lifestyle habits.

The good news is that you don't have to completely overhaul your life all at once. At SparkPeople, we believe that small changes can lead to BIG results—and the ever-growing number of success stories from our members is proof of that! Millions of people just like you have been in your shoes and have come out on the other side happier, healthier and fitter than they could have ever imagined. And they've learned some bits of wisdom along the way that you can now use to your advantage along your own journey. Are you ready to lose your first 10 pounds of 2013? These helpful weight-loss tips from successful SparkPeople members will help you do just that! Read More ›

10 Ways to Eat Right for Less

You don't need to shop at pricey, upscale supermarkets or health food stores to eat right. Your regular grocery store has nutritious foods you love that won’t break your budget. You may want to tweak what you buy, though. "Many of the healthiest foods, such as beans, are inexpensive compared to animal sources, such as meat," says Marisa Moore, RD, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Here’s how to follow a diet that’s as good for you as it is for your wallet.  Read More ›

What a Serving Size Really Looks Like

Ever gulp down a container of juice, only to find out there were actually 2 1/2 servings in that 20-ounce bottle? Gobbled up a "personal" size bag of chips? What about that pint of ice cream in the freezer? That surely is one serving. Right?
If you answered yes to any of those questions, you're not alone. Food companies and restaurants often try to trick us by making it really difficult to determine how many portions are in a package.

Most of us have experienced portion distortion, especially as we start our healthy living journey.  Portion distortion is widespread, but thankfully it's something that's easy to overcome!

Today we're sharing an eye-opening graphic that will show you how much many of us are really eating--and how much we should be eating! We put our marketing intern, Betsy Emmert, on the case! Read More ›

I Lost Weight On the Jellybean Diet and You Can Too!!

Okay, the title of this blog is slightly facetious.  I didn’t lose weight on the Jellybean Diet, and in fact, I’ve never even heard of it; although I would not be surprised if it exists.  Every day I hear about some new diet designed to help you quickly and easily lose weight so that you never have to worry about that number on the scale again.  If only it were that simple.  Weight loss is hard, and even though we know better, it’s still easy to get sucked into believing these claims.     Read More ›

Smart Ways to Feed Your Body

Q: I've heard that artificial sweeteners can make you crave more sweets. So why do weight loss plans encourage eating foods—like yogurt—with artificial sweeteners? —HILARY SHEFFLER HOWARD, ATHOL, ID


A: Diet sodas get more negative attention because they have zero nutrition. Yogurt, however, has some positives (protein and calcium) along with the artificial sweeteners. My advice is to limit your intake of artificially sweetened foods and drinks to two a day, because they keep the sweet taste on your mind and taste buds, which can make it harder to beat sugar cravings. As for yogurts, I prefer those with a little real sugar. Look for flavored ones with no more than 14 g sugar per 4-oz container and no more than 20 g per 6-oz. (This includes the sugar that's naturally found in yogurt from lactose and from fruit purée, honey or other added sweeteners.) Of course, less is best! Most flavored nonfat Greek yogurts meet my cutoff.
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The Best Diet for Weight Loss

We’re a society that tends to love quick fixes.  Even though you know deep down that a diet promising you’ll “lose 30 pounds in 30 days” is too good to be true, it’s still tempting to try.  When your hard work doesn’t show immediate results on the scale, it’s easy to get discouraged.  But what’s worse:  losing a bunch of weight quickly, only to gain it all back?  Or losing weight slowly in a healthy way that’s going to help you keep it off for good?  A new study validates the idea that those who succeed in keeping the weight off do it by eating less and exercising more.   Read More ›

Does Red Meat Really Cause Cancer?

For the record, let me just state that I am currently sitting in my kitchen, writing this blog, and watching the Simmental cows and calves graze on lush, green pasture land outside my deck window.  Yes, many of those calves will end up as retail cuts of beef.  Yes, I eat beef.  Yes, I am a farm girl, and have been since my birth over 50 years ago. So I was somewhat concerned that red meat (beef, pork and lamb) has been recently cited as a major risk factor in increased death due to diseases such as heart disease and cancer.  But before you throw up your hands in frustration and start shaking your finger at the food police, read on.
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Georgia on My Mind: How a Dietitian Stays Healthy on the Go

Georgia was on my mind recently when I attended a nutrition convention with about 250 other Registered Dietitians in lovely Savannah, Georgia.  While I was surrounded by southern comfort foods, hospitality and charm, thank heavens SparkPeople was also on my mind to keep me on target.


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50 Foods Under 100 Calories

Foods You Should Love

Portion control can be one of the most difficult aspects of maintaining a healthy diet. To help curb over-indulgence, here are 50 nutritious foods—and their correct portion size. From fruit to fish, these satisfying eats will help fill you up for just 100 calories or less.

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Why You Should Drag Your Reluctant Teen to the Dinner Table

I have a teenage son.  He is your typical high-schooler; he has his driving permit, participates in some school sports, and plays in the high school band.  He is striving for complete independence from his parents, yet is secretly still glad to have mom and dad around most of the time.  He often hangs out with his friends in my basement, playing pool, air-hockey, and euchre.  My husband and I have nick-named them the ''basement boys.''
 
So a few weeks ago, three of the ''basement boys'' decided to arrive on my front doorstep at 4:30 pm.  Their plan was to capture my son, eat at the local pizza place and then head to the basketball game.  I, on the other hand, had a better idea and invited them to stay for dinner and then go to the game.  Luckily, I had prepared a large pot of soup and had enough to feed the crew.  They agreed to stay for our evening meal. 
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