Weight Loss During Holidays: What to Do With Leftovers?
If I Want to Lose Weight, What Can I Do With Leftovers?
Okay, tell me if you’ve ever done this: It’s Monday late afternoon. You decided yesterday that starting today you were going to 1) eat right, and 2) start to get regular exercise, and 3) give up all your bad habits. So, you’re picking things up around the house and starting to notice all the little bits and pieces of leftovers from the past weekend. You see the cookies here and small bits of candy there. Today in my house I noticed three individually wrapped, large shortbread cookies with icing (my favorites), several bags of candy that looks just like real rocks (in a decorative jar–it’s for show, really, it is) and the leftovers from the latest family gathering, which in this case is about five pounds of fruit salad — not bad in itself, but I can only eat so much fruit salad. And Then There’s the Wine Of course, I had to buy some wine at a tasting on Saturday (I always buy it, don’t know why I think those wine tasting’s are such a great deal — they always entice me to buy), and now there’s an open bottle waiting. So, my thoughts are, “Do I eat this, or not?” “Do I throw it away and WASTE it?” “Oh, my, dear no. That’s not a good idea,” I think. Oh, I just remembered there is also an entire plate of large cinnamon rolls (Cinnabon style) I made Friday night. They’ll be stale soon. That’s not good. It’d be such a shame to throw them all away, and I only ate one so far. And so it goes. Do I talk myself into becoming a human garbage can by eating all the remaining food from the weekend, thus going into Tuesday and possibly Wednesday with the taste of weekend indulgence still on my lips, or do I decide, really decide, I’ve had enough? It’s time to eat better, like I just said, last night. Remember last night? It seems so long ago now …
What if We Just Start our Diet Tomorrow?
It’s interesting how easily we talk ourselves right out of what we had decided yesterday was such a good idea. So what’s wrong with just starting tomorrow? What’s wrong is that tomorrow never comes. It’s always today, right now. You’ll never reach that elusive tomorrow. Yes, the date on the calendar changes, but you, standing where you are, right here, right now, are still here, in the present. You can’t live in the past, nor can you live in the future. You can only live in the moment.
Decide Right Now: What Do you Want for Your Health
So if you want to decide, then decide right now. What do you want, really want for yourself? Do you want to continue to indulge yourself at every turn, or do you want to exercise just a bit more discipline and see if you can get into better shape? It’s not about what you’ll miss out on, it’s about what you will gain. Better health, more energy, endurance. You’ll feel better, you’ll look better. It’s all about what you’ll gain, but in the immediate moment, it’s so easy to think only of right now. Yes, but right now this would taste so good, wouldn’t it, and there’s always tomorrow. I’ve found that when I make a mental shift, a real shift, not just a decision but a true change in my thinking, then I follow through, and not until then. All the times I try to talk myself into doing things that I don’t really want to do, are not successful. Probably they’re not successful because I don’t really want to do them. How do you get yourself motivated and stay that way? I start with a list. List all the reasons you want to lose some weight. Think in terms of a mini goal of five or 10 pounds. Make it a one month goal, not a lifetime goal. It’s fine to have long-term goals, but if you really want to learn to change for good, then you need to make it something you can live with. Incorporate real change into your lifestyle and you can indulge at a holiday party without it making any difference; without it throwing you off the deep end. When you go on vacation you’ll come back maybe a couple pounds heavier, but it won’t matter. You’ll have eaten what you wanted, you’ll have had a wonderful time, and not stressed yourself over whether you’re gaining weight.
Make a List: Why I want to lose Weight
What’s my first mini-goal? (1 week to 1 month). What’s my longer-term goal? (1 month to 1 year) How strict must I be for this to work? (Pre-planned or legalized deviations works very well for many people) Sometimes, especially if you use a plan that incorporates “legalized cheating” then you’ll end up with some leftover food. Get used to getting rid of it. Give it away, throw it away, it really doesn’t matter. You’re not doing yourself any favor by eating all the leftovers. So what if the cinnamon rolls go stale? I ate one and really enjoyed it, and that’s what’s important. Others also ate some cinnamon rolls, and even if no one had any, did I make them to eat them all, or did I make them because I was in the mood to make cinnamon rolls? Does eating them all myself make any sense at all? Sometimes I feel a little guilty making goodies and then giving them away because I think I’m not making it any easier for others to stick to their plans, but then I remember what I do in that situation, and I have to assume others are adult about how they decide to take care of themselves too. If I decide I’m going to eat in a more healthful manner, and someone brings something unexpected, it’s not difficult in most all circumstances to simply say, “No, thanks. I already ate,” or take some on a plate for later. Since I don’t go on “restrictive” diets, then I can incorporate pretty much anything into my day’s food plan. I just eat it, when I’m hungry. I find it so much easier to base my eating on whether I’m hungry, than on whether something is there. Just because unexpected people show up, doesn’t mean you use them, does it? Honestly, do you think anyone is upset when you leave a bit more for them? I don’t think so.
The Case of the Missing Wedding Cake
True story: When I was a teenager my mother remarried and I offered to buy the wedding cake. I had an ulterior motive. My favorite bakery, Beaverton Bakery, was where I intended to get the cake, and I knew by ordering far more than would be necessary there’d be lots and lots of leftovers for me to gorge myself silly after the festivities, or so I thought. What happened instead is a blur. I don’t know really what happened to the cake but I do know I not only didn’t get any leftovers, I never even had a piece at the wedding. I tend to get caught up in the people and don’t usually eat at parties, so I paid it no attention, and much to my dismay someone else had bundled it up before I got there to do so. Alas, I was never to taste that cake at all. Such a disappointment. It must have been a life altering event because I still remember it and it’s been more than 25 years ago! Food memories stick for a very long time. That day is my prime example of how I would not have minded one little bit if more people had said, “No thanks, I just ate,” and passed on the cake. I just wish I’d been a little more alert in setting aside a hunk for later. ~~ Kathryn Martyn, Master NLP Practitioner, EFT counselor, author of the free e-book: Changing Beliefs, Your First Step to Permanent Weight Loss, and owner of OneMoreBite-Weightloss.com Get The Daily Bites: Inspirational Mini Lessons Using EFT and NLP for Ending the Struggle with Weight Loss. By: admin About the Author:
5 Ways To Make Protein Benefit You
Imagine this … What if you could –
Increase the rate of your metabolism.
Burn more stored body fat.
Maintain more muscle mass by eating protein rich foods.
Calculate the correct amount of protein needed for your body.
Learn about the best food sources of protein.
As you are looking for ideas, here is proven nutrition information about how protein can benefit you.
1. Are you aware that protein increases the rate of metabolism of your body because it is Thermogenic? – because it takes more calories to process protein rich foods and nutritional supplements.
"Thermogenic" refers to the normal Thermogenesis process your body goes through in digesting and using the food you eat and the burning of calories and fat from that food. i.e. – producing energy from the food you eat.
The body requires more calories to process or digest protein than it does to digest fat or carbohydrates. Thus your metabolism is raised by consuming protein rich foods.
Here is a good resource for more information about Thermogenesis: .mpcoffee.com/thermogenesis.htm
2. Increase the rate at which your fat cells are able to burn stored fat!
You’ll probably disagree with this, however…
Soy protein also contributes to the body’s ability to burn fat because as you eat more protein your metabolism is raised and it enables your body to burn stored fat instead of storing more fat.
Dr. Robert Atkins – author of the Atkins diet, as well as Dr.’s Michael Eades and Mary Dan Eades – authors of the “Protein Power” books, all talk about the proven power of protein and the importance of soy protein in particular.
More about soy protein in a little bit…
3. Maintain muscle mass by eating plenty of protein rich foods.
Realize that by eating more protein rich foods, you will maintain muscle mass and more muscle mass means you will:
- raise your metabolism
- burn more fat
Understand that your muscle tissue needs protein to maintain itself and when your body does not get enough protein, one of the first places it will get protein is from your muscle tissue.
Let’s also remember that one of the most important muscles in the body is your heart. You don’t want to damage that muscle do you?
Remember, muscle is protein and protein is Thermogenic – When you do not eat enough or get enough nutrition, the body goes into a “starvation mode” and it will hang on to what it’s got. That means it will hang onto fat stores as long as it can.
Since the body does not know when it will get more food or nutrition it is going to hang on to all the fat it has and begin to burn the protein found in your muscle tissue.
Eating less is not the best way to go because it starts to LOWER your metabolism and take away your ability to burn stored fat.
4. Are you feeling hungry when changing your eating habits to a more healthy lifestyle?
Maybe you are not getting enough Protein. You might be wondering just how much protein do I need?
Dr.’s recommend that you get nearly your body weight in grams of Protein. The average woman needs about 100 grams of protein every day. The average man needs about 150 grams of protein every day.
This is an average person who is moderately active. The more active you are the more protein you will need for your active lifestyle.
This is especially important if you are a person who works out several times a week. Protein and calorie intake are a concern when you are an active person who burns many calories (and potentially muscle) during a workout session.
Because it may be difficult to get enough protein without over eating, here are some suggestions to increase your protein intake while on your program.
Have you ever considered integrating a high protein (and preferably low carb) meal replacement shake into your daily diet? Whether you need to lose weight or not, nearly everyone can use more nutrition and protein in their daily diet.
Depending on your favorite shake mix, it could be anywhere from 9 to 18 grams of protein per shake and it will be loaded with vitamins and minerals your body needs.
Here is a suggested “Power Protein Shake” recipe:
Add 1/2 cup cold water and 3 Tbls of a High Protein low carb shake mix, to a blender.
Using the lowest speed blend the water and shake mixes together.
Then add 3 ice cubes, a banana or your favorite fruit and blend on a high speed for a special “Power Protein shake”!
More protein, fewer carbohydrates and calories than a regular shake mix made with milk or soy beverage are the benefits of the “Power Shake”.
The “Power Shake” also helps to keep you feeling fuller and satisfied the during the day and will help you eat less while maintaining the benefits of a protein shake!
Another way to give your body more protein is to eat a High Protein Low Carb power bar which may have 8 – 15 grams of hunger fighting protein. These power bars always make a great snack.
Use this in combination with the Shake mix and your normal meal(s) to get all the protein your body needs each day!
5. Do you know what one of the best sources of protein is? Many people say beef or meat in general.
These are great sources of protein, however are you aware that one of the best sources of protein is Soy Protein?
We won’t have the time to go into all the benefits of soy protein here, however there are some important points to highlight.
Plant-based Proteins, like those found in soy, have been proven to help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and elevate good HDL cholesterol. This contributes to less build up of bad cholesterol and helps prevent heart disease and clogged arteries.
This in turn helps prevent heart attacks and strokes. Products which contain soy protein may be able to carry the FDA approved “Heart Smart” symbol which means – “Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 25 grams of soy protein a day may reduce the risk of heart disease”
Animal Proteins vs. Plant-based Proteins –
Animal Proteins like meat and dairy, can be loaded with saturated fat and cholesterol. This type of protein can elevate the LDL (bad) Cholesterol when it remains in your diet for long periods of time.
Over the years, high LDL cholesterol in the blood combined with elevated homocysteine levels can lead to heart disease and clogged arteries. This in turn can lead to heart attacks and stroke.
So, try to replace high fat animal proteins with better cuts of meat – preferrably grass fed beef and plant-based proteins like soy.
Also, replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats like those in olive oil will help you avoid the negative health effects associated with high LDL cholesterol and saturated fats.
I know that reading this article has inspired you to take action.
When you follow these 5 tips, you may find that you can give your metabolism a boost and burn more stored fat because protein is thermogenic.
And because of this fact you can maintain more of your muscle mass by burning the protein you take in from food and supplements instead of burning the protein of your muscles.
Finally you will do your body well by taking in more high quality animal based protein and especially more soy protein which is good for your heart and circulatory system.
About The Author
Lee Cummings has been studying natural proven nutrition for 9 years. Because he has shown people how to get the results they want with natural proven nutrition, he has helped dozens of people feel better and gain energy over the last 4 years. Lee is the publisher of the monthly LC Nutrition newsletter. For more information on how proven nutrition will help you, visit .LC-Nutrition.com; [email protected]
Please feel free to use this article in your newsletter or on your website (with resource box included and use an active link). This article may not be used in any e-mail promotions that do not conform with federal law. If you use this article, please send a brief message to let me know where it appeared: mailto:[email protected]
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