Are Artificial Sweetners Making You Fat?

As I mentioned earlier, I was finally convinced that drinking diet soda was hindering my weight loss, so I’ve cut it off. No more soda of any kind for me.  If you have a copy of Craving Secrets, I recommend reading through the sections on soda, caffiene, and artificial sweetners. 

But even then I wasn’t fully ready to give up my habit – until I listened to Isabel De Los Rio’s explanation of what’s happening biologically – How I was sabatoging my efforts by drinking diet soda (and eating foods with  artificial sweetners) .

Isabel  has such a good way of explaining the why artificial sweetners hinder our fat loss, so I’ll leave it to her to explain.

How Artificial Sweeteners Are Making You Fat

By Isabel De Los Rios, The Diet Solution

In my practice as a nutritionist and personal trainer, new clients are always coming to me telling me they are doing everything they are “supposed” to be doing, but still, do not lose weight. Of course, this is frustrating. Losing weight is hard enough, and to change your eating habits and still see no results, that’s even more frustrating.

 Why do these people not lose weight? If I had to pick the most common reason why most people’s efforts have proved no results, I would say it is the deception of artificial sweeteners and processed diet foods. Yes, you heard right. It is the diet coke, diet snacks, processed foods and artificial sweetener in your coffee that is keeping you fat.

How is this so?
Read more…

Losing 100+ pounds – Weekly Update – Week 16

Yeah – the scale is moving again!  Today’s number was 287.6, which is 2.4 pounds lost.  So this week the scale is my friend – and I’m working hard to  keep it that way!

But I do have to admit that since I’ve slacked off on my strength training, I’ve noticed some of my muscle tone that I developed during the 30 day Fat Loss Quickie program is going… so I’m getting pretty motivated to start another strength training program.

I am walking nearly every day, even if it is only 15 minutes on my treadmill while the kid watch PBS Kids. 

We got cable again a week or so ago so, the TV in the game room now has reception again. And that works great for me, because the treadmill is in the game room, facing the TV. So something to engage my brain, I can supervise the kids’ tv watching, and can get a walk in as well

My last two walks have been much faster, so I’m gaining strength and endurance there.

Now I’m looking for a Yoga program that my 12 yo and 10 yo can do with me. They’ve both asked for Yoga classes, but since I can’t do that right now, I suggested we do a family Yoga time, and they loved the idea! 

So if you have any suggestions for a good beginners Yoga program (preferably without being heavy in Eastern philosophy), please let me know.

The biggest change this last week has been to what I’m drinking.  After Angie and I’s cross-blog conversation about Diet Soda, and repeatedly reading what Craving Secrets says about the harms of Diet Soda, I’ve been seriously considering giving it up again.

Well… after reading through Isabel De Los Rios’ Diet Solution Program, I am convinced that drinking diet soda is hindering my weight loss. And quite frankly I want anything hindering my weight loss out of my way. So I’m happy to say I have been entirely soda free for over a week!

So, that’s pretty much this week. There’s more, but I’ll save that for other posts.  I hope you are having a great week and that you are reaching for your goals!

Losing 100+ pounds – Weekly Update – Week 15

Another week has passed, and again I’m on this lovely yo-yo with the scale. Gained one pound over last week.  But I still have 45 weeks to go to meet my goal, and I can still lose 100 pounds this year, as long as I keep my focus and make the smart choices.

While I’ve been quiet here on the blog, I have been working diligently here, mostly on nutrition and food patterns.  Craig Ballentyne (of Turbulance Training) has this saying, “You can’t out exercise a bad diet”. And I’ve been really working through any issues I have in my diet and my family’s diet here.

When I plan and have good choices on hand, I eat very very healthy. Have since I was a teenager. But, when things aren’t planned, prepared, and on hand, then it’s whatever junk is around…

So, I’ve really been working on formulating a new meal plan (that we can afford), with scheduled times for eating based on what we’ve learned so far.

For the last four weeks we’ve been following a carb-rotation (or carb-cycling) meal plan developed by Jayson Hunter, which came as a bonus with the Fat Loss Quickie program. And we’ve learned a lot about how eating times and food blends make us feel.

So based on that and a bunch of research I’ve been doing we’ve made more changes – to when we eat, how frequently, and what combinations of foods we are eating when.

Also, now that I’m done with the 30 day Fat Loss Quickie program, I’ve also been researching a bit of what I’m going to try next. In the mean time, we’ve just been having fun together. I’m walking more again, and the kids and I are just doing more fun, physical things together.

So, still chugging along. Analyzing what’s working, what’s not, and keeping choices healthy and active, as much as possible.

How’s your week going?

Healthy Food Choices: Napa Valley Salad with Cranberries and Almonds

I think I have a new favorite salad!

Last Saturday for special time, my 6 yo daughter had us back at Fuddruckers – and again, it was a no carb day for me.  So that ruled out my favorite, the turkey burger. But I was hungry so, after searching the menu for a good no carb choice, I settled on the Napa Valley Salad with grilled chicken (minus the blue cheese).

Oh this was a good choice, and again, I wish I had brought my camera so I could show you a picture. I’ll have to make it again and show you a picture of it later.

This salad does contain carbs – in the form of apples and cranberries. But I decided that it was better to have my carbs in the form of fruit than with a hamburger bun and fries.  Anyway, here’s how I would (will) reproduce this salad at home.

Ingredients:

2-3 cups chopped Romaine Lettuce

1 sliced apple (slices chopped in half)

a sprinkling of dried cranberries

a sprinkling of slivered almonds

one grilled chicken breast, sliced (I’d probably do a 1/2 chicken breasts)

Assembly order:

1. chopped romain lettuce

2. add in apple, cranberries, and almonds

3. toss all together

4. top with sliced grilled chicken

Yum!

I’m not big on salad dressing, and usually go without. But you can always use your favorite salad dressing on the side, and then dip your fork into it then get your forkful of salad to get both the flavor of the dressing for a lot less calories and fat.

Losing 100+ pounds – Weekly Update – Week 14

Well….drum roll please…. this week’s verdict is …

I’m back down to that 7 pound total loss! (Yeah I know, I was there in week 5, week 8, and week 13) but I’m glad I back down to it, now to go below it

The week was chugging along well, until Sunday.  Friday night I did one of those silly stupid things, got my leg tied up in my headset cord, got up from my desk and janked both my leg and my headset in a very weird thing.  Brokce my USB port on my computer and messed up my leg.  By Sunday the pain was bad enough for me not to do much at all – rest and periodically stretch.

But now it’s feeling a little better. As long as I stay moving and stretching .  Food wise, it’s been a pretty good week. I am not following the exact meal plan, but have adapted it to the foods I had on hand in the pantry and freezer and am keeping with the whole theory and pattern of the plan.

Last night, while my son was at cub scouts, I sat down and mapped out the meals for the next four days, based on what we already had and the pattern of the plan. We’ll be pretty low by Thursday, but it will work out just fine.

I’m considering re-figuring this meal plan for a family that’s on a tight budget, because it’s too spendy for what I can do consistently right now. But it’s made such a difference for my husband - mentally, emotionally, and physically - that I don’t want to give it up just yet.

So that’s this last week.  How’d your week go? Any goals or plans coming up?