13 May 2010

Operation Help Punita Glow

The gorgeous Punita (seriously, people, have you seen this girl??) asked me if I’d upgrade her diet to help her lose the few pounds she’s gained recently. Punita is a vegetarian and does a combo of cardio and strength training 5-6 days a week. 

Let’s get down to her eats:

BREAKFAST
Kashi honey/flax seed cereal, OR Oatmeal Squares cereal (about 3/4 cup) with skim milk (about 1/2 cup)
+ a daily multivitamin & fish oil supplement

Punita’s breakfast is pretty high in sugar/carbs and low in protein/fat/calories. If she wants to stick with cereal, I’d recommend eating a smaller portion served on top of plain full-fat Greek yogurt (or regular, if she doesn’t like Greek). Breakfast should be no less than 300 cals. I like that she’s taking the fish oil supplement!

SNACK
1 packet instant (Quaker) oatmeal made in water with 2-3 strawberries
OR 1 medium sized blueberry muffin

This snack is entirely carbs — without much fiber! That isn’t going to do much for Punita’s hunger. Again, I’d recommend something with a bit more protein, fiber, and fat. What about fresh blueberries with an ounce of cheese? Or even a LARABAR? My favorite snack is a hard-boiled egg with veggie crudites or fresh berries.

LUNCH
Noodles (about 1/2 packet of water boil noodles) with Vegetables (about 1 cup frozen mixed veggies, + 1 tsp butter) and Mexican shredded cheese (1/4 cup blended cheeses)
OR Whole grain bread (2 slices) with fresh cut mozarella and 2/3 sliced tomato with pinch of salt & pepper

I like that these lunches include veggies, but they seem sort of meager. To bulk up the sandwich or the stir-fry, Punita could add something like BBQ tofu or tempeh — or even a scrambled/fried egg (surprisingly delicious on a sandwich!).

SNACK
1 Medium Banana & 18 oz iced/blended coffee (~180 cals) + whipped cream (60-80 cals worth)
OR Apple with PB (about a TSB)

Instead of sugary whipped cream, Punita should try regular, sugar-free cream! It will be more filling and keep Punita’s sugar cravings at bay.

DINNER
Burrito with Black Beans (1/2 cup canned) and fresh homemade Salsa (1/4 cup), Lettuce (1 cup shredded), Cheese (1/4 cup shredded) wrapped up in a tomato basil Tortilla
OR whole grain spaghetti/pasta, Pasta sauce, fresh Mozarella, and fresh Green pepper (1/2 bell pepper)

These dinners aren’t too bad, but they’re seriously lacking filling protein! Beans are great, but they have more carbs than they do protein, so they can’t be your only source. This is another place where adding tofu, tempeh, or egg and subtracting some of the carbs would be a good idea for slimming down.

SNACK
Handful of almonds before bed

A decent bedtime snack! Punita could also try mixing up her nuts — I also like macademia nuts, walnuts, and cashews (I won’t keep going, lest I sound like a certain character from Best in Show).

As for her workouts, Punita says: “I used to strength-train 5 times a week but I recently started spending a little less time on weights and at least 30 minutes on cardio each time I work out so I can cut my fat and weight a bit.”

I don’t think Punita needs to cut back on her strength! If her cardio is intense enough (and I recommend high-intensity interval training), she can get away with 20 minutes 3-4 times per week. No need to spend 30 minutes every day plugging away on the elliptical. Strength training with heavy weights is going to help Punita shave off those last few pounds while keeping her toned and tight!

Punita’s total calories look good (I estimated around 1,400-1,500, which is a good target range for her height and weight), but making these small changes will help her feel fuller and satisfied. Even though Punita is already glowing, she’ll glow just a bit more by tweaking her diet a little bit!

14 April 2010

Upgrade You: Anna

Recently, I got an email from reader Anna:

I recently lost about 20 lbs. My new weight just fits my small frame and feels right. I did it mainly through changing my portion sizes and concentrating on lean protein, fruit and vegs, getting rid of most starchy carbs and exercising about 45 minutes 5-7 times a week.
 
Well recently I have gained three pounds. I KNOW this is not a huge deal, but I DO worry about crreping weight gain. I think it happened mostly when I was on vacation a couple weeks ago, when I ate a good deal more of my usual healthy foods and laxed on the working out a bit. Now I cant drop it and its driving me crazy!

I’m glad she realizes that three pounds isn’t a huge deal — It’s absolutely not! But I can understand the confusion of gaining weight and not knowing why or what do to about it. Anna also sent me a sample of her daily eats:

breakfast - oatmeal and fruit (220 cals)
snack - apple (100 cals)
lunch - sandwich low cal bread, turkey, tons of veggies (200 cals)
snack - bar (140 cals)
dinner -ALWAYS veggies, maybe sometimes protein but mostly marinated veggies (I dont know how many calories this comes out too. I usually have 5-10 cups of veggies a night).
 
I drink on weekends and have one or two splurge meals a week

I can see a few problems going on here:

• Anna’s not eating enough, period. From my estimate, it could be as low as 1,000 calories. Remember, if you’re eating fewer than 1,200 calories on average, you’re sort of starving yourself. Weight loss can and will stall if your body isn’t being fed enough, I promise. Having a dinner of just veggies if you’ve eaten less than 600 calories up until then isn’t going to do you any weight-loss or health favors. Anna also says she’s working out up to an hour every day. Even more reason to up her calories!
• Too much processed food. Snack bars and diet bread just aren’t going to help you lose weight (without a fight!). I’d replace the diet bread with a whole grain tortilla and the snack bar with a hard-boiled egg + veggies or nuts + fruit.
• Not enough fat. You probably saw this coming, right? Okay, let me say it again: You need fat to burn fat! Not enough fat = a miserable, hungry human being. Anna needs to add in some fat at every meal. At breakfast, she could add nut butter to her oatmeal and fruit. For lunch, she could munch a full-fat Greek yogurt, or just make sure her sandwich has some fat in the form of meat or avocado. Again, ditch that low-cal bread! At dinner, Anna should make sure she’s cooking her veggies in plenty of coconut oil or butter and also make sure she’s getting enough protein, especially if her calories are low the rest of the day.

I’ve written about this before, but lower calories does not mean lower weight! You need to find your sweet spot. Too many is bad (obviously), but too few is also bad.

9 September 2009

Upgrade You: Haley

Haley recently became a pescetarian, and has also recently been cutting back on soy. She wants to make sure her diet has enough protein, as well as suggestions for other meals/snacks that are soy free. My comments and upgrades are below:

Breakfast: Nature Path flax whole grain flakes with skim or Ezekial bread with almond butter

I’d like to see Haley eat a bit more at breakfast, whether that means adding some fruit to her cereal or a banana to her toast. Remember, for a breakfast with staying power, shoot for 300-400 calories minimum. Haley could also try almond milk for a soy-free alternative to regular dairy.

Lunch: Sandwich with Ezekial bread, hummus, red pepper; grapes and snap peas on the side or large salad with spinach, broccoli, chickpeas, kidney beans, parmesan, and fat free Italian dressing

Important salad rule: Never use fat-free dressing! You need some healthy fat with your vegetables to help absorb the nutrients. I’d swap that fat-free Italian for some good old olive oil and vinegar (or any other type of olive oil-based vinaigrette). You only have to use a teaspoon or two of oil to get the benefits, so it really doesn’t add a significant amount of calories. For the sandwich lunch, I’d recommend bulking it up with some spinach or other veggie.

Snacks: Fat-free Greek yogurt and Kashi 7 grain crackers; Larabar and a piece of fruit; or tart frozen yogurt with fruit and coconut

Those are good soy-free snacks, but here are some other suggestions:

• Hard-boiled egg with fruit
• Tuna salad (made with Greek yogurt) and whole grain crackers
• Pitted dates and almonds (the deconstructed Larabar!)
• Hummus and pita
• Banana with a tablespoon of PB
• Frozen whole wheat waffle with PB
• English muffin with cream cheese and tomato

Dinner: Vegetable stir fry or salmon sashimi and fruit

Haley should make sure she’s getting at least a small portion of whole grains for dinner. Both meals could benefit from a serving of brown rice (if it’s not already being incorporated into them).

Overall, Haley has a very healthy, produce-heavy diet, which I definitely approve of. With a few upgrades, she’ll be golden. Want me to upgrade your diet? Send me a sample daily food log along with some info about your lifestyle.

2 September 2009

Upgrade You: Katie H.

Katie gave me a quick rundown of her daily eats in hopes of getting an upgrade. If you’d like me to upgrade your diet, please send me a log of a sample day’s worth of eating. Also, give me a little info about your lifestyle (where do you live? Are you a student? Who do you live with? Do you have much time to cook?). For those of you who have sent yours in already, thanks! Look for them on upcoming Wednesdays. My upgrades to Katie’s diet are below in bold:

Breakfast: Half a plain bagel with cream cheese and strawberries, orange juice or bowl of cut up fruit.

You know, I’m not a huge fan of bagels for breakfast. They don’t contain much nutrition for a fair amount of calories. If you’re set on a bagel to start your day, be brave and try hemp bagels. The texture takes some getting used to, but they pack a whopping 19 grams of protein and 13 grams of fiber per 280-calorie bagel. At $4.00 for five bagels, that’s less than $1 each. Hemp bagels would be a good choice for Katie because her other breakfast components are low on protein and high on sugar. But with 19 grams of protein in your bagel, fruit is a fine side dish for breakfast.

Snack: Avocado, greek yogurt, or almonds.

These snacks are great because they all contain some healthy fat. However, to bulk them up a little bit, I’d add some raw fruit or veggies. What about eating the avocado as a spread on celery and carrot sticks? Or Katie could add some fresh berries to the yogurt.

Lunch: Big salad with romaine, carrots, cucumber, sundried tomatoes, chickpeas, tuna, oil & vinegar, lemon, salt & pepper or taco salad with romaine, corn, black beans, salsa, black olives, and sour cream.

Both of those lunches are great! She’s getting plenty of good protein with the beans and tuna. The only thing I’d upgrade is to use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream in the second lunch option.

Snack: Coffee and chocolate covered edamame.

Edamame isn’t a bad snack at all, but I’d suggest mixing some plain edamame with the chocolate covered stuff for a little less of a sugar rush in the afternoon.

Dinner: Usually eat out, something like pizza or fish sandwich with fries.

I understand that some people just can’t cook in the evening, but pizza and fried food might make Katie feel awfully sluggish for the rest of the night. Katie could make easy homemade pita pizzas using whole wheat pita, a little marinara sauce, whatever veggies she likes, and mozzarella cheese. They only take 5 or 10 minutes in your oven’s broiler to cook. To replace the fish sandwich, she could bake some sweet or regular potatoes, and then throw whatever fish is on sale at her local market into the oven when the potatoes have 15-20 minutes left. Easy, low clean-up, and a bit more nutritious than a fish sandwich and fries. I’d also recommend adding a vegetable. Steaming green beans is quick and easy! Just add some olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper for a 10-minute dish.

27 August 2009

Upgrade You: Lia

Ready for another addition of Upgrade You? That’s what I thought. This time, I’m upgrading Lia (nice name!).

Lia lives in NYC (meaning she walks a lot!) with her boyfriend, and is starving by 6pm. She’s not big on breakfast and she can’t stand yogurt. She’s a carb addict (aren’t we all?) who tries not to allow her addiction to influence every meal. She wants to get a better grip on her hunger and generally eat a more balanced diet. My upgrades are in bold below:

Breakfast: 2 servings of fruit

This is Lia’s first mistake, and she’s setting herself up for failure pretty quickly. Fruit is basically sugar and a bit of fiber (and yes, many important nutrients). Your body will burn off the calories from fruit fairly quickly, leaving you with a grumbly tummy by 9am. I know Lia’s not big on breakfast, but she needs to try to gradually up her intake at that meal. Within an hour or so of waking, she needs to try to consume at least 300 calories and for staying power, she needs some of those calories to be protein.

Lia’s got an aversion to yogurt, and that’s fine, so she should look to get her protein elsewhere. She said she’s open to oatmeal, and I think oatmeal with fruit would be a good transitional breakfast for her. To start, she could have a small serving of regular oatmeal mixed with plenty of fresh fruit. This would feel a lot like a normal breakfast to her, but not set her up for failure the rest of the day. It’s pretty much a given that if you don’t eat enough at breakfast, you WILL be starving by the end of the day. That’s why it’s not surprising that Lia’s famished by 6pm.

Snack: small handful of almonds

This snack is alright, but for those hungry days, I’d obviously recommend adding something more voluminous like fruit, or better yet, raw veggies.

Lunch: something like quinoa, brown rice, whole wheat bread or beans mixed with veggies/salad

I like her mix of whole grain carbs and vegetables. She should just make sure she includes a serving of unsaturated fat, like olive oil or avocado, to stave off some of that 6pm hunger.

Snack: small handful of almonds

Again, I’m a fan of nuts as a snack, but they aren’t exactly “filling” in the traditional sense. That’s why I tend to eat them with foods that contain water (like fruits and veggies).

Dinner: Either a bowl of whole wheat pasta with homemade tomato sauce (canned tomatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, crushed red pepper); whole wheat tortilla with half can of Amy’s refried black beans (low sodium), half avocado, tomato, lime, garlic; peanut butter sandwich; slices of thin crust pizza; brown rice with veggies, ginger, garlic and soy sauce

Most of these options sound okay to me, especially the taco meal with black beans. However, there just aren’t enough vegetables. Pasta with no protein or veggies (besides the sauce) is just not going to be all that satisfying. I also think many of her dinner options are super light on the produce. Lia could include veggies like broccoli, spinach, zucchini, eggplant, etc. in her tomato sauce, have a salad with her taco (add jicama, tobasco, and cheddat cheese to make it a little Mexican-themed!), and eat slices of raw carrot, cucumber, bell pepper, and celery with her PB sandwich.
When hunger strikes, ask yourself this: Am I eating enough (especially important for those of us who workout more intensely)? Am I eating enough high volume foods (like produce)? Am I eating enough healthy fat (I usually include a serving in at least two meals)? Am I eating enough protein? Once you’ve answered those questions, you can zero in on where the hunger is coming from.

Also, keep in mind that hunger is cumulative. If you go to bed hungry one day, chances are, you’ll wake up hungry the next day AND be a little hungrier throughout the day. That’s why it’s important to honor your hunger and make sure you’re not letting it build up over the course of the day and/or week.

Snack: one small square of 72% dark chocolate and sometimes a little fruit

Nothing to upgrade here! I love a small sweet treat after dinner and fruit + dark chocolate is definitely the way to go.