Yesterday was all about understanding body weight and calories... today we are going to take some of those guilty pleasures and turn them into healthy pleasures. Before we start - you did check to see where your healthy weight is and how many calories you should be intaking each day right? If not... go do that and come back... you will need that info during this portion of our discussion.
Fast food - Have you ever looked at the calorie counters for fast food?? O...M...G! Here are a couple:
McDonalds Big Mac - Calorie Count: 576 Daily Fat %: 50 Daily Salt %: 31
McDonalds Large Fries - Calorie Count: 500 Daily Fat %: 38 Daily Salt %: 15
Burger King Double Cheese Burger - Calorie Count: 500 Daily Fat %: 45 Daily Salt %: 43
Wendy's Frosty - Calorie Count: 328 Daily Fat %: 13 Daily Salt %: 6
Arby's Beef and Cheddar Sandwich - Calorie Count: 445 Daily Fat %: 32 Daily Salt %: 53
Starbucks Grande Caramel Macchiato - Calorie Count: 304 Daily Fat %: 18 Daily Salt %: 7
Starbucks Blueberry Muffin: Calorie Count: 380 Daily Fat %: 29 Daily Salt %: 16
So, no fast food... well not necessarily. There are options out there that are better for you than others. Subway - better, grilled chicken - better, salads - better.. but the best thing for you would be to bring something to work that you know the calorie count. Restaurants tend to use lots of butter, oil, and salt. None of which is great for trying to control your caloric intake. Don't nibble through the day - those calories tend to add up VERY fast and before you know it you have blown all your calories in "snacks" that give you empty calories. I tend to have one MEAL a day and two light meals. Breakfast - light. This gets the metabolism going for the day. Mid-day meal I push back until about 2pm and this tends to be my largest meal of the day - giving my body time to burn those calories. Evening tends to be fruit or a salad or maybe even some yogurt.
So lets talk transformation... always start your meals with at least a full glass of water. This will reduce the number of calories you ingest. Don't drink anything during the meal. Typically we eat too fast and over stuff ourselves. Drinking a full glass of water before will give you a partially full feeling, and you should eat closer to the proper amount during your meals - which is just less than "FULL." Don't eat in front of the television - always sit at a table. You are there to eat - don't read, do crossword puzzles, work, etc... Try to consciously eat slower - eating faster makes you eat more calories as it takes a bit of time for your stomach to transmit to your brain that you are actually full. So, slow down and enjoy the flavor of your meal.
Double Cheese Burger - If you MUST have twice the meat AND the cheese - make sure you are eating good quality beef, remove the bun, and get good quality cheese. Each of the condiments will increase the calories - stick with the vegetables lose the mayonnaise or any creamy sauces.
French Fries - completely wasted calories. If you are craving them, you need to figure out if it is the salt or the potatoes that you are craving - and fix that problem. Instead of french fries try oven cooked fries - steak fries - sweet potato oven fries - baked potato (no sour cream / no bacon). Get rid of the oil that they are cooked in and add some seasonings - Mrs. Dash is a good combination if you have a hard time mixing your own.
Shake - more wasted calories. If you are craving something cold during the hot summer months - try making some smoothies at home with fresh and frozen fruit, almond milk, and ice. Still lots of calories - but they are useful calories. Stay away from the icecream. Adding lemon or lime will help you burn the calories faster. There are also frozen fruit pops out there that are better for you than icecream or sorbet - less sugar and real fruit. If you MUST have icecream - get the good stuff and only take a couple small spoonfuls each day. See how long you can make a SMALL container last. Sitting down and eating a whole container of Ben and Jerrys is equivalent to your entire day's caloric intake - OR MORE.
Chocolate - depending on what kind of chocolate you are eating, will depend on its benefits. Stay away from the milk chocolate and try some dark chocolate. If you want the sweetness - try the dark chocolate with mint or some fruit. Dark chocolate actually helps you lose weight. Just remember one or two squares a day is enough.
Coffee - limit your intake to 1 - 2 cups black coffee each day. If you need the flavor and sweetness, drink juice. Seriously. The stuff added to your coffee punches it up into the 500 - 600 calorie intake per cup. Pay attention to it. Create your own frozen drinks with almond milk and ice... remember though, with the frozen drinks they really punch up the caffeine - one frozen drink is equal to 2 cups of regular coffee. Try mixing 1/2 decaffeinated with 1/2 regular at home.
Steak - I know I am going to hear lots of grumblings with this one - you REALLY only need a couple of servings of red meat a MONTH. If you have conditioned your body to need it more often, you really should move towards more nuts and fish to compensate. Good steak is better for you than ground beef (usually fresher - with less fat). Try cutting it and using it mixed with other foods. Thai Beef Salad is a great example. You get your grilled steak - mixed with fresh greens, herbs, etc... This way you are getting less STEAK and more of the greens you need.
Cakes / Cookies / Brownies / Cheesecake - no, no, no!! Danger Will Robinson! We have been conditioned to eat dessert with our meals - desserts should be for special occasions, not daily consumption. Besides the amount of sugar, they usually are made with flour that has been stripped of its benefits and made with lots of butter. Start moving away from these unhealthy desserts to ones based on fruit - Strawberry Shortcake made with biscuits rather than poundcake or try making it with angelfood cake (another empty set of calories - but much less than the poundcake). Or how about some fresh fruit with a couple squares of dark chocolate. Once you move further away from the sugar laden desserts, you will find that they are just too sweet for you.
Eggrolls - if you are like my family and love Asian foods. Eggrolls are usually one of the first favorites. Lumpia, Gyoza, and Summer Rolls come after... Summer Rolls or Fresh Rolls are a family favorite in my house and a wonderful healthy pleasure!!
Guilty pleasures that you should never worry about - strawberries dipped in dark chocolate. Frozen grapes dipped in raw sugar. Honey Sticks.
My Non-Guilty Healthy Pleasures:
Thai Beef Salad - http://www.food.com/recipe/my-o-my-best-thai-beef-salad-ever-51081
Summer Rolls - http://whatscookingamerica.net/Appetizers/SpringRolls.htm
Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam) - http://thaifood.about.com/od/thaisnacks/r/PapayaSalad.htm
Enjoy your Healthy Pleasures today... Blessings. E
Fast food - Have you ever looked at the calorie counters for fast food?? O...M...G! Here are a couple:
McDonalds Big Mac - Calorie Count: 576 Daily Fat %: 50 Daily Salt %: 31
McDonalds Large Fries - Calorie Count: 500 Daily Fat %: 38 Daily Salt %: 15
Burger King Double Cheese Burger - Calorie Count: 500 Daily Fat %: 45 Daily Salt %: 43
Wendy's Frosty - Calorie Count: 328 Daily Fat %: 13 Daily Salt %: 6
Arby's Beef and Cheddar Sandwich - Calorie Count: 445 Daily Fat %: 32 Daily Salt %: 53
Starbucks Grande Caramel Macchiato - Calorie Count: 304 Daily Fat %: 18 Daily Salt %: 7
Starbucks Blueberry Muffin: Calorie Count: 380 Daily Fat %: 29 Daily Salt %: 16
So, no fast food... well not necessarily. There are options out there that are better for you than others. Subway - better, grilled chicken - better, salads - better.. but the best thing for you would be to bring something to work that you know the calorie count. Restaurants tend to use lots of butter, oil, and salt. None of which is great for trying to control your caloric intake. Don't nibble through the day - those calories tend to add up VERY fast and before you know it you have blown all your calories in "snacks" that give you empty calories. I tend to have one MEAL a day and two light meals. Breakfast - light. This gets the metabolism going for the day. Mid-day meal I push back until about 2pm and this tends to be my largest meal of the day - giving my body time to burn those calories. Evening tends to be fruit or a salad or maybe even some yogurt.
So lets talk transformation... always start your meals with at least a full glass of water. This will reduce the number of calories you ingest. Don't drink anything during the meal. Typically we eat too fast and over stuff ourselves. Drinking a full glass of water before will give you a partially full feeling, and you should eat closer to the proper amount during your meals - which is just less than "FULL." Don't eat in front of the television - always sit at a table. You are there to eat - don't read, do crossword puzzles, work, etc... Try to consciously eat slower - eating faster makes you eat more calories as it takes a bit of time for your stomach to transmit to your brain that you are actually full. So, slow down and enjoy the flavor of your meal.
Double Cheese Burger - If you MUST have twice the meat AND the cheese - make sure you are eating good quality beef, remove the bun, and get good quality cheese. Each of the condiments will increase the calories - stick with the vegetables lose the mayonnaise or any creamy sauces.
French Fries - completely wasted calories. If you are craving them, you need to figure out if it is the salt or the potatoes that you are craving - and fix that problem. Instead of french fries try oven cooked fries - steak fries - sweet potato oven fries - baked potato (no sour cream / no bacon). Get rid of the oil that they are cooked in and add some seasonings - Mrs. Dash is a good combination if you have a hard time mixing your own.
Shake - more wasted calories. If you are craving something cold during the hot summer months - try making some smoothies at home with fresh and frozen fruit, almond milk, and ice. Still lots of calories - but they are useful calories. Stay away from the icecream. Adding lemon or lime will help you burn the calories faster. There are also frozen fruit pops out there that are better for you than icecream or sorbet - less sugar and real fruit. If you MUST have icecream - get the good stuff and only take a couple small spoonfuls each day. See how long you can make a SMALL container last. Sitting down and eating a whole container of Ben and Jerrys is equivalent to your entire day's caloric intake - OR MORE.
Chocolate - depending on what kind of chocolate you are eating, will depend on its benefits. Stay away from the milk chocolate and try some dark chocolate. If you want the sweetness - try the dark chocolate with mint or some fruit. Dark chocolate actually helps you lose weight. Just remember one or two squares a day is enough.
Coffee - limit your intake to 1 - 2 cups black coffee each day. If you need the flavor and sweetness, drink juice. Seriously. The stuff added to your coffee punches it up into the 500 - 600 calorie intake per cup. Pay attention to it. Create your own frozen drinks with almond milk and ice... remember though, with the frozen drinks they really punch up the caffeine - one frozen drink is equal to 2 cups of regular coffee. Try mixing 1/2 decaffeinated with 1/2 regular at home.
Steak - I know I am going to hear lots of grumblings with this one - you REALLY only need a couple of servings of red meat a MONTH. If you have conditioned your body to need it more often, you really should move towards more nuts and fish to compensate. Good steak is better for you than ground beef (usually fresher - with less fat). Try cutting it and using it mixed with other foods. Thai Beef Salad is a great example. You get your grilled steak - mixed with fresh greens, herbs, etc... This way you are getting less STEAK and more of the greens you need.
Cakes / Cookies / Brownies / Cheesecake - no, no, no!! Danger Will Robinson! We have been conditioned to eat dessert with our meals - desserts should be for special occasions, not daily consumption. Besides the amount of sugar, they usually are made with flour that has been stripped of its benefits and made with lots of butter. Start moving away from these unhealthy desserts to ones based on fruit - Strawberry Shortcake made with biscuits rather than poundcake or try making it with angelfood cake (another empty set of calories - but much less than the poundcake). Or how about some fresh fruit with a couple squares of dark chocolate. Once you move further away from the sugar laden desserts, you will find that they are just too sweet for you.
Eggrolls - if you are like my family and love Asian foods. Eggrolls are usually one of the first favorites. Lumpia, Gyoza, and Summer Rolls come after... Summer Rolls or Fresh Rolls are a family favorite in my house and a wonderful healthy pleasure!!
Guilty pleasures that you should never worry about - strawberries dipped in dark chocolate. Frozen grapes dipped in raw sugar. Honey Sticks.
My Non-Guilty Healthy Pleasures:
Thai Beef Salad - http://www.food.com/recipe/my-o-my-best-thai-beef-salad-ever-51081
Summer Rolls - http://whatscookingamerica.net/Appetizers/SpringRolls.htm
Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam) - http://thaifood.about.com/od/thaisnacks/r/PapayaSalad.htm
Enjoy your Healthy Pleasures today... Blessings. E
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