Category Archives: Diet & Nutrition Tips
Work Like a DOG Because You are Eat Like a PIG?
ADDICTED
We’ve all met people who seem addicted to fitness. They live at the gym and workout really hard, but maybe they aren’t so much addicted to exercise as much as something else altogether.
ARE YOU A WORKAHOLIC
Think of it like a workaholic. Some people are literally slaves to work, but it’s not because they love working so much. It’s because they are slaves to their debtors. So, they get as much overtime as they can, take odd jobs, and work like crazy to balance overspending.
Many people aren’t afraid of work, they are afraid of missing out. They don’t want to part with the luxuries in life – cars, clothes, dining out, going out on the town, etc. So they work hard to maintain those things, even if they are bad for us.
QUIT WORKING OVERTIME
Maybe you need to stop eating like a pig so you don’t have to work like a dog. Yes, it’s harsh, but it’s honest. We can’t continue to rely on exercise to keep getting us out of trouble. It’s time you truly address the real problem: eating. It’s time to cut back, because what you are missing out on is much more valuable than your favorite food.
Are You Addicted?
Even if the true addiction is to food, it can result in exercise addiction too.
Rate yourself as honestly as you can below with the following checklist from Active.com:
- I have missed important social obligations and family events in order to exercise.
- I have given up other interests, including time with friends, in order to make more time to work out.
- Missing a workout makes me irritable and depressed
- I only feel content when I am exercising or within the hour after exercising.
- I like exercise better than sex, good food, or a movie — in fact there’s almost nothing I’d rather do.
- I work out even if I’m sick, injured, or exhausted. I’ll feel better when I get moving anyway.
- In addition to my regular schedule, I’ll exercise more if I find extra time.
- Family and friends have told me I’m too involved in exercise.
- I have a history (or a family history) of anxiety or depression.
Although some of these feelings are natural, and even healthy. Feeling good because of exercise is a good thing, but feeling good at the expense of harming relationships or your body, maybe a warning sign you are off balance.
If you can get a better grip on your food, you may not feel so obligated to workout as much. You won’t feel so guilty if you skip a workout, and you will feel more confident and healthy because you’re eating healthy – not just erasing your bad food.
Look deep within and find the real root of the problem, and take your fitness to a whole new healthy level.
Photo Credits:
Sweaty guy: metronews.ca
Cartoon: Illustration by Aaron Taylor, Site: UtahValleyBusinessq.com
Girl in the fridge: 40 years of faulty wiring
Balancing Act: metafitsolutions.com
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DIET: 7 Ways to Cheat Smart
Back in the day, when Steve used to go off his diet he would say he was “taking the gloves off” – meaning, no more rules. In sports like boxing and hockey, taking the gloves off means they are about to throw down. No rules, no ref, anything goes.
Well, that’s how Steve and I used to cheat – we’d take the gloves off. However, over the years our eating has changed drastically. Although we totally still cheat on our diet here and there, even cheating is done in moderation.
Vacation or Diet Vacation?
I think too many people “take the gloves off” like we used to – especially when on vacation. They go on vacation and they don’t even try to eat healthy. On the contrary, people often cram as much crappy stuff in their body while on vacation “just because they are on vacation” – as if they’d never get the chance to cheat again.
Sure, you should be able to have some yummy meals and treats on vacation – I’m not suggesting you have to “diet”. What I’m saying is you should still practice self-control and balance. Whether it’s trying to still maintain healthy portions or mixing in healthy meals with cheat meals, eating just to eat shouldn’t be an option.
Our Dumb Rules (AKA: Lame Excuses)
We humans make some of the dumbest diet rules. We have certain occasions we “allow” ourselves to “take the gloves off”. We cheat when we celebrate. We cheat when we go out of town. We cheat when it’s a Holiday. We cheat on the weekends. We cheat when we’ve had a hard day. Honestly, sometimes we cheat our way through a whole week because of circumstances. And if that wasn’t bad enough, we continue to cheat after several days of cheating, because we’ve been so bad. Really? Is that an excuse? I’ll be bad today just because I was so bad yesterday? Yep, that’s how some of us think and act. How stupid is that?!
Going Over the Limit
We do the very same thing when with spending, especially on vacation. We buy things just to buy things. After blowing it one day, we often blow even more money (and debt) the next day – and many times it’s on stupid stuff. I mean, do you really think you’ll hang that ridiculous Mexican sombrero in your house? Probably not, but you sure will be paying for it, along with all the other junk “that you had to have”, for a lot longer than it took to buy ut. The same goes with diet. You may not be playing by they rules, but the rules still apply – and, believe me, you WILL pay.
7 Ways to Cheat Smart & Win the Fat Fight
You can splurge, taste, play and feel good to – IF you learn to cheat smart. Here are a few ways to enjoy great cuisine without losing your fight with fat.
1.) Only eat what you love. How many times have you eaten something just because it’s in front of you? How many times have you cleaned your plate and the meal wasn’t even that good? Save your cheat calories for only foods you absolutely love.
2.) Make good choices and healthy tradeoffs. Think about what you like the most. Do you want the appetizer more, or the dessert more? Instead of having every course offered, narrow down the choices to what’s most important to you.
3.) Divide your cheat meal up by cutting high-calorie foods in half. If you want to totally splurge on your favorite high calorie dish, don’t overeat too. You can enjoy that deep fried dish, or pasta swimming in alfredo, but save calories by not eating it all in one siting to avoid more calories stored as fat. The good news is you get to have your favorite meal twice!
4.) Choose one: over-eating or over-calorieing. I know, it’s not a word! What I mean is, if your idea of splurging is overeating, then eat healthy. If your idea is eating a high calorie cheat meal, then eat less of unhealthy meals.
5. Plan to cheat. One of the best things you can do is plan your cheat meals out. If you are jonesing for your favorite cheat meal for dinner, eat healthy during the day or do an extra cardio. Save calories on other snacks and meals to allow more room to cheat.
6. Eat for fuel. Remember, what you eat today is how you will feel tomorrow. So, if you’re planning to hit the beach and you want to look good in your bikini, or you want a ton of energy on vacation, you may want to eat how you want to feel – and plan your cheat meals around that. My sister learned this the hard way when we went to Busch Gardens after eating pancakes. Steve and I had a ton energy and she crashed after only 2 hours of being at the park. If you want to feel good, you may want to choose your biggest cheat day for the last day of your trip.
7. Cheating can be depressing. I don’t know about you, but I want to be happy on vacation. Cheating can really mess with your head. You can mentally feel fat and ugly, causing bad mood swings and emotions. If you want to feel confident and comfortable, limiting crappy meals can make you a much happier camper.
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Photo of Bonnie Pfiester by Misty Lundeen
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You Can’t Compete with What You Eat
You may be working out harder than you have to.
Are you investing hours of your day trying to burn off what you aren’t willing to cut out of your diet? I think many people are spending a unnecessary amount of time and energy doing fat-melting workouts simply because they aren’t willing to control what they eat. As Steve says, “You can’t compete with what you eat” so let me save you a lot of time, energy and frustration.
Unless you just have all the time in the world to run off every calorie you consume, there is no reason for that much cardio. Practice a little self-discipline and lighten your work load. Otherwise, you are going to find yourself completely discouraged, and worn out, from punishing your body for what your mouth keeps doing.
It’s not always the meals we choose, but the extras. Instead of eating 1/2 a bagel we eat a whole bagel. Instead of having a coffee, we have a fancy latte. We treat ourselves with “one small thing” that takes a not-so-small amount of time to erase. Unfortunately, it’s all the extra that makes us extra large. If you can control the extras, you can control your waistline – and not have to do the extra work to erase your mistakes.
Here’s the reality behind what it takes to erase extra calories:
1 Tall Salted Caramel Latte = 1 Hour Power Walk
1 Side of Chili’s Cole Slaw = 1 Hour of Yoga
Side of Ranch Dressing at Subway = 3 Mile Jog
1 McDonald’s Medium French Fries = One Hour of Zumba
Dairy Queen Dipped Chocolate Cone = 1 Hour of Kickboxing
1 Boston Market Broccoli & Cheese Soup = 1 Hour on the Elliptical
Duncan Donuts Mocha Coffee with Cream = 1 Hour on the Treadmill at 4mph
1 Slice of Little Caesars’ Deep Dish Pepperoni Pizza = 1 Hour of Aerobics Class
1 Panera Everything Bagel with Light Veggie Cream Cheese = 1 Hour of High Impact Aerobics
1 Steak & Shake Medium Cookies & Cream Shake = 1 Hour of Boot Camp AND 1 Hour Power Walking
Chili’s Bottomless Tostada Chips & Salsa = 1 Hour Running at 6mph (10-minute miles) AND 1 Hour of Aerobics
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6 Tips to Combat Diet Sabotage
How to Destroy a Diet in 2 Hours: So, you are dieting and you do good aaaaaaall day long, only to blow every salad, protein shake and healthy snack down the drain in the last 2 hours of the day. Sound familiar?
Sip-n-Chip
Why is it we feel the need to snack at night? Will our life really come unraveled if we don’t have a grip on a chip and a drink to sip? Honestly, Steve and I are amazed how much of a struggle this is – and I believe it destroys a lot of very healthy diets.
I eat squeaky clean all day long, only to blow it with popcorn, pretzels or nuts. I always have good intensions, but I always eat more than I should in the end. Could it be worse? Sure it could, but is it preventing me from getting rid of that last bit of fat? Of course it is!
Here are some of the lies we feed ourselves so we can feed ourselves.
LIES:
1. I’ve eaten so good today, I can afford it.
2. At least they are healthy snacks.
3. It’s probably not that many calories.
4. I’ll just have a few.
5. I can run it off in the morning.
TRUTH:
1. You’ve eaten so good today, that’s exactly why you should skip it! Protect your hard work!
2. You can get fat on healthy foods too. Extra calories are extra calories.
3. It’s probably a lot more calories than you want to admit.
4. You never have just a few. You will have “just a little more” and “just a little more” until you’ve eaten too much or you’ve eaten the entire thing!
5. If you are trying to lose weight, you should be running off stuff you’ve already eaten, not more stuff.
6 TIPS TO COMBAT LATE-NIGHT SABOTAGE
1. Plan to be disciplines. Decide BEFORE you get a snack-attack what you can and can’t eat.
2. Avoid alcohol, because not only is that MORE calories but it makes you stupid! The relaxation you feel from a glass of wine is just enough to make you “relaxed” about your diet – and before you know it, you want some cheese with that wine.
3. Stick to prepackaged foods if you have a problem with stopping, like 100 calorie popcorn or jello pudding.
4. Make room for 200 calories of snacks at night so you don’t completely deprive yourself. When you countcalories, you are much more in tune with your body and your food choices. Be creative – try something new like sliced cucumbers with vinegar, salt & pepper or sliced strawberries over a cup of frozen fat free Cool Whip. The thinner the slices, the longer the snack lasts.
5. Have a protein shake. If you are craving sweets, a protein shake can be tasty and super satisfying – plus it helps muscle repair overnight. I like Designer Whey protein powder because it tastes great and is low in calories.
6. Just say no to snacks and yes to your goals. It wouldn’t kill you to just sip on water instead. Sometimes it’s best to not even start snacking – because you may not stop!
Cool Cucumber Salad, by McCormick:
2 cups thinly sliced cucumbers (4 small or 2 large cucumbers)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar (STEVIA)
1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Dill Weed
1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Black Pepper, Coarse Ground
Pinch McCormick® Red Pepper, Ground
See full recipe & instructions.
Bonnie’s Strawberries Parfait:
1/2 Cup Frozen Fat Free Cool Whip
6 Thinly sliced strawberries
1 Tablespoon of Grape-Nuts
The frozen cool whip has texture more like ice cream. The thinner the slices of strawberry, the more bites you get. Grape-Nuts just add a bit of crunch to it!! Trade the cool whip for vanilla greek yogurt for more protein and nutrients. Totally yummy!
PHOTOS:
Snacking Photo: Source
Pinocchio Photo: Source
Strawberries Photo: Source
Cucumber Photo: Source
Pretzel Photo: Source
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Extreme Exercise Can’t Beat Extreme Eating
I see tons of people sweating it out at the gym - sometimes twice a day, working so incredibly hard. Why? It’s not because they have some photo shoot or competition. It’s not to get shredded. No, they have this insane dedication to working out because they have no dedication to eating right.
Me? I’m too lazy for that non-sense. I’d rather eat less than workout for 3 hours a day. As I always say, I don’t live to workout. It will always be a push for me to get my workout in. So, I choose to be careful with what I eat so I don’t have to do it any more than necessary.
However, there are many people who don’t mind working it off at all. I actually believe it’s therapy for them – and not really the good kind. Since many of them live at the gym, they know good and well they shouldn’t drink a twelve pack on the weekend and eat whatever the heck they want. So, come Monday it’s punishment time. It’s time to erase their sins.
They don’t get mad, because they know they don’t deserve to get mad. In their mind, they deserve as many brutal workouts as they can squeeze in. The sweatier, the better. The workouts help them to become proud of themselves again. When they know they aren’t proud of how they eat, the can at least be proud of what they do. And even if they hold 40 extra pounds, people around them would never call them lazy – because they work so hard.
Don’t get me wrong. If this is you, you are stronger. You are healthier. You are likely more tone. BUT, think of how amazing you would look and feel if you gave your plate the workout you gave your body.
This yo-yo lifestyle is not healthy. It’s not good for you emotionally and it’s not teaching you how to live healthy long-term. You can’t continue all your life beating your body up day after day because you can’t control your eating. Moderation is key to long-term success. Don’t punish your body for your mouth’s mistakes. The mouth is what needs taming so your body can begin enjoying the reward for once.
Even with extreme workouts, remember, extreme workouts can never erase extreme eating. Food always wins.
pFIT TIP: It takes approximately 10 miles to run off one average size restaurant dinner.
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Is Your Body a Maxed Out Credit Card?
We have all complained about our credit card bills. Everyone has bought stuff they couldn’t afford at the time - and now it’s time to pay it off. It’s not fun, and many times we aren’t even enjoying the purchase by the time we are paying it off, which stinks even more!
We do the same thing with food. We eat it, whether we can afford it or not, and when it comes time to pay it off we gripe, complain and act like we are the victim. Like being in debt to our eyeballs, we did it to ourselves and it’s time we start manning up, paying it off, and becoming more disciplines.
1. Pay it off (completely). Don’t just pay it down and then rack up the calories again the first chance you get. Pay it off completely. Get to the size you know you should be before you start your “spending” again. Then, if you increase your spending, remember to keep paying it down while the amount is small – never letting your fat account get that high again.
2. Practice more discipline. If you can’t afford it, you really shouldn’t eat it – especially if you know you aren’t willing to pay it off fast. Be honest with yourself. Are you REALLY going to wake up in the morning and run an extra 3 miles to erase the ice cream you’re eating tonight? Remember, when you are losing weight, you are already paying off past mistakes, so any more calories you eat will require ADDITIONAL work to erase.
3. Eat like American Express. The wonderful thing about American Express is you pay it off each month. We should treat eating that way. We should only eat what we are willing to pay off that month. Unfortunately, most people eat like a Visa card – they eat what they want and just do the bare minimum to get by – resulting in carrying a large balance that never gets paid down.
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Eggs Exposed: What You Need to Know
So it’s the day after Easter and you have a boatload of decorated hard boiled eggs you don’t know what to do with – and later this week, you will likely “find” the ones your children didn’t find when the rotten egg stench hits your nose.
If the eggs were left in the Easter basket for more than two hours, you’ll have to toss them, according to www.incredibleegg.org. But, If you kept them in the fridge, they will be good to eat for up to a week if they’re still in the shell! So what now? Well, before you go diving in, there are a few things you need to know.
Most people think “protein” and “healthy” when they think eggs, but look at the nutritional information.
Hard Boiled Egg:
77 calories
48 calories from fat
5.28gms of fat
.56gms of carbs
6.26 gms of protein
212mg cholesterol
Over 62% of the egg’s calories comes from fat and only 34% of it’s calories from protein, so it’s more of a fat source than a protein source. HOWEVER (and that’s a BIG however), that all changes if you take out the yolk. Look at the two parts of the egg separately.
Egg Yolk:
54 calories
5gms fat (45 calories coming from fat)
2gms saturated fat
1gm carb
3gm protein
210mg cholesterol
Egg White:
17 calories
.06gms of fat (less than a calorie from fat)
0 Saturated Fat
.24gms of carbs
3.6gms of protein (14 calories from protein)
0 Cholesterol
How much is too much?
Besides fat and calorie intake, we also have to consider our cardiovascular health. I know cholesterol is somewhat of a mystery to many. We all know we are supposed to avoid it, but many of us go through life never REALLY thinking WE are the one who’s going to drop dead of heart attack or stroke because we ate too many eggs. Of course that would not be the only cause but, if eggs may increase cholesterol, why not be careful not to eat too many of them.
Sure, we can see the fat building up on our thighs, but we don’t see the plaque build up in our arteries. Just because we don’t see it doesn’t mean it is not there. The reality is, too much cholesterol does cause narrowing and hardening of the arteries – whether we know it’s happening or not. Unfortunately, most of us have no CLUE how much cholesterol we consume.
After doing a bit of research I found that Mayo Clinic had some good advice:
- Eat 4 egg yolks or fewer per week
- If you are healthy, eat less than 300mgs of cholesterol a day
- If you are diabetic, have bad cholesterol or have cardiovascular disease, limit cholesterol to less than 200mgs per day
- It is also important to reduce your cholesterol for the rest of the day when eating eggs.
Avoid or Limit High Cholesterol Foods:
- Egg Yolk
- Caviar/Fish Roe (Watch out Sushi Lovers!)
- Liver
- Butter
- Shrimp (Prawns, Camarones)
- Fast Food7.
- Oil-Packed Fish (fish packaged in oil)
- Cheese: Port de Salut, Fontina, Gouda, Cream Cheese, Gruyere & Cheddar are the highest
- Processed Sausage, Lamb or Duck
- Shellfish
Increase these Cholesterol-Fighting Foods:
- Oatmeal
- Fish & Omega-3 Fatty Acids
- Walnuts, Almonds & Nuts (1.5oz a day)
- Olive Oil (2 tablespoons a day)
- Foods with added plant sterols or stanols. Margarines, orange juice and yogurt drinks with added plant sterols can help reduce LDL cholesterol by more than 10 percent.
Although eggs also have good nutrients in them too, you just may want to eat them with caution. Simply cut back on the yolks and increase your egg whites so you can not only look fit on the outside, but be fit on the inside too! Have an eggcellent day!
Learn more from my sources:
Top 5 Foods to Lower Cholesterol, from Mayo Clinic
Top 10 High-Cholesterol Foods to Limit or Avoid
Cute Hard-Boiled Egg Chickens pic was from SeriousEats.com
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FAT & UNHAPPY: How Strong is Food’s Grip?
Does food have a grip on you, or do you have a grip on food?
I can’t tell you how many people tell me they are so sick of themselves. Sick of not controlling their food intake and weight. Food clearly has a grip on their life and they are eating themselves unhappy. Today we’re going to dive deep into the seriousness of letting food control your life. Get ready, because this isn’t going to be pretty!
Gluttony: to gulp down or swallow, means over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, or wealth.
You don’t have to be FAT to struggle with food
When I think of gluttony, I think of seriously overweight people like ”Fat Bastard” in the Austin Powers movie. However, you don’t have to be morbidly obese to struggle with gluttony. Just ask Steve and I. We’ve seriously gulped down hideous amounts of food at times, and not once did we ever push away from the table feeling good about it. And we make a boatload of excuses to match the boatload of food we consume.
“We deserve it”. “We’ve been training so hard”. “At least it was all healthy”. But no matter what our lame excuses are, too much is too much – and it’s not healthy.
We humans like to rationalize pretty much everything. We’re the first people to judge someone else’s “sin” and then make excuses for our own. Of course, most of us don’t think of ourselves as gluttons, but if you are gulping down too much food, then you are indeed a glutton. Sorry, but it’s true.
If you can’t control it…
S
ure, it would be super easy to look at someone addicted to crack and think “wow, I can’t believe someone would do that to themselves”, yet you maybe addicted to food. Just because food is legal, doesn’t mean we should abuse our bodies with it.
This is not a fun topic, but I think it’s important to address. Coming from a strong Christian home, I was taught to take care of my body – and treat it like a temple. However, I’ve treated my body like a saloon, garbage dump, and smoke stack in the past. I would have NEVER brought some of the things I put in my body into a church. Ironically, when I was the least disciplined with what went into my mouth, I was also the least disciplined in other areas of my life.
Unfortunately, it’s easy to target alcohol, cigarettes and drugs as the evil things you should get rid of – but what makes us think we can continue overeating and not practicing self-control with the rest of our life?
It’s not about Vanity
Interestingly enough, most of us know better. We know we should be working out and eating healthier, but we don’t do it. Did you know that just knowing what to do and not doing it is wrong? I’m not just suggesting it is not good for you, I’m saying it’s flat wrong.
“It is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” James 4:17
You don’t have to believe in God to benefit from scripture – and I believe most of us want to do the “right” thing. I think the problem lies in that we don’t think of eating poorly as right or wrong, but just a matter of vanity or choice. I mean, there are no food police giving out tickets for poor eating. We have the “right” to eat however we want – right? We may have that right, but that doesn’t make it right.
Maybe, if you’re struggling with self-control around food, you should treat the problem less like a vanity thing, and more as a right and wrong thing. You probably know what’s best for you, now you just need to start doing it.
Food Addiction:
1.) Decreases self esteem
2.) Increases jealousy
3.) Causes us to hide (especially from cameras)
4.) Makes us tired and lazy
5.) Makes us look and feel unattractive, which can be harmful in relationships
6.) Makes us physically ill
7.) Can be expensive (dining out/cocktails)
8.) Makes us unhappy
9.) Causes depression and added stress
10.) Makes us insecure and lack confidence in our work
If those are just a FEW things unhealthy eating habits can do to our lives, then why would even hesitate to get help and get healthy? It’s time to get healthy and happy again!
NOTE: If you think for one minute I’m judging you, or anyone struggling with eating – think again. We ALL struggle. I struggle. If you put a basket of nachos in front of me, I’ll out-eat any of you if I don’t practice self-control – and even my best self-control will still be overeating I guarantee!! The only difference is, I may go run it off. This is something I will continue to improve and manage for the rest of my life. When it comes to my body, I don’t want to look bad as much as I don’t want to disappoint God by mistreating this body he gave me. I want to be a good steward of my physical body as well as my life. When I’m done with this life, I want Him to say “Well done”. I will never be perfect, and I will always fail, but I will never stop trying – and I think that’s all He asks for. 
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CALORIE ALERT: Burger Dos & Don’ts
So you’re on a diet and you are craving a burger. It would be so easy to say “I deserve it” or “I’ll burn it off”, but the fact of the matter is giving in and splurging on that burger can set you back in a big way. For every 100 calories you cheat, is how many miles you’ll need to walk or jog to erase it so you better think long and hard before you let your tummy talk you into hitting the drive through!
CALORIE ALERT: 6 SAMPLE CHEESEBURGER MEALS
I researched calories for a basic full size cheeseburger and medium fry (no kiddie or super-sized meals) from the most popular fast food joints and this is what I found.
#1 DAIRY QUEEN: 850 CALORIES (No Drink)
1/4lb GrillBurger with Cheese: 540 calories
Medium Fries: 310 calories
Burger with 1 piece of bread, no cheese & no mayo: 340 calories.
#2 MCDONALD’S: 890 CALORIES (No Drink)
Quarter Pounder with Cheese: 510 calories (they don’t list topping calories
Medium Fries: 380 calories
Get their 6 piece nuggets for 280 calories or the Grilled Chicken BLT Ranch loaded for only 380 calories.
#3 WENDY’S: 1,000 CALORIES (No Drink)
Wendy’s Single with Cheese: 580 calories, 33gms of fat, 220 calories just from the bread
Medium Fries: 420 calories
Wendy’s Single without mayo & 1 piece of bread: 420 calories
JACK IN THE BOX: 1,020 CALORIES (No Drink)
Big Cheeseburger: 570 calories
Medium Fries: 450 calories
Get a Chicken Fajita Pita for 320 calories instead.
#4 SONIC: 1,130 CALORIES (No Drink)
Cheese Burger with Mayo: 800 calories
Medium Fries: 330 calories
Get the Grilled Chicken sandwich instead for 430 calories
#5 BURGER KING: 1,170 CALORIES (No Drink)
Whopper with Cheese: 760 calories, 40gms of fat, 240 calories from the bread, 140 calories in mayo
Medium Fries: 410 calories
Whopper with no mayo & one piece of bread: 500 calories
#6 FIVE GUYS: $1,460 CALORIES (No Drink)
Cheese Burger: 840 calories (not including toppings!)
Regular Fries: 620 calories
Heavy Hitting Toppings: Mayo (100 cal), Cheese (70 cal), Bacon (80 cal), BBQ Sauce (60 cal)
Add Jalapeno peppers for TONS of flavor and only 3 calories!
Dine Out Instead of Drive Thru? Don’t think so fast!
Maybe after reading this, you just convinced yourself to go to a nice restaurant to have a better burger. Think again! A burger at Ruby Tuesday’s averaged over 1,000 calories JUST for the burger alone – not including sides! Even the Turkey burger was 801 calories, not including french fries! OK, so you decide to get the “Ruby Minis” – wrong!! Once again, the deceivingly named food maybe mini in size, but it’s maxi in calories, raking in 915 calories not including sides!
Have a Burger YOUR Way!
Who says you have to go to Five Guys to get a good tasting burger? And who says you have to blow 1,000 calories to satisfy your craving? No One!
I’m here to tell you, you can make a delicious healthy low-calorie burger and fries that tastes just like the real thing! The trick is not just fresh ingredients, but layering your burger just the way they put it together in the restaurants.
How Does Your Burger Stack Up?
There’s a reason why those fast food burgers are good – and it’s not just the grease it’s dripping in. It’s a strict policy set for every employee to follow to make sure every single burger is exactly like the company intended it to be. So what’s the “Right Way?”. Well, since Steve worked for Burger King during high school and college, he quickly rang off the order they were to stack their burgers. You have a cold side, and a hot side.
Cold Side: Bread, Mayo, Lettuce, Tomato.
Hot Side: Bread, Meat, Cheese, Pickles, Onion, Ketchup, Mustard. Then you smack it all together and serve it up while the hot is still hot and the cold is still cold.
Of course all restaurants may do it a little differently, but there is no reason you can’t make your own healthy burger at home and it taste just as good (or even better) than any restaurant pumping out high calorie burgers all day. I proved that last week when I was craving a burger myself! Instead of cheating on my diet, I decided to get my burger fix at home and stick to my diet. Here is what I threw together to satisfy my craving.
Turkey Burger: (approximately 200 calories)
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon of worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup egg beaters
- 1/3 cup finely chopped onions
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used whole grain sandwich thins)
TOPPINGS – From Top to Bottom:
- Sandwich thins (100 calories)
1 tablespoon Low Fat Hellman’s Mayo (only 15 calories)- 2 Lettuce leafs
- 2 Sliced Tomato
- 1 tablespoon Ketchup (15 calories)
- 1/2 teaspoon Mustard
- Onion
- Jalapeno Peppers
- Pickles
- Goat Cheese (38 calories, 1/2 oz.) or 1 slice low-fat cheese
- Meat
- Bread
Serve with 2 cups baked French Fries sprayed with Pam and sprinkled with Season Salt for 153 calories (vs 400 calorie fast food fries!).
TIP: Who says you have to have bread? Or pickles? Or other popular toppings. Put your hot burger on a plate, top with your favorite cheese and sauces next to your favorite fresh sides and eat like a regular meal or salad. Other fun hot toppings: grilled pineapple, sauteed mushroom, green pepper or onions.
Like this:
Supplements: Don’t Waste Your Time & Money
Some of you are probably all ready to LASH out at me just after reading my title alone! Get your panties out of a wad. I don’t mean supplements are a waste of time and money. What I mean is they CAN be! YOU can easily waste your time and money on supplements if you aren’t doing YOUR job.
Supplements Require Team Work
“If you aren’t ready to work, you might as well take the money you want to spend on supplements and flush it down the toilet. You’ll end up just as poor, with less work, and get the same results: the same old out-of-shape body.”
I’m currently on GNC’s GenetixHD, which I love. However, just because I’m popping some pills and gulping down a re-workout drink doesn’t mean I’m going to get results without doing my part.
This is a partnership. My supplements have a job and I have a job. We are working together for the same goal. If I don’t do my share, I can’t expect results.
GNC’s GenetixHD products rock – if YOU rock.
How can you expect increased energy to result in fat loss if you sit on your butt?- How can you expect CLA to support a healthy body composition if YOU aren’t working to improve your body composition?
- Why work to protect muscle cells when you aren’t training muscle cells?
- Why take Meta-Ignite to boost calorie burn before, during and after a workout if you don’t actually “workout”.
- You can’t expect to start seeing abs if you aren’t sculpting abs, and burning off the fat covering them, with cardio. (I could go on and on)
Time to Supplement
Seem like common sense to you? I would expect so, however, MANY people are looking for that magic pill or easy way out – and I’ve got news for ya: “It doesn’t exist”.
When is it time to incorporate supplements in your routine? When YOU are ready to do the work you need to do to get the MOST out of those supplements. Otherwise, stick to vitamins, because that is piratically the only pill you can pop that doesn’t require work to get results!
“Supplements are made to SUPPORT your program, not BE your program.”
Supporting Results with Diet:
My Rules:
- Stick to 100-150 calorie snacks
- Aim for 300-400 calorie meals
- Eat 5-6 times a day
- Eat no closer than 2 hours apart (seems easy until you finish dinner and find yourself staring in the pantry 30 minutes later! ha!)
- Get a minimum of 100gms of protein a day
- Limit drinking calories (coke, alcohol, coffee (creamers), high-cal shakes)
My foods:
White meat, dark green vegetables, oatmeal, grits, long grain rice (sparingly), Chobani greek yogurt, Designer Whey protein bars (for snacks), Smart Ones Satisfying Selections steamers (they ALL are high in protein), Uncle Ben’s Basmati Rice (this is the only 90-second rice that doesn’t taste like it’s drowning in preservatives – plus basmati is one of the lower-glycemic grains), almonds – and my absolute favorite night-time snack, 100-calorie popcorn.
Supporting Results with Exercise:
Cardio: No less than 30 minutes of cardio, at one time, as often as I can squeeze in. Ideally 5 days a week. (being careful not to REPLACE the calories burned with food)
Weights: Lift heavy and hard a MINimum of 4 days a week. The more I can train, the more results I can expect. (being careful to support muscle development with supplements)
My supplements: Everything I’m currently taking and enjoying!
Designer Whey Protein or
Amplified Whey 60 Protein
GNC GenetixHD™ Physio-Burn™
GNC GenetixHD™ Pro-Sculpt™ – Fruit Punch
GNC GenetixHD™ META-IGNITE™
Kre-Alkalyn 1500
FitFluential LLC compensated me for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
