I Love This Quote!

"There's a difference between deprivation and discipline. Discipline means being aware of our needs, and being able to identify true needs verses things that we're simply craving at the moment."

I love that! It was on one of the many blogs I follow. Mark Bittman, who is quoted, writes a column for the NY Times. He was being interview on his new semi-vegetarian life style and whether or not it is difficult for him to stick with it.
I think it can be applied to healthy eating in general. If most of the time you eat foods that are healthful (those things you "need") and save foods you "crave" for special treats, 2 things will happen:

1. your overall diet will become more healthful (which could help you lose weight if you are trying), and

2. you will probably start to "crave" foods that are more nutritious.

I also think that sometimes you "need" to eat a food that you are "craving"...like a piece of cake, or some ice cream, or a bacon cheese burger...but only occasionally so that you really enjoy it! For a special treat! If you treat yourself everyday then it's not special anymore.

So next time you pass on ice cream after dinner and have a piece of fruit instead, you aren't depriving yourself, you are showing discipline and having what your body "needs"!


Lagniappe...


A few weeks ago Mark Bittman wrote an article, 101 Simple Salads for the Season and alot of the recipes look really good! Actually, they aren't even recipes, just ideas to inspire you!

Come on April 4th

I feel like it's tax season and I'm an in-demand CPA...except for me it's dance team audition season and I'm an in-demand dance teacher/choreographer. I have been so busy this month...between teaching private dance lessons, workshops, and my regular classes and choreographing Golden Girl audition solos, I have not had much time to blog! Not a single post since March 6th! I have been cooking some, however, and have lots of pictures...just no typed-up and analyzed recipes - I promise they are on their way. GG auditions are April 4th...I can't wait (I'm sure CPAs feel the same about April 15th!).

I was an LSU Golden Girl for 5 years, 3 of which I was the captain and choreographer...I guess that makes me an "expert". To audition for the line, you have to bring solo dance routine (about 1 1/2 minutes long) to perform for the judges...in a 2 piece outfit. So you have to be a good dancer with a good solo (I can help with that) and you have to be in shape (hey! I can help with that too...I am a dietitian after all).

Whenever I start working with one of the girls who plans to audition, we discuss an appropriate weight for their height and body type. I get them to keep a food journal for me so that I can get an idea of how they eat. It seems that the closer it gets to the audition date, the less and less they eat...not a good idea! The other thing that I see a lot is an unbalanced distribution of calories between carbohydrates, fat, and protein. For example:

Day 1:

Breakfast - Fiber One caramel delight cereal with 1% milk and a banana
Lunch/snack - Apple and Fiber One snack bar
Dinner - Grilled chicken Caesar wrap and cantaloupe/pineapple cup; kiwi strawberry vitamin water

approximately 1200 calories - 62% carbohydrates, 21% fat, and 17% protein

Day 2:

Breakfast - Special K vanilla almond with a banana and pear
Snack - Strawberries and cantaloupe/pineapple cup
Dinner - Grilled chicken salad with cucumbers and fat free Italian caesar vinaigrette dressing

approximately 800 calories - 65% carbohydrates, 15% fat, 20% protein

My thoughts - not enough protein or fat...So many people think that fat makes them fat and avoid it all together...but it doesn't, unless you have too much (as will carbs and protein...if you eat too much). The body needs fat!

And as far as protein goes, I try to have some with every meal...for breakfast milk/yogurt; for lunch and dinner turkey/chicken/cheese/beans/eggs/seafood/meat; and for snack yogurt (sometimes I just have fruit, but I hardly every have starchy snacks like granola bars or crackers).

A better day:

Breakfast (336 calories) - 1 cup Kashi GoLean, 1 med banana, 1 cup skim milk; water
Lunch (390 calories) - Turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread with provolone cheese, mustard, lettuce; grapes; water
Snack (150 calories) - Lowfat yogurt (without artificial sweetener)
Dinner (358 calories) - Grilled chicken (3 oz) salad with light sesame dressing, red bell pepper, green onions, mandarin oranges, shredded carrot, toasted almonds (2 tbsp); water

approximately 1200 calories - 51% carbohydrates, 21% fat, 28% protein - 25 g fiber and nearly 1000 mg calcium

Lagniappe...

Here is an article on losing weight...what to do and what not to do.

10 Secrets of the Effortlessly Thin

In the past few days I have seem so many commercials for weight loss pills/programs/products...'tis the season to lose weight! There has also been an increase of online weight loss articles...this is what was on msn.com this morning:

10 secrets of skinny people
Pros & cons of popular diets
Exercise for those who don't
11 hot fitness trends
Find: Average woman's weight

The first one interested me. I'm skinny...do I already know these so-called secrets? Here they are, 10 secrets of the "effortlessly" thin, and if you want to read the full article click here:

1. They don't diet
2. They keep track of their weight
3. They exercise regularly
4. They don't solve problems with food
5. They stop eating when they're full
6. They don't surround themselves with temptation
7. They allow themselves treats
8. They eat breakfast
9. They move, stand and fidget more
10. They don't skip meals

I follow just about every one of these. I don't diet in the sense that I follow a specific plan; instead I try and eat healthfully MOST of the time...but not all of the time! I keep track of my weight by weighing myself several times a week. I'm not obsessive about the number on the scale, but it helps me stay within my target weight range.

I exercise regularly and move/stand a lot. I always eat breakfast and never skip meals (unless I'm not hungry, and in that case I'll eat something a little later). I do have "special treats" sometimes (I've had a few too many this holiday season). I usually stop eating when I'm full, although I used to not be as aware of this...it's something I continually work on.

I don't keep tempting things in my house...sweet things tempt me like ice cream, candy, dessert...and instead keep lots of fruit and yogurt to satisfy my sweet tooth. The last one that I can go either way on is solving problems with food...I'm not really an emotional eater, but I do eat out of boredom and stress sometimes. These days I'm so busy that I don't have time to get bored very often. And now that I'm finished with school my stress level has gone down too.

Think about all of these "secrets" and pick 1 or 2 to work on...it's the little things that really count. I'm not so sure that it's effortless to stay thin (especially in today's society) and I know it's a little easier for me...I am a dietitian after all. But a few small changes can really make a difference and help you lose or maintain weight.

Happy New Year!