Eat Smart! Is your mid-morning snack undermining your weight loss?
Eating a morning snack may be hindering your weight loss according to a study at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
The study reported that women dieters who ate snacks between breakfast and lunch lost less weight than those who did not have a mid-morning snack.
Researchers studied 123 overweight or obese women ages 50 to 75 over a 12-month period. Results showed those who ate a mid-morning snack lost 7 percent of their total body weight compared to non-morning snackers who lost 11 percent.
“This finding may not relate necessarily to the time of day one snacks, but rather to the short interval between breakfast and lunch. Mid-morning snacking may be a reflection of recreational or mindless eating habits rather than eating to satisfy hunger,” explained lead researcher Dr. Anne McTiernan.
And, as we all know, mindless eating can result in consuming too many calories. Making a conscious decision to eat a snack, planning your snacks throughout the day, and logging it into your Food Tracker are all ways to help you make sure your food choices are healthy. Better yet, take a 10-minute mid-morning walk instead of a snack. It’s a great way to get in an extra 1,000 steps and burn off calories.
When you do snack, McTiernan suggests limiting snacks to 200 calories and selecting healthier options like low-fat yogurt, string cheese, fresh fruits, non-starchy vegetables, whole grain crackers or a handful of nuts.
Using a food journal can double your weight loss
Keeping an accurate record of what you eat may be your secret weapon to losing weight. In fact, keeping a food diary can double a person’s weight loss, according to a 2008 study by the Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Health Research.
“The more food records people kept, the more weight they lost,” states Jack Hollis Ph.D., the lead researcher of the study. “Those who kept daily food records lost twice as much weight as those who kept no records. It seems that the simple act of writing down what you eat encourages people to consume fewer calories.”
We all know it boils down to energy in (calories consumed) and energy out (calories burned).
To lose one pound a week, you need to eat 500 less calories each day for 7 days. A food journal is a reality check; it will give you an honest look at how many calories you are eating. And taking time to write down everything you eat helps you make better food choices.
Keeping track of all the foods and drinks you consume in a day will be an eye opener. It will allow you to analyze your food patterns, and help you make better and more satisfying choices. Tracking your food intake is a powerful tool when it comes to weight control.
Record everything when you eat in a notebook or in the Walkingspree Food Tracker. Be honest. Just like any diary or journal, it’s between you and your diary. Don’t cheat on yourself. Once you get an idea of your calorie intake, you’ll find quickly that you’ll have many items memorized.
Select your target caloric intake, track everything you eat for a week, and keep walking. Let us know how it goes on Facebook or Twitter and we’ll include your suggestions in next week’s Eat Smart.
How to Handle Snack Attacks
You know the feeling. You find yourself in front of the vending machine or an open refrigerator door looking for something to eat. You need a snack.
Actually, snacks can be good for you and are an effective weight management tool. If you are satisfied throughout the day you are less likely to over eat at meals or to binge on a midnight ice cream raid.
When choosing your snacks, look for ones that contain about 100-200 calories. Also, choose snacks that will fill in food group gaps, like an apple for a fruit serving, a yogurt for dairy. You get the idea.
Plan your snacks: Make a list and purchase health snacks you enjoy.
Plan your snack time: If you normally scrounge for something to eat at 3 in the afternoon, set your computer or phone alarm for 2:45 p.m. Take a quick 10 minute walk and then enjoy your pre-planned snack.
Keep snacks handy: Put them in your drawer at work, in your purse or glove box in your car. One person I know puts pre-planned snacks in labeled lunch bags, one for each day of the week.
Take your time: Slow down and enjoy your snack. Move away from your desk and never, ever eat while you are watching TV.
Don’t drink your calories: Beware of high calorie beverages like sport’s drinks, soft drinks, and fruit juices. Pick water instead, and if you need a bit of flavor, add a squirt of lemon or lime juice. Adding a teaspoon of sugar (about 15 calories) is a much better choice than a 12 oz. can of Coke (140 calories, about nine teaspoons of sugar!)
Check out the list below, choose the ones you like and spread them out over the next week. Be creative and share your ideas with us on our Facebook page.
Snack Suggestions
Box of raisins
Fruits such as bananas, grapes, or an apple
Cut-up veggies like broccoli, carrots
Dried fruit
Apple sauce
Nuts like almonds, peanuts, walnuts
Fat-Free Microwave Popcorn
Dark chocolate
Peanut butter
Canned soup
Granola bars (check the calories)
Pretzels
Graham crackers
Baked tortilla chips and salsa
Wheat crackers
Animal crackers
Light yogurt
String cheese
Low fat cottage cheese
Instant oatmeal
Cereal and milk
Frozen fruit bars
Chocolate milk (low fat)
Dairy — More than just for healthy bones
Milk is an excellent source of 9 essential nutrients —including calcium, protein, potassium, plus Vitamins A, B–12 and D. And with nine out of 10 adults missing essential nutrients in their diet, milk is definitely a great choice.
Each week this month we’re featuring a MyPyramid food groups which include grains, vegetables, fruits, oils, milk, plus meat and beans. These guidelines, published by the USDA, are a good platform for healthy eating. And by tackling each group individually, you may find it easier to work them into your daily menus. Onto this week’s focus:
DAIRY
THE BASICS:
Milk, cheese, yogurts that retain their calcium. Foods with little or no calcium, such as cream cheese and butter, are not. Choose milk items that are fat–free or low–fat.
RECOMMENDED SERVINGS:
Three servings a day.
THE RESEARCH:
The calcium in dairy products are known to keep bones healthy and reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Recent studies also show that dairy products reduce the risk of heart disease, reduce blood pressure and even found to help people lose weight.
DAIRY QUICK TIPS:
- Drink milk with your meals
- Use milk instead of water when preparing hot cereals like oatmeal
- Use milk instead of water when preparing canned cream soups
- Top casseroles, entries or vegetable with shredded low–fat cheese
- Add a slice of low–fat cheese to sandwiches
- Top a baked potato with low–fat yogurt
- Make yogurt–based dips for dipping veggies
- Snack on low–fat yogurt
- Use milk or yogurt when making smoothies
ADDING DAIRY TO YOUR MENU:
All you need is three servings a day to reap the benefits. Try:
- Milk in your breakfast cereal
- A cup of yogurt or cheese sticks or cheddar cheese with whole wheat crackers for an afternoon snack
- Milk as a beverage with dinner
So this week, make sure you include a dairy product with every meal.
Launching the new Food Tracker
We’re back from a blogging hiatus. We’ve been so busy the last couple of months with all the new changes that have been happening in WalkingSpree. We wanted to wait until they were launched so we could announce them in our blog.
The new Food Tracker has finally launched. We have partnered with CalorieKing.com to bring the most comprehensive database of up to 60,000 food items including fast food. Our unique features will enable you to:
1. Select serving sizes in both metric and imperial measures.
2. Design a meal using choosing food items with their complete nutritional value.
3. Search up to 7,000 recipes with full nutritional breakdown.
4. Easily calculate your caloric intake vs. calories burned.
5. See how many steps you need to walk to burn off a particular food item or meal.
6. Choose the nutrients important for you to monitor i.e., sugar content, fat, carbohydrate
(Clicking on the screenshots will load up a larger image)
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