After recently hearing about nutrition Professor Mark Haub's Twinkie diet (see here) I started thinking: Maybe there is something to just counting calories. Maybe it's more about what goes in than how much exercise I put out.
I still cannot bring myself to consume high fructose corn syrup, MSG, or trans fats, but this guy's cholesterol actually went down while eating junk food! It is coming to the attention of many nutritionists and doctors (you know, the "experts") that fat intake does not necessarily lead to fat stored in the body. Sugar is far more influential on ballooning hips and protruding abdomens than fat, and high cholesterol foods do not necessarily raise your cholesterol level. Not to mention that raising your good cholesterol is, well, good!
Confused yet? You have the right to be. In a day and age when there are more "health" foods, "low fat", "non fat", "reduced sugar" and "sugar free" foods on the market why is this country experiencing an obesity issue?
Ever wonder what goes into food to replace the fat and sugar that is removed? Additives may be at the root of weight gain. They can mess with you liver (a filtering organ), overwork your pancreas (type II diabetes), feed and encourage cancer cells, as well as generally confusing your body that was not designed to cope with artificial ingredients.
Want to be healthy and/or lose weight? Become a label reader and calorie counter. It's that easy.
I went to an online site (here) to figure out how many calories I should be having a day. I know It's just before the holidays, which may sound like an odd time of year to become more calorie conscience, but on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, I shall take a holiday from this new way of eating as well. ("Diet" is just another foul, four-letter word.) Smaller portions will suffice.
I should have 1520 calories a day, while my husband should have 2100. Our meal breakdown of calories is like this:
1500/day 2100/day
160 breakfast 320 breakfast
455 lunch 682 lunch
455 dinner 455 dinner
150 snack x3 200 snack x3
To make thing s as simple as possible, I researched nutritional info on our favorite foods and made lists of snacks that will work easily for us.
(Be sure to double check the calories in the products you buy to make sure they are the same as listed below. For instance, pineapple is heavy syrup in twice the calories of pineapple in juice. Obviously, you can have more of the pineapple in juice than pineapple in heavy syrup.)
Several of these items are easy to make, see links to recipes.
Snack Options
150 calorie snacks
90 cal. granola bar, 2/3c. milk
14g almonds, 22g dried cherries
1 1/4 c. pineapple
1/2 c. fat free cottage cheese, 1/2 c. pineapple
2 hotdogs (70 cal each), no bread
1 hot dog (70 cal)w/ bread (70 cal)
28g tortilla chips, 1/4 cup. Salsa
5 stalks celery, 1 heaping c. salsa
1 apple, 1 T. peanut butter or 1 oz cheese
3 cups air popped popcorn(3T kernals), 1/2 oz cheese
2 cups air popped popcorn(2T kernals), 1 oz cheese
2 cups air popped popcorn(2T kernals), 1 apple
1/3 c. dried cherries
1 T. peanut butter, 11 baby carrots
1.5 oz cheese
1 oz cheese, 6 Toasted 12 grain crackers (40 cal)
1.5 cup grapes
3/4c NSA (no sugar added) pears, 1/2 oz cheese
3.5 oz lowfat eggnog, 3 oz skim milk
2 cups strawberry smash (-20)
1 sm baked potato (138g), 2t ICBINB light
3T chicken pate, 6 Toasted 12 grain crackers (40 cal)
2 scones, 1T Jam
16oz Non-fat Cafe Latte, 2 T sugar free whipped topping
11oz (1 1/3 c.) sugar free hot cocoa, 2 T sf whipped topping or 10 minis
5-6 strawberries 1oz dk chocolate chips, melted
3 oz tuna, 6 Toasted 12 grain crackers (40 cal)
2 low fat string cheese (75 cal)
3 laughing cow wedges, 2-3 stalks celery (-20)
1/2 c. fat free veg dip (70 cal), 16 baby carrots
6 slices turkey breast
200 calorie snacks
2 - 90 cal granola bars (-20)
25g almonds, 20 g dried cherries
1 1/2 c. pineapple
1/2 c. fat free cottage cheese, 3/4 c. pineapple
2 hotdogs(70 cal each), no bread, 1/2 oz. cheese
1 hot dog (70 cal) w/ bread, 1/2 oz. cheese
35g tortilla chips, 1/3 cup. Salsa
1 90 cal bar, 1 apple (-30)
3 cups air popped popcorn (3T kernals), 1 oz cheese
2 cups air popped popcorn(2T kernals), 1.5 oz cheese
3 cups air popped popcorn(3T kernals), 1 apple
2 T peanut butter, 1-12" stalk celery
8 Toasted 12 grain crackers (54 cal), 1.5 oz cheese
2 cups grapes
3" orange (84), 90 cal bar (-26)
1 banana (7-9 inches), 90 caloris ban
14oz (1 3/4 c.) sugar free hot cocoa, 3 T sf whipped topping or 15 minis
2 scones, 3t mock cream (2t sc, 2t p.sugar). 1T Jam
20oz Non fat Cafe Latte, 3 T sf whipped topping
8 reduced fat Ritz Crackers, 1T peanut butter (4 sandwiches)
67g raisins (about 1/2 cup)
8-9 strawberries 1.5oz dk chocolate chips, melted
21 almonds
3 laughing cow wedges, 10 Toasted 12 grain crackers (80 cal) (-15)
1 oz cheese, 3 slices turkey breast
No comments:
Post a Comment