Top 10 Tips for Dieting

Posted on April 12, 2012 by

Reboot Camp Post #5: What Works for Me

Diets are awfully personal things, aren’t they? There are dozens — hundreds? — of official diet plans out there from which to choose, and each declares itself the best since, well, sliced refined carbs. 

No matter what path a dieter chooses, however, there are some universal tips that make the process a little easier. Here are my personal top 10. Some of ‘em you’ve heard before, but some might fly in the face of conventional wisdom…

My trusty water bottle, 32 oz.

1. Drink Your Water! Here’s a tip that makes it on to every single diet tip list. Why? Because it works. It flushes toxins from the body. It can decrease the appetite. Every organ needs water to function properly. The long-standing rule of thumb? Drink 8 glasses of the clear stuff each day, more if you exercise. For me, I’m having to get into the habit of drinking water — I don’t do it naturally — but I find that when I drink my minimum or more I feel a little peppier, and I seem to sleep better. Speaking of which… 

2. Get a Good Night’s Sleep. I feel pretty darned good when I get my 7-8 hours of shut eye each night, but most nights I get less. Turns out there’s a direct connection between the quantity of sleep and metabolism, and I direct you to a great WebMD article for the science behind it (surprise — it’s hormonal!).

Beyond quantity, we can improve the quality of our sleep as well. The best tip I’ve ever learned is to make that room as dark as possible. And the most oft-repeated tip? Don’t eat close to bedtime. Now, neither of these has prevented midlife night sweats, but that’s for another post…

Weigh in only once a week. That way our scale is our partner--not our master.

3. Weigh In Only Once Each Week: You get two schools of thought on this subject, but I’m in direct opposition to those who believe you should weigh in every day. I want my scale to be my partner–not my master. The scale is great measurement of success, but it’s not the only one. Let’s not obsess, okay? 

4. Eat Often. Three big meals and two snacks do not cut it for me. I’m a grazer by nature. So I’m delighted by the diet science that recommends eating small meals throughout the day as a way of regulating metabolism. You burn fuel with greater consistency, and you don’t feel so hungry.

5. Track Your Food Intake. Whether you’re counting calories, carbs, or something else, count it. It’s the best single way to make sure you’re staying on track and make mid-course corrections. Try it for at least the first few weeks of your diet.

6. Variety Is the Enemy. A lot of diets tout their culinary variety: “You’ll never get bored with the hundreds of options we offer!” But I don’t want a lot of options. I want about two dozen items from across the core food groups from which to pick and choose. Think about it: most of us actually live most of our days this way anyway. The difference is we’re replacing bad choices with good choices when we diet. So don’t give in to the “benefit” of variety. It’s a great way to fall off the diet wagon.

7. Reward Yourself Regularly. Some would call it a “cheat” meal, but I’m calling it a reward. By periodically taking a short break from your diet, you can ward off or overcome a plateau by actually boosting your metabolism. The Slow-Carb Diet popularized in recent years by Tim Ferris even mandates one reward day each week (and let me tell you, I’m taking a good hard look at this diet as my next move)! 

Livestrong.com has a great explanation for the science: 

According to a study at Baylor University’s Sport Nutrition Laboratory, women who followed a strict 1,000 calories per day diet for a week with a 2,600 calories per day diet for the next week did not regain a single ounce, and some women continued to lose weight. The study indicated that occasionally increasing caloric intake while dieting helped preserve resting calorie expenditure, thus preserving metabolism and helping avoid weight loss plateaus. Restricting calories for long periods can sabotage weight loss and send your body signals to hang on to fat stores for survival.

The study references a diet that counts calories–not carbs–but as an Atkins practitioner, I can attest to the fact that this works for me. I plan reward meals every other week or so for special occasions. I’m still losing weight, and I love looking forward to a break.

An honest to goodness peek inside the desk drawer. Mint Chocolate Chip gum = Best. Friggin. Gum. Ever.

8. Chew Sugar Free Gum. A no brainer, I suppose, but allow me to recommend the BEST GUM EVER: Wrigley’s Extra Dessert Delights Mint Chocolate Chip. OMG — this gum is incredible, and my sweet tooth is completely satisfied. (Wrigley’s, you hearing me? Wanna throw me a stick or two?) 

9. Take Your Vitamins. A good multi will help ensure your diet isn’t robbing you of key vitamins, but consider other supplements that have been linked to good metabolic function.Most of us know that the B vitamins are essential to a healthy metabolism. But did you know that new research has discovered a link between obesity and Vitamin D deficiency? And that many Americans (like me, for instance) are woefully deficient in Vitamin D??

Others on this list include Magnesium, Manganese, Chromium, CoQ10, Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), and Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA). Definitely look for upcoming Reboot Camp posts that focus on supplements!

10. Give Yourself an Extra Boost. You may be able to burn more fuel – even if only incrementally — by boosting your metabolism with some quick tricks. Add hot chiles or pepper to a meal. Drink green tea. Drink your water ice cold. Take a very cold shower. Add cinnamon to your coffee. All of these can help rev up your metabolism and speed up weight loss in a healthy, natural way.

And, of course, nothing boosts a metabolism quite like exercise. More on that subject in future posts, but for now, here’s my 2-month update on diet progress:

13 lbs. down, 21 to go.

So far, that’s 13 pounds and 8.5.” lost. As a hypothyroid, perimenopausal 51-year old woman, I’m good with that. Damn straight.

Posted in Food/Cooking, Health/Fitness, Reboot Camp | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Atkins Diet, In Theory and (Personal) Practice

Posted on April 10, 2012 by

My favorite indulgent dinner on Atkins: Snow Crab legs and butter.

Reboot Camp Post #4: Good Thing I Enjoy Protein

It’s been 8 weeks since I kicked off my “Reboot Camp” with a diet–the Atkins Diet, specifically–and it’s time for an update. Let’s start with a little background on the plan itself.

THE SCIENCE OF ATKINS

Unless you’ve never had to lose a few pounds (lucky you), you’ve probably heard of Atkins. It first hit the world in 1972, 40 years ago, and absolutely freaked people out. Until then, dieters counted calories: 3,500 calories equals one pound, hence dieters ate less food (or less calorically-dense food), and hoped the pounds would melt off.

Atkins, however, counts carbs, not calories–a pretty revolutionary approach in the 70s, but an accepted principle in several popular diets today. The science goes a bit like this: when we eat foods high in carbs (delicious though they may be), they convert to glucose (sugar) pretty quickly. The body will look for glucose to use as fuel to get through the day, but if there’s more fuel than the body needs, it gets stored as fat. 

My favorite lunch -- Cheeseburger salad!

When we reduce our carb intake, however, we create less glucose. And if there’s less fuel than our body needs to get through the day, it turns back to that stored fat and uses that for energy.

This flew in the face of “traditional” dieting wisdom that suggested calories were all that mattered and that eating fat would make you fat. It turns out that eating healthy fats isn’t such a bad thing after all. 

So Atkins is about eating healthy protein, healthy fats, and limited carbs. But…

I grab one of these bad boys from the supermarket each week to nibble on.

ALL CARBS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL

When Atkins first hit the world, dieters treated all carbs as equal, which meant a whole lot of foods were taboo, and the diet got a reputation as a “no-carb” diet. In the 1990s, however, an updated version of the diet emerged which made a distinction between carbs based on the speed at which they were metabolized into glucose. Here’s a basic way to think about them:

  • Refined carbs (think cake) convert into glucose quickly and spike insulin levels (bad carbs!).
  • Simple carbs (think fruits) also have the capacity to convert quickly and spike insulin level (good carbs, but need to be used in moderation).
  • Complex carbs (think broccoli) convert slowly and don’t spike insulin levels (good carbs).

A lot of diets are built around these three bullets: skip the refined carbs, eat lots of complex carbs, and moderate your fruit intake. Atkins looks at two other kinds of carbs, however:

  • Sugar alcohols (like maltitol, sorbitol) have a very small impact on glucose levels.
  • Fiber is a kind of carb that has no negligible impact on glucose levels at all.    

So as the Atkins dieter counts carbs, s/he counts what’s called net carbs:

                      Total carbohydrates
                                             - Fiber
                             - Sugar alcohols
                 ________________
                             Total Net Carbs

In other words, if you can learn to read a nutritional label, your food choices can really open up.

These low net carb products are surprisingly good and definitely satisfy my sweet tooth.

THE PRACTICE OF ATKINS

As with oh-so-many-diets, there are phases and rules to Atkins intended to kick-start weight loss up front and transition into a “lifestyle” once weight loss has been achieved. 

I started the diet with Phase 1, restricting my net carb intake to about 20/day for the first three weeks, and have eeeeeked into Phase 2, keeping my net carb intake to between 25-30/day. 

There final two phases are about slowing down weight loss and living forever on the diet. 

I can rock this diet, and it just makes intuitive sense to me. Overall, I like my food choices (take a gander at the photos in this post for a typical day’s food), and while I’m having success on Atkins (specifics in the next blog post), I’m not sure I can hang in there with the diet as a long-term lifestyle. 

Why? Two words: Texas peaches.

It’s almost peach season, and I’m already salivating over the promise of a beautiful crop after this winter’s rain. I can’t tell you how important these peaches are to me. They taste like Everything Good In The World. They’re like crack, and for two months of the year, I want to be strung out.

And that means I’m looking at making a switch to a different diet that doesn’t restrict fruit as much as Atkins.

Next post: Top 10 Tips for Dieting and Personal Progress (so far)!

Posted in Food/Cooking, Health/Fitness, Reboot Camp | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Mid-Life Cancer: The Ultimate Catalyst

Posted on April 5, 2012 by

Yours truly, the Cover Girl for the 2010 Creative Cups for the Cause Calendar.

Ten years ago this week, I was deconstructed and reconstructed by two surgeons methodically bent on ridding me of cancer. 

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. I remember saying to myself, with great regularity in the days leading up to surgery, “I just need 10 more years. Just 10 more years…”

At 41, I was officially overdue for my first mammogram when I learned that my younger sister had found a lump on her own breast. I wept loudly at the thought of losing her as my mind raced to the worst possible outcome, and I made an appointment for myself out of respect for her. 

My sister’s scare proved to be benign, but, for me, that first baseline mammogram led to a different outcome. I was diagnosed on March 21st with an early, but aggressive, breast cancer. 

The call came while I was at work, my surgeon’s detached compassion offering extensive details and diagnostic information which I tried to absorb, but it’s hard to hear much after the word “cancer.” I hung up the phone and looked down at my right breast, thinking it felt like a large poisonous snake, and I just wanted it cut off of me, on the spot, anesthesia be damned. Then I wailed and keened, in mourning for myself.

Ten days later I underwent a mastectomy and reconstruction. It was April Fool’s Day, and the irony has never been lost on me.

Like so many cancer survivors with whom I’ve spoken, the illness is often surrounded by mystery and magic. There was no history of the disease in my family. Mystery. I was immediately surrounded by astounding support and love from family and friends and strangers who came out of the woodwork to help. Magic. And I am quite sure I would have continued delaying that first mammogram had it not been for my sister’s scare. Mystery and magic. 

Survivors also talk about the gift of cancer. No, you wouldn’t wish it on your worst enemy, but it’s true–cancer offers its share of gifts as well. For me, the greatest gift of all was a perfectly placed, well-delivered kick in the ass from the Universe. The kick came with a notecard. It said, “What the hell are you waiting for?”

What, indeed.

If we’re lucky enough to get past a Major Obstacle, like cancer, it’s like getting a second chance to do the things we want to do–and do them right. Our perspective shifts. Lifelong fears of failure or success or whatever dissipate, because time now seems truly short, and there’s a lot of living to be done. 

I just wanted ten more years to get it right.

Other than cancer, and the loss of my father that same year (also to cancer), this has been the best decade of my life. 

Ten years and 3 days after my diagnosis, winning a 2012 Texas Music Award for Artistic Excellence.

Two months after surgery, and slightly against medical advice, I flew to Tucson for a music competition and came in third. The next year, I went into the studio and made my first record. I fell in love with my producer, we married, and made two more records. The new one just one a nifty award. We’re working on a fourth recording right now.

Seven years ago, I took a job that became a passion. Through it, I’ve met hundreds of men and women who rise every morning in an effort to make their communities and schools safer, happier, healthier places. They light the world with their work.

And on my 50th birthday, I started this blog to experience a few new things and report on them. It’s okay to say, “I don’t know how to do that, but I can learn.” In fact, it’s a good feeling.

Like Dorothy returning to Kansas, having faced her fears and slain a wicked witch, I’ve learned that everything I need to live fully and happily will always be within arm’s length.

I still haven’t paddled down the Amazon, seen the pyramids, or sipped wine in Tuscany. To be sure, I’d like all three of these adventures and many more. But they’re not necessary to my happiness. 

Cancer, however, was.

Posted in Family & Friends, Health/Fitness, Living, Women | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Revisiting a Travel Time-Killer!

Posted on March 27, 2012 by

NOTE: It happens every now and then — a few crazy weeks during which time you’re tethered to a tight schedule, leaving precious little time to write. For me, it usually involves a week of travel–like this one. So, with an empty suitcase staring at me from across the room and an early afternoon flight, I’m reposting this item from July 2011, a travel puzzle, in the off-chance you need to kill a little time waiting for a re-routed flight this week. Enjoy!

________________________________

The Austin-Bergstrom International Airport con...

The Austin-Bergstrom International Airport control tower.

I’m on the road a good deal this summer for work, and finding the time to work on this project is particularly challenging when my schedule includes a lot of travel.

Like many people, I’ve got a love/hate relationship with travel. I don’t mind being in different cities doing different things, but I’m not crazy about getting there.

Still, travel days can offer large chunks of time to do some badge work, and this time I opted to spend some my time in that truly lousy, old, and uncomfortable American Airlines S-80 on another kind of task.

BADGE WORK UPDATE: PUZZLERS

A task for the Puzzlers badge asks scouts to create their own Word Search puzzle, based on a theme of their choosing, with at least ten words, and share it with others. My theme of choice? Travel, of course.

So if you travel a lot, or love word search puzzles, or want to kill a few minutes without turning to Angry Birds again, this puzzle might be for you. You should be able to find 41 travel-related words up, down, right to left, left to right, or diagonally in either direction. You’ll find all the words listed below the puzzle. If you want to save the image to print out, just right click on the puzzle and save to your computer.

And if you need help with this, you can find me this week at the following airports: Austin Bergstrom International Airport; Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport; and Ronald Reagan (National) Airport in D.C.

Word Key:

ACCOMMODATIONS  |  AGENTS  |  AIRPORTS  |  BOARDING PASS  |  BUS  |  CAB  |  DELAYS  |  DIRECTIONS  |  FEES  |  FLIGHT  |  FREQUENT FLYER  |  GASOLINE  |  GUIDES  |  HOTEL  |  ITINERARY  |  LIMO  |  LOSE  |  LOST  |  LUGGAGE  |  MAP  |  MILE  |  PILOT  |  POSTCARDS  |  REAR  |  RESERVATION  |  ROUTE  |  SEAT  |  SECURITY  |  SHUTTLE  |  SIGHT  |  SUBWAY  |  TAXI  |  TERMINAL  |  TICKET  |  TIME  |  TOUR  |  TRAIN  |  TRANSPORTATION  |  VACATIONS  |  VISIT  |  WORK  |

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Walking for Fitness and Fun

Posted on March 22, 2012 by

Reboot Camp Post #3: I’m Actually Moving, and It Feels Pretty Good!

After years of non-stop sitting, with only intermittent fits of exercise, I clearly need to move. Yes, it will help weight loss, but there’s a bigger issue: healthy aging.

In the past few years, I’ve felt more sluggish. Last year’s physical revealed that my LDL (“bad”) cholesterol was creeping up. I have no more muscle tone in any part of my body beyond my right arm, which has worked hard at lifting food into my mouth all these years. And then there’s the ever-looming threat of osteoporosis.

The need to move is clear, but for me, this reality had to be balanced by that old Greek proverb, etched in the stone at The Temple of Delphi: “Know Thyself.” And I know myself well enough to know I need to find methods for moving that feel easy and fun. I confess, I’m looking for the most gain with the least pain.

Walking certainly fits the bill. In fact, a Mayo Clinic article on walking says, “And you can forget the ‘no pain, no gain’ talk. Research shows that regular, brisk walking can reduce the risk of heart attack by the same amount as more vigorous exercise, such as jogging.”

Bingo.

Walking the trail around Lady Bird Lake on a perfect spring afternoon.

Health Benefits of Walking

According to articles from Livestrong, REI, Prevention, and countless other sources, the benefits of purposeful walking–even at a moderate pace of 30-60 minutes–really add up:

  • It’s gentle on the joints and low impact–minimal risk of injury.
  • It can reduce the risk of certain cancers (including breast cancer).
  • It can reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
  • It can turn the tables on cholesterol levels, reducing your “bad” LDL and raising the “good” HDL levels.
  • It can help prevent osteoporosis.
  • It helps with weight loss.

To get the most from a walking program, health professionals recommend a minimum of 30 minutes of walking, five days a week. That’s pretty reasonable, isn’t it? I mean, who can’t find 2-1/2 hours/week to move?

Couldn't resist a brief pause in our walk to snap a few pictures of Freida in the bluebonnets.

Bonus Benefit: My Happiness Quotient Is Way Up

It may be a subjective measurement, but after four weeks of walking I can say that I’m happy when I walk, and I’m happy after I walk. I adore walking with  friends (Martha on Sundays, Adrienne on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays). I’m tickled to bring my dog Freida on most walks. I love that Austin has beautiful walking/hiking trails.

I’m back out in the real world with much greater frequency and reminded that there beautiful birds and bugs and flowers. Yes, we’re having a beautiful spring here in Austin, but I’d be missing it altogether without these walks. I’ve even discovered some fascinating little neighborhoods near me that I never paid attention to in 10 years’ of living here.

Minimal Gear Needed to Walk

It doesn’t take much to get going. You need a good pair of shoes. Everyone agrees on this, by the way, and a future post will share what you need to know to find the right shoe for you.

Beyond that, it helps to have some way of tracking your progress. Here are three ways you might track your walks:

  • Duration of walk: All you need is a watch for this. Thirty minutes is thirty minutes, isn’t it?
  • Number of steps: In 2004, the first reports emerged suggesting that active people take 10,000 steps each day (about 2 miles). A pedometer can help you track your steps–not just on a walk, but all through the day–and are easy to find at any sporting goods store. I tried this iPhone pedometer app and simply wasn’t able to calibrate it accurately. Argh, boo, argh–completely frustrating.
  • Distance walked: If you walk area roads, drive your route to calculate your regular distance. If you walk park trails, check your park’s department’s website to see if trail distances are available (example here). And if you’ve got an iPhone, I’d recommend the Pedometer PRO GPS+ app. Beyond the pedometer’s features, the GPS functionality will tell you exactly how much ground you’ve covered. Easy & awesome!

Personal Progress So Far

Here’s the data:

A solid start -- now, it's time to shoot for greater consistency.

I think this is a great start, but I need to develop more consistency. Yes, it rained a ton in the third week, but I could’ve (gulped) found a treadmill. Or I could’ve done a little mall walking. So going forward, I’m shooting for a consistent five days each week, putting one foot in front of the other, for at least 30 minutes (about 1.5 miles).

Look for future posts to look at techniques for getting the most out of a walking program, finding the right shoe for you, and recommended warm-ups and stretching for a walking program.

Posted in Health/Fitness, Reboot Camp, Sports & Recreation | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments