Maintain - don't gain!!

 

December 2012

 

Welcome to our December campaign:

Maintain, don't gain!!

Research has shown that people can gain up to 2-3 kg during the December holiday period. 
A typical 'holiday' diet can consist of foods that are high in calories, fat, sugar and salt - and low in nutrients, fibre and water.  That can leave you feeling sluggish, bloated and low in energy. 

That is why most people, come January, feel they need a detox and a New Years resolution of a healthy diet.

This year CAN be different.  We will dedicate the next few weeks to ideas that will help you manage your weight, feel great, have lots of energy for the FUN month, AND still enjoy your holiday - you do not have to deprive yourself of a wonderful festive season at all!

TIP# 1:  Start every day the way you always do, and have your shake for breakfast.

The shake is:

• Low in calories  (+- 200 kcal per shake)
• Full of vital nutrients (everything you need as part of your RDA)
• Supplies you with energy
• Full of anti-oxidants (you will need them during all the festivities)
• Will help maintain your blood sugar and insulin levels, which will help with cravings, hunger, sustained energy.

It is the perfect fuel injection after a late night of 'festivities'

TIP# 2:  Drink lots of Thermojetics.  Start your day with a cup of HOT Thermojetics in order kickstart your day!

• Thermojetics is a great enhancer to help you burn fat.
• It contains 80% green tea which helps provide a general feeling of well-being
• It increases your energy
• It helps to curb and control your appetite
• It is a powerful anti-oxidant (you will need it during all the festivities)

You don't have to be boring at festive occasions, you can mix:

• Raspberry Thermojetics with Sprite Zero - we call it Herbalife Beer (you will see why when you mix it :-)
• You can also mix Thermojetics Original with "Brooks LOW-CAL squash".  I mix 500ml jugs full at a time - a lovely refreshing drink.
• You can mix Thermojetics Original with  50% Apple Juice 50% Water, add Mint Leaves for a lovely refresing beverage.     

 

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Below I have included the shake recipes.  You can have a delicious smoothy every morning - even while on the beach !!

Yummy Shakes   

It is so important that you enjoy and have fun with your shakes.  Be creative - find the way you like it most!

Print out these recipes and keep it in you kitchen together with your blender, Nutritional Shake Mix and Protein Supplement Powder!

 

You can use fresh or frozen fruits.  If you use fresh fruit, you will get a thinner consistency.  By adding ice cubes or frozen fruits you can get the consistency of an ice cream or a milk shake depending on how much ice you add.

 

Drink or eat your shake over a period of 15 minutes.  By eating slowly you allow your system to digest your shake, and you practice eating more slowly for other meals throughout the day.

 

Do not use milk if you are not used to drinking milk.  Most adults have a problem digesting the lactose in milk (lactose intolerant), and the effect of milk is weight gain, constipation, and or a runny tummy.   Soy milk is also a great alternative if you are lactose intolerant but like the consistency that milk gives you. 

 

USE 2 HEAPED TABLE SPOONS OF SHAKE POWDER FOR EACH SHAKE!!

 

Orange Mango Shake

 

2 T Vanilla / Strawberry Shake

1 T Protein Supplement Powder (if you are taking it)

3/4 Cup Mango Chunks

1/2 Orange

250ml Water

Blueberry Shake

 

2 T Chocolate Shake

1 T Protein Supplement Powder (if you are taking it)

250 ml water

1 cup berries (fresh or frozen)

1T vanilla yoghurt

3 ice cubes 

Banana Bread Shake

 

2 T Vanilla Shake

1 T Protein Supplement Powder (if you are taking it)

250ml Soy Milk

1/2 banana

Dash of cinnamon, walnut flavoring & vanilla extract

3 ice cubes

Strawberry - Kiwi Shake

 

2 T Vanilla / Tropical Fruit Shake

1 T Protein Supplement Powder (if you are taking it)

250 ml water

1 kiwi fruit

1/2 cup frozen strawberries

1/8 tsp lemon extract
3 ice cubes

Orange-Julius Shake

 

2 T Strawberry Shake

1 T Protein Supplement Powder (if you are taking it)

100 ml orange or pineapple juice

250ml Water

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 ice cubes  

Cafe Mocha Shake

 

2 T Chocolate Shake

1 T Protein Supplement Powder (if you are taking it)

125 ml Soy milk

125 ml Water

1/2 banana

2tsp coffee 

3 ice cubes 

Island Tropic Surprise

 

2 T Vanilla / Strawberry Shake

1 T Protein Supplement Powder (if you are taking it)

100ml pineapple juice

150ml water

1/2 frozen banana

 3 ice cubes 

Cranberry Shake

 

2 T Strawberry Shake

1 T Protein Supplement Powder (if you are taking it)

100 ml cranberry juice

150ml Water

1 cup blueberries (frozen or fresh)

2 T low fat yogurt (optional)

3 ice cubes  

Apple Pie Shake

 

2 T Vanilla Shake

1 T Protein Supplement Powder (if you are taking it)

Small apple / 1 cup frozen apple slices

250ml water

Dash of each nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 ice cubes  

Chocolate Mint Shake

 

2 T Chocolate Shake

1 T Protein Supplement Powder (if you are taking it)

100 ml water

150ml soy milk

Dash peppermint cordial

3 ice cubes

Breakfast Muesli Shake - for special occasions

 

2 T Vanilla Shake

1 T Protein Supplement Powder (if you are taking it)

1 Shredded wheat biscuit

4 T muesli  

Yogurt Shake

 

2 T Shake - any flavour

1 T Protein Supplement Powder (if you are taking it)

Low fat yogurt (plain or fruit)

Fresh fruit

(dilute the yogurt with water for a  "yogi-sip" version) 

Toffee Choc

 

2 T Chocolate Shake

1 T Protein Supplement Powder

150 ml Soy milk

150 ml water

2 T toffee yogurt 

Add all ingredient to blender and blend until smooth.  If you do not have access to a blender - omit fresh or frozen fruit and only use liquids.  

Have fun & enjoy !!

 

 

 

 

STEPS TO END EMOTIONAL EATING

 

Step One:  Identify Your Triggers

The first step to handling emotional eating is to identify your emotional eating triggers. We all have different reasons for giving in to emotional eating. While you may never eat when you're happy, your best friend may celebrate each small victory with a binge. Some people clam up and subsist on water and saltines when she's depressed; I eat anything within reach.

By identifying what triggers our eating, we can substitute more appropriate techniques to manage our emotional problems and take food and weight gain out of the equation. One way to identify your triggers is to put it in writing. By keeping a journal where you document your food and feelings you'll be able to record how you're feeling and how much, how often, and what you eat. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, just a plain spiral notebook will do the trick, Simply write the date at the top of the page and then jot down what you're eating and how you're feeling before and after you do. Also identify what stressors, thoughts, or emotions you identify as you eat. You should begin to identify patterns to your excessive eating fairly quickly. In time, you will find that your emotional eating has a pattern to it. When you see it in black and white you will begin to understand the true measure of your own personal emotional eating triggers.

In short, every time you put something in your mouth, write it down. It's helpful to write down more than just the food item itself. Record the following information:

§ Date, including both day and month.

§ Time of day.

§ Where you were at when you ate (in your car, at your desk, etc).

§ What you were doing when you ate? Were you working? Driving?

§ How did you feel before and after you ate?

§ What prompted you to eat? Did something in particular happen that day?

§ Who were you with? Were you alone?

§ What did you eat?

§ How much did you eat?

§ Were you hungry? How hungry?

§ Rate of eating. Did you eat quickly? Slowly?

 

Be honest — the diary is only for your eyes. Plus, it won't be helpful if you're not truthful. Record the information for a few days. Afterward, you likely will see patterns. Perhaps every time you get angry or upset you find yourself reaching for cookies. Or perhaps you can't resist the sight or smell of tempting foods, no matter how recently you've eaten. Whatever your patterns, once you become aware of them, you can work on changing them.

 Step Two:  Recognize Hunger Signals

An important step in dealing with emotional eating is to get to know your body’s hunger signals. Have you ever noticed that we eat when we're "supposed to” from early on? Starting from when you were a child in elementary school, lunchtime at school meant that's when you are supposed to eat. Same goes for work lunch break. Instead of eating when you are “supposed to”, try listening to your body and eat when you're hungry. True hunger actually feels like a mild gnawing sensation in the gut. Have you ever noticed when your stomach growls loudly?

That’s a sign of TRUE hunger.

To find out if you're feeling a craving or getting hungry, give the urge to eat a 10-minute waiting period. If you've moved on to doing something and you suddenly realized you're not hungry, it was a craving; if the urge to eat is still there, chances are you're getting hungry.

Learn to recognize true hunger. Is your hunger physical or emotional? If you ate just a few hours ago and don't have a rumbling stomach, you're probably not really hungry. Give the craving a few minutes to pass.

 Step Three:  Limit Trigger Foods

STOP stocking your fridge and pantry with the foods you binge on!

§ Don't keep unhealthy foods around. Avoid having an abundance of High-calorie comfort foods in the house. If you feel hungry or blue, postpone the shopping trip for a few hours so that these feelings don't influence your decisions at the store.

§ Snack healthy. If you feel the urge to eat between meals, choose a low fat, low-calorie food, such as fresh fruit, vegetables with fat-free dip or unbuttered popcorn. Or test low-fat, lower calorie versions of your favorite foods to see if they satisfy you’re craving.

§ Eat a balanced diet. If you're not getting enough calories to meet your energy needs, you may be more likely to give in to emotional eating. Try to eat at fairly regular times and don't skip breakfast. Include foods from the basic groups in your meals. Emphasize whole grains, vegetables and fruits, as well as low-fat dairy products and lean protein sources. When you fill up on the basics, you're more likely to feel fuller, longer.

 Step Four:  Don't Skip Meals Skipping

Skipping meals almost always leads to over-eating.

 Step Five:  Create Alternatives to Eating

The only way to put this record to use effectively is to plan alternative activities to eating so you'll have another option the next time the situation and/or feelings arise in your life. Whether it's a bubble bath or curling up with a good book, planning other activities will help you relax and avoid binges.

Look elsewhere for comfort. Instead of unwrapping a candy bar, take a walk, treat yourself to a movie, listen to music, read or call a friend. If you think that stress relating to a particular event is nudging you toward the refrigerator, try talking to someone about it to distract yourself. Plan enjoyable events for yourself!

 Step Six:  Exercise regularly and get adequate rest.

Your mood is more manageable and your body can more effectively fight stress when it's fit and well rested.

 Step Seven:  Believe in Yourself and Don't Give Up

Give yourself some credit! When you trip up -- because we all do, don't give up! Forgive yourself and start over the next day. Learning from your mistakes and focusing on the positive will go a long way in ensuring your continued weight loss success.

 Here is a helpful list of ways you can break habits:

Usually, by the time you have identified a pattern, eating in response to emotions or certain situations has become a habit. Now you have to break that habit! Developing alternatives to eating is the second step in this equation! The next time that those cravings come on and you start to reach for that cupcake in response to a trigger, try one of the following activities instead.

• Read a good book or magazine or listen to music.

• Spend time with a loved one

• Go for a walk or jog.

• Take a bubble bath.

• Do deep breathing exercises.

• Play cards or a board game.

• Catch up with an old friend

• Be productive around the house- do housework, laundry or yard work.

• Wash your car

• Do some charity work

 

Is Food Addictive?

Food can be a distraction. If you're worried about an upcoming event or rethinking an earlier conflict, eating comfort foods may distract you. But the distraction is only temporary. While you're eating, your thoughts focus on the pleasant taste of your comfort food. Unfortunately, when you're done overeating, your attention returns to your worries, and you may now bear the additional

Burden of guilt about overeating. 

 

While there is no concrete proof that any given food is truly "addictive" in the clinical sense of the word, that doesn't mean some foods may not have addictive qualities. A 2003 book by nutrition researcher, Dr. Neal Barnard, called Breaking the Food Seduction suggested a number of foods such as cheese, chocolate and sugar may actually "trick" our brain into desiring it. For example, Dr. Barnard suggested a substance in cheese, called casein acted like an opiate and could actually cause a biochemical reaction that make us want to eat it. Whether foods are truly addictive or not, there is no denying that food can affect the way we feel.

Consider the way that chocolate brings that "high" similar to being in love. When you eat it, your body releases chemicals that raise your mood and bring on a feeling of satisfaction and well-being. What results is a vicious cycle. The chocolate helps "cure" your blues and whether you realize it or not, your body says, "Oh, so that's how we fix this!" leaving you pining for the food that brought on those good feelings the next time around. So... chances are, next time you're feeling down, you'll automatically reach for that candy bar. For those of us that would rather be in denial than deal with our issues, food is a worthy scapegoat.

Any unpleasant task can be avoided -- or at least, put off for a while -- if you busy yourself with making and eating a snack instead. A sense of boredom ... or loneliness ... can be quelled by a special treat. Eating distracts you from doing that unfavorable task, or, worse, from focusing on why you're really feeling so bad.  

 

 

Ways to Identify Eating Triggers

Although emotional eating is strongly linked to depression, boredom, loneliness, chronic anger, anxiety, frustration, stress, problems with interpersonal relationships and poor self-esteem, it can be reversed with positive thought and action. Just like with any illness, the first step of curing the problem is acknowledgement. Situations and emotions that trigger us to eat fall into nine

main categories.

1. Social. Eating when around other people. For example, excessive eating can result from being encouraged by others to eat; eating to fit in; arguing; or feelings of inadequacy around other people. Often people who are under stress will seek out social support, which is a great way to relieve stress. Unfortunately for dieters, when people get together — especially women — we tend to go out for a nice meal. Crying on your friend’s shoulder over a couple of hot fudge sundaes, going out for a night on the

town and a plate full of fried appetizers, sharing a bowl of chips with the guys as you watch a game, or discussing the gory details of a nightmare date over cheesecake with your roommates (didn’t this occur in every episode of The Golden Girls?) are all social forms of emotional eating. It can make you feel better in the short term, but you may regret later.

2. Emotional. Eating in response to boredom, stress, fatigue, tension, depression, anger, anxiety or loneliness as a way to "fill the void."

3. Situational. Eating because the opportunity is there. For example, at a restaurant, seeing an advertisement for a particular food, passing by a bakery. Eating may also be associated with certain activities such as watching TV, going to the movies or a sporting event, etc.

4. Thoughts. Eating as a result of negative self-worth or making excuses for eating. For example, scolding oneself for looks or a lack of will power.

5. Physiological. Eating in response to physical cues. For example, increased hunger due to skipping meals or eating to cure headaches or other pain.

6. Cortisol Cravings: Stress can bring on increased levels of cortisol, known as "the stress hormone." Cortisol has a beneficial function in the body, but excessive levels of cortisol brought on by chronic stress can cause a slew of problems in the body. Among other things, high levels of coritsol can create cravings for salty and sweet foods. In previous centuries, this enabled people to bulk up on foods that would sustain them during times when food is scarce; however, in modern times and industrialized nations, when food is rarely scarce, this previously adaptive mechanism causes excess weight gain.

7. Nervous Energy: When stressed or anxious, many people become "orally fidgety." Sometimes this leads to nail biting or teeth grinding, and often it leads to eating when not hungry. Many people, out of nervousness or boredom, just munch on chips or drink soda to give their mouths something to do.

8. Childhood Habits: Many of us have comforting childhood memories that revolve around food. Whether your parents used to reward you with sweets, fix your boo-boos with an ice cream cone, or make your favorite meal (or take you out to one) to celebrate your successes, you’d probably be in the vast minority if you didn’t develop some emotionally-based

attachments to food while growing up. When in times of stress, few things can be as powerfully comforting or rewarding as your favorite food.

Because many people don’t develop more effective coping strategies, this type of emotional eating is very common: people eat to celebrate, eat to feel better, eat to deal with the stress of being overweight.

9. Stuffing Emotions: Another emotional reason that many people eat is to quiet uncomfortable emotions. People who are uncomfortable with confrontation may deal with frustrations in their marriage with a piece of cake, for example, rather than with open communication. Food can take the focus off of anger, resentment, fear, anxiety, and a host of other emotions we’d sometimes rather not feel, and is often used for this purpose.

NEXT:

STEPS TO END EMOTIONAL EATING & BREAKING THE HABIT