LEAN Team Tips

Rev up your metabolism - tip #2

2012-01-16T13:03:00.000-08:00

EAT ENOUGH!!!

You may chuckle and think I don't know what I am talking about on this one. Why would I encourage you to eat more when you are trying to lose weight?? Well, research has indicated that people who eat too few calories are far more likely to be overweight. How can this be? When you eat less than what your body needs to function (for most women this is less than1200 calories) your metabolism will slow down, thus, burn less calories. In addition, it will also start to break down lean body mass, calorie burning muscle, which also slows metabolism. So you need to EAT to LOSE WEIGHT!! 3 balanced meals with 1-2 snacks spaced in between should be sufficient. Remember - it is important to make sure your calories are coming from the right sources! Contact me if you need some help in balancing your calories. The clients I have worked with who tweak their calories the correct way have seen tremendous results!!

Stay Healthy! Noreen Gallo MSRD

How to Super Charge your Metabolism

2012-01-13T16:53:00.000-08:00

Your metabolism is your internal engine. It is how fast you burn calories. In other words, your metabolism is your furnace! Over the next few days I will be blogging on different ways to get your engine running on HIGH!

Rule Number One - EAT BREAKFAST!!

Skipping breakfast is a sure fire way to slow your metabolism. You need to put some calories in first thing in the morning to rev up your metabolism and keep your energy level on high for the day! Research shows that people who skip breakfast are 4 1/2 times more likely to be obese!! Grab a greek yogurt with some almonds, pour a bowl of high fiber, high protein cereal and milk or spread some peanut butter on a whole wheat english muffin. Mom knew what she was talking about when she told you to eat your breakfast!

Contact me at the studio if you want to have your metabolic rate measured. This will tell us how many calories you need to eat to lose weight!

Stay warm - Noreen Gallo MSRD

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2012-01-11T07:45:00.000-08:00

Approximately 90% of people make New Years Resolutions every year. Guess what tops the list for most of us? Lose Weight and Get Healthy!!! Unfortunately for many, by SuperBowl Sunday, the resolution is a thing of the past. One reason for this is that we put the focus on diet - deprivation, elimination and starvation, rather than really taking the time to focus on some lifestyle changes that we can stick with for the long haul. I a diet plan promises that you will lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks with no exercise - beware! If a diet requires that you cut out a complete food group or has you eat the same thing every day - beware! If a diet has you eating foods that you do not like - Beware. You cannot live this way forever and whatever weight you lose, will come right back! Take a few minutes today to jot down 4-5 reasons why you want to lose weight and put them somewhere you can see them. This constant reminder of your reasons will help you in reaching your goals! Also jot down 2 behaviors that you would like to change, that you know will help you lose weight. For example, for me, my schedule is crazy and I often find myself eating while standing up and doing something else. I know I am not as aware of what I am eating when I do this and consequently, am probably eating more than I think. One of my behaviors I am working on is to always sit down when I am eating. I can already see that it will be tough, but I know it will become a habit with practice. Remember, it can take about a month to make something a habit. Make this month a month you will change even one behavior and you will be on the road to success with your resolution! Keep up the good work and as always - contact me with any questions or comments! Noreen Gallo MSRD

HOLIDAY WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE

2011-11-28T14:56:00.000-08:00

On average, we can gain anywhere from 5-10 pounds over the holidays! At Windham Pilates, we are going to buck the average and NOT gain weight over the holidays! To top it off, we are going to hit the new year hard and after maintaining thru November and December, we are going to LOSE weight from New Years until Valentine's Day! Come into the studio this week and sign up for the HOLIDAY WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE. Remember - Valentine's Day is going to come wether you join or not. Wouldn't you rather be several pounds lighter than 10 pounds heavier when it comes?? Cash prizes!!! Are you in?? Noreen Gallo MSRD

The holidays are here!

2011-11-28T14:49:00.000-08:00

TIPS FOR HEALTHY EATING AT THE HOLIDAY TABLE

Thanksgiving is a great time of the year. The start of the holiday season, time to spend with family and friends and enjoy family traditions. Many of these traditions are centered around food and when you are trying to follow a healthy food plan – this can create stress. There are several steps you can take to help alleviate this stress and continue with your healthful plan.
Take the 80/20 approach. If you can stick to your healthy habits 80% of the time that will leave you with a 20% wiggle room buffer.
Make sure to have a high protein snack before leaving the house or pack one if you have a long drive. Examples are cheese stick and fruit, almonds, greek yogurt or peanut butter and whole grain crackers. This helps to avoid getting too hungry and making bad choices.
Alternate a bottle of water with every alcoholic drink you consume. This has a two-fold effect. Fills your stomach so you may eat less and cuts in half the amount of alcohol you will consume. (Saving calories)
Before you pile your plate, scan the table and choose only the foods that you truly enjoy. Don’t waste calories on something that you don’t really want.
It is ok to not eat everything on your plate – we have outgrown the clean you plate club! If this is difficult, use a smaller plate. This creates the illusion of eating more.
Don’t hang out next to the food table. It is too easy to nibble and graze while we chat with family and friends.
Be aware of what you are eating. Enjoy it and move on. Mindless eating is dangerous as we lose track of what we are consuming.
I will be going into this topic in depth over the next few weeks. Check in often for tips and motivation. Lastly – join us in our Holiday Weight Loss Challenge. Hold your weight over the holidays and then hit the New Year hard with the weight loss portion of the challenge! Prizes, consult with me (registered dietitian) and much more! Happy Holidays - Noreen Gallo ,R.D.

Whittle your Middle during Menopause!

2011-10-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

Remember when you could eat pretty much anything you wanted and remain at the same weight? Remember when you could just go for a walk or 2 a week and notice your jeans getting looser? Remember?? For many of us, those days are gone. What is going on? This is a question I get from clients many times a week. Seems like we have to work twice as hard just to maintain our weight, let alone lose a few pounds. Guess what? There is a physiological reason for this and luckily there are some concrete solutions as to how to deal with this issue. It is related to peri menopause and menopause. 90% of women experience increased weight between the ages of 35-55 years old. It is a gradual weight gain, that tends to sneak up on us and suddenly we have 10-20 extra pounds to lose. These pounds are more difficult to lose due to several factors.
HORMONES,STRESS, INSULIN RESISTANCE
I cannot help much with the first 2 factors but there are things we can do in relation with diet to combat insulin resistance. Insulin Resistance can be a huge contributor to weight gain and occurs when our bodies convert most of the calories we eat to FAT due to fluctuations in blood sugar.
What can we do about this?
1. GET RID OF THE DIET MENTALITY - this is a lifestyle change. You need to focus on changes that you can live with over the long haul. Gone are the days of having a shake for breakfast and lunch and a frozen diet dinner at night. If you cannot live with your dietary changes and go back to old habit - the weight will come right back. Additionally, scientific research has proven that quick weight loss from a very low calorie diet can slow down our metabolism. We want to keep the metabolism burning calories constantly all day.
2. Eat several small meals a day. This helps to level out your blood sugar. WIld swings in blood sugar increase appetite and cravings for refined carbohydrates. Going long periods of time without eating slows metabolism and consequently the next meal eaten - your body will hold on to every calorie. Shoot for a meal or snack every 3-4 hours.
3. Increase your protein intake. Protein comes from meat, fish, nuts, seeds, eggs, legumes, nut butters etc... The body has to work harder to break down protein than carbohydrates and thus burns more calories eating protein. This is referred to as the Thermic Effect of Food. Protein also keeps us full longer than carbs. Always combine a protein and a carb when you eat. For ex. Have a handful of almonds or a cheese stick with your fruit or put peanut butter on your toast instead of jelly or butter. You will notice a difference in your fullness level almost immediately.
4. Cut down on the WHITE STUFF - sugar and white flour based foods. Much research on menopause has proven that when we take the white out of our diet - weight loss increases!! If you are going to have a sweet or dessert - have it within the context of a meal as oppose to skipping lunch to have an ice cream cone.

I will discuss blood sugar and diet in depth in another newsletter but for now - work on cutting back as much as you can and replacing these foods with protein and healthy fats and complex carbs. It will make a difference.

Please feel free to give me a call or e-mail me with further questions on this topic. I have many clients right now that are successfully losing weight after telling me they never thought they could, following these methods.

To your health!

Noreen Gallo MSRD
Registered Dietitian
Nutrition Counseling
(603)598-0292 tel

Being prepared!!

2011-05-16T10:52:00.000-07:00

Being prepared is probably the best advice I can give to someone who is interested in losing weight or trying to live a healthier life. It always seems that the best laid plans always seem to fall to the wayside when life gets busy. It is times like these when being prepared can be a lifesaver. We all know how 3 o'clock feels and we are in the car, need to pick up the kids and bring them to practice and are STARVING! Or just coming out of a meeting at work and suddenly your belly growls just when you are walking by the vending machine. If you knew you had a tasty, healthy snack in your drawer at work or the glove compartment of your car, this might be just the trick that will get you to drive by the fast food place or avoid the candy in the vending machine. I have pulled together a list for your emergency "stash" and I hope you find this helpful.

1) Baggies of nut. Buy a big jar of almonds, peanuts or walnuts and put 15-20 in each baggie. This with a bottle of water will fill you up for a couple of hours. FYI - Pistachios are the lowest fat nut and take longer to eat if you buy them in the shell.
2) Kashi TLC granola bars. Only 140 cals, 6-8 grams of protein and not high in sugar.
3) Toss a piece of fruit in your car every morning - this will fit the bill when you want something crunchy.
4) Keep some packets of oatmeal in your drawer at work. Kashi GO LEAN truly vanilla oatmeal has 9 grams of protein to help keep you full and you just need to add water and microwave.
5 )Keeping a jar of natural peanut butter and a box of whole wheat crackers at work can be a lifesaver for those days when you forget your lunch.
5) Protein bars for when you do have to delay lunch or perhaps forgot to eat a balanced breakfast. Watch the sugar content as some are rather high. Think Thin bars have about 20 grams of protein and taste pretty good.
6) Always have 2-3 bottles of water as back ups, remember one of the symptoms of dehydration is hunger. Many times we think we are hungry but in reality we are thirsty.
I keep a case of flavored seltzer water in my car at all times - saves money when the kids want to stop for a drink after practice and has zero calories!

I am sure if you brainstorm, you can come up with some additional ideas that will fit your needs. But remember - this is your emergency stash. Make packing meals and snacks for the day a habit and only save these items for the days you dash out the door with your lunch on the counter!

The Meltdown to Summer is officially over and the results are in! All participants did a great job and worked really hard for 90 days! Congratulations to ZOEY who lost 8.94 % for a total of 11 pounds and Cookout Mom who lost 5.26% for a total of 8 pounds!

Participants tracked food intake and exercise and made major strides in changing their behaviors!

Remember, slow and steady wins the race. I have been working with a client successfuly for quite a while and he has lost just about 30 pounds. He recently had to take some time off due to a stressful work issue. We have started back up again and happily reported that he had only gained 1/2 pound. He was thrilled! It really opened his eyes to all the progress he has made. He mentioned that in the past, he would have re-gained much of his weight during stressful times and was so happy to have maintained! He is ready to finish his "race" and attain goal in the next few months! IT WORKS!!! Call me if you need some help attaining your GOALS!!

Enjoy your Spring!! Noreen MSRD

Spring Clean your Diet

2011-04-08T07:59:00.000-07:00

I think it is safe to say - Spring is coming! I know we had snow last week but as I look out my window, I see some purple and white crocus flowers blooming and I am given hope. Pretty soon the winter jackets will be put away and shorts and t-shirts will be coming out. ARE YOU READY?? Here are some tips to get ready for spring.

Set realistic goals for yourself. Exercising 3 hours a day and never having sugar pass our lips is a great thought but is it achievable? Probably not because if it was - we would have already done it. It is much easier to choose a couple of do-able goals that we can accomplish and build from there. Place the written goal on the fridge where you can see it daily.

Do not get sucked into a quick fix. We will be bombarded with so called quick easy ways to lose weight before summer. They do not work. Again, if they did, you would be at goal. Steady, consistent weight loss is the way to go. My most successful clients are the ones who lost the weight the right way. Making behavioral and dietary changes that they could live with for the long haul. Guess what? These are the clients that are still at or below their goal weight.

Clean up your diet. Take a look in your pantry and cabinets. Get rid of the junk. Look at food labels. If you cannot pronounce the ingredient, it is probably not too good for you. Try to stick to as many whole foods as possible. Reducing white flour and sugar will have a dramatic impact on both your weight and how you feel. Try not to make the mistake of replacing sugar with artificial sugar. This can impact your metabolism and hunger in a negative way. Increase your consumption of fruits and veggies. This will help to keep you full and give your bodies some important antioxidents and vitamins.

Eat frequently. Small meals throughout the day keeps your metabolism fired up so you are always in fat burning mode. If you go too long between feedings your body is more likely to convert the food to fat.

Drink water! This helps to keep you full and flush out your system. One of the symptoms of dehydration is hunger. Often we think we are hungry when in reality we are just thirsty.

Increase your exercise! Move more! Play catch with your kids in the back yard, rake, weed - MOVE! Purchase a pedometer and count your steps. I recently did this and am amazed with how competitive I have gotten with myself and the number of steps I get each day. One easy way to increase steps is to toss a pair of sneakers in the back of the car. Walk around the perimeter of the baseball or lacrosse field this spring while your kids team is practicing. Every time you sneak in some exercise - you have just fired up your metabolism which translates into more calories burned.

Most importantly lose the diet mentality. The goal is to find a balance that you can live with. If you follow the plan 80% of the time, this gives you a 20% cushion for the other stuff! Remember - this is a LIVEIT! Not a DIet.

I am always around to answer questions or set up an appointment. Feel free to contact me and we can discuss further!

HAPPY SPRING - Noreen Gallo MSRD

What Type of Fat should I eat and Why???

2011-02-28T05:31:00.000-08:00

Hmmm... Why does Noreen tell me to eat fat when that is exactly what I want to lose?? The days of the low fat/non-fat diet are over! That being said, don't hop in the car and head to the fast food restaurant. There are different types of fat and some are better than others.

Saturated Fat - This is the type of fat that I would like you to try to cut back on. This is animal fat, lard etc... Who uses lard, I know but it is an example of a saturated fat. A good way to understand saturated fat is that it is solid at room temperature. When you make a beef stew and put it in the fridge over night, that layer of white, waxy stuff that is floating on top the next morning, that is saturated fat. Skimming it off will make a big difference in the calorie and fat content of the food. This does not mean you have to give up meat, as you know, meat is a very good source of protein, something that will help you to lose weight. My suggestion is to choose leaner cuts of meat. Watch for marbleing when you are selecting red meat, marbeling is the fat within the meat. You can easily cut fat off the outer edge of a steak but it is difficult to remove it from within the meat. Choose white meat over dark meat when selecting poultry and try to choose non fat or low fat dairy products. Another way to "defat" ground beef is to brown it on the stove and then put it in a strainer in the sink and "wash" the meat with warm water, you will be amazed at how much fat you can rinse off the beef. SImply return it to the pan after rinsing it and season as usual. Very similar to what you would do if you were rinsing canned kidney or garbanzo bean to rid of excess salt. Saturated fats can be a factor in clogging your arteries which can lead to heart disease. There is also some research indicating saturated fat may be linked to type 2 diabetes.

Polyunsaturated Fats - These are fats coming mainly from plant based foods and oils. Corn, safflower, sunflower oil. Omega 3 fatty acids are also polyunsaturated fats, these are the types of fats also referred to as fish oils. Found in several types of fatty, cold water fish, walnuts, ground flax seed and flax oil. There is strong evidence that this type of oil can be very helpful in warding off heart disease.

Monounsaturated Fats - These are the fats obtained from olive oil, peanut oil, canola oil, nuts, seeds and avocados. I guess we could call these the healthy fats. These are the types of fats to focus on while staying within your fat budget.

Trans fats - This is a type of fat that for the most part is created during food processing when trying to make a liquid fat more solid. It aids in extending the shelf life of a food and makes some fats easier to cook with. AVOID these fats as they can be harmful to your heart. It is required for the food processor to label a food that has trans fat in it so check the label. Although many food companies have eliminated trans fats, some margarines still contain them.

This is a lot of information regarding fat, bottom line. There is a place for healthy fats in the diet. They help to maintain blood sugar and keep you full. But remember - they also have calories. Become aware of the calorie content of the types of fats you enjoy. Peanut butter is great when you stick to 1 or 2 tablespoons. Several more and you will not see the scale change. Nuts are another type of food that you need to check the portion size. About 23 almonds is a portion, not 1/2 the can.

Stay Healthy - Noreen

Roasted Vegetables

2011-02-16T05:47:00.000-08:00

Roasting vegetables is a great, flavorful way to prepare veggies.

In the summer, we can just throw the vegetables on the grill and roast them. I don't know about you, but my grill is hidden in the back of the shed in my yard, a shed that has a 3 foot pile of snow in front of it!

It is possible to roast veggies in the oven. SImple prep your vegetables, onions, peppers, zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms, whatever you like. Lightly coat them with olive oil or cooking spray. Toss them together with some seasoning and garlic and place in a shallow roasting pan. Best not to crowd the vegetables. Bake at 425 for about 5-7 minutes. Remove pan from oven and stir veggies. Roast for an additional 12-15 minutes, turning twice during this time.
ENJOY!

Hunger?

2011-02-16T05:28:00.000-08:00

Question of the day - When are you most hungry during the day? Morning, late afternoon or perhaps 8pm while you are getting the kids to bed or finally sitting down to relax. Take a moment to really think about this question and then ask yourself, am I really hungry, or bored, or tired, or stressed? Figuring out your hunger cues can help you in the weight loss process. Many times in the afternoon you may be hungry because you skipped lunch or just "grabbed something", rather than having a balanced lunch with enough protein, fat and carbs. Perhaps you want to eat because your kids are having a snack and suddenly you need one. Snacks are very important, they help to level out our blood sugar and get us to the next meal without being SO hungry we eat everything in site. Make a quick list of the snacks that you like and plan to have one. Taking a few bites of what your toddler left on his snack plate or grabbing a few cookies on the run is not satisfying and many times we are not even aware we are eating. Another thing to keep in mind is thirst - one of the symptoms of dehydration is hunger. We often only connect dehydration with hot summer days and long workouts. You can just as easily start to become dehydrated in the dead of winter if you simply go all day just drinking coffee (diuretic effect) and not having adequate water. Pour yourself a glass of water or seltzer before you snack and see how you feel.
I am reading a really good book by Michelle May, MD - Eat What you Love, Love What you Eat, in which she works on the steps to get away from the diet mentality and really tries to give people the tools to return to normalized eating. If you watch a naturally thin person eat, you will see that they usually only eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full. She used the analogy of filling up your car with gas. "If you ask yourself if you are hungry before you eat, this is like checking the gas gauge on your car before stopping for gas. It is a waste of time to stop for gas at every gas station if you don't need gas. If you overfill your tank, it will just spill over to the ground." Consequently, If you eat when you are not hungry, every time food is available, where does the surplus go - you got it - your waist. I found this example intriguing. Something to think about.
This week, try to make it a habit to always ask yourself "Am I hungry?" before you eat - see what happens.

Stay warm and to the Meltdown Girls - KEEP MELTING! Noreen

How often should you step on the scale??

2011-02-10T11:22:00.001-08:00

The scale can be a very powerful tool, useful in helping us to both lose and maintain our weight. I am often asked by clients how often they should weigh themselves. There is no concrete answer. If the number on the scale helps to motivate you that is great, but I have seen many people become so attached to that number that it can determine wether or not they have a good day. If it is up a pound or two on any given day, they think their diet is not working. This can often impact what types of food they eat during that day. Weight naturally fluctuates, you cannot gain 2 pounds of fat in 1 day, more likely than not the 2 pounds is coming from sodium retention or your muscles reaction to a hard workout. The best rule of thumb is to weigh yourself about 2 times a week. Weigh yourself first thing in the morning before you have anything to eat or drink and then be done with it. Remember it is just a number, if you are eating healthy, drinking enough water and getting in enough exercise, you will lose weight. Some weeks more than others but it WILL come off. Remember, muscle weighs more than fat and so as you increase your workout intensity, lose body fat and gain muscle, the scale may indicate this. DO not let this throw you off your game. Muscle may weigh more than fat but guess what - it takes up less space!! That is why your clothes will be looser and fit more comfortably. This is much more important than a single number on the scale. Stay consistent with your plan and you will be happy with the results!

Remember - once you get to your goal weight, you still need to check the scale at least once a week, as this is the way to catch small gains before they become big. It is much easier to lose 3 pounds than 13!!

Keep it up!! Noreen

Why is protein so important?

2011-02-08T11:36:00.000-08:00

Why is protein so important in a balanced diet? Protein is a very important component of the diet. Protein provides satiety. This is just a fancy way of saying that protein helps to keep us full longer than most carbohydrates. When you incorporate a good source of lean protein every time you eat you will find that your urge to snack diminishes and you have less cravings for carbohydrates. For example, if you have a piece of toast with jelly in the morning, I promise you that you will be hungry very soon after, and most likely, you will be scrounging for another carbohydrate. If you make one small change, replace the jelly with peanut butter (protein), you will find that you stay full for a longer period of time. Although fruit is a great snack, it does have natural sugars which can impact your blood sugar. If you have a cheese stick or a handful of nuts with your fruit at snack, again, you will stay full longer. This simple trick of always combining a protein with a carb each time you eat, will have a huge impact on how you feel and how successful you are in your weight loss attempt.
Another interesting fact about protein is that protein requires more calories to digest than carbs or fats. This is called the Thermic Effect of Food. In a nutshell, your body uses more calories to burn protein than it does carbs and fats. So by eating more protein we can stay full longer and our bodies will burn more calories. Seems like this may be a great first step in our Melting process.
Some good sources of Lean Protein are : Fish, eggs, poultry, lean beef and low fat/non fat dairy products. Legumes such as chickpeas, kidney and black beans are also great sources. Keep in mind that greek yogurt as almost 3 times more protein than regular yogurt and can be a great mid-afternoon snack.
You can get a good idea of how many grams of protein you are consuming by logging your food intake on your phone or computer. There are many great apps and programs available. Feel free to contact me if you have difficulty finding one.
KEEP ON MELTING! Noreen

Time to Meltdown!!

2011-02-03T05:28:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone is surviving all this snow! I think it is a very appropriate time to start our Meltdown to Summer program. For those of you participating in this program you already know the drill, for those of you who are unfamiliar, it is a 90 day challenge to improve exercise and eating habits before slipping into a bathing suit this summer. I will be posting often with tips, motivation and recipes to help everyone stay on track. If you have questions and comments please post right here on the log. If you have a question, idea, success story, let us all hear about it. FYI, there is quite a bit of info already here, so just click back and look at some of my old posts. Especially for the Meltdown girls, you may want to review my posts on sugar and protein from earlier. We briefly disused this when we met but I do go into more detail here. FIrst challenge - LOG YOUR FOOD INTAKE. Research indicates that people who log their food intake lose twice as much weight as those who don't. Grab a pencil and notebook, find an app on your phone or log on to the computer. There are several free programs, Spark People is one, or the one I really like is Calorie King (not free) but you can purchase the software from me at the studio. This is not suppose to be a good food, bad food thing, but more a tool to help you identify what is working and not working. Take a look at your protein intake for the day and if you want, shoot me an e-mail with that number. If you don't consume enough protein, it will be much more difficult to lose weight. Protein comes from lean meats, fish, chicken, low fat/non fat dairy, legumes (bean such as kidney, chick peas and black beans), nuts, seed and nut butters. Protein helps to keep you full, stabilizes your blood sugar and aids in the reduction of carbohydrate cravings. Second challenge this week, write down 1 thing you want to work on - for me it is logging daily, for you it may be eating every couple of hours or increasing you water consumption. Whatever it is, write it down or even better tell someone - if we work on one new thing each week or 2 think of all the progress that will be made in 3 months. Ok, keep up the good work! As always, feel free to contact me with any questions.

Keep on MELTING! Noreen

Great Recipe!

2011-01-25T10:59:00.000-08:00

With all this cold weather, soup is a great solution for lunch or a quick dinner. I came upon this recipe for Minestrone soup in Prevention magazine. I have modified it a bit and it is delicious! I would reccomend tossing in a little cut up cooked chicken to increase the protein, especially if it will be your dinner meal. You all know how I feel about getting in enough protein!! Either way the beans add protein and lots of fiber Enjoy! Noreen

Minestrone Soup

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped, 1 cup
4 cloves minced garlic
1.5 tsp dried basil
1 zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 yellow squash, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 fennel bulb cut into 1/2 inch pieces
5 cups low sodium, fat free chicken broth
1 can (4.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 bag (5 ounces) baby spinach
15 ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
DIrections

1 Heat oil in a large saucepan over med high heat. Add onion, garlic, and basil. Cook, stirring occaisionally until onion softens. Stir in squash and cook until starts to soften. Add broth and tomatoes, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until veggies are crisp-tender, about 15 minutes.

2 Stir in spinach and cook until wilted, 5 minutes. Add beans and pepper, cook until hot. Remove from heat and stir in cheese.

Tips - I did not add the fennel, was pretty sure my kids would not eat it and I also threw in a handful of whole grain pasta. Enjoy!!

Want to lose more weight? LOG!

2011-01-10T05:28:00.000-08:00

To log or not to log - that is the question. Well, I guess the next question should be - how much weight do you want to lose? Research has backed up what we have known for a long time, people who write down what and how much they eat - lose more weight! There are many ways to log your food intake, some clients keep a small notebook in their bag or at their desk at work, others write down what they are going to eat the day before, while others use their computer of phone to help them keep track of what they eat. I know in my own practice that the clients that are committed to logging are the people that lose the most weight. Why?? because they can see what works and what does not work. If you have really good week, you can go back and see why it was good, and if you have an off week, again, you can go back and see what may have thrown you off. For example, just last week, I had a client who told me she was hungry all week. SInce she had logged on the computer, we could easily go back and identify the culprit, she had significantly decreased the protein she was eating and barely drank any water. If she had not logged, this would have been much more difficult to figure out. Give it a try. I, myself, have started using the Calorie King computer program that we have at the studio, this is a great, user friendly program but there are apps for phones and always the trusty old notebook. Whatever you choose, stick with it. I bet that the chocolate chip cookie will not be as appealing if you know you have to write it down. Feel free to contact me if you would like to take a look at the Calorie King program or if you would like a list of other programs that are available.

Stay focussed! Noreen

Client success story!

2010-12-30T06:12:00.001-08:00

Last week I bumped into a former client at the studio. Aside from just being very happy to see her, I was EXTREMELY happy to see how great she looked. She said she had not weighed herself in a while and asked to jump on the scale. She was happy to see she was down another 8 pounds. Guess what - she is a success story not only because she lost 8 pounds but because she has made permanent life changes. Obviously she has not been glued to the scale as she had not weighed herself in weeks but her way of eating has become a habit and her body has gradually shifted to where it wants to be. SUCCESS, Way to go MW (you know who you are!) Come join the LEAN TEAM and be the next Lifestyle Success Story! Noreen

What are your health goals for 2011?

2010-12-30T05:57:00.000-08:00

New Years Day is almost here. New calendars, new schedules and new goals we set for ourselves. This is a great time to think about what we want to accomplish both professionally, mentally and physically over the next 12 months. Think back to last January, how far have you come in accomplishing the goals you set last year. Personally I have been successful in some areas and not so in others, But guess what - that is life! What I would like to point out is that as far as health and fitness goals, the more realistic, the better. 2 a day workouts and a liquid diet - probably not realistic. Pre-packaged food, supplements and a rigid exercise routine may work for a while but if it is not liveable, it will not stick. We will all be bombarded with advertisements for QUICK FIXES over the next couple of weeks. For example -lose 20 pound this month, eating everything you want and no need to exercise or give up carbs and lose weight effortlessly. News Flash - if it was this easy, we would have already done it. My advice to you is to wear blinders at the grocery check out, don't get sucked into buying that magazine with the newest fad diet or exercise routine, don't get sucked into purchasing some new fangled device that is suppose to shrink your abs over night. Rather, make some concrete decisions that you can fit into your lifestyle and realistically accomplish. I have people say to me, it is just too overwhelming, 1 or 2 pounds a week is just to slow, I will never get there, NEWS FLASH, 1 pound a week over the span of a year= 52 pounds!!! We can do it, we just have to put in the time and effort. Baby steps will get you there. I challenge you to choose 1 thing you want to accomplish over the next week. Eat more fruit and veggies or increase your water intake. Once you have succeeded with this, move on to another goal. You will be surprised how quickly these small steps add up. Again, lifestyle changes are the only way to go. Gaining and losing the same 10, 20 or more pounds is detrimental to our health. It is better to lose 10 pounds and keep it off thane 30 pounds only to gain 25 back. YOU CAN DO IT!! As always, I am just an e-mail or phone call away.
Best wishes for the New Year, Noreen

Holiday Parties

2010-12-19T16:25:00.000-08:00

This is a big week for holiday gatherings. Office parties, neighborhood get togethers, family gatherings, school parties, the list goes on and on. How we approach these social events will have a big impact on what number is on the scale on January 2, 2011. Remember, our goal is to Hold our Weight steady over the holiday season.

First and foremost - DO NOT GO TO THE PARTY HUNGRY!! Although it may seem like a smart idea to eat very little all day and save the calories for the party. No, No and No. All this will do is lessen your self restraint at the party. You will be so hungry it will be hard to make healthy choices. A better strategy is to stick to your daily eating routine. Eat breakfast, a light lunch and another snack prior to the party. Place the emphasis on lean protein, fruits and veggies. Salad with tuna or chicken is a great choice for lunch as the protein will stick with you. Many of my clients who balked at the "snack before the party idea" have been pleasantly surprised this season with the results of this simple tactic. A cheese stick and apple or a handful of almonds are quick and easy and will stabilize your blood sugar, thus reducing cravings at the party.

Scan the buffet table or menu before deciding what you want to eat. Don't just fill up your plate as you go, decide what you really want and only put that on your plate. Shrimp is a common holiday food that is a great lean protein choice. Veggies with hummus for dip is another great appetizer choice in place of chips with fatty onion or cheese dip. Try putting your food on a salad plate rather than a dinner plate. Less food fits!!

Take a breather after you eat! Once you have finished what you have on your plate, wait a while before you go back for seconds. It takes about 20 minutes for our brains to register that we are full. Another advantage to waiting is there is more chance the food will be gone!!

Only put what you really want on your plate. Cheese and crackers, chips and pretzels are all foods you can have anytime. Why waste your calories on these? Allowing yourself only the foods you really want will cut back on wasted calories.

Stop after 1 or 2 bites. Decide wether the food is really worth it or if perhaps you only needed a taste and don't really need to finish the whole thing. We do not have to be members of the CLEAN PLATE CLUB.

Dilute your Drinks. No, I do not mean you have to go half and half with beer and water. What I mean is that always start the party with a bottle of water and then have the beverage that you want. If you want a second glass of wine, that is fine but you have to have a water or seltzer first. By alternating non caloric beverages with those with calories, you half your calories consumed AND water fills up your stomach and you may eat less.

Become aware of how many calories you are consuming and make wise decisions. A glass of eggnog can eat up 450 calories of your budget and hit you with a whopping 22 grams of fat. Remember, I am not saying you cannot have eggnog, just be aware of how many calories it contains. A tasty alternative to egg nog that still gives you the holiday feel is hot spiced cider - 80 calories and no fat. Holiday punch can have 220-250 calories while a glass of champagne contains 120 calories. Lastly, be aware of what you are mixing into your mixed drinks. Mixing with diet soda and tonic water or even better seltzer can dramatically reduce the sugar and calories in a drink.

Remember why you are at the party - to socialize with family and friends. Having a plan of attack in regard to your food and drink choices will lessen the guilt and also increase the chances of a positive outcome in our attempt to HOLD IT FOR THE HOLIDAYS!

A client gave me a great idea for decreasing the fat in a holiday dip - substitute fat free plain greek yogurt for sour cream when making your onion dip. It has the same thick consistency as sour cream but much more protein and less fat. Just add the onion soup packet to the yogurt, stir and add additional spices if you wish.

I hope some of these tips will be helpful over the next few weeks. Remember, the holidays can often be stressful and exhausting, BUT planning ahead, having healthy foods in the fridge to grab at a moments notice and maintaining an exercise routine are all ways to counteract this stress.

I would like to extend my best wishes for a peaceful holiday season and healthy 2011 to you and your family.

Noreen

Reformer!!

2010-12-06T15:52:00.000-08:00

One of the suggestions I mentioned at the start of the holiday season was to add a class to our regular exercise regime. WELL! I decided to sign up for a reformer class. I am a long distance runner and have been battling a nagging hamstring for more months than I would like to admit. I decided it was time to increase my flexibility and work on toning, 2 things that the reformer are suppose to be great for. Today was day 1 - all I can say is WOW! If you have not tried it, you should. I know Susan can walk give you a brief overview of the process and I really was amazed at how stretched out I felt after the class. I will keep you all posted on how it is going. GIVE IT A TRY!!

Whatever you decide, by adding 1 or 2 more sessions of exercise, it will really help you HOLD IT FOR THE HOLIDAYS!!

Keep up the good work - Noreen MSRD

Blogger Jim heads into the holidays!

2010-12-06T14:48:00.000-08:00

For those of you new to the blog, Blogger Jim is following the LEAN lifestyle with much success. He has wonderfully agreed to blog about his progress. Here is his latest entry. Way to go Jim!!!

December 1 - 2010.

Nine months ago I weighed 241 pounds and pacing easily toward 250. Today I'm at 230 steady. I eat so much better than I have in years and the change has come about virtually effortlessly.

Life changes so far: My eating habits are FAR better than ever (in fact, all of my weight loss is due to this), I'm eating less, more often through the day. And I'm getting pretty good at eating breakfast daily and starting to drink water as well.

Our goal is to lose three or four more pounds and get to 227 lbs before Christmas.

How we'll do it: At least 20 mins of cardio per day, Religiously eat breakfast and drink at least three bottles of water per day.

Why Protein??

2010-12-06T08:19:00.001-08:00

Often people will ask me why I put such an emphasis on protein when I talk about a healthy diet. Why can't we just worry about calories and leave it at that?? Although all nutrients are important protein has an interesting impact on our bodies. They keep us full and help to stabilize our blood sugar which in turn often helps to decrease cravings for sugars and refined carbohydrates.

What is protein? Proteins are made up of long chains of amino acids that serve as the building material for all of our bodies cells and tissues. They are important in the hormonal regulation of metabolism and help with antibodies that are important when fighting infection.

Where is protein in food? The two food groups that are the best source of protein are the meat and meat alternative group and the dairy group. Lean meats, fish, lowfat and non fat dairy, nuts, seeds, legumes (beans such as chick peas and garbanzo beans) peanut and other nut butters and some breads and cereals. Vegetables also provide small levels of protein.

A neat aspect of protein is that our bodies have to work harder (thus burn more calories) to break down protein so when we replace empty calories with protein calories we burn more calories.

I suggest trying to incorporate a protein into each meal or snack you have during the day. This can be as simple as spreading peanut butter on your apple or having a cheese stick with some whole grain crackers. This will help to regulate your blood sugar and keep you full until the next time you need to eat. I have clients who have lost a considerable amount of weight by making this one simple change in their diet. A nice side effect is that they did this with little or no hunger.

If you have additional questions regarding protein or need reccomendations on how much you need to consume daily, please feel free to contact me. I have included a delicious recipe for taco soup that someone gave me. It is high in both protein and fiber and best of all tastes DELICIOUS!

Taco Soup10 ounce canned yellow corn
28 ounce fat free chicken broth
15 ounce can black beans
8 ounce cannellini beans
29 ounce can diced tomatoes
2 cup water
15 1/2 ounce can of fat free refried beans
1/2 onion chopped
Saute onion in pan
combine refried beans, tomatoes and onion and cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients (do not drain beans or corn)
Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. SImmer for 45 minutes

Enjoy! Noreen

Time to Focus!

2010-11-29T05:12:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a restful and relaxing holiday. I am not a Black Friday shopper so no stress there. Now that the holiday is over it is time to focus and set some goals for the next couple of weeks, as they will be filled with fun, social gatherings and quite a few challenges. It is how you approach the challenges that will dictate how you feel both mentally and physically. Take honest stock on how your eating and exercise went over the weekend. What were you successful with and what backfired and needs to be adapted? Here are some tips to get back on track.

1. Get rid of anything in the house that will prove tempting this week. I will call this a trigger food. Now that the holiday is over, pie, sweets, stuffing etc... is just an extra. We have all had a taste, need to get back to our regular way of eating.

2. Go grocery shopping and stock the house with staples that you will need for the week. Make sure to get fruits, veggies and lots of lean proteins for both meals and snacks. Examples are lf cottage cheese, lean meats, low fat cheese, hundred calorie packs of almonds or walnuts and greek yogurts. Having plenty of protein to combine with your whole grain and complex carbohydrates will help keep the blood sugar stable and reduce cravings.

3 For the next couple of days try very hard to reduce your sugar intake as best you can, especially if you overdid it this weekend. The longer we go with reducing sugar, the easier it is to cut it out.

4. Choose a behavior that you would like to work on this week. Do not select something that is unrealistic to achieve. Start small and we will work from there each week. For example, increase you water intake or food logging for the week are 2 things that are manageable but not overwhelming. The purpose of this activity is to start changing behaviors for a lifetime. CHanges that we can live with and make a part of our everyday life.

5. Lastly, add 1 additional session of exercise to your regular routine. This extra 30-60 minutes of exercise will help boost your metabolism and help to burn off any extra calories that may have been consumed.

If anyone would like to discuss metabolism and its impact on weight loss please feel free to contact me and we can talk about it and see if you would like your measured.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!

Enjoy, Noreen

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T05:40:00.000-08:00

I would like to wish you all a wonderful and restful holiday tomorrow. That being said, I am also going to arm you with some weapons to help you get thru the day successfully.

1. EAT BREAKFAST!!! This is very important. You want to keep your blood sugar on an even keel to avoid cravings, mood swings and hunger. Make sure you get some lean protein in to help fill you up. Stir a little peanut butter into your oatmeal or microwave some extra egg whites into your scrambled eggs. Avoid sugar at all cost at this meal as to not trigger sweet cravings later in the day.

2. PLAN YOUR SNACKS - Make sure, especially if your meal is later in the afternoon, to plan to have healthy snacks on hand. A handful of almonds mixed into some yogurt or String cheese and a piece of fruit are easy and quick and much better choices than chips, dips and high fat cheeses. By eating a protein and a carbohydrate every couple of hours you will not sit down at the table starving. Our willpower is weakest when we are hungry and our blood sugar is low.

3. DRINK WATER - Make sure you drink enough water. One of the signs of dehydration is hunger. Often when we are busy we forget to drink water. Stand in front of the sink a couple times during the day and just chug down a glass of water. It WILL make a difference.

4. WATCH THE BLTS - What is a BLT?? Bites, Licks and Tastes that we consumed while cooking. I saw a statistic the other day that said one could consume up to 750 calories while preparing Thanksgiving dinner. All made up of small tastes of things while cooking. BEWARE!

5. PLAN AND ENJOY YOUR TREATS - If you want to have dessert, have it. Put it on a plate, pour a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy it with everyone else. Don't wait until your company leaves and finally break down to have that piece of pie. Remember, this is a live it, not a diet. We are in for life changes not the quick fix.

6. FOLLOW THE 80/20 Rule - IF we follow our food and exercise plan 80% of the time, that gives us a 20% wiggle room buffer for when real life steps in.

ENJOY - Noreen

HOLD IT FOR THE HOLIDAYS!!

2010-11-21T16:23:00.000-08:00

There is no denying it, the holidays are here! I was reminded of this yesterday when I attempted to make a quick trip to Salem to get my son some new sneakers. Traffic, long lines at the store and not finding what I was looking for quickly let me know - they are here! Holidays can be stressful and busy but they also provide us with a much needed break from our normal routine, quality family time and comforting traditions. We need to strike a balance between the 2. The same holds true for our diet and exercise routines over the holiday. We will be faces with many temptations and opportunities to skip a workout. We need to figure out how to find a balance that will get us thru the holidays both rested and healthy. On average people gain approximately 12-14 pounds from Thanksgiving to New Years. Our goal at WIndham Pilates it to avoid this gain. It may be unrealistic and overwhelming to try to lose a significant amount of weight during this time but trying to maintain our weight is very realistic. Over the next 6 weeks I will be posting a blog each monday with healthy eating tips, behavioral tactics on how to approach a big party or family dinner and motivational inspiration. I will post some healthy holiday recipes and if anyone would like to give me a favorite family recipe, I will try to lighten it up without changing the taste. Many times we can cut back on sugar or oil without changing the taste or texture of the food. FIrst things first, weigh yourself today and post it somewhere you can see it. This is the weight you want to be on January 1, 2011. Second, get a small spiral notebook and start writing down what you eat every day. This can be very informative and will help to identify mindless eating and patterns that may need to be changed. The clients I work with that are committed to food journaling, either on the computer or on paper are much more successful. Third, jot your workout days on your calendar just like you would a meeting at work or a doctors appointment. Exercise is going to play a key role in maintaining your weight over the holidays. I would love to give you a hand in this endeavor, please feel free to contact me by phone or e-mail and we can work together to get thru the holidays healthily. Keep checking my blog as Blogger Jim will be posting soon. He is within 10 pounds of his weight goal and doing great! Take a few minutes to get yourself organized and you will be pleasantly surprised when you step on the scale in January.

Blogger Jim Rolls on!

2010-06-28T05:59:00.000-07:00

Blogger Jim has been plodding along this spring/summer and is making progress on both the scale and in behaviors. Here is his latest post.

Down to 232 pounds - hovering just above my interim goal of being in the 220's.

Here's why I think I'll get there soon ...

I've learned that I have to log religiously (got a little sloppy a week ago and paid the price).

I've learned that beer, although fun, is NOT an ally to my weight loss plan.

I'm starting to exercise regularly - the new workout room in the basement is done and I'm walking at least a half-hour everyday on the treadmill.

Also, I'm working with the catchers and hitters for the Hudson American Legion team (Post 48), so am continuing to work up good sweats 2 or 3 times a week while pitching batting practice.

All in all - I went a little backward last week - nothing major, but still gained a pound or two. Lesson learned - now moving on!

Accountability

2010-05-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered how those few pounds creep up on us? All of a sudden, we step on the scale and we are seeing a number that we have never seen before? How did this happen? Well, the first step to catching these few pounds before they become out of control is by keeping a food log for a few days. For many of us, it is quite an eye opener to see how that "small" handful of pretzel turned into 1/4 of the bag, or 1 cookie really was 4. One way to get a handle on this is by keeping a food log. Nothing too fancy, perhaps a small notebook kept in your purse or on your kitchen counter. Some people like to use computerized programs that actually compute calories per food. There are many programs out there. Most importantly, track your food each day. From this log you can see patterns of behavior. Dangerous times of the day and even events that can trigger overeating. Research has shown that people that track their food intake are most successful at losing the weight AND keeping it off! Please feel free to contact me if you should have questions regarding this or would like a list of names of computer programs that are user friendly. Keep track of your food intake and watch the scale go DOWN!!

Blogger Jim Rolls on!

2010-05-17T05:10:00.000-07:00

Many weeks since my last post and time to catch up.
I'm down to 231 pounds (started at 245) and am feeling good about things. The best part of this is that I've developed good eating habits vs. 'dieting'. In other words, I feel like I'm not in danger of 'going back to old habits. That's brings a peace of mind I don't mind having.
Five things that have changed for me in the past month or so:
1) I eat better food. Fattening snacks are out (with rare exception) and fruit is in.
2) I have smaller portions at each meal and snack in between.
3) Water intake, although not regularly there, is much better.
4) I'm aware of what I eat now - I'm staying on top of logging my meals for the most part.
5) Although I've not started an exercise regimen, I do walk whenever I get the opportunity. I go to NYC for business a fair amount and haven't taken a cab in months. Also, every day before baseball practice at the High School, I walk the perimeter of the field two or three times before the kids show up.

Keys to my success so far; No dramatic changes - just a raised awareness of what I eat and great coaching from Noreen Gallo.

Job Well Done!

2010-05-05T17:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I bumped into a former client from last year and I was thrilled to see her. Not only because she looked wonderful but because she told me she FELT wonderful! This client really wrapped her head around the foundations of the program. Combining healthy carbohydrates with lean proteins at every meal/snack. She has continued to keep the "white stuff" out of her diet and has worked hard on eating every couple of hours! She told me she did not think she could ever go back the her old way of eating!!! She also mentioned that it has become easy for her to live this way. Isn't that what we all strive for? Eating well, feeling great and having it not be too hard!!! Congrats to all of you who are working towards this point. I often comment to clients that they are too hard on themselves, that they don't have to be perfect. This is a process and bumping into this old friend reminded me of this!!! On another note, Blogger Jim is doing great, down almost 10 pounds and that includes a visit to Mom's house!! He will be blogging on this later in the week. Take a moment to reflect on all the positive changes you have made over the last couple of months and start setting a few more goals to strive towards! COntact me if you would like some help in setting concrete goals - summer is around the corner!

Dirty Fruits

2010-04-21T04:31:00.000-07:00

I recently came across some information on Prevention.com regarding organic produce. I am not a huge follower of organic foods due to the simple fact that I have 4 boys and with the amount of food they consume, we would go broke if I bought all organic fruits, vegetables and meats. But I thought I would pass on this info regarding a few types of fruits that seem to be a bit "dirtier" if you may. It seems that peaches, bell peppers, celery, apples and strawberries are more likely to carry pesticides to your table. It is harder to clean off pesticides from soft skinned fruits and vegetables and consequently they are more likely to linger after you have washed them. The sticker on a piece of produce tells you if it was grown organically. Look for a 5-digit number beginning with 9. A 4 digit means the produce was conventionally grown. I hope all is going well with the sugar challenge. I have decided that it is a work in progress and the more aware we all become of the sugar content in food - the easier it is.

Blogger Jim is making progress!

2010-04-13T16:26:00.000-07:00

The past couple weeks, real life has taken over and I've been busy to say the least. But, I'm glad to say that my diet hasn't suffered too much. In fact, a remarkable outcome of this effort has shown itself in the foods I grab when on the fly. It used to be things like Peanut butter crackers and cookies, now it's apples and bananas (and Kashi bars, even though I'm still getting used to them).

I'm still not as good with drinking my fill of water every day (I'm working on it!) and exercise is sporadic. The High School Baseball season is in full swing and I work up an occasional good sweat - but nothing consistent yet in terms of exercise. Down nine pounds so far though.

Quick Snack Ideas

2010-04-12T05:41:00.001-07:00

After my last post I realized I have spent time telling you what to cut back on, but need to give you ideas on what to eat while trying to cut back on sugar. It is very important to never let yourself get too hungry, eat every 3-4 hours. This will keep your blood sugar stable and decrease cravings. Always combine a protein and a carbohydrate when snacking, again, this will keep your blood sugar stable and keep you full longer. Proteins and healthy fats stick with you longer and keep you full. Peanut butter on an apple or celery, cheese stick and fruit, a handful of almonds thrown in a yogurt and low fat cottage cheese and fruit are a few examples of snacks that will stick with you for a while and decrease your craving for sugar. Keep it up!!

Hidden Sugars

2010-04-11T08:04:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone has been successful in taking a look at their sugar consumption and perhaps also been successful in cutting back on the sugar in their diet. I have noticed interestingly, that as I try to eliminate sugar, I find myself wanting crackers and pretzels and tortilla chips! What is that all about? After doing some research on this I have found that these foods act like sugar in your body and in turn, as you decrease the obvious sugars, your body will crave these foods more. Beware of this, try to get your sweet fix with fruits. I always recomend whole fruits over juice as you will get the benefit of fiber and nutrients that are in the skin. Be careful not to eat too much fruit as it is sweet and may trigger your craving for sugars more. Apples, oranges, pears, strawberries, blueberries and cantelope tend to be lower in sugar than some of the more tropical fruits like pineapples and bananas. Beware of the sugar that is hidden in processed foods like ketchup, crackers, cereal and yogurts. The rule of thumb is on the label, every 4 grams of sugar is equivalent to 1 teaspoon of sugar. Best of luck this week and please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.

SUGAR CHALLENGE!

2010-04-04T18:05:00.000-07:00

What is a Sugar Challenge? Well, it will be different for everyone. For some people it will be to cut out sweets and sodas from their diets. For others it will be to start checking labels and cutting back on some of the hidden sugars that may be lurking in foods. For others is will be to go a bit further and try to also cut back on what I like to call "white foods". These are foods that are made from refined flour and act like sugars in our body. Foods such as pretzels, crackers, white pasta and white rice. These foods have a similar effect on our blood sugar as refined sugars and can lead to cravings and difficulty losing weight. Whatever you goal is, today is the day to start. Look in your cabinet and refrigerator and take stock of some of the foods you eat on a regular basis. Is sugar one of the first couple of ingredients on the food label? If so, try to cut back on this food. Your job for this week is to keep a food diary of all the foods you eat and drink each day. Research has shown that this is a great way to stay accountable and also it will serve as a tool to help you identify some of the foods you consume on a regular basis that contain sugar or refined flour. Every couple of days I will include additional information on this subject and before long we will be reaping the benefits of a healthier, low sugar diet - more energy, less mood swings due to stable blood sugar and if necessary weight loss! I will keep you posted on my progress. Just because I am a DIetitian does not mean that I don't like sugar! My goal is to eliminate it as much as possible as I have heart disease, cancer and diabetes in my family!!! I have included a list of things to look for on a food label that indicate sugar.
Corn sweetener
Corn syrup, or corn syrup solids
Dehydrated Cane Juice
Dextrin
Dextrose
Fructose
Fruit juice concentrate
Glucose
High-fructose corn syrup
Honey
Invert sugar
Lactose
Maltodextrin
Malt syrup
Maltose
Maple syrup
Molasses
Raw sugar
Rice Syrup
Saccharose
Sorghum or sorghum syrup
Sucrose
Syrup
Treacle
Turbinado Sugar
Xylose

Inspiring Quote from Bill Cosby!

2010-04-02T04:46:00.000-07:00

"In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure."

Remember to clear out the Easter candy on sunday - get ready for the sugar challenge!

2010-03-31T16:37:00.001-07:00

SUGAR CHALLENGE TO START MONDAY APRIL 5!! Check the website for information and ideas on how to cut back on sugar in your diet. Learn how to identify hidden sugars in seemingly "healthy" foods. Learn tips on how to get your kids to cut back on sugar in their diet. Reap the benefits of stable blood sugar levels! Join me on monday and we can work on this together! Noreen

2010-03-22T12:38:00.001-07:00

Our LEAN blogger Jim is doing great. Read on to see how he is progressing! I have also included a very good recipes for Taco Soup that I got from Sparkpeople nutrition website.

Taco Soup

16 oz ground turkey or lean ground beef
1/2 cup onion chopped
taco seasoning
2 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes with green chillies
14 oz can (drained) kidney beans
1 cup water
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup garbanzo beans, smashed

Directions -
Brown meat and onions over medium heat in a saucepan, stirring occaisionally. Drain off excess grease and add taco seasoning. Add diced tomatoes and stir for a bout a minute over med heat. Add beans and water. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add corn and mashed garbanzo beans. Simmer additional 5 minutes.
Garnish with chopped cilantro, baked tortilla chips or sour cream.

3/19/2010
I have lost two lbs per week since we've started. (A total of four pounds so far.) Noreen weighed me yesterday at our weekly meeting and we're down to 239 lbs.
Two pounds per week is a good pace for me right now - I'm still transitioning into a new mindset. But, I'm developing a solid sense of what food is going into me (and how much) and suspect that I'll take exercise more seriously soon. Before, things like healthy diet and exercise were just fleeting thoughts in my busy day - with little to no chance of getting traction. That's changing and it feels good. The key is I'm developing self-awareness and discipline.
I've done well keeping below my calorie budget. I'm not drinking enough water yet though and exercise is negligible. Also, it's been tough for me to routinely eat breakfast.
Noreen advised me to start small on the exercise - like walking the dog even for 10 mins a few times per day.
So, let's see how I do when I start exercising, drinking my quota of water, and having breakfast every day. My self-awareness and comfort with the fact that this isn't hard stuff to do are both growing strong. I'm building a solid foundation for the rest of my life. I'm optimistic about it, for sure.
Highlighted day - Tuesday, March 9th -
• 900 calories in 40 minutes (Twizzlers - chain-munch).
• A 570 calorie dinner on board the USS Dallas (SSN-700) - Los Angeles class Fast Attack Nuclear Submarine.
Thanks to my friend, Bill, a former Submarine Captain, I was a guest of Commander G.R. Arnold and his crew onboard the USS Dallas (SSN-700). This is a sister ship to the USS Montpelier (SSN-765), on which Commander Arnold once served under Bill's Command . She's in Portsmouth for some upgrades and maintenance and the opportunity was seized for a visit.
On the way there, I downed a ton of Twizzlers (close to 1000 calories). I knew what I was doing - no excuses - except for the fact that I was extremely jazzed to be on my way to a private tour of a state-of-the-art Nuclear sub ... accompanied by my friend, a decorated and distinguished former Commander.
So, 900 calories later, we pull into the Portsmouth Shipyard. Talk about an overwhelming sense of history and tradition. There are buildings there dated back to the mid 1800's (the mind swims that within those stone walls were the people back in the day constructing and maintaining the ships we still read about in our history books) - and buildings so large it's really hard for the mind to comprehend. The place means business.
The tour was ... overwhelming. If you ever get the chance to go on a tour - DO IT! Once you step down the ladder you're immersed in a totally self-sufficient world - clean as a whistle, efficient as mankind can muster, and crewed by some of the most impressive and well-trained people in the world. You'll sleep better at night knowing that we have the best equipment, best people and the most advanced technology out there. War's a awful thing - but if we're going to tangle, it's good to know we have the best there is - bar none.
Near the end of the tour, we came to the Officers' Mess - a small but comfortable room with space for about 10 people to eat (the table is big enough to serve as a surgical operating table - for which it which it serve doubles-duty). The table was already set and Commander Arnold asked us if we'd like to join him for dinner.
We started with a Salad, then to the main course of turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans and carrots - all served family style. A Galley Crewman stands by and takes your plate away after each course, followed immediately by the next. After dinner, I had a small piece of cake and cup of coffee to finish out what was arguably one of the most memorable dining experiences of my life. There I dined with two Submarine Captains - one current, one former - and was treated to outstanding conversation, a fine meal, and excellent service - all in the belly of a 300 foot plus nuclear fast attack submarine - who's accomplishments are still classified to this day. Tough to beat that. And, all this for 570 calories.
I think I can forgive myself for the Twizzler-fest this time.
And, speaking of indulgences - I actually got away with downing a few beers last Wednesday night after a Baseball Board Meeting. Even with three, stayed below my budget. Not sure I'd blog about it if I had more. ;-)

2010-03-11T05:08:00.000-08:00

I would like to introduce you to Jim - our weight loss blogger! He will be letting us take a peak into his weight loss journey. Best of luck Jim! 3/4/2010

Today it started. Well, I guess it really started about week ago when I was offered the opportunity to work with nutritionist, Noreen Gallo. I'd had a nasty chest cold and was told that in order to get my Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) - which will serve as a baseline referencing caloric intake - I'd have to be able to breathe into a testing apparatus for 10 minutes without coughing. Anyhow, I'm better and Noreen came by this morning to administer the test.
In the interim between deciding to have a go with this and actually getting started, I did start to pay a little more attention to my diet -but definitely did seize on numerous opportunities to indulge before becoming accountable.
So, I'm accountable now ... and what an awakening it's been. I've snubbed my nose at any kind of eating/exercise discipline since ... wow, since I was in my early 20s. I'd always been active, and athletic and pretty lean and I even took a small bit of pride in how my body was still in good shape - in spite of my complete inattention to it.
To tell you the truth, it hasn't bothered me too much. I've had a good time in life so far not sweating the details and just eating and drinking what I felt like - with no thought to consequence. But, like anything that deviates from the optimal path, eventually it's going to catch up with you. And it has with me, and now I'm ready. In fact, I'm pretty excited.
From the RMR test with Noreen, I found out that for my weight (243lbs) and my height, 6'1", my RMR is around 2300 calories. This means that if I were to just sit on the couch all day with a clicker, I'd start losing weight if I ate less than that - and gain weight if I consumed more. That simple.
I'm tracking my dietary intake with CalorieKing - a really solid and intuitive calorie counter program for the Mac and PC . It makes it very easy to track calories, carbohydrate, fat, protein and fiber intake. The program has determined that for me to steadily and slowly lose weight, I need to max out at 1850 calories per day.
Today, on my first day of accountability, I went over the calorie budget by about 200 cals and I red-lined on fat intake as well. Rookie mistakes , I think, did me in. (Two roast beef sandwiches at lunch with half a plate of tortilla chips and then some Chinese chicken for dinner? You think?)
I'm logging my exercise separately in an excel spreadsheet - haven't started on any exercise routine yet but am pretty active with baseball and carpentry. Tonight, at informal High School baseball workouts, I caught close to 250 pitches . That's probably about 200 squat-thrusts over an hour and a half - and I worked up a really good sweat.
3/5 -
Used 765 cals out of my budget of 1085. Ate great too. Had a good breakfast (Mini-Wheats) - no lunch (woops) - and a baked potato, salad and cottage cheese for dinner. And, I snacked on a pack of Tastykake Tandy Takes and a bowl of popcorn.
Exercise - I'm helping my friend finish his basement exercise room - today we framed for about 6 hours and although I don't remember working up a sweat, we worked steady and hard.
3/6
Another good day with regard to caloric intake budget. Used 994 of my 1850 daily limit. A little surprised to find that I maxed out on fat at lunch. (Who knew a tuna sub with lettuce had so much?) A couple eggs and a small glass of OJ in the morning, the offending (but well worth it) tuna sub, a small bag of chips for lunch and a Coke Zero for lunch. A glass of OJ for dinner. (Woops? - but I really wasn't hungry). Framed my friend's basement pretty much all day. We worked hard and steady.
3/7
Today, I sat on my butt for no less than 8 hours evaluating Little Leaguers during our annual tryout. Then from there directly to the Windham Hitting Academy - where I pitched for two hours straight. Worked up a seriously good sweat.
For breakfast, I had a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats (which my wife pointed out was really two bowls).
For lunch, the guys brought in pizzas - of which I had three pieces. With water. Dinner - I ate good food - and a lot of it (Baked potato, salad, cottage cheese, roast beef, and a ton of red grapes ... say, 25 or so?) and still came in right around budget for the day. Woohoo.
I couldn't have imagined even a couple years ago that paying attention to my diet would be enjoyable. It actually is - and I'm not going hungry at all.
It might be my imagination, but I'm telling you I'm feeling better already. And I have to say, what makes this even better is I'm not focusing on quick-fixes - my goals are longer term and sustainable. I've been big long enough - not in a huge hurry to dump it all at once.

Exciting things to look forward to on the blog!

2010-03-05T15:50:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone is having a good March! There are some new things to look forward to in my blog. First and foremost, we will be having a client blog their weight loss journey on this site. He has agreed to submit frequent reports on how his diet and exercise goals are coming along! He has had his resting metabolic rate measured and should be reporting soon. Second, I would like to put forth a challenge to all! Many of you know how I feel about sugar and its impact on our diet and health. I would like to start a challenge for anyone interested in decreasing the amount of sugar in their diet! Once I hear back from anyone interested, I will be posting frequent blogs on sugar and ideas to try to get it out of our system (myself included!!) I guess misery loves company! Lastly - Happy National Nutrition Month!

Lets have a Super Healthy Super Bowl!

2010-02-03T05:27:00.000-08:00

Sunday is the big day! Superbowl Sunday. Although sadly the Pats are not in the big game, it is still a great reason to have a party. Typically we think of football fare as high in fat, sodium and sugar - but it does not have to be. With a few easy substitutions, trade-offs and tips you can have a great time and not break the calorie bank.

- Go for a walk, run or take a class. Just move your body. Calories burned before the party will help to compensate for the extra calories consumed later in the day. Another fun idea is to pull out the Wii during half-time and have everyone work up a sweat.

-Do not starve yourself during the day with the thought that you will save extra calories for later. Research has shown that eating a light snack with a good balance of protein and carbohydrate prior to the party will help deter from getting there and being so hungry you eat everything in sight. Feeling satisfied when you get there will allow you to sample the things you really want in moderation and walk away from the table before you overdo it.

- Try not to drink too many calories during the party. Lite beer is an obvious choice over regular beer but do not forget the calories obtained from sodas and juices. Calorie-free flavored seltzers and water can be more interesting than plain water. Alternating seltzer with a beer or soda is a great way to dilute out your calories. Another advantage to consuming seltzer or water is that it fills you up and may help decrease snacking.

- Fill your plate and walk away from the table. Standing next to the food table is a sure way to overeat! Think how many potato chips or m+m candies you can eat during a 10 minute conversation with a friend. Using a small desert plate rather than a dinner plate is another tip to decrease portion size.

- Bring a healthy snack to the party. Fruit or veggie dips are great portable snack ideas With veggies you can use a lite ranch salad dressing or hummus (a great high protein choice) for a dip and low fat vanilla yogurt is a great choice for fruit. Bring a couple bags of microwave popcorn to pop once you get there. Make sure you choose a low fat or lite brand as regular microwave popcorn can pack a huge fat punch! In addition, sprinkling some seasonings on the popcorn adds flavor with little to no calories. A tip here is to spray the popcorn with a little nonstick baking spray before you sprinkle with seasonings - helps them to stick.

- De-fat some of your favorite Football Fare! When making chili, brown the ground beef and rinse it in a colander under water to wash off the fat before returning it to the pan for seasoning. You will be amazed at how much fat is removed with this method with no impact on taste. Choosing ground turkey rather than ground beef is another way to save on fat and calories. Use baked tortilla chips when making your nachos. Once the toppings are put on, no one will notice the difference. Make sure you use part-skim cheese as a topping and non-fat sour cream. Salsa is great dip, very low in calories and high in nutrients! Just a few of these small changes can make a huge difference in total calories and fat. Go heavy on the seasonings!! Spicy is good!

- Don't go nuts over the nuts! Nuts are an extremely healthy food but are also high in calories. A few handfuls can send your calorie budget haywire. Pistachios are a great choice. They are a lower fat nut and usually in the shell thus taking longer to eat and hopefully you will eat less.

I hope some of these ideas are helpful. Remember, small steps are the way to go! You have to be able to LIVE with the change in order to attain your goals.

I would love to make this blog more interactive. Feel free to send questions, ideas, recipes and of course success stories to me and I will post them on the blog.

New Years Resolutions!

2009-12-29T05:49:00.001-08:00

This is the week most of us take a few moments to make a few resolutions for the New Year, things we want to accomplish, improve or change about ourselves. How many of these resolutions actually are still in place by February 1? This year I propose we take a new approach. Rather than "lose weight", "quit smoking", "exercise"... I suggest we actually set up a plan. For example, what needs to be done in January to help me to get on a better eating plan? For me, after the holidays it is to continue my goal of cutting white sugar and flour out of my diet, for others it may be to increase fruits and veggies or others it may be to increase lean protein intake. Ask yourself, how can I increase my exercise in January? Take a look at your schedule, the pilates studio schedule or your gym's schedule and map out a plan as to how to carve out some time each week for exercise. Write it on your calendar and hold yourself accountable to this as you would a MD appointment or meeting with your child's teacher. We need to make these plans realistic. Of course we would all like to step on the scale on February 1 and have lost all the weight or fit into that outfit next week that has not fit for a year. This is not realistic. What is realistic is the small liveable life changes that will gradually get us to our goals so that NEXT January 1 we are not writing the same resolutions on the piece of paper AGAIN!! We need to try not to be so hard on ourselves and above all, make the resolution so unrealistic that we give up on them before any progress is made. Making a resolution is a private thing but achieving it does not have to be. Talk with a friend, ask your spouse for support, get your kids involved. Research has shown that when you put yourself out there and let others know what you are trying to achieve, you are more likely to succeed. Best of luck in the New Year and with your Life Changes and please feel free to contact me with any questions or topics you would like me to cover in this blog!

Tips for Holiday Eating

2009-12-14T11:01:00.001-08:00

Now that we are fully entrenched in the Holiday Season, the wear and tear of all of our personal and family commitments may have begun to take a toll. It is very important to take a few moments each day to "check in" and make sure we are eating healthy to maintain our energy to make it through the next few weeks! Try to make sure to eat a healthy breakfast every day. It does not need to be elaborate. Peanut butter on a whole wheat bagel or a lite english muffin and a banana, a bowl of high fiber high protein cereal such as Kashi GO LEAN, or an egg sandwich with lite cheese are all easy and quick choices. If you are planning to be on the run all day, pack a lunch and a few portable snacks. This serves two purposes, saves money and also may just keep you out of the food court at the mall or the drive thu for a quick bite!! A baggie of almonds, container of yogurt, piece of fruit, string cheese or peanut butter on whole wheat crackers will help to curb your hunger and avoid the sweet attack at 3pm. Office parties and neighborhood get togethers are common during this time of year. It pays to keep a few things in mind. First and foremost, do not skimp with your food selections during the day in order to be able to eat in the evening. This usually always backfires! Eat normally during the day and be sure to drink enough water as dehydration can mask itself as hunger! Most importantly, do not go to the gathering hungry! Have a snack before you go to take the edge off as to avoid excessive munching on the pre-meal goodies. I have enclosed some additional holiday Battle Plan tips that may be helpful during this busy time of the year. Have a healthy and happy holiday season!

“Twas my weight before fitness, and up on the scale
I saw numbers a-stirring, and I turned quite pale.
My “thin jeans” were folded in the dresser with care,
In hopes some day soon I would fit in a pair;

So decked in my sweat pants I took to my bed,
While weight loss resolutions danced in my head.
When I awoke in the morning my ideas they came,
And I thought them all through, and I wrote them by name:

“Choose fruits! Choose veggies! Eat correct portion sizes!
Start walking! Get moving! Try new exercises!
I could see to the future – and wow, I look great!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away weight!”

And then I kept going, for weeks I did work
At eating well and exercising for the health perks.
My eyes- how they twinkle! My waist is so lean!
After doing this program, you’ll see what I mean.

Now get ready and set to begin your new quest
For a trim, healthy body and a spirit of zest.
And here’s to my last wish, as my little poem writes,
“Health and fitness to you, and to you a great life.”

LEAN Team Tips for November

2009-11-10T09:25:00.000-08:00

Now that we are getting ready for the holidays, we have even less time to for meal planning, exercise and of course, losing those last few pounds we've been working on all year. So with less time for all these things, what can we do to keep ourselves on track? PLAN AHEAD!

Here are some easy ideas that will help everyone in your family plan better and eat better, no matter how busy we get. Remember, relying on fast food and pizza may seem like your only choice on the busiest nights, but it doesn't have to be.

- Cook up a whole load of skinless, boneless chicken breasts and keep them in the fridge. This is great for cutting up on salads, throwing into soup and making sandwiches. Making a quick chicken and cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread can be the perfect solution to a pre-football practice snack so your child does not come home starving after practice and start to graze on junk food while they are waiting for dinner to be pulled together.

- Take those same chicken breasts and cut them into smaller pieces, toss them into a ziplock bag with some shake and bake and cook for about ten minutes. Cook up a whole bunch and freeze them - much healthier (and cheaper) than the frozen store bought version.

- Set aside some time on the weekend to prepare a few meals that can be eaten during the week. You save a lot of time making lasagna with the no-cook noodles. Brown up some lean ground beef or ground turkey, purchase the pre-grated part skim mozzerella cheese, part skim ricotta cheese and a jar of spagetti sauce - you have yourself an easy lasagna. Better yet, make 2 and freeze one! By using the part skim cheese selections you save quite a bit of fat and still get all the bone building calcium. Other ideas that work are meatloaf, chicken or bean soup and spaghetti sauce with frozen turkey meatballs. If you have small children, many of these meals can be spearated. My seven year old loves meatballs, but will not eat them
mixed with sauce on top of macaroni - I just place them in separate bowls and he eats them right up. Another idea is to heat up turkey meatballs in spagetti sauce and place in sub rolls for a quick meatball sub.

- On those nights when you think there is nothing apart from take out, scramble up some eggs, mix in some lowfat cheese and toast up some toast or bagels. Quick to prepare, filling, high protein and loads of calcium. If your mornings are like mine, eggs are not an option due to the time crunch, so my kids are happy to see eggs on an occasional night.

- Providing a healthy, protein rich snack after school or work, can take the edge off hunger on those nights when dinner may be a litte late. Sliced apples with peanut butter, cheese and whole wheat crackers, yogurt or a bowl of cereal are a few ideas. Mixing a higher sugar cereal with a low sugar alternative is a great way for the kids to get the taste they want without all of the sugar. For example, cheerios mixed with honey nut cheerios or rice chex mixed with cinnamon toast crunch. Many of these cereals are fortified with vitamins and minerals and combined with low fat or skim milk make a very healthy, well balanced snack.

Hopefully some of these ideas will help you out during these crazy weeks! If any of you are struggling, please feel free to send me a message via the blog, or by email. I look forward to providing more tips and ideas that will help us all live healthier lives.