How important is your health?

Is your house more important than your body? How about your car or clothes? Many Americans put great emphasis on these things. They labor and toil to make the payments. Then when they see me, they have a million reasons why they don't have the time or motivation to exercise daily, or to start eating correctly. Well, to tell the truth, they are making a down payment on an early death by ignoring their health now. If this is you, there is no better time than the present to change. Why not make it your new year's resolution. By the way, this picture is Susan's favorite exercise personality.

A breakfast sandwich

Was at starbucks this am. They had a low fat turkey bacon breakfast sandwich on display. It is a whole wheat english muffin, egg whites, turkey bacon, and low fat cheese. Here is the nutrition info. It is 50 calories more than an egg mcmuffin from mickey d's (300 cals). Both are much better choices than biscuits with fatty fried meats and cheese.

Nutrition FactsServing Size: 159g - I assume this is one sandwich?
Amount per Serving
Calories 350
Calories from Fat 100
(% Daily Value - the% figure under each gram figure listed)
Total Fat 10g
15%
Saturated Fat 4g
20%
Cholesterol 20mg
7%
Sodium 810mg
34%
Total Carbohydrate 41g
14%
Dietary Fiber 3g
12%
Sugars 5g
Protein 20g
40%
Vitamin A
20%
Vitamin C
0%
Calcium
45%
Iron
15%
Est. Percent of Calories from:
Fat 25.7% Carbs 46.9%
Protein 22.9%

How did you do during Christmas?

Did you mess it up, eat way too much and gain some weight? If you did, forgive yourself and move forward. Don't dwell on failure, but instead your ability to succeed. Leave the past in the past, get back on the wagon, and start dieting again right now.

A Word On Christmas

Well, today we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. I think many of my patients desire to be more Christ-like in their daily lives. So, my question for your thoughts - is it possible to honor God by the way you partake of food and drink? If it is possible, are you honoring Him now in this area of your life?

The Three Wise Men

So, I was reading the Bible this a.m. I was refreshing my memory of the birth of Jesus. I try to imagine what was going on in the stable with Mary and Joseph. I do feel certain that there was no christmas candy, egg nog, soda, or high calorie food or beverage of any kind. The three kings didn't bring any fruitcake, etc. Just "food for thought" as you approach today through Sunday.

Compensate

If you can't control your holiday circumstances - in other words, if everyone will offer you bad food - then try to compensate for it. If you take in extra calories, plan to burn more. How about walking or exercising 2 hours a day from Thursday to Sunday. This will burn off extra calories, and prevent weight gain. The included picture is to remind you to exercise. This is Susan's favorite exercise personality.

Nothing about Diet

I was at the Panthers vikings game last night. It was an emotional release for panthers fans who have put up with excessive poor performances this season. The attached video is from my cell phone. It is J. Stewart's 4th quarter TD that sealed the deal.

Important Holiday Reminder

Remember that Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. We have no record in history that the celebration is about the act of eating and drinking excessively. If you give in and eat lots of candy, cookies, sausage balls, cheese, etc. you will have to wear those pounds yourself. The choice is yours. You don't have to do it. Make it about Jesus and not about abusing your body.

Whole grain Oats

So what is the deal on oatmeal? Oats are a whole grain. They are a good source of both soluble and insoluble fiber. They are also a good source of B vitamins. Most forms of instant oatmeal are ground up so fine that they digest far too quickly - in other words they don't fill you up for long. In addition many have added sugars which signal your body into a fat storage mode.

If you are looking for an instant oatmeal that is OK, try Quaker Weight Control. It has no added sugar but has added fiber and protein to slow digestion and increase sense of fullness. It is 160 calories per pack. The maple an brown sugar flavor is the best.

You could also use Quaker old fashioned oats or steel cut oats. Both digest slowly and keep you feeling full for hours. I like to add a teaspoon of smart balance buttery spread and some berries. Try a little honey if you would like. Many people like to add a dozen almonds or walnuts for additional texture and flavor.

Whole grains again

So, what are some common examples of whole grains?

Brown Rice

Popcorn

Triscuts

100% whole wheat bread

Kashi brand cereals

Oatmeal

Don't forget though - you still have to keep track of your calories. You can't overeat whole grains just because they are nutritious.

Whole grains

A whole grain product (like a bread, cereal, or cracker) has none of the grain removed during its processing. The grain contains three parts - the bran, the endosperm, and the germ. The bran is the fiber. The endosperm is carbohydrate that supplies energy to the growing grain. The germ is a powerhouse of vitamins and nutrients. It is the life of the grain. White bread is just ground up endosperm with the bran and germ removed. When you pick breads, crackers, etc, go for products that are 100% whole grain.

Get Your Game Plan

Many of you will be going to Christmas parties over the next 10 days. Make up your mind ahead of time how much you will consume. Role play in your mind the process of eating and drinking before you go. Invision your plate and glass. In other words - have a game plan. Then stick to the plan. If you over do it, you don't hurt anyone but yourself. If you over do it, you are the one who will have to wear it.

Don't Do This

From Hardees - 1200 calories! Bad, Bad mistake. Try McDonalds Egg McMuffin for 280 cals.

Is this worth my money and time?

Think losing weight is expensive? It may seem like it now. Stop and consider the price of being overweight for years. The price is diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, strokes, cancer, arthritis, depression, etc. That's a lot of doctors visits, hospitilizations, medicine, increased insurance rates, etc. How do you put a price on dying early because you are overweight?

Do you pay your mortgage and car payment every month? You take good care of the house and car. Is your body less important than these? The truth is that losing weight is an investment in yourself that pays rich dividends. It's a good thing - and when you consider the larger picture, it really isn't costing you as much as you think.

Order a Salad, right?

Many of my patients when they are at resturants order a salad. Seems logical - salads are lower in calories than hamburgers, etc, right? Not so fast! Check out the calories in your calorie counter before you order.

Example: Quesadilla Explosion Salad from Chilis(pictured here). Care to guess how many calories? How about 1260! That's right - 1260. Might as well order a big mouth burger. Don't fall into the high calorie salad trap.

Stress Eating

For those of you who say you have stress and it causes you to eat, I want to ask you this. Can you get a bucket and fill it up with stress? Of course the answer is no. Stress is something that cannot be seen, and you can't pick it up with your hands.

The real truth is that stress is in your mind. You create it by your reaction to situations. Your ticket to long term sucess with your weight will be deciding on how you will respond to situations. Worry and stress are conscious decisions. Turning that into the act of overeating unhealthy food compounds the problem.

Start working now on conciously deciding not to have worry or stress. Guard your thoughts and contemplations about what is going on in your life. If they are negative, you will have negative things manifesting themeselves in the physical realm.

Feeling Hungry?

There is a difference between feeling hungry and actually needing to eat. Many processed foods will cause you to feel hungry throughout the day. The real question you should ask yourself is this: is my blood sugar getting low? When your blood sugar is low you feel irritable, lightheaded, sweaty, and even nauseated. When your sugar is low you need to eat someting. However, if you watch yourself carefully, you will notice that in many cases you feel the sensation of hunger but you don't have the symptoms of low blood sugar. In this case, drink 16 ounces of water and wait an hour. In most cases the hunger subsides and it is not necessary to ingest calories. Using this strategy cuts down on calorie intake and speeds up your weight loss.

Need Help Starting?

Many of my patients find the idea of exercising for 1 hour daily intimidating. Well, there is help and it is not expensive. The Biggest Loser has a new DVD out called 30 day Jump Start. It is an exercise DVD with 10 minute workouts. Now be honest, I know most of you can at least do 10 minutes right? The DVD is about $12. You can do the workouts at home - no traveling to the gym, waiting for machines, etc. Give it a try, I think you will like it.

Better Alternative

Subway 6 inch Turkey on 9 grain wheat, no mayo or cheese. With mustard and all the veggies you wand is 270 calories. A much better alternative to the meal shown in yesterday's post.

Calorie Game

How many calories are in the burger and fries? The Quarter Pounder has 510 calories and 234 of those are from saturated fat. The large fries have 500 calories and 225 of those are from fat. 1010 calories total! This will ruin your attempt to lose weight. Stay away from this kind of food.