Best Healthy Diet Plans 2008

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I believe the best healthy diet plans of 2008 will be the same plans that were available in 2007. All of these plans are variations on what most health professionals agree is a healthy diet; some of these diet plans will be familiar to you and some won’t. What you hear about most often in the news and online may have more to do with marketing than health. Diets with the best consumer outreach and marketing are not necessarily the best for you, many are anything but! Have you read that the best diet plan is one you can stick with? There is merit to that statement but it needs to have an added word of caution. Losing weight on a diet is not the only goal. If tackling the challenge of weight loss, I would imagine you’d like to not only lose weight but keep it off as well. That requires adopting a diet you can stick with for life, period. It follows then that you will likely want a healthy diet. There is plenty of research to document the importance of reducing your calorie intake (within reason) and for including all food groups in a healthy diet. If the diet you choose provides you with not only balance and variety with respect to nutrients and fiber as well as a healthy dose of antioxidants from foods such fruits and vegetables, you’ve likely made a good choice. Here are my top recommendations in no particular order. I will cover each briefly. I will also add to the list as I become aware of new choices. Remember if you are looking for a basic 1200 calorie diet or 1500 calorie diet you can find healthy plans right here on this site. I will continue to add free sample menus for each diet as time permits. 1. The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan by Dr. Barbara J. Rolls and Robert A. Barnett The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan developed by Dr. Barbara J. Rolls, a professor of nutrition at Penn State University, is based on many years of food research. What Dr. Rolls looked for in her research are patterns of healthy eating that are not only satisfying with respect to meeting hunger and other needs but are also enjoyable. The diet is based on consuming low energy-dense foods (low calorie) that are high in water and/or fiber. This diet includes fruits, vegetables, low-fat milk, cooked grains, lean meats, poultry, fish, and beans. 2. You on a Diet by Dr. Michael Rozen and Dr. Mehmet Oz The idea behind You on a Diet is that by having a better understanding of how your body works, you will be more well prepared to make healthy choices for eating and exercise. With that in mind, the authors wrote a book to teach you how food affects your chemistry and metabolism thereby giving you the knowledge to achieve healthy weight loss more easily. 3. Eat, Drink, and Weigh Less by Mollie Katzen and Dr. Walter Willet The core concept of this diet is to make gradual changes in your diet over time to healthier choices. Eating healthy can be both delicious and slimming. Walter Willet chairs the Nutrition Department at the Harvard School of Public Health. He and Mollie Katzen have packed this diet book with sound nutrition concepts to help you not only lose weight but also achieve better health. (You may recognize Mollie’s name from her work co-authoring some of the Moosewood Restaurant cookbooks.) 4. The South Beach Diet by Dr. Arthur Agatston This diet book is basically a healthy version of the Atkins diet that’s backed by science with respect to fats and heart disease. The concept behind this diet is that choosing “good” carbs helps to stop insulin resistance, curbs cravings, and in turn makes it easier to reduce calorie intake and lose weight. 5. The Sonoma Diet by Dr. Connie Guttersen The Sonoma Diet is a variation of the Mediterranean way of eating. The diet is centered around fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, lean poultry, small amounts of meat, wine, olive oil, and nuts. This type of diet is better known for the link with reducing risk for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes than weight loss. However, the secret to weight loss is simple. Just watch your calorie intake. The basic concept behind this diet is that choosing the “right” kind of carbs and fats along with wine, and certain “power foods” you will achieve weight loss along with better health and energy. Be looking for more in depth reviews coming soon. Till then, remember to eat healthy, watch your calorie intake, and stay healthy! Diets/Diet Plans, Reviewsbest healthy diet plans healthy diet diet plans diet weight loss Enjoy this post? Click here to treat Lori to a coffee and say Thanks!

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Successful Weight Loss

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Have you ever wondered what it REALLY takes to not only lose a significant amount of weight but to also succeed with the challenge of keeping it off? Researchers with the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) have been working to answer these questions since 1994 with data from successful “losers”. The registry has collected data on more than 4,000 participants. To qualify for inclusion in the Registry, an individual must be 18 years of age or older and have maintained a weight loss of 30 pounds or more for at least a year. The average NWCR participant has actually lost closer to 66 pounds and kept the weight off for 5.5 years. About 80 percent of the NWCR respondents are women. So I’ve found the trends to be quite revealing and relevant for this website. Although the participants chose to follow a variety of diets there have been certain defining trends. These individuals did not eliminate entire food groups from their diet. Ninety-two percent chose instead to limit their intake of certain foods. For example, some chose to eat less than once a week at fast food restaurants. The majority of the participants chose to eat healthy low calorie and low fat diets, eat breakfast every day, and engage in a high level of physical activity. They did not choose fat-free or carbohydrate-free food plans. The latest available research results that I can find suggest the participants have an average of about 1400 calories per day. Twenty-four percent of daily calories come from fat, 19 percent of calories from protein, and 56 percent of calories from carbohydrates. The participants reported cutting back on sugars and sweets and eating more fruits and vegetables. In addition, they eat five meals a day on average. Ninety-four percent of the participants increased their physical activity. Walking is the most common choice. Seventy-five percent of the participants weigh themselves once a week. Many felt that weighing themselves once a day could be discouraging. Weight can vary from day to day because of a number of factors such as fluid intake, sodium intake, and time of the month for women. Everyday weighing may not work well for many people but some kind of weight loss tracking can be motivating. The challenge is finding an accurate scale. Body weight scales/bathroom scales for the home are rarely as accurate as those found in medical clinics and offices. Scales that measure body fat are even less accurate. I’ll share some information with you on choosing a body weight scale at another time. About one third of NWCR participants described their experience with maintaining weight loss as hard. But another 1/3 reported this challenge to be moderately easy and 1/3 as easy! I find this to be very interesting and not what I have encountered. I’m wondering if there is a significant difference between men and women and between younger women versus older women? There is another statistic that may be more revealing than what I just shared. Forty-two percent claim that maintaining weight loss is less difficult then losing weight in the first place. That suggests that possibly 58 percent feel the opposite? (Unfortunately, no information is available to answer this question that I can find.) Take heart. You CAN succeed in losing and maintaining weight loss but most people have not found it to be easy overall. The most significant motivating factor is having a strong internal reason for wanting to lose weight. By internal I mean the motivation must come from within. The stronger the reason, or why, the better your chances for success! Read my previous post on succeeding with weight loss (You do have what it takes for weight loss) to learn more. In the coming weeks I will be sharing tips on how to choose the best diet plan for you. And I will review some of the most popular HEALTHY diet plans. For the registry participants, 45% lost weight on their own. A little more than half, 55%, had the help of a weight loss program. (If you would like to learn more about choosing a weight loss program you may want to read my articles on this topic. Choosing the best weight loss program for you and Which Weight Loss Program is Best?) Have a great week, watch those calories, and most importantly, stay healthy! (In this season of giving and thinking of others do take care of yourself. Make better choices than me. I enjoyed my week with my mother in Florida and visiting with many of the people in the Senior Living Residence where she stays. But I did not keep up with my usual exercise. That along with sleeping on my mother’s couch and lugging my laptop carry-on bag through the airports proved to be too much for my back. I’m beginning to feel better but it will take a few more days to heal. So I apologize for not posting as often!) Happy Holidays! Lori Diets/Diet Plans, Maintenance, weight loss, Weight Loss Programsweight-loss diet low-calorie-diet healthy-diet-plan diet maintenance Enjoy this post? Click here to treat Lori to a coffee and say Thanks!

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Warm Apple Pie

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Melt in Your Mouth Warm Apple Pie
Ingredients:
6 cups peeled and sliced tart apples
1/3 cup apple juice concentrate
2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (9 inch) unbaked pastry shell
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
Instructions:
Place apples, apple juice, tapioca and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Do not stir. Let stand for 15 minutes so flavors […]


Low Calorie, High Fiber Winter Fruits & Veggies

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Winter is fast approaching! I’m in Florida visiting my mother and it hardly seems possible that it could be winter. But it was in the teens when I left Iowa a couple of days ago and I’ll be heading back to the snow, ice, and cold all too soon. It may seem like summer here in Florida but there are some changes in fresh produce available at the grocery compared with what was available earlier that tells me otherwise. It’s time to slightly modify your strategy for choosing low calorie, high fiber fruits and vegetables for healthy eating, weight maintenance, and weight loss. The good news is that some of the best choices from other seasons continue to be readily availabe at reasonable prices.(See Best Low Calorie, High Fiber Summer Fruits and Vegetables) Fresh broccoli is available pretty much year round. Winter squash, cabbage, and cauliflower, all good choices in the fall, should still be around. And sweet corn can be found in the frozen foods section. For fruit, continue to look for pears, apples, and bananas. (See Fall Fruits and Vegetables: Low Calorie and High Fiber) So what’s new or different? Are you ready to be adventuresome? Some of the better vegetable choices for winter may be ones you have not tried. Vegetables: Artichokes: 1 medium cooked artichoke has only 60 calories with 6.5 grams of fiber! (Artichokes are often eaten with a dipping sauce. Try a healthier low calorie dipping sauce other than the often recommended butter or mayonnaise. How about your favorite low calorie mustard mixed with a little olive oil?) Turnips: 1 cup cubed cooked turnips has 3.1 grams of fiber with only 33 calories. Bok Choy: 1 cup cooked bok choy has only 20 calories with 2.7 grams of dietary fiber. Kale: 1 cup cooked kale has 2.6 grams of dietary fiber and 36 calories. (Kale tends to be too bitter to be eaten raw. When cooked it has a spicy or peppery flavor. And it is chock full of nutrients! Try adding kale to soups or stir fries. Or braise in vegetable or chicken broth and serve with grilled meat.) Fruit: Clementines: 1 medium fruit has about 34 calories and 1.3 grams of dietary fiber Tangerines: 1 small fruit provides approximately 31 calories and 1.6 grams of fiber. Mandarin Oranges (canned) - Mandarin oranges are actually tangerines. 1/2 cup of mandarin oranges has about 46 calories and 1 gram of dietary fiber Ugli fruit: 1 medium fruit (about 5 oz.) has approximately 36 calories and 2 grams of dietary fiber. (Have you tried these? I understand that they are named ugli fruits because of their appearance. But looks can be deceiving. They are a cross between oranges and grapefruit and they can be discolored and odd-shaped. But they evidently have a sweet, citrus taste, are seedless, and easy to peel. This fruit can make a good snack or addition to salads. I will definitely give this fruit a try this winter! How about you?) calories, Health, Maintenance, weight losslow-calorie high-fiber calorie fiber fruits vegetablesEnjoy this post? Click here to treat Lori to a coffee and say Thanks!

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New 1200 and 1500 Calorie Sample Menu

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O.K. I have to confess. I may be a Nutritionist and I like healthy food but cooking is not my favorite thing to do. Healthy gourmet food is fun to make and eat when I have the time but I am as busy as the next person. So I like meals that are quick and easy as well as nutritious and tasty! Today I have a 1200 calorie diet menu that calls for eating soup from a can for lunch and popping a Lean Cuisine frozen entree into the microwave oven for supper. How’s that for simple? This menu can be easily adapted for anyone on a 1500 calorie diet. Look for my ideas after the menu. I recommend my special homemade Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes (www.chocolateveggies.com/2007/12/whole-wheat-blu.html) for breakfast but you could choose to substitute commercially prepared pancakes if you don’t have time to make your own. (Cook up a batch of these pancakes on the weekend and then you will have a breakfast treat for several days!) Sample Menu for 1200 Calories Breakfast 2 Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes 1 Tbsp. Light Butter with Canola (by Land O’Lakes) - 50 calories 2 Tbsp. pancake syrup 4 oz. orange juice Snack 1/8 cup Whole Almonds, unsalted Lunch 1 cup Organic Lentil Soup (no salt added soup by Health Valley) This soup is healthy but a little too bland for me. So I spice it up with some Mrs. Dash Chipotle mix and a little freshly squeezed lemon juice. That way I get more flavor without the sodium. 1 cubic inch of Low Fat Reduced Mozzarella Cheese - (Lifetime - 55 calories) 1 Clementine 1 8 oz. cup of Skim milk Snack 1 Pear Supper 1 dish Macaroni & Cheese by Lean Cuisine - 290 calories 1/2 cup Snap Green Beans Small Salad with 1 cup mixed salad greens and 1/4 cup or so of chopped fresh tomato tossed with 1 Tbsp. of Olive Oil Vinaigrette 2 Cookies Grace’s Sunflower Seed Petite Cookies - 43 calories water, unsweetened tea or coffee, or diet soda (Always remember to drink plenty of water throughout the day.) Total Calories = 1202 Total Fiber = 26.9 Fat = 32% Carbs = 53% Protein = 15% Calcium = 1111 mg (Women between 19 and 50 years need approximately 1,000 mg a day, 51+ need 1,200 mg a day) Iron = 10.1 mg (Women 19 to 50 years need 18 mg of iron, 51+ need 8 mg) 1500 Calorie Diet Menu Modify the 1200 Calorie Diet Menu to fit your needs. If you are between the ages of 19 and 50 or over 50 and still menstruating you may want to have a second cup of the soup for lunch. That will add 100 calories and a bit more iron. If you are getting enough iron from a supplement then you have more options for the additional 300 calories. If you are over 50 and needing a little more calcium you may want to add another serving from the milk group such as an additional glass of milk or a yogurt. You could supplement the two snacks, morning and afternoon, with additional snack choices. See one of my previous posts on low calorie snacks to go for lots of ideas or you might want to eat another pancake or two for breakfast or have a higher calorie treat sometime during the day. The choice is yours. Need more 1200 or 1500 calorie diet menus for ideas? (You will need to scroll to the bottom of each page for links) 1200 Calorie Diet Plan 1500 Calorie Diet Plan Questions? Be sure to ask. Comments? Feel free to share. Have a great week, watch those calories, and most importantly, stay healthy! calories, Diets/Diet Plans, Health, Maintenance, weight loss1200 1500 calorie diet sample menu menus 1200-calorie-diet-menu 1500-calorie-diet-menu sample-menuEnjoy this post? Click here to treat Lori to a coffee and say Thanks!

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Accomplishments

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I’ve found that I’ve been “tagged” by a blogging friend of mine and asked to share what I have accomplished this past week. Hmm… I thought to myself, “How can I relate this to healthy eating and weight management?” Actually this will be easy because I’ve come across some great blogs and other resources to share this past week that I think will be well worth your time if you keep reading! But let me start from the beginning. Heather, a blogging friend of mine, found that she had a tag from Tamara Wilson on What did you accomplish in the past week? Heather was asked to share her response to four questions on her blog which she did. Now it is my turn to answer the questions: What did you accomplish? Did anything not go as expected? What was the highlight of your week? Did anything exciting happen you did not expect? 1. What did you accomplish? I had a good week overall. In addition to other tasks, I set out to create a “better” food diary than the ones I’ve come across online. I wanted to make a form that would be equally useful for anyone. By that I mean a form that might be used as a guide for weight loss, weight maintenance, or simply healthier eating. (See my previous post on Journaling and Appetite for more on this.) I also went on an overnight business trip with my husband to Quincy, Illinois. While there I did some exploring on my own while my husband was busy with his conference. I went to a fast food chain I was not familiar with called Roly Poly and I was pleasantly surprised at the low calorie and nutritious sandwich wrap I found. I also spent some time exploring one of the grocery stores there and discovered some new healthy low calorie foods. Now I have more ideas for low calorie menus (1200 and 1500 calories) that I will be working on this week! 2. Did anything not go as expected? Yes! I uploaded the food diary to a site called Scribd to share with everyone and I encountered problems. It’s a great site and most uploads and conversions go without a hitch. Maybe I did something wrong? I was disappointed because I had put a fair amount of time into creating the diary and I had nothing to show for it. (Should be available soon.) If you have a blog, don’t you just hate it when your readers can’t see all the work that is going on behind the scenes? When nothing new shows up it’s as if a blogger is being negligent in staying on top of things. 3. What was the highlight of your week? I received my new computer in the mail from Apple–a new iMac! I’m very pleased to say the set up was EASY and now I might actually be able to get more accomplished! My old Mac had gotten to be so slow it was taking me twice or three times as long to get anything done. 4. Did anything exciting happen you did not expect? Yes, I found I had my blog added to the “neighborhood” of a blogger who is a member of BlogCatalog. Lady Rose has a very inspiring story to tell about her journey with healthy eating and weight loss. She also hosts blog carnivals in which many bloggers share articles on a specific topic. I explored her profile and blog and found that she is linked to many other wonderful blogs. As a participant with this meme, I have been asked to tag five other blogs just as I was tagged. So I will share with you the names and sites of six women (Anna and Heather co-author one blog) who have blogs worth visiting. It was hard to pick just five. I chose these because each of these women seem to be committed to achieving better health not just weight loss, and to do so with healthier eating and fitness. Their blogs are informative and fun to read. Anna and Heather also have a great podcast! (If you have a business online or are thinking about getting one started, I encourage you to follow “Home with Heather.” Heather is a WAHM who shares great tips on successful blogging, web 2.0, and internet marketing.) Here are the blogs I am tagging: The Diet Pulpit by Lady Rose Half of Me by Jennette Fulda a.k.a. PastaQueen Losing a Part of Me by Dana Working on My Fitness by Sue Middle Age Shed by Anna and Heather If you have been tagged, please consider keeping this meme going by writing about what you accomplished this past week and then tagging five other bloggers. Participating in a meme is a good way to get some links to your site. Remember to link to the original blog (Tamara) and to the person who tagged you (that’s me!). Thanks. For anyone who is willing, please help me out and let me know about other great blogs or websites that you have found. I am eager to connect with others who are committed to achieving better health with grace, humor, and style! Have a great week and remember to eat healthy! Health, Maintenance, weight lossEnjoy this post? Click here to treat Lori to a coffee and say Thanks!

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15 Tips to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

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Did you know the typical American eats as much as 2,000 to 4,500 calories worth of food for Thanksgiving dinner? Given that most women need about 1600 to 2400 calories in an entire day, that’s a lot! All it takes is an extra 3,500 calories to form a pound of fat! And this meal is only one of the many ways we can get caught up in overindulging during the holiday season.

There are many food-focused events or gatherings at this time of year. My feeling is that this is not the time to be thinking about weight loss. There’s just too much in the way of good tasting (if not necessarily healthy) food and special moments to share with others that revolve around food. Why not focus instead on simply maintaining weight over the next 5-6 weeks and let go of weight loss. There’s plenty of time to get back to that when January 1 rolls around.

Just maintaining is enough of a challenge. I’ve come up with a list of 15 tips to keep in mind as you head into the holiday season. Armed with these ideas you’ll be better prepared to avoid overdoing it while at the same time enjoy the best that the holidays have to offer.

I’ll start out with some general tips and then share some specifics for being prepared for the “big” meals and holiday parties.

General Tips

1. Include some kind of exercise in your schedule everyday. If you are able, one of the best and easiest ways to do this is to take a walk for a minimum of 15 minutes preferably in the morning. According to Greg Landry, M.S. an exercise physiologist, even a short walk will get your metabolism elevated, help you to control your appetite, and provide you with greater energy for the rest of the day. I’m sharing this tip first for a reason. It’s just that important!

2. Space out your meals and snacks throughout the day to avoid getting overly hungry. If you become so hungry you could easily scarf down a tray of holiday cookies or large bag of chips with a bowl of high calorie dip and then go looking for more, whose fault is that?

If you’re always on the go and too busy to stop for regular meals, read one of my previous posts for some ideas for healthy snacks to take with you. (28 Healthy Low Calorie Snack Foods to Go)

3. Think about spending less time in the kitchen. Making traditional holiday treats is great. Just scale it back. If you have a need to bake up a storm, plan in advance how you might share those treats with those who are less fortunate.

4. Consider making physical activity the focus of holiday get-togethers. For example, how about beginning a tradition of hiking on a snowy trail, or going ice skating or sledding. If you live in a warmer climate, there are other options. When I lived in South America, we would go swimming on Thanksgiving and Christmas day!

5. Plan in advance for healthy food and treats. Trust me, healthy food can be awesome and just as appealing and delicious tasting as traditional high fat and/or sweet creations. Discover some new possibilities by going to some of the healthy recipe sites on the web. Here are a couple of great sites to explore for ideas: The World’s Healthiest Foods and Nubella (Click on Recipes on the top menu bar and then Low Calories at this site).

6. Do what it takes to get enough sleep! Sleep deprivation actually changes physiology in a way that can make a person more hungry than normal. Also, being tired affects how you feel and can make it more challenging to resist temptations.

7. Limit your alcohol intake. Alcoholic beverages can be a significant source of calories. Also, alcohol can lower your metabolic rate and stimulate your appetite!

Tips for Big Meals and Food-focused Celebrations

Prepare in advance for big meals or party foods. You can handle whatever comes your way from Thanksgiving to office parties to overly-tempting high calorie restaurant meals, if you have a few well-planned strategies.

8. Eat fewer calories than usual the day before a big meal such as Thanksgiving. Don’t skip meals or go without eating at all because that can set you up to more than compensate the next day. Just cut back. Keep meals and snacks small but balanced and spread out as usual.

9. Fill up on low calorie liquids the day of a big meal. Water is your best bet but you can supplement this with some unsweetened tea or coffee or even diet soda. Drink before, during, and after a big meal is served. This will help you eat less for the day.

10. Plan to have healthy low calorie snacks available to avoid going to a party or sitting down to a big meal with an empty stomach. Choose high protein foods for the greatest satisfaction and staying power rather than sweets and refined carbohydrate choices. Foods with high fiber and/or water are also a good choice.

11. Bringing a dish to a get-together with family or friends? Choose to prepare a low calorie nutritious dish to share with others. That way you know you will have at least one healthy lower calorie food to eat. Volunteer to bring sliced fruits and vegetables or a delicious tossed salad made with spinach and mixed leafy greens.

12. Do think of ways to keep busy and entertained that do not involve eating. That way you can avoid eating just to eat whether its before or after a meal simply because everyone else is eating. For example, choose to NOT hang out by the snack table.

13. Eat slowly and enjoy each bite. Eating good-tasting food is a pleasure. (If it’s not good tasting or at least healthy why eat it?) By eating slowly and chewing your food carefully you will give your body time to recognize when you are full. You will also feel satisfied with far less food.

14. Do allow yourself to have some treats! Depriving yourself of some of your favorite holiday foods is not a good idea. Simply save room for a SMALL portion of your favorite dishes. Again eat slowly, savor, and enjoy.

15. Go for a walk AFTER eating a big meal. You may not burn off all the calories you’ve eaten but it will feel good and get you back on track for healthy living.

Above all put food and eating during the holidays in perspective. Overeating at one meal or get-together does not mean you have no will power or you are incapable of managing your weight. It is simply one instance of overeating and nothing more. Over-indulging on occasion is simply part of life. If you have prepared yourself with a few of the strategies I’ve shared here, allowing yourself to overeat a “little” does not have to be a problem. Relax. Enjoy. Happy Holidays!

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1200 and 1500 Calorie Sample Menus

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Happy Thanksgiving! If you’re an American and you are reading this today, why? Go be with your family and/or friends! The post will be here tomorrow.

I set out to create a new 1500 calorie sample diet menu based on one of my previous 1200 calorie menus. Instead, I ended up creating a new 1200 calorie sample menu that is nutritious and well balanced even at a low 1200 calories. There are many possibilities for easily adding 300 calories to this menu because your nutrient needs have basically been met. So I have two sample menus for you today both 1200 and 1500.

Given that today is Thanksgiving, just tuck this information away for future reference. Enjoy your holiday meal. No dieting today! If you follow my advice you may want to ease up or let go of dieting completely till the New Year. As I shared in my last post 15 Tips to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain, just maintaining weight is hard enough at this time of the year.

O.K., now for the menus. The 1200 calorie version provides plenty of calcium, iron, and fiber for women over 50. The fiber content is good but just a tad less than the recommended amount for women under the age of 50. However, if you are adding even a small number of calories for a BMR that is higher than 1200 or for exercise, you can easily increase the fiber content with another serving of a high fiber fruit or vegetable or maybe a small high fiber muffin. (I’ll have to share some recipes in a future post for high fiber muffins that are not packed with calories!)

Another note I’d like to add is that I often include broccoli as a vegetable choice with 1200 calorie menus. You’ll be hard-pressed to find another vegetable or fruit available year-round in the United States with as much fiber and so few calories. If your calorie needs for the day are more than 1200 then go ahead and substitute another vegetable or two. If fresh isn’t available, frozen is your second best choice but canned is also fine.

Oh yes, this menu includes a meal from a fast food restaurant, Arby’s. We need to be aware of the relatively few choices we have to grab something that is reasonably nutritious and low calorie when we are on the go. For more low calorie restaurant meals read my previous post on low calorie restaurant choices.

Sample 1200 Calorie Diet Menu #5

(For the 1500 Calorie version see my notes at the end.)

Breakfast:

1 cup General Mills Chex Multi-bran cereal (190 calories without milk)

4 oz. Skim milk

4 oz. Orange Juice

Morning Snack:

1/2 cup grapes, red or green

1 piece of Mini Babybel Light cheese (1 piece has 50 calories)

Lunch:

1 Arby’s Martha’s Vineyard Salad

8 ounces Skim Milk

Afternoon Snack:

1/2 cup Nonfat Vanilla Yogurt (Tip: Want an easy alternative snack you can take with you that doesn’t need refrigeration? Choose 1 8-ounce carton of enriched Vanilla Soy Milk)

Supper:

1 and 1/4 cup (a serving) Buitoni Whole Wheat Four Cheese Ravioli (Note: I chose this brand because it is whole wheat and reasonably low calorie with 320 calories)

1/2 cup Amy’s Low Sodium Marinara Pasta Sauce (Note: most pasta sauces are relatively high in sodium. 40 calories)

Water, unsweetened tea or coffee, or diet soda

NOTE: Remember to drink plenty of water throughout the day!

Another note: I have not yet tried either the ravioli or pasta sauce brands recommended here. However, I will be checking to see if they are available where I live and give them a try. I choose these products specifically to achieve nutrient balance. If, for example, sodium is not an issue for you go ahead and select another low calorie pasta sauce.)

Total Calories: 1220

Protein: 23%

Carbohydrates: 59%

Fat: 18%

Iron: 23.8%

Calcium: 1229 mg

Fiber 21.5 grams

Vitamin A: 6209 I.U.

Vitamin C: 143 mg

1500 Calorie Sample Diet Menu #2

Simply follow the 1200 Sample, add a medium apple with the afternoon snack for an additional 80 calories or so plus 3.7 grams of fiber. You now have plenty of fiber if you are less than 50 years of age (and more than enough if you are over 50). The calorie count is now at approximately 1300. Given that the menu is balanced and nutritious you can add 200 calories of whatever you would like to bring the total to 1500! How’s that for easy?

Questions? Be sure to ask. Comments? Feel free to share. Enjoy the rest of the week, choose nutritious foods, watch those calories, get some exercise and most importantly, stay healthy!

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Keeping a Food Diary

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A food diary can assist you with your weight loss efforts. It may be the means to more fully understanding your food habits, what you need to change, and why.

Research studies have revealed that those who successfully lose weight and keep it off are individuals with certain characteristics in common. These are people who have become aware of the choices they make that result in overeating and who then take an active role to change those behaviors. They understand the need to choose healthy foods, watch their portions, and get exercise.

When keeping a food diary, you can gain insights about your choices if you are conscientious about DETAIL and ACCURACY. It will take some time to keep a food diary but it will be well worth the effort. Keeping a food diary for a minimum of a week or two would be best, but just a few days is good, and if all you can manage is one day that would still be beneficial. Whatever you can do, get started as soon as possible.

Keep your entries brief so it won’t be too tedious to do but again, be ACCURATE. The purpose of keeping a food diary is to improve your food habits. If you are not honest or accurate with what you record, the only person you will hurt is yourself.

In addition to tracking the food you eat, one of the recommendations for keeping a food diary is to record your feelings. Eating for comfort rather than hunger is very common. If you think you might be an “emotional eater”, you might want to consider keeping a journal as well as a food diary to have an outlet to express your feelings. Writing your thoughts and feelings down on paper can help you cope with everyday challenges and may give you a better understanding of why you turn to food for comfort.

I would suggest keeping a food diary for at least a few days before you go on a lower calorie diet to get a good sense of what you need to do to improve your regular diet and lifestyle. A food diary will not only provide you with a guide as to the kinds of foods you may need to eat less of or eliminate to lose weight but it will also give you a picture of what you will need to do to maintain the weight loss. If you simply go “on a reduced calorie diet” without a plan for what you will need to do to maintain, any weight you might take off will likely come back on very quickly. You’ve got to change your habits. Successful long-term weight loss is all about healthy eating and living.

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Here’s a list of what you will want to track with a food diary. (I hope to provide a free copy of a sample food diary soon. It’s in the works just not quite finished.) I use, and recommend, the service My Food Diary because it makes the work of tracking some of the information so much easier. (If you would like to learn more about myfooddiary please read my review.) But you can choose to use a simple notebook or pad of paper.

1. List WHAT you eat.

Make sure to include ALL food and beverages no matter how little it may have been. One of the most common reasons a person fails to lose weight on a lower calorie diet is the result of eating more total calories than what is perceived. Make sure you include all the extras such as mayonnaise on a sandwich or the spoonful of ice cream from your husband’s dish, or a few small pieces of candy from your place of work.

(Another potential problem with not losing weight is not eating enough. If you have experienced this you may want to read my post on getting started with a 1200 calorie diet. Whether your target diet is for 1200 calories or more, you’ll learn how to determine the lowest number of calories you can have without slowing your metabolism or causing other potential health problems.)

2. Be SPECIFIC about what you eat.

If you eat a canned or packaged product, note the name of the food and the company that produces it. This will make it much easier to determine the calorie or nutrient content later if you no longer have a label to read. On the other hand, if you eat a homemade dish, make note of the ingredients or keep the recipe handy for later reference.

Also, note how much you ate. Maybe you will need to jot down the size of the item such as you might with a piece of cake or pie. Or maybe you will need to record the volume (such as half a cup) or the weight. If you eat more than one item or serving, record how many.

3. Record WHEN and WHERE you eat.

Note the approximate time of day and where you are when you eat. Are you at home, at a restaurant, at your office, in a car or elsewhere? Wherever it might be, jot it down.

4. Note WHAT you are doing when eating.

Do you eat while watching T.V.? This is one of the most common and mindless ways of eating more than you might need. Do you eat standing up in the kitchen? Do you eat directly from a bag or box of chips or crackers? Are you more likely to overeat when visiting friends or family? Or maybe when traveling?

5. Keep track of your FEELINGS.

Note whether or not you are actually hungry when you eat. What you are thinking or feeling right before eating will be a clue as to the times when you eat for reasons other than hunger. Pay attention to whether you are feeling depressed, angry, happy, sad, or whatever it might be. If this process brings up more feelings then you have room to note on a simple food diary, you may want to consider keeping a journal.

Recommended but optional:

6. Keep track of what you do for physical activity or exercise.

Note the kind of exercise and how long you engage in a particular physical activity. This post is about keeping a food diary not an exercise log but the two can be combined for the best results.

A food diary will give you valuable information about your habits. If you want to learn more about your total calorie or nutrient intake from the records you keep, you will need to look up this information with a food and nutrient database. You can use a free service such as with Fitday or a paid service such as MyFoodDiary. To assess calories burned in physical activities you can use the service provided by Global Health and Fitness or My Food Diary.

Good luck keeping a food diary. If you need a sample form, I will have one available soon!

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Journaling and Appetite

 Journaling and Appetite thumbnail

The good news today is that I have completed a free food diary to share with you! It took me a little bit longer to complete than I planned but that’s nothing new. Seems like everything takes me longer than I would like.

However, the bad news is that my attempt to upload the file, to the site that will host the form, did not work. I’ve been told the situation will be resolved within a few days. I’ll let you know when it is available for download.

In the meantime, I want to encourage you to consider journaling. The benefits of journaling are many and go beyond the return you may get with respect to gaining insight about your food habits. If you would like to try journaling and learn more about the benefits, I recommend you visit the Journal Writing Topics blog written by a new friend of mine. Be sure to read “How to Journal without Fear” This informative post will get you off to a good start!

As I mentioned in my previous post on Keeping a Food Diary you want to keep track of your feelings when you eat. By keeping brief notes with a food diary you may see a pattern emerge that may help to shed light on when you eat for emotional hunger rather than physical hunger.

We all have moments when eat for reasons other than hunger. Through a series of VERY complicated physiological feedback loops, our bodies have a way of adjusting our later food intake to maintain energy balance. If you would like to see just HOW complicated this is take a peek just for fun at a review page posted on the web on appetite control from the Journal of Endocrinology. Scroll down the page a ways and you will quickly get an idea of why it may be all too easy to get this system out of whack!

What is rather amazing is that the physiological feedback system works at all, for anyone! It is possible to regain the ability to perceive and follow your bodies’ internal cues to appetite. But it takes time and effort. A food diary can help you pinpoint what “triggers” you to eat when you are not physically hungry. This is a start. Look for patterns in your behavior. Journal to explore the feelings that come up as well as your thoughts about what you might do to address those feelings in a way that does not involve eating.

How are you doing with the holiday season and food? I have found there to be an overabundance of food all year round. But it gets worse at this time of the year! If you would like some tips on how to manage your appetite and the continual temptations to eat be sure to read 15 Tips to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain. And if those tips don’t work for you then journal! (Either online or off with pen and paper.)

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