So, I keep track of some mini goals to meet to help me meet my overall goals.  The consist of: water, affirmation to myself, diet, exercise, crunches, weight,   Here’s how I managed for my first WEEK ON THIS DIET (in bold italics after is my March 16, 2009 goal):

So, I keep track of some mini goals to meet to help me meet my overall goals.  The consist of: water, affirmation to myself, diet, exercise, crunches,AND weight,  Here’s how I managed for my first WEEK NEXT GOAL IS FOR MY BIRTHDAY  (in bold italics after is my MaY 16, 2009 goal):

Water: supposed to get 64 oz per day MOST DAYS, managed that .  Did well on days I exercised and not so well on days I didn’t.  Need to be more consistent.  Sticking with 64 oz per day until I can do this every day.

Affirmation: I am beautiful.  I had several days where I felt beautiful.  And I think from now on I’m really going to write my affirmation on the bathroom mirror so I see it every single day.  I don’t really say this to myself on a daily basis and if I saw it on the mirror every day for a month, maybe I would read it every day and start to believe it. I am extraordinary!

Diet: Stop eating fried foods.  I actually did pretty good . Fries, chicken, hamburger are about all I eat that are fried and I’ve started baking all these at home (except hamburgers i COOK ON MY GRILL , but I drain off as much fat and grease as possible by squishing it in a paper towel).  Try new healthy foods and get out of my comfort zone.

Exercise:  Missed more days in the past week than I would have liked, but I WORKED IN MY GARDEN DIGGING ,GETTING ROCK OUT AND GOOD DIRT IN SO THAT SUCH COUNT FOR SOME   .   I feel less stressed and more motivated to go and lose weight when I see me hitting my goals.  The goal was 30 minutes cardio and I CAN do 30 minutes of cardio without taking a break!  Yay for me!  Be up to 45 minutes cardio at least 3 times a week by MaY 16.

Crunches: The goal was 50 and I missed my mark by almost 10.  But I did 40 crunches I never did before!  I’m going to stick with the 40 I did because that seemed like a lot.

Push ups: Okay, when I realized my goal was outrageously out of reach (31 in a row by the end of THE WEEK), I kinda gave up on it.  But I work harder on my arms in strength training.  I’m not going to work on this goal right now.

Weight:  My APRIL 11 goal was to be 225 lbs.  Even with all the ups and downs , this week I dropped almost 8 pounds and came in at 222.2 lbs!!! FOR THE END OF THE MONTH I WANT TO BE  210 lbs…this will give me an overall weight loss of 89 lbs before my 56th birthday which is MaY 16.  What an awesome present to myself!

So, overall I’m extremely pleased with my progress.  I see where I need to improve and I’ve also seen what works for me and what doesn’t.

So, overall I’m extremely pleased with my progress.  I see where I need to improve and I’ve also seen what works for me and what doesn’t.

I WENT TO THE DOCTOR TODAY AND SHE WAS NOT A HAPPY CAMPER .SHE GIVE ME A LOT OF GRIEF FOR GAINING SOME WEIGHT BACK .AND PUT ME ON A DIEBATIC DIET SAID THAT IS WHY MY SUGAR IS BOUNCHING HIGH AND LOW SO TOMORROW I WILL START THAT NEW DIET WISH ME LUCK . I GOT TO GO BACK IN 3 MONTH AND SHE WANT TO SEE SOME WEIGHT OFF AND MY SUGAR BEHAVING .I NEED LOT OF SUPPORT .PLEASE HELP

I had a bad week this week if Daughter was gripping ,hubby was .i felt like a bone and the dogs where having a blast . i goofed up big time to say the less and eat my way through the house goodies . I got to get it together, i’m afraid to go near the scale because when i gain i do it big time . I just had to get this out in the open ,now maybe i can go on this week if it quiting down .

Linda

America’s Top 10 Healthiest Fast Food Restaurants

By Tracy Minkin and Brittani Renaud
From Health magazine

Who hasn’t unwrapped a sandwich while driving down the highway or pulled a hard U-turn into a fast-food joint on the way home from a late meeting or soccer game? We practically live in our cars, so we need quick food, and please, we’d like it to be healthy.

Well, guess what: We surveyed the nation’s 100 largest fast-food chains, as defined by the number of locations, and found many are creating menus that look more and more like what we’d cook ourselves (if we had the time)—from nutritious soups and healthy salads to fresh whole grains and sensible desserts. Even better: They’re offering good-news Mexican, Asian, and Mediterranean fare.Using criteria that was created with the help of our expert panel, we scored the chains on such factors as the use of healthy fats and preparations, healthy sodium counts in entrées, availability of nutritional information, and the use of organic produce to determine the 10 highest-ranking restaurants.

One big surprise: A traditional fast-food chain, McDonald’s, cracked our top 10. Sure, it’s the home of the Big Mac, but did you know it also serves a mean yogurt-and-granola parfait? Here, the standouts that are making grabbed food healthy food.

#1 Panera Bread
Over 1,230 locations nationwide (and in Canada)

This bakery-café-based eatery wowed our judges with a comprehensive menu of healthy choices for every meal. “Variety makes it easy for everyone to choose healthy,” praises registered dietitian and panelist Marisa Moore. What does that mean for you? For starters, you can pick from two whole-grain breads for your sandwich and have an apple with it instead of chips (though the chips are fine, too—they can be baked!). Half-size soups, salads, and sandwiches make it a cinch to control portion size. Also, most of the chicken is antibiotic- and hormone-free, a rarity for large chains.

Panera also won top honors for kid fare, dishing out RD-approved crowd-pleasers like squeezable organic yogurt, PB&J (with all-natural peanut butter), and grilled organic cheese on white whole-grain bread.

We love: Delicious, nutrient-packed combos like a half–Turkey Artichoke on focaccia bread with a bowl of black bean or garden vegetable soup.
Danger zone: Sticky buns and cheese danishes are on display at the counter.

#2 Jason’s Deli
206 locations in the West, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, South

How did this up-and-comer snag second place? Largely because of its devotion to organic food: About one-fifth of all its ingredients are organic, from blue-corn tortilla chips and whole-wheat wraps to field greens and spinach. Plus, its creative salads—like the Nutty Mixed-Up Salad with organic field greens, grapes, chicken breast, feta cheese, walnuts, dried cranberries, pumpkinseeds, raisins, and organic apples—make you actually want to order the greens.

Our judges applauded the portion-control option: Reduced sizes of, say, a stuffed baked potato, are $1 less. Jason’s menu also highlights ultrahealthy sandwiches and provides the nutitional info.

We love: Being able to build any sandwich on an organic whole-wheat wrap.
Danger zone: High-sodium counts on some sandwiches; if sodium is a concern, stick to the ultrahealthy choices.

#3 Au Bon Pain
280 locations nationwide

A pioneer in healthy fast food, Au Bon Pain serves up sandwiches, soups, salads, and hot entrées made with whole grains, veggies, and hormone-free chicken.

New this year: Portions, a 14-item menu of nutritious small plates—from appetizers like apples, blue cheese, and cranberries to salads like chickpea and tomato—all of which are less than 200 calories. Another impressive feature: Au Bon Pain provides on-site nutritional information via computer kiosks, so before you even order you know each option’s calories, fat, and sodium. “It’s a great way to empower customers,” praises judge Amy Jamieson-Petonic.

We love: Yummy low-cal soups, from Jamaican Black Bean to Fire Roasted Exotic Grains and Vegetables.
Danger zone: The sodium counts can get high if you don’t pay attention.

#4 Noodles and Company
204 locations in West, Midwest, South

Noodles and Company isn’t your typical greasy Asian food-court joint. In fact, it goes beyond Asian fare and cuts out the grease (only healthy soybean oil is used in sautéing). Here, you choose from three food types: Asian, Mediterranean, or American, then within each style, pick from four noodle bowl options. Lean proteins—hormone- and antibiotic-free chicken, beef, shrimp, and organic tofu—can be added, too.

The result? Tasty combos like Japanese Pan Noodles with broccoli, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, Asian sprouts, and sautéed beef. Also key: “You don’t have to chow down on a giant bowl of noodles. You can opt for a small portion,” says judge Frances Largeman-Roth, RD, Health’s Senior Food and Nutrition Editor. The small Bangkok Curry bowl has just 250 calories.

We love: The whole-grain linguine—usually hard to find when eating out.
Danger zone: The desserts. The only options are two kinds of cookies and a Rice Krispy Treat bar that checks in at 530 calories and 19 grams of fat!

#5 Corner Bakery Cafe
111 locations in West, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, South

What sets Corner Bakery apart? A fantastic breakfast menu, which is rare in the quick-serve world. We love the Farmer’s Scrambler: eggs scrambled with red and green bell peppers, red onion, mushrooms, potatoes, and Cheddar cheese. (It’s only 260 calories when ordered with egg whites.) There’s also Swiss oatmeal, a chilled European breakfast cereal made with rolled oats, green apples, bananas, currants, dried cranberries, low-fat yogurt, and skim milk.

But Corner Bakery also has healthy salads, sandwiches, and soups made with whole grains, fresh, lean meats, and vegetables, as well as great portion-controlled combinations that make limiting calories a no-brainer.

We love: Healthy oven-roasted chicken that comes on most pastas and salads.
Danger zone: You have to go to their Web site to get nutritional info.

#6 Chipotle
800+ locations nationwide

Buffet-style Chipotle gives every customer complete control over her burrito, taco, or salad. (Take that, Taco Bell!) And you get to build it with fresh, local ingredients. In fact, Chipolte won high marks for its commitment to organics, hormone- and antibiotic-free meats, and produce sourced from local suppliers, which is revolutionary in a chain this big. Many of its entrées can be low-sodium, if you choose add-ins such as the fajita veggies and green tomatillo salsa.

We love: Burrito Bowls, which let you skip the tortilla—and the extra carbs.
Danger zone: The dark side of a buffet is that you can go wild. So you have to go light on cheese and sour cream.

#7 Atlanta Bread
106 locations in 24 states (Southeast, West, and North)

Someone at Atlanta Bread must be a Seinfeld fan: There are muffin tops (half the size of regular muffins) on its breakfast menu—the low-fat pumpkin muffin top has only 200 calories, compared with 320 to 640 calories for regular-size muffins. But this chain’s got more going for it than skinny muffins. This innovative bakery also features whole-grain bread, fresh sandwiches (including paninis), and hearty, healthy soups and salads. It earned high marks for great sides, too, including fire-roasted black bean and corn salad.

We love: The entrée salads like Salsa Fresca Salmon Salad: grilled wild Alaskan salmon filet on greens with fire-roasted black bean and corn salsa and a pineapple-mango vinaigrette.
Danger zone: Pasta entrees at some locations are offered with bread … that’s a whole lotta carbs!

#8 McDonald’s
14,000 locations nationwide

Among the big burger-based chains, McDonald’s is leading the way in overhauling its menu to offer more heart- and waist-friendly fare. Take the Happy Meals, which you can order with a side of apple dippers (with low-fat caramel) instead of fries and low-fat milk or fruit juice instead of soda. (Now the trick is just getting your kid to go for them!) And if you’ve gotta have fries, McDonald’s are made in a healthy canola-blend oil and come in at just 230 calories for a small.

The Grilled Chicken Classic sandwich and wraps are healthy choices, too (just skip the mayo or sauce). So is the salad with Paul Newman low-fat balsamic vinaigrette. Registered dietician Moore notes that an Egg McMuffin, at 300 calories, is a smart alternative to other “calorie-laden biscuit breakfasts.” And our whole panel commends McDonald’s for spelling out the nutritional information right on the back of its tray liners.

We love: The chain’s 260- to 270-calorie Snack Wraps (choose grilled chicken) for protein without a lot of unwanted carbs.
Danger zone: Although McDonald’s made our list, this is still the land of supersizing and giant sodas. It’s up to you to request a small.

#9 Einstein Bros. Bagels
649 locations nationwide

OK, we all know that bagels are pretty high-carb, but slathering cream cheese or butter on them is what really gets you into trouble. No worries at this chain: Einstein Bros. offers healthier alternatives like reduced-fat shmears, hummus, and peanut butter—a great way to add healthy fat to breakfast (or lunch). It also serves a Good Grains bagel that has an impressive 4 grams of fiber.

In the mood for a salad? You can order any in a half-size. For kids, our panel of judges gave a thumbs-up to the bagel dog (picture a Pig-in-a-Blanket with bagel-style bread as the “blanket”) and a fruit salad upgrade.

We love: The high-fiber Veg Out on a sesame seed bagel.
Danger zone: “Overstuffed” size sandwiches are a calorie nightmare.

#10 Taco Del Mar
270 locations in 22 states

You may have noticed that Baja-style Mexican cuisine—think: fresh ingredients and fish instead of beef and chicken—is a growing trend. Whole grains are easy to get here, with whole-wheat tortillas available as an alternative in burritos. The chain gets high marks for its new 320-calorie chicken burrito, available at most locations. Our judges were also impressed that Taco Del Mar banned lard from its beans and bakes its fish and taco shells instead of frying them.

We love: The 460- to 555-calorie Mondito-size burrito, which fills you up but keeps fat and sodium in check.
Danger zone: The breakfasts. In particular, steer clear of the Mondo Breakfast Burritos, which are more than 1,000 calories.

Basic Condiments Eat this

Not that

Hellmann’s Light Mayonnaise

(1 Tbsp)

 

Calories 40
Fat 4.5 g
Saturated Fat 0.5 g
Sodium 120 mg

Though the numbers are almost identical, the monounsaturated fats give the Hellman’s Canola the edge.

 

Kraft Miracle Whip (1 Tbsp)
Calories 40
Fat 3 g
Saturated Fat 0 g
Sodium 125 mg

Hellmann’s Dijonnaise™ (1 Tbsp)
Calories 15
Fat 0 g
Saturated Fat 0 g
Sodium 210 mg

Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing (1 Tbsp)
Calories 38
Fat 3 g
Saturated Fat 0.5 g
Sodium 175 mg

Gulden’s Spicy Brown Mustard (2 tsp)
Calories 10
Fat 0 g
Saturated Fat 0 g
Sodium 100 mg

 

Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise
Calories 90
Fat 10 g
Saturated Fat 1.5 g
Sodium 90 mg

Kraft Mayo + Dijon (1/2 Tbsp each)
Calories 60
Fat 6 g
Saturated Fat 1 g
Sodium 230 mg

Beano’s Submarine Dressing (1 Tbsp)
Calories 100
Fat 11 g
Saturated Fat 1.5 g
Sodium 60 mg

Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard (1 Tbsp)
Calories 15
Fat 0 g
Saturated Fat 0 g
Sodium 360 mg

Good morning!!

I feel lots better today, not as sore. I went for a 40 minute fast walk last nite, and then did some back stretches. Still pretty sore in the mornings, but it is getting better.

I maintained this week, but I am happy with that, as I was afraid of a gain.

I been trying to get out of the house with nice weathier here .going to plant a garden hope i can take good care of it .So I  am  praying about it! if i should but i think it will do me good ,

I am finally feeling more normal, I am gonna try my weight loss walking in the morning, this has been a tough time, but thanks to my buddies, I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Well gotta go read email, love you all!

Linda C  who back on Track and kicking b####T   LOL

We ALL like to treat ourselves now and then. However, there’s a big difference between treating yourself and treating yourself BADLY. Here are a handful of entrées that are WAAAY heavier than you (or any of us) ever suspected. Are you SITTING DOWN?!?

  Olive Garden, Spaghetti & Meatballs

PER SERVING (dinner portion): 1,110 calories, 50g fat, 2,180mg sodium, 103g carbs — POINTS® value 26*

For anyone who missed the big news, Olive Garden now posts its nutritional info online. We flipped when we heard and were brave enough to scour the site in search of shocking new info. Some of the meals are what we like to call “DUH!” items (a dinner portion of Chicken Alfredo over fettuccine has 1,430 calories and 82g fat… DUH!), but others surprised and horrified us. Specifically, the most basic of all Italian food — Spaghetti & Meatballs. Over 1,000 calories for spaghetti in a tomato-based sauce and a few balls of meat? COME ON!

Better Choice: If you want that classic tomato goodness, o pt for the Linguini alla Marinara, with 430 calories and 6g fat for a dinner portion (POINTS® value 8 - 9*). And if you really need a ground beef fix, start with a serving of Pasta e Fagioli for just 130 calories, 2.5g fat, and a POINTS® value of 2 - 3*. (With two types of fiber-rich beans, it’s most likely a POINTS® value of 2*.) Those meatballs are SO not worth it.         Red Lobster, Parrot Bay Jumbo Coconut Shrimp with Creamy Langostino Lobster Baked Potato and a Caesar Salad

PER SERVING (1 dinner portion with accompaniments) : 1,620 calories, 69g fat, 2,708mg sodium, 111g carbs — POINTS® value 37 - 38*

One of the things we LOVE about Red Lobster is that you can customize your meal by picking your sides. However if you’re in one of those “throw caution (and diet) to the wind” moments, you can get in SERIOUS trouble. Say you decide to be a little adventurous and get those coconut shrimp (they sound so special). The dish comes with a salad. You ask for Caesar (it’s still a salad, right?). For your side, why not get the baked potato (smart!) topped with lobster? WHY NOT?!? Because the combo meal you just ordered has now tipped the scales at over 1,60 0 calories… AHHHHHHH!

Better Choice: If it’s shrimp you crave, go for the dinner portion of Wood-Fire Garlic-Grilled Jumbo Shrimp — only 365 calories and 6g fat (POINTS® value 7 - 8*). It comes over wild rice pilaf, and if you go with the garden salad and fat-free ranch, you’ll clock in with a total of 495 calories and 9g fat (POINTS® value 10 - 11*). WAY better!  

        T.G.I. Friday’s, Sizzling Fajita Combo

PER SERVING (1 order): 1,590 calories — POINTS® value of at least 31*

Of course the Jack Daniel’s Ribs & Shrimp is gonna be a calorie-fest (1,910 calories, to be exact), but fajitas seem so simple and grilled and guiltless. How bad could they be? Ummm, BAD. For a meal that consists mostly of grilled meats and roasted veggies, that sky-high calorie count probably means that a) the tortillas are plentiful and a little high in calories, b) it’s served with the heaviest possible toppings, and c) this is an OILFEST!!! One of these days, we’ll get that fat content from you, T.G.I. Friday’s…

Better Choice: You’ve got the right idea going with a grilled entrée, but instead go for the Dragonfire Chicken. It’s glazed with spicy Kung Pao sauce and it comes with stir-fried brown rice, broccoli, M andarin oranges, and pineapple pico de gallo. All that for 510 calories. Not bad.         Outback Steakhouse, Alice Springs Chicken

PER SERVING (1 order): 2,000 calories — POINTS® value of at least 39*

Alright, we recognize that nobody really walks into an Outback Steakhouse and expects to leave feeling like they ate healthy food, but COME ON! If you think you’re dodging a big fatty bullet by getting this not-beefy, not-deep-fried dish, you are just plain WRONG. It’s a grilled chicken breast, sure, but it’s buried under bacon, sautéed mushrooms, honey mustard sauce, and two kinds of cheese, and it’s served with “Aussie Chips.” Wow. It takes a lot of work to get a grilled chicken dish up to 2,000 calories. And Outback, you are putting in OVERTIME!

Better Choice: If you’re determined to eat well at Outback, go for the Ahi Tuna Chopped Salad. You’ll get seared tuna on a big pile of greens with wasabi vinaigrette and crispy wontons for 590 c alories. Save some calories and fat by ditching the wontons. Save more by ordering that dressing on the side — even better, get the fat-free Tangy Tomato Dressing — then dip, don’t pour! Click here for more suggestions on how to cut calories and fat from Outback’s menu — pretty impressive. Guess you can eat smart at Outback… it just takes a little effort!  

        Romano’s Macaroni Grill, Parmesan-Crusted Sole

PER SERVING (1 dinner portion): 2,190 calories, 141g fat, 2,980mg sodium, 145g carbs, 9g fiber, 82g protein — POINTS® value 55*

Friends, we’re scared. This meal, at first glance, seems like a pretty safe option. “Filets lightly hand-breaded with Parmesan cheese and garlic, sautéed and topped with lemon butter sauce and capers.” Oh! It’s only lightly breaded. And at least it’s fish and not beef. “Served with sun-dried tomato and spinach orzo pasta.” Well that sounds lovely and not heavy at all. The ugly truth? You could eat an entire Layers of Lasagna dinner AND a Brick Oven Meatball Sandwich and STILL not have consumed as many fat grams and calories as there are in this dangerously deceptive dish. (Don’t do that.) Sad times!

Better Choice: Go somewhere else. Seriously! But if you’re stuck there for dinner, stick with the Pollo Magro “Skinny Chicken” — 320 calories and 5g fat (POINTS® value 6*). If you swore off that dish after last year’s nutritional controversy, your next best bet is actually the Simple Salmon, with 590 calories and 32g fat (POINTS® value 14*) — and stress the word SIMPLE when you order, because the Grilled Salmon has a LOT more calories. Both the Pollo Magro and the Simple Salmon come with grilled asparagus and broccoli.      

Craving gooey, cheesy pizza? No problem! HG is here with some picks and recipes… Woohoo!       Pizza Find Worth Seeking Out A.C. LaRocco Ultra Thin Crust Bruschetta Style Pizza PER SERVING (1/2 of pizza, 3.5 oz.): 170 calories, 8g fat, 290mg sodium, 17g carbs, 1g fiber, 0g sugars, 11g protein — POINTS® value 4* We tasted a whole SLEW of new pizzas from A.C. LaRocco so that we could tell you which to chew. (Special thanks to HG auction winner Robin and her pal Lisa for helping out with that!) For the most part, they’re all pretty good. But our hands-down favorite is this Bruschetta Style one — it’s AMAZING! The crust is tortilla-thin, but with the chunky tomatoes and seasonings on top, everything balances out really well. Even better, you can eat half the pizza for only 170 calories! The only warning? If you’re planning on kissing someone (even the dog), pop an Altoid, ‘cuz there’s a lotta garlic goin’ on here! Click here for a list of stores that stock these. (We recommend calling first to make sure they’ve got ‘em.)                   NEWSFLASH! Fat-Free Pizza Update Pizza Fit’n Free PER SERVING (One 6.4-oz. pizza): 252 calories, 0g fat, 450mg sodium, 43g carbs, 3g fiber, 0g sugars, 19g protein — POINTS® value 4* We’re SO excited! We’ve always been fans of this little-known, fat-free pizza. But NOW we like it even more. The Fit’n Free folks have made their cheese even better and improved its “melt-ability” , yet they’ve managed to keep the calorie count at 252. VERY impressive! And with stats so low, there’s plenty of room to add your own toppings like turkey pepperoni, mushrooms, peppers, onions, grilled chicken, and more. If you’ve never tried this pizza (or didn’t like it the first time around), get your hands on the new-and-improved version STAT!                         Pizza Finds in the Freezer Aisle South Beach Living Pizzas with Harvest Wheat Crust PER SERVING (1 pizza, about 6.5 oz.): 330 - 350 calories, 10 - 12g fat, 600 - 700mg sodium, 36 - 37g carbs, 9 - 10g fiber, 4 - 5g sugars, 30 - 31g protein — POINTS® value 7* These single-serving, nukeable pies come in four varieties — Deluxe, Four Cheese, Pepperoni, and Grilled Chicken & Vegetable. They’re not exactly low in fat, but they are loaded with protein and fiber, and they taste fantastic! Definitely worth a chew… Kashi All Natural Thin Crust Pizzas PER SERVING (1/3rd of pizza, about 4 oz.): 250 - 260 calories, 9g fat, 630 - 660mg sodium, 28 - 29g carbs, 4g fiber, 3 - 4g sugars, 14g protein — POINTS® value 5* These pizzas have yummy crusts packed with 7 grains and goodness — and they’re nice and thin. They come in Mushroom Trio & Spinach, Roasted Vegetable, and Tomato Garlic Cheese. YUM. Good work, Kashi people! Lean Cuisine Brick Oven Style Pizzas PER SERVING (One 6-oz. pizza): 320 - 350 calories, 7 - 8g fat, 620 - 670mg sodium, 49 - 50g carbs, 2g fiber, 3 - 10g sugars, 15 - 20g protein — POINTS® value 7* It’s hip to be square! We seriously HEART all of the LC pizzas, but the Brick Oven Style ones definitely stand out in a crowd. These doughy things come in BBQ-Recipe Chicken, Gourmet Mushroom, and Roasted Garlic Chicken. Healthy Choice French Bread Pizzas PER SERVING (One 6-oz. pizza): 340 - 350 calories, 4 - 5g fat, 600mg sodium, 53 - 55g carbs, 4 - 5g fiber, 5 - 6g sugars, 20 - 22g protein — POINTS® value 6 - 7* Sure, French bread pizza isn’t exactly all the rage, but these tasty Italian treats ROCK. They pack a nice, bready crunch in three classic flavors — Cheese, Pepperoni, and Supreme.                   Pizza Snack Find Amy’s Cheese Pizza Toaster Pops PER SERVING (1 Toaster Pop, about 2 oz.): 160 calories, 6g fat, 220mg sodium, 21g carbs, 1g fiber, 2g sugars, 5g protein — POINTS® value 4* Ohhhh, baby! This snack is basically a pizza-packed Pop-Tart. No, it’s not a sweet pastry! It’s a toastable snack filled with tasty tomato sauce and gooey cheese. Yay!                         From the HG Kitchen… Superb-y Herby Sauce-Exposed Pizza Bagels - Scroll down on our ‘07 pizza round-up for a recipe that will kick a pizza craving to the curb. Loaded ‘n Oated Pepperoni Pizza - A pizza chock-full of fiber… AND you get to eat the whole thing. Awesome! Ultimate Supreme Pizza Pocket - Pizza pockets rule, and that’s why we made our own. Click, scroll, and chew, chew, CHEW! ‘Meaty’ Thin Crust Pizza – Never fear, vegetarians! The meat on this pizza is veggie-friendly! Click & scroll for proof…

Eight Great Weight Loss Tips

By Brian Stramel, Certified Personal Trainer

    Here are some great, free weight lost tips  to help you reach your fitness and body composition goals.  Why eight weight loss tips and not ten…or even fifty weight loss tips?  I want to keep it simple so that there is an increased chance they might be followed.  All the weight loss tips in the world won’t do a bit of good if nobody can remember to follow them.  You don’t even have to follow all these weight loss tips.  For starters just pick one and when that becomes a habit, try the next weight loss tip that strikes your fancy. 

    The most important weight loss idea has to do with the Law of Thermodynamics.  This law means that in order to lose weight, you need to spend more energy than you take in.  In order to gain weight you need to take more energy in than you put out.  So, losing weight is simple; eat less food while moving more often!  The weight loss tips below are just ways to take advantage and make more efficient use of this unavoidable law of nature.

Weight loss tip #1: Don’t go On a Diet!  Yep, I said it, don’t go on a diet.   Most people can’t stick to a diet for a long period of time.  They get discouraged and quit.  You need to make healthy changes to last a lifetime, not look for the next fad quick-fix.  Does this mean diets and diet books are bad?  Certainly not, you may be in the minority who find one that works for you.  If not, you still can learn something about nutrition that you can apply to your eating habits.  Make small changes to your nutritional habits and over time you will reach your goals and be able to maintain them.

Weight loss tip #2:  Make 1 small healthy change that you can live with today!  For me, that was cutting out sugary sodas and other sugary drinks.  A typical regular can of soda has about 140-170 calories.  Two of those per day equals 280-340 calories a day, or about ¾ lb weight loss per week if you were maintaining your weight before that change (see weight loss tip #6).  

   What do you drink instead?  Cold water!!!  Not only is water healthy, one once of cold water will burn one calorie when your body heats is up.  So, drinking the recommended 64-96 oz. of water per day could equal up to 96 extra calories burned (depending on how much cold water you drank before). 

   It doesn’t have to be sugary drinks.  It could be cutting out desserts, or limiting them to once or twice a week from every day.  Try replacing one un-healthy snack per day with a healthier one.  You pick one that you can stick to (but start drinking more water anyway).

Weight loss tip #3:  Eat breakfast!  There’s a reason for the cliché about breakfast being the most important meal of the day.  That’s because after fasting all night, your metabolism is at its lowest point in the morning.  You need to stoke the metabolic fires with a good breakfast that contains both carbohydrates and protein.  If you don’t, your body will think it is being starved and will want to store any excess calories from the first thing you do eat (say at lunch) as fat to hedge against long periods with no energy intake.  Breakfast first thing keeps this from happening and gives you energy to start the day.

Weight loss tip #4:  Eat 4-6 smaller meals per day instead of 2-3 big ones.  The easy way to do this is by having breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, and then dinner.  There, that’s 5, good enough.  A piece of fruit makes a great snack.  By spreading your energy intake out in smaller, more frequent increments, it will increase your metabolism (you will burn more calories) because your body never thinks it is starving. 

Weight loss tip #5:  Reduce stress.  Stress causes our body to release cortisol which is a hormone that helps us deal physiologically with stress.  Simply put, the adaptations our body does in response to stress are contrary to weight loss.  The release of cortisol promotes fat storage and suppresses the manufacture of other hormones that promote building of lean muscle mass.  Try yoga, try meditation, try a hobby or punching a heavy bag.  Just do what works for you to lower stress.

Weight loss tip #6:  Determine how many calories you need to maintain your current weight, and how many you need to reduce per day to meet your weight loss goals.

Step 1: Determine your basal metabolic rate (BMR).  This is how many calories your body burns just to maintain minimal life-support functions and is about 75% of all the calories you burn.  The formula is simply your body weight  ____  X 10= base metabolic rate. 

   Step 2:  Determine how many calories you need each day to maintain your current weight by multiplying the basal metabolic rate by a “lifestyle factor” based on how active you are. 

•     For sedentary people (office workers, people who mostly sit or drive all day) use 1.4.  

•     For moderately active people (people on their feet all day like wait staff, service industry, moderate exercise) use 1.6. 

•     For very active people (jobs with lots of physical labor, movers etc., athletes, workout at high intensity three times or more per week) use 1.8.  

    If you think you are in between two of the examples, then you can split the difference. 

    Let’s plug some numbers in:  Weight 195 pounds, office worker.  195X10 = 1950 calorie base metabolic rate.  1950 X 1.4 = 2730.  This is roughly how many calories they need to consume to stay at 195 pounds.  A note on the formula: it is just a rough estimate, females will need a few less calories (perhaps 200) than this formula indicates.  Males might need 100 more.  As you age, you will require fewer calories as well to maintain weight.  So, use the formula to get you started, then adjust your daily caloric needs based on your results (this is where a nutrition log is important, see weight loss tip #7).

    Now you can set your weight loss goals based on how many pounds you want to lose and in what time-frame.  The maximum sustainable healthy weight loss level is about 2 pounds per week.  In order to lose 2 pounds per week, you need to decrease your energy intake (and/or increase your energy output, see weight loss tip #8) by 1000 calories per day.  A 500 calorie per day reduction will result in a loss of approximately one pound per week. 

    So, losing 40 pounds will take 20 weeks, or about 5 months at 2 lbs per week.  If you decrease your daily intake by 500 calories per day as well as increase your energy expenditure by an average of 500 calories per day.  From our example above, to lose 2 lbs per week, they would either need to eat 1730 calories per day (2730-1000) or 2230 calories with about 500 calories worth of exercise averaged out over each day. 

Weight loss tip #7:  Keep a food log.  In conjunction with weight loss tip #6 above, write down everything you eat for 3 days (every single calorie!) then total up the calories and divide by 3 to get an average.  Now that you know how many calories you are taking in, you can plan out how many you need to reduce per day in order to reach your goals.

Weight loss tip #8:  Move more!  This doesn’t mean you have to start some grueling exercise program.  In the beginning, just look for ways to move a little more than normal.  Take the stairs instead of the elevator.  Walk to the store down the street, or the park instead of driving.  When you do start an exercise program, start slow and easy.  No more than 3 days per week to start.  Twenty minutes of walking 3 times per week is a great start.  Or, a short walk every day and 3 shorts workouts at the gym or at home per week.  This will start to increase your caloric expenditure so you don’t have to cut quite so many calories out of your diet and still lose weight.

    Like diets, most people overdo it when starting an exercise program, then burn out and quit.  It’s OK to miss a few workouts, or even have a rough week and not workout at all.  No reason to quit in frustration, just start up again next week.  Make your workouts appointments with yourself.  Have a short workout as a backup plan for busy days.  This can be as simple as doing some pushups, some sit-ups and walking fast around the block.  It will only take a few minutes, but it will still be beneficial and you will feel good that you did something.

    That’s all the weight loss tips I have for ya…just remember that slow and steady wins the race.  You didn’t get overweight in a short period of time…it will take some time to lose the weight as well.  Make one change at a time, add to it when the previous change becomes part of your lifestyle.  Stop making changes when you are happy with your results, your health and lifestyle.  The good news is you can start making some small changes today that will last a lifetime and have you feeling better, being healthier and living longer and those are the best weight lost tips of all. 

The 11 Worst Foods of 2008 By: Stepfanie Romine : 1/5/2009 10:28:01 PM : 490 comments Fast food and chain restaurants have evolved significantly over the last few years. Burgers, fries and sodas are still the status quo for many diners, but those who seek healthier foods have plenty of options, from fruit and yogurt parfaits and baked potatoes, to apples cut like fries and grilled chicken. Trans fats have been reduced and eliminated; lowfat milk, fresh fruits and vegetables grace the menus at even the most ubiquitous roadside eateries; and more companies are disclosing nutritional information. Despite those changes, fast foods menus remain dichotomous: Healthy choices reside next to triple-stacked burgers and extra large fries. We’ve rounded up 11 of the worst foods we’ve seen this year. Stay far, far away from the foods listed below, and instead select from the plentiful healthy choices at each of the restaurants included in this article. Starbucks Signature Hot Chocolates Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know you need your caffeine fix. And yes, we know, Starbucks is delicious. But these Signature Hot Chocolates are drinkable desserts, plain and simple. The no-frills version has 430 calories, which has more than three times as many calories as a grande skinny Caffè Latte and almost twice as many calories as a skinny Caffè Mocha. (You save a few calories by getting iced hot chocolate, but in the middle of winter, who wants to drink that oxymoron?) Hazelnut Signature Hot Chocolate (no whip)* 510 calories 22 g fat 14 g saturated fat Salted Caramel Signature Hot Chocolate (no whip)* 550 calories 24 g fat 14 g saturated fat Signature Hot Chocolate (no whip)* 430 calories 20 g fat 12 g saturated fat (*calculated for a grande with 2% milk; add 70-80 calories and 7-8 g fat for the whipped cream, and save 30-40 calories and 3-4 g fat by asking for nonfat milk) Wendy’s Gourmet Mushroom Swiss Burger Wendy’s worked hard to class itself up in 2008, giving its namesake a tuxedo in ads and stressing the freshness and “gourmet” items on its menu. The home of the fresh-never-frozen-burger earned a respectable B rating on its restaurant report card, thanks to a variety of salads and healthy side items such as yogurt, chili, baked potatoes and mandarin oranges. After last year’s Baconator, we thought Wendy’s had learned its lesson. Then Wendy’s came out with this: “A 1/4 lb. of fresh, hot ‘n juicy beef, topped with natural Swiss cheese, sautéed Portabella mushroom blend, hickory smoked bacon, a savory peppercorn sauce, crisp lettuce and red, ripe tomato.” Gourmet and gourmand aren’t synonymous, Wendy’s. This burger would be better named the “Glutton Mushroom Swiss Burger.” A regular 1/4 pound hamburger has 170 fewer calories and 16 fewer grams of fat! Stick with the chili and a baked potato if you want to watch your girlish figure, Wendy! 600 calories 36 g fat 14 g saturated fat 1.5 g trans fat 110 mg cholesterol 1,090 mg sodium 37 g carbs 2 g fiber 35 g protein Burger King Mushroom Swiss Steakhouse Burger Wendy’s, we take back what we said. Yours is not the worst mushroom Swiss burger to show up on fast food menus this year. That award goes to Burger King, which relied on Simon & Garfunkel style warbling ballads to sell its upgraded burger: “Flame-grilled Angus beef, tender mushrooms, warm, melted Swiss cheese,* crispy onions, golden corn dusted bun. (*Processed and pasteurized cheese)” Burger King doesn’t mess around with lettuce and tomato on this burger and nixes the bacon, too. I’m not really sure where those extra 220 calories come from, but they’re certainly not helping you reach your five a day vegetable and fruit quota! Maybe, instead of naming each of these burgers to our list, we should have just named “Mushroom-Swiss fast food burgers” the worst food trend of 2008. 850 calories 48 g fat 18 g saturated fat 2 g trans fat 130 mg cholesterol 1,950 mg sodium 54 g carbs 4 g fiber 41 g protein Romano’s Macaroni Grill Seared Sea Scallops salad Why bother even calling this a salad? Could we ask restaurants to have a calorie and fat limit for the salad section? I’d like to be able to order salads without worrying I’m consuming an entire day’s worth of protein and fat. Judging from the Macaroni Grill menu, it’s impossible to create a salad with more than lettuce and dressing for under 500 calories. Macaroni Grill flunked the Men’s Health restaurant review. “Seared sea scallops, tender leaves of spinach, arugula, feta cheese, crispy prosciutto, toasted walnuts and Parmesan crisps with light citrus dressing.” Psst… vegetables and lean protein taste good. You don’t need to douse them in fat for us to eat them. (Don’t you just love that it comes with a “light” citrus dressing? Nothing in this salad is light, judging from the nutritional info!) 1,270 calories 94 g fat 27 g saturated fat 2,740 mg sodium 42 g carbs 76 g protein 6 g fiber Butterscotch Rocks Pancakes at IHOP That IHOP doesn’t provide nutritional info should be enough reason to skip breakfast. Most of the foods gracing the pages of its large glossy menu are desserts masquerading as breakfast and have more toppings than a banana split! We shook our heads at the “stuffed” French toast, dropped our jaws at the coffee cake pancakes and finally threw down our forks at the Butterscotch Rocks pancakes: “Four fluffy buttermilk pancakes filled with pecans, granola and butterscotch chips, then topped with whipped topping and drizzled with caramel sauce.” Needless to say, these pancakes didn’t find their way onto the “IHOP for Me” healthier section of the menu. This dish seems to be the winner of a “how many sweet-and-sugary-toppings-can-we-cram-onto-a-stack-of-pancakes” contest! We conservatively estimated the nutritional content of these pancakes based on menu description. 1,310 calories 52 g fat A standard 4″ pancake has just 80 calories and 3 grams of fat; however, IHOP’s flapjacks would dwarf your homemade ones. You could eat more than a dozen regular 4-inch pancakes with a 1/4 cup of syrup and a tablespoon of butter for the same calories. KFC Original Recipe Fully Loaded Box Meal Nobody needs a box of food. Chances are good that if your restaurant food comes in a box, it should be shared or just avoided. KFC made our Worst Foods of 2007 list with its Chicken & Biscuit Bowl. Now, the folks that brought you a chicken dinner in a bowl bring you the “KFC Original Recipe Fully Loaded Box Meal.” It comes in a Guitar Hero box, but we’re slightly confused. Are you supposed to eat this while playing Guitar Hero? When I think about rocking out to a video game, I don’t conjure an image of myself holding a drumstick seasoned with 11 herbs and spices. “The KFC Original Recipe Fully Loaded Box Meal brings all your favorites together for an over-the-top concert of flavor. Each box is jammed with two Original Recipe Strips pressure-cooked in the Colonel’s famous 11 herbs and spices, plus an Original Recipe Snacker, your choice of a drumstick or thigh, 2 individual homestyle sides, a famous KFC freshly-made biscuit and 32 oz drink. Man that’s a lot of food!” 1,320 calories (calculated with barbecue baked beans, cole slaw, a drumstick and a Pepsi) 43 g fat 8 g saturated fat 3.5 g trans fat 100 mg cholesterol 2,740 mg sodium 196 g carbs 40 g protein 13 g fiber Taco Bell Fully Loaded Nachos If there were 10 Diet Commandments, somewhere on that list would be this sage piece of advice: Thou shalt never eat the receptacle in which thy food is served. Nothing healthy comes in a carbohydrate bowl! Taco Bell has taken the edible food vessel one step further. Their “Fully Loaded Nachos,” which are already a big pile of greasy chips with “double the seasoned beef, fiesta salsa, guacamole, hearty beans, three cheese blend and nacho cheese sauce,” are served in a giant fried tortilla. Nachos served in a nacho. Na-cho best idea, Taco Bell. Parent company Yum! had been making tremendous progress on the healthful fast food front, by touting its Fresco menu at Taco Bell, adding lighter items at Long John Silver’s and volunteering to post nutritional info. This, along with that whole “Fourth Meal” campaign, is a giant step back across the border, Taco Bell! 1,390 calories 83 g fat 17 g saturated fat 4.5 g trans fat 70 mg cholesterol 2,190 mg sodium 15 g fiber 34 g protein Olive Garden Chicken & Shrimp Carbonara Carbonara pasta is essentially bacon-and-egg pasta. Delicious, yes. Healthy, no. The simple dish is traditionally made with “egg, pancetta (Italian unsmoked bacon), black pepper, and parmesan or pecorino” cheese. Olive Garden’s version “combines chicken and shrimp with bucatini pasta in a pancetta and parmesan cream sauce.” It’s then “baked and topped with seasoned breadcrumbs.” UPDATE: Olive Garden now lists nutrition info! (Score one for the Olive Garden! Thank you!) However, we now know that this pasta has 1,440 calories, 88 g and 3,000 mg sodium! Olive Garden doesn’t release its nutritional info, but this dish is rumored to have upwards of 1,400 calories . Picture fettuccini alfredo–an Italian fat bomb on its own–with bacon and breadcrumbs, plus shrimp and chicken. The photo on the Olive Garden website shows pasta swimming in sauce, so this clearly is a high-calorie dish. Maybe someday Italian food in America will no longer be drowning in butter, cream and cheese. Plenty of traditional dishes contain those rich ingredients, but Italians have learned a word that’s been lost in translation: moderazione, or moderation. Jack in the Box Egg Nog Shake Jack must have been knocked in his noggin before he came up with this eggnog shake. Egg nog, that delicious yet caloric holiday beverage chock full of eggs, sugar and cream, is blended with ice cream for a seasonal treat. That’s almost an entire day’s calories in a glass. You could eat four Jack in the Box hamburgers with cheese for about the same calories and 23 fewer grams of fat. Pretty hard to swallow, isn’t it? 1,450 calories (large shake) 68 g of fat 24 g of saturated fat 3 g trans fat Quizno’s Prime Rib Cheesesteak “It’s the sandwich your mouth always wanted,” says Quizno’s. It’s the sandwich your heart always feared, we say. This beefed-up cheesesteak boasts “prime rib, Swiss, sautéed onions, mayo” on toasted bread. Let’s return to the list of Diet Commandments for a moment. #4:Thou shalt not eat anything thy can’t fit in thy mouth. No one needs to eat sandwiches so big you must unhinge your jaw like a snake to consume. Pass them by, Dagwood, unless you want to eat an entire day’s worth of sodium and saturated fat in one meal. Large sandwich 1490 calories 88 g fat 21 g saturated fat 2,675 mg sodium (Small: 640 calories, 37 g fat, 8.5 g saturated fat) Chili’s Texas Cheese Fries with Jalapeno Ranch dressing Whose idea was cheese fries? They’re delicious, sure, but really, did we need to top deep-fried potatoes with greasy melted cheese and bacon and dip them in dressed-up mayonnaise? No, we did not. Now they’re a staple at chain restaurants, who try to one-up each other with signature ranch dressings, extra toppings and, ultimately, more fat. Chili’s boasts: “homestyle fries topped with melted cheese, jalapeños, applewood smoked bacon & jalapeño-ranch dipping sauce.” These fries lost the contest for the worst cheese fries in America (that dishonor went to Outback Steakhouse’s cheese fries), but it was a tight race. One hundred and sixty grams of fat. One-six-zero. 160! (Oh, and you’ll get 1 1/2 days’ worth of sodium in one meal!) 2,070 calories 160 g fat 73 g saturated fat 73 g carbs 85 g protein 8 g fiber 3,730 mg sodium Eating away from home–even when you’re on the run–doesn’t mean eating unhealthfully. We’ve got 11 ways you can slim down your fast food order. Have you tried these foods? Do you intend to try them? Know of a food that should be on our list?