Don’t Buck Up Your Weight Loss Plans

If you know me, you know I love my Starbucks.  Or “S-bucks” as we simply call it around my house.  I am at S-bucks almost every day, at some point, to stop in for my usual: a grande bold blend with a bit of cream (yes, cream) and a sprinkle of cinnamon.  We even grind and brew S-bucks at home every morning.  Really… I should have shares.

That’s nothing special, though.  S-bucks is everywhere these days.  When I schedule a walk or park playdate for our New Toronto Moms Meetup (www.newtorontomoms.com), I often choose a Starbucks as our meeting point.  Not just because I’m an addict.  They really are everywhere.  They have change tables, they’re breastfeeding friendly, and they have such a wide variety on their menu (both food and drink) that they can usually make everyone happy.

OK, so I like Starbucks.  But the lovefest ends here.

Here’s a question for you: What’s your usual Starbucks order? Is it a “tall soy latte, easy foam” or a “venti iced coffee with milk” or maybe a “grande mocha frappucino, hold the whip”…?

Starbucks (or Second Cup, or Tim Horton’s or whatever your poison is) can be the pick-me-up in your day.  But it can also really mess up your diet.

Starbucks drinks range from 0-500+ calories per serving.  500 calories? That’s a meal!  Here are a few drinks to avoid when visiting S-bucks next time.  Loaded with saturated fat, sugar and calories, these drinks are diet bombs! Is your drink on this list? (all nutritional info is for grande size)

• Double Chocolatey Chip Frappuccino – 500 calories, 9 g fat
• Strawberry Vivano Smoothie – 280 calories, 2 g fat
• White Chocolate Mocha – 400 calories, 11 g fat
• Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha – 470 calories, 12 g fat
• Dark Cherry Mocha – 320 calories, 8 g fat
• Caffe Mocha – 260 calories, 8 g fat
• Iced White Chocolate Mocha – 340 calories, 9 g fat

Those calorie counts are all without whipped cream!  Add the whipped cream topping and you’ve added an additional 70 calories and 6 g fat to your “drink”!  You’d be better off drinking a regular cup of coffee and selecting a small pastry than choosing one of these beverages.

Here are a few tips to down-size your fat and calorie intake the next time you’re placing your order:

• avoid anything ending in “frappuccino” or “mocha”
• select hot or iced coffee or tea, unsweetened, and sweeten yourself with one packet of sugar for just 25 calories
• order sugar-free syrup when flavouring your drink
• not a fan of artificial sweeteners?  ask for just “half-sweet” iced coffee or tea
• skip the whipped cream
• order skim milk instead of 2% to save 40 calories per cup
• ask for a “light” version of your favourite drink and save up to half the calories of the regular version

Remember, S-bucks is not in the business of making you skinny.  They concoct their beverages to taste as yummy as possible.  And, like most cafes and restaurants, that means adding the sugar and fat necessary to give you that “WOW” flavour that keeps you coming back.

Be aware and you’ve taken the first step to changing your eating habits. Make yourself aware; check out the nutritional information for your favourite beverage on the Starbucks website.  Then order a plain coffee and be on your way…

Very Vinegary Household & Health Ideas

- Beth Beauchemin (Read About Beth)

Happy New Year!  We’re almost done the first month, and I have to say, so far so good!  No major snowstorms to battle, (fairly) mild temperatures, and we even had a smooth transition back into regular life after 3 weeks of time with one set of grandparents or the other!

I can’t really say that I’ve made any ground-breaking resolutions, or that I’ve made any, actually!  It is more of a “continue on the same track making small changes to improve my life” type of thing.  So, I don’t have anything big to share with you on that front.

What did inspire me over the holidays, however, was a book that my sister-in-law received as a present.  I was so inspired, in fact, that I borrowed it before she had a chance to read it and copied out all the important parts!  What magical book is this, you ask?   Vinegar – a sour tasting liquid containing acetic acid, 1001 practical household uses OK, so maybe that makes me a total geek so be SO loving the vinegar, but what is so bad about loving this magical substance that does everything from disinfect your house to cure hangovers?  (Ah hah, now you’re interested too, admit it!)  I’ve know I’ve written in the past about using white vinegar as a simple, inexpensive, and extremely effective household cleaner.  Since you may well be in the same boat as me after the holidays (anyone else trying to hide from their visa bill?), I’m sure you can appreciate some of these money saving ways to keep the house (and you!) clean and germ free.

Magical vinegar recipes…….

Cleaning

• To replace Ajax/Comet….. equal parts salt and flour, and add just enough vinegar to make a paste.
• To replace all those toxic insect repellants – equal parts water and vinegar
• To eliminate that yucky smell on dish cloths (my personal pet peeve!) – soak overnight in equal parts vinegar and water.  Rinse thoroughly before use.
• To replace Jet Dry or another rinse aid – (everyday) – 1/4cup vinegar in rinse aid dispenser.
• To disinfect – full strength vinegar
• To thoroughly clean Thermos/flask/decanter – fill with warm water, 1/4 cup vinegar, and some uncooked rice.  Close, shake/swirl, then rinse and dry.

Health and Beauty

Allow me to say…. apple cider vinegar apple cider vinegar apple cider vinegar!!!   What doesn’t it do!

There are MANY ways to take a.c.v., but one of the easiest (I’ve found) is to take a tablespoon “shot” first thing in the am, then chase it with a HUGE glass of water.  (Yes, I still think it tastes disgusting, but it gets better with time!)  If you absolutely can’t handle the taste, you can now buy it in capsule form.  Phew!  According to anecdotal and natural medicine beliefs, apple cider vinegar:

• Acts a purifier, detoxifies many organs and blood stream.
• Helps breaks down deposits and promotes health of organs such as bladder/kidneys/liver.
• Prevents excess alkaline in urine.
• Helps thin blood.
• Promotes proper digestion.
• “may” neutralize toxic substances.
• high in potassium, helping with sinus troubles,excess mucus, tooth decay, unhealthy fingernails, and watery eyes.
• Pectin (a component of the vinegar) aids with constipation (1t/day to aid digestion)
• And my favourite!!!  As a hangover  cure – soak cloth in apple cider vinegar and place on forehead to stop hangover headaches

If you have any uses to add the list (or questions about anything I’ve listed), please feel free to send me an email – beth[at]fitfamily[dot]ca.  I look forward to hearing from you!

Have a wonderful start to 2010!!!

What’s Good for You is Good for the World

journey to the green side

- Beth Beauchemin (Read About Beth)

I went to see Food Inc. this weekend.  Have you heard of it? If you haven’t heard of it, look it up, and even better, go see it.

Food, Inc.

I don’t even know where to start.  The basic underlying premise of the movie (according to me – this may not be the main goal of the movie) is how much agriculture and the creation of our food has changed in the past 50 years.  The number one culprit? Big business, specifically the big businesses that have gained a monopoly on our food system.  The result? Nothing good.

As I already mentioned, this movie brings up so many points that it is tough for me to know where to begin, but I think I will start here…  I have lived what the movie discusses. I grew up on a small family farm.  We had a big garden overflowing with vegetables, and my father and my uncle happily grew canola, barley, and alfalfa, along with a small herd of beef cattle.  As I grew, a constant phrase in our home was how “our farm wasn’t big enough to pass on.”  We had enough land and cattle to keep us fed, clothed, and entertained, but with the way agriculture was changing we weren’t big enough to survive.  Our family farm is still alive, but we are very much the exception.  Sadly, though I had always dreamed of taking it over, I am now living in the heart of Toronto (about as far away from the Prairies as you can be!) and my brother is running the farm best he can on top of another full time job.

Food Inc. discusses the decline of small farming operations and traces it back to the point when corporate America (and the corporate world, as this is not just a North American problem) began to reach in and take over.

I won’t go into all the points that the movie brings up; I can’t.  We would be here for days and weeks, and perhaps months.  I will, however, tell you what it has spurred me to do:

• I am making my voice heard with my money.  Every time I purchase a particular product (or choose not to), I am letting companies and the government know where I stand;

• I am buying organic and local.  If I can’t get them both together, then I’m buying local, then organic;
  

  The stuff that's best for you is best for the world...

• I am going to farmers’ markets more often – every week if we are in town.  Toronto has farmers’ markets almost every day of the week, so I have no excuse!

• I am looking into joining a food co-op.  Luckily, there is one not to far from my house;

• I am talking about it!  While not everyone will share my viewpoint, I think that everyone should see both sides of the story.  Inexpensive meat and out-of-season produce have hidden costs, and you should know what those are.

For more information you can go to the Food Inc. website.  Better yet, go to the movie (stay away from the popcorn and candy if you can!)

It’s so cheesy but it’s absolutely true:

It’s up to us to make the world a better place for our kids.

stress eaters unite

reviews & resources

If stress eaters were to unite, it would be one BIG convention… 

50% of us eat when stressed. While this behaviour is normal (food – like wine, music or a hug – is comforting) it can become a nasty habit that not only adds to one’s stress level but causes weight gain and malnutrition. When I was asked to review the new book, The Stress Eater Diet, I jumped at the chance.  Stress eating is something that affects many women and is a common topic when discussing weight management with my personal training clients.

For the record, let’s distinguish, as the book does, between stress eating and binge eating disorder.  Stress eating is normal behaviour while binge eating disorder, where the binger feels out of control and has “episodes” of binging which may be as difficult to recall as a drunken haze, is a psychological condition usually requiring treatment and/or counseling.  If you feel you may be suffering from binge eating disorder, please contact the National Eating Disorder Information Centre or Sheena’s Place, for those located in the Toronto area.

Now that we’ve got the preamble out of the way, let me say that the Stress Eater Diet is definitely a worthwhile read.  The authors supply study after study to back up their claim.  That claim, in a nutshell, is that stress eating is a cycle of fatigue, malnutrition, weight gain and stress best broken by mindful eating, careful nutrition, a diet of serotonin-rich foods and an active lifestyle.  Hard to argue with that thesis.

The “Diet” in question is a 4-week program of reduced carbohydrates and foods rich in fiber and healthy fats.  While I am generally wary of low-carbohydrate plans, the Stress Eater Diet is a short-term plan designed to wean the stress-eater off of the high-carbohydrate binge foods usually consumed during times of weakness.  The diet does include plenty of low-fat dairy products and re-introduces more of the missing carbohydrates as the four weeks progress.

In addition to sound nutritional guidance, the Stress Eater Diet is a great resource for those wishing to reduce the stress that is causing all of that eating in the first place.  The authors advocate meditation, deep breathing, yoga and exercise of any and every kind possible in the stress eater’s search for peace.  As a fitness professional, I found it particularly refreshing to read a diet book that not only prescribed exercise but outlined when to exercise, what types of exercise to do and how to schedule that exercise into your 4-week diet plan.  Click here for more information about cardiovascular exercise and which types of exercise are best for burning fat.

For a bit more information on the Stress Eater Diet or to access free downloadable resources, please visit http://www.stresseaterdiet.com .

To purchase the Stress Eater Diet, visit Amazon.

About the Authors:

Robert Posner, MD
Robert Posner, M.D. is a board certified internal medicine physician and has been in private practice in the Northern Virginia area for over 20 years. Dr. Posner developed the Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Program, Washington, D.C.’s largest medically supervised weight loss/weight management program as a result of his ground breaking research into the effects of serotonin on weight loss.

Learn more about Robert at http://www.stresseaterdiet.com.

Linda Hlivka
With over 20 years of experience, Ms. Hlivka has been the nutritionist for the Serotonin-Plus Weight Loss Program for almost 6 years. Linda graduated from Douglass College, Rutgers University with a B.S. in Human Nutrition and Foods and from Regis University with an M.B.A. Early in her career, she worked as a dietician/nutritionist at several NJ hospitals. She has a passion for weight control as she had struggled with weight during her life and ultimately has succeeded for many years to control hers.

Learn more about Linda at http://www.stresseaterdiet.com.

a home gym for the rest of us

reviews & resources

I occasionally have the pleasure of working with a client who has a real home gym – like the home gyms you see on MTV Cribs (did I just inadvertently confess to watching brainless prepubescent entertainment?) minus the Swarovski crystal-encrusted stopwatches.  Most of the time, my clients do not have a whole room they can afford to designate solely to the pursuit of fitness.  Sometimes we work out in their bedrooms, sometimes we work out in their basements, sometimes it’s a corner of the living room and the attached staircase…

You don’t need a “gym” to work out at home.  You just need a bit of creativity and a couple of basic props.  Check out this video from the American College of Sports Medicine all about setting up your home “gym”:

I recommend the following inexpensive pieces of equipment.  Most of these items can be purchased at any good fitness store – Fitness Depot is my local favourite – or even found in the sporting goods section of a large department store.

• mat, padded or yoga-style
• dumbbells of increasing increments – 5, 10 & 15 pounds are a good start but a single set of 10-15 pounds will do well if you have the guidance of an experienced personal trainer to show you some creative uses
• a resistance band of medium tension
• a bench or chest that can hold your weight (a sturdy kitchen chair or step will do in a pinch)

Cardio at home can be tricky.  A staircase is a great way to inject some aerobic exercise into your home routine.  If you are planning to purchase a piece of cardiovascular equipment, I recommend a treadmill or a rowing ergometer (find out which types of cardio burn the most calories here).  DVDs are another great way to do cardio at home.  And, of course, nothing beats lacing up your sneakers and heading out the front door for a walk, jog or hike.  It doesn’t get much cheaper and easier than that!

For specific questions about setting up your own home gym or to have a program customized to your home equipment and your fitness needs, chat live with Fit Family or send me an e-mail.  Have fun!