Lose Weight
Lose Weight – Learn research based strategies to lose weight and keep it off – permanently!
Lose weight with a food journal.
Are you struggling to lose weight? Start keeping track of what you eat, when you eat, and how you feel before and after eating. You may be surprised by what triggers you to eat and how fast those little snacks add up.
A new study of 1700 overweight adults resulted in twice the weight loss for those who kept food records versus those who did not.
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Wear a pedometer for heart health and weight loss!
Wearing a pedometer is a simple way to track your activity.
First, wear a pedometer everyday for a week and write your daily steps on a calendar. By the weeks end, you’ll have a idea of how much you move each day.
Next, find ways to increase your steps, such as an extra walk, taking the stairs versus the elevator, parking further from the store, etc.
Make your final goal 10,000 steps (~5 miles) each day!
Lisa Nelson, RD, LN
The Heart of Health
A Heart Friendly Starbucks?
I may have some good news for Starbucks lovers.
Normally, the high sugar, high fat, high calorie beverage and menu items offered by Starbucks were reasons to steer clear if you struggle to lower triglycerides, lower cholesterol, or shed extra pounds.
Starbucks is typically not the best place to grab a quick breakfast with a Frappuccinno, while scanning the daily paper.
Simply selecting a Grande Frappuccino and Cranberry Orange Muffin would start your day with a whopping 850 calories and 30 grams of fat!
In the past Starbucks has not embraced the idea of offering more nutritious items. They did remove trans fats and started offering nonfat milk this past year, but there is still plenty of room for improvement.
The good news is Starbucks has decided to revamp their breakfast menu to offer six heart friendly breakfast options. The goal was a menu with fewer calories, more protein, more fiber, and more fruit.
New menu selections include:
Apple bran muffin – 330 calories, 8 grams of fat, 7 grams fiber
Baked berry stella – 280 calories, 9 grams of fat, 6 grams fiber
Power Protein plate with peanut butter – 330 calories, 16 grams fat, 5 grams fiber
Chewy fruit and nut bar – 250 calories, 10 grams fat, 4 grams fiber
Perfect oatmeal – 140 calories, 2.5 grams fat, 4 grams fiber
These new options provide reduced calories and fat grams, while boosting dietary fiber content. All good moves if you are looking to be heart friendly.
You still need to use your head when choosing a beverage. Starbucks is not removing its’ high calorie, fat, and sugar beverage options. One of the best choices is a simple Caffe Americano (15 calories, 0 grams fat).
So, if you enjoy the Starbucks ambiance, you’ll now be able to enjoy a heart healthy breakfast, too. Hopefully, the taste of the new menu items lives up to the flavor of their coffee!
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Start "slimming down" your recipes to cut calories and lose weight!
Here are a few simple substitutions:
Replace whole eggs with egg substitutes or egg whites.
Replace butter, oil, and margarine in sweet baked goods with fruit puree or applesauce.
Replace ground beef with ground turkey.
Substitute plain, low-fat yogurt in place of sour cream.
Instead of pastry dough, go with a graham cracker crust.
With a couple substitutions you can enjoy the foods you love without sacrificing your waist!
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All the best,
Lisa Nelson, RD, LN
Use the "talk test" to monitor fitness.
Have you been working out regularly, but not seeing the results you want? Are you working hard enough?
A quick and simple way to check your workout intensity is the “talk test”.
If you can talk with no trouble, pick up the pace.
If you can talk, but need to take a breath every 4-5 words, you’re right on track.
If you’re gasping for breath after every word, slow down!
Check yourself the next time you workout. . .you may need to find a higher gear!
All the best,
Lisa Nelson, RD, LN
P.S. Don’t forget to get your subscription to The Heart of Health!
How to boost dietary fiber intake without elevating uric acid.
Question:
How do you boost fiber intake if you have to watch your uric acid levels?
Answer:
Too much uric acid leads to problems with gout (inflammation/pain in your joints).
Fortunately, a diet that is “gout friendly” will also benefit your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, as well as weight loss efforts.
Here are 4 tips:
- Avoid alcohol or limit intake
- Drink plenty of water (stay hydrated!)
- Maintain an ideal body weight – if you need to lose weight avoid fasting or quick weight loss schemes
- Avoid foods high in purines
Uric acid comes from the breakdown of purines. Purines make up human tissue and they are found in foods. Which is why limiting foods with high in purines content is beneficial.
Foods to limit/avoid – alcohol, anchovies, sardines in oil, herring, organ meat, legumes (dried beans, peas, mushrooms, spinach, asparagus, cauliflower, yeast, meat extracts, and gravies.
Foods that are beneficial to gout treatment include fresh berries, bananas, tomatoes, celery, cabbage, parsley, green-leafy vegetables, pineapple, red bell peppers, tangerines, oranges, potatoes, low fat dairy, whole grain breads and pastas, tuna, salmon, nuts, seeds, and tofu.
In my recent article – High Fiber Diet Plan to Lower Cholesterol and Lose Weight – I recommended legumes as a good high fiber source to increase. If uric acid levels are an issue for you, legumes is not the best source for increasing your fiber intake. Instead, rely on whole grain breads, cereals, and pastas, as well, as fruits and vegetables beneficial to gout treatment that I’ve listed above to get your daily dietary fiber.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson, RD, LN
