Month: October 2014

It’s easy to write a list of 12 reasons to hate dieting. There isn’t an overweight person who couldn’t easily make it a list of 100++ things to hate about their diet.

Coming up with twelve things to LOVE about dieting can be as challenging as the diet itself. Yet that’s a list that might inspire.

You should love dieting because

1. You no longer have to use a safety pin to hold the waist of your slacks together.

2. When cleaning under your car seat, there are no candy wrappers, take out boxes or any other embarrassing evidence of nutritional indiscretions.

3. When you wake in the middle of the night, you don’t have to silently scream at yourself for stupid food choices the previous day.

4. You  make it through a restaurant meal and DO NOT pick at the breadbasket (inhaling the aroma doesn’t count – right?).

5. Someone says “Have you lost weight?” and you can honestly smile and say, “Yes, thanks for noticing.”

6. You’re at the grocery store checkout counter and resist buying two (yes, 2!) candy bars to “tide you over” on the ride home.

7. You happily walk to the mailbox, instead of sending one of the kids (even though the mailbox is only 100 feet away).

8. When you want to sit on the ground to plant some flowers, you can actually get down – and back up again (without looking like a beached whale).

9.You make all the right restaurant food choices and those with you do not

10. You now make the effort to get off your duff and move – from running the vacuum to weeding the yard.

11. When you are in a clothing store, you can look at the next size down rack.

12. You feel good about yourself because – for so many years – you did not.

Now consider this:

Weight loss can yield long-term heart and vascular benefits.  Even a modest weight loss, such as 5 to 10 percent of your total body weight, is likely to produce health benefits, such as improvements in blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood sugars. Less weight lowers the risk of high cholesterol and elevated blood pressure (two major risk factors for heart disease).

Overweight people are also at  increased risk for type 2 diabetes. Losing just 10 percent of body weight improve your body’s ability to use the insulin it makes. For those who already have Type 2 Diabetes, they can decrease their symptoms and prevent future complications.

And – with less weight, you feel great both mentally and physically.

Think about it: when you lose 5, 10, 100+ pounds, you will have an even longer list of reasons why you love dieting.

 

When asked to choose between a prime rib, broiled chicken breast or baked haddock, most dieters will go for the chicken or fish – although some may secretly yearn for the beef. The conventional wisdom around dieting is

Beef Bad;  Chicken/Fish Good.

The reality is – all three choices can be both good – and bad.

Fat is not always bad; it is nutrient that our bodies need.  However, too much saturated animal fat can contribute to health problems.

Fortunately there are many lean cuts of beef available to choose from.

Government guidelines recommend that lean cuts of beef contain less than 10 grams of total fat, and 4.5 grams or less of saturated fat per 3 ½ ounce serving.

Chicken (without the skin) and some fish are low fat options.

The American Heart Association recommends that people limit lean meat, skinless chicken and fish to less than six ounces per day, total.

What’s in the three meats of Beef Chicken and Fish

• Beef is an excellent source of protein, minerals and vitamins. Protein builds muscle, maintains organs and regenerates skin, hair and nails. Minerals help the body’s systems function better.

There are many fine cuts of beef that are lean and not loaded with saturated fat. Plus, no one needs an 18-ounce slab of prime rib that hangs over the side of a plate. Order a more reasonable size portion (or take half home). An eye of the round roast can be as lean as chicken.

Organic grass fed beef contains stearic acid, which has been shown to decrease plasma and liver cholesterol by reducing intestinal cholesterol absorption.

Fish and chicken are both naturally low-fat, low-calorie options. The nutritional benefits of fish versus chicken depend on the kind of fish, the cut of chicken and the cooking method (fried is obviously a BAD choices versus broiled, poached or grilled).

• Fish are rich in calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D, vitamin B2, iron, zinc, iodine, magnesium and potassium. Some fish are higher in omega-3 fatty acids, which are an antioxidant that help fight free radicals and prevent cell damage. They help lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, as well as help to reduce inflammation.

The protein content for fish varies depending on the type of fish
The unsaturated fats in fish, such as salmon, have health benefits

• Chicken contains more protein per serving than fish and is a rich source of B vitamins. Chicken contains a smaller amount of omega-3 fatty acids than fish. Chicken has niacin and some B vitamins.

Cooking chicken with the skin off significantly reduces the amount of saturated fat per serving and although chicken tends to be lower in fats than beef there is still the chicken thighs and legs, the legs or thighs are not as lean as the breast meat.

While thinking about both Chicken and fish as a protein alternative to beef it is actually pretty important to remember that fish and chicken are low-fat sources of protein and that chicken and fish have less saturated fat than most red meat

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