Active Expert: Nancy Clark RD CSSD : Tags : weight_reduction

Toast at breakfast AND a sandwich for lunch???

Posted by Nancy Clark RD CSSD Oct 16, 2009

“Can I really eat toast for breakfast and then have a sandwich for lunch???” my weight-conscious client asked me with fear in her eyes.
“Why not?” I responded.

“Because carbs are fattening, aren’t they? … Shouldn’t I be limiting my bread intake?”

“Carbs are NOT fattening; fatty foods are fattening,” I assured her and suggested she limit fats -- butter on the toast, mayo on the sandwich. “The conversion of carb into body fat is a tough conversion,” I explained and sent her home to experiment with a higher-carb eating plan.

When she came back a week later, she reported she was really enjoying eating a sandwich instead of a salad for lunch; she felt more satisfied and her workouts were better because her muscles were better fueled. The carbs in the bread got converted into glycogen, an important source of energy for active people. Oil in salad dressing, in comparison, had been leaving her muscles unfueled.

If you are bread-phobic, think again. Experiment with swapping some protein- or fat-calories for some bread, and then observe the benefits:

-You enjoy the bread.

-Your workouts are better.

-You don’t “get fat”!

If you need help with taking the fear out of foods such as bread, bagels. and pasta, I suggest you meet with a sports dietitian (use the referral network at www.SCANdpg.org). The section on weight management in my Sports Nutrition Guidebook can also be helpful.

Happy fueling!

Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD

www.nancyclarkrd.com

www.sportsnutritionoworkshop.com

1,321 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: carbs, weight_reduction, bread, fattening_foods

Solutions to Overeating Cookies

Posted by Nancy Clark RD CSSD Jul 9, 2009

Sarah, a 45 year old fitness exerciser, office manager and mother of two hungry teenage athletes, complained about cookie temptations. “I feel surrounded by my kids’ cookies; this makes it hard for me to lose weight. I inevitably end up eating as many as they do….”

When you are tired, stressed and surrounded by cookies (or other treats), the challenge of moderating your food intake increases. I suggest Sarah ask her kids for their support by keeping their snacks out of sight, such as in a cupboard, instead of on the kitchen counter, or in a ceramic cookie jar, rather than a see-through plastic container. She could also ask her kids to not eat cookies in front of her. As the saying goes: Out of sight, out of mind!

Some weight-conscious parents stop buying cookies altogether, believing their kids get plenty of sweets and treats outside of the home. You can discuss this option with your children, but recognize this approach fails to teach you how to come to peace with cookies. Will you simply binge-eat cookies the next time they do wander into your sight? (You know, “Last change to eat cookies, so I’d better eat them all now…!!!”)

The alternative is to allow yourself to eat one or two cookies every day at lunch or snack as a part of your calorie budget. This way, you do not feel denied or deprived, nor have you over-indulged. By planning this treat into your food plan, you may be better able to eat just one cookie at lunch--instead of the whole bag at night. Ultimately, fiding peace with cookies is more effective than taking them out of your diet.

If you need help with healthfully integrating cookies and treats into your food plan, consult with a sports dietitian. The referral network at www.SCANdpg.org can help you find a local expert.

Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD

Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics

977 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: cookies, weight_reduction, sports_nutrition_workshop, cookie_monster, over-eat

Please, stop abusing yourself!

Posted by Nancy Clark RD CSSD Jan 19, 2009

As I mentioned in my previous blog, too many active people starve by day, in their efforts to lose weight, and then blow their diet by night. They think they lack "will power" when they overeat at night. Wrong. They lack nutrition "skill power."

Hunger is physiological—as is the need to urinate. That is, if you need to pee at 11:00 a.m., do you make yourself wait until noon to go to the bathroom? Doubtful. But if you are hungry at 11:00 a.m., do you make yourself wait until noon to have lunch? Likely. And when the skimpy lunch does not fill you up, you then make yourself wait until dinner to eat, at which time you are too hungry to have control over food. You overeat, and that is physiology of hunger!

Once you understand that hunger is physiological and allow yourself to eat adequately during the day, life is easier and more enjoyable, and weight loss become more successful.

Think of it this way: if you were babysitting and the child was crying because it was hungry, not feeding that child would be called child abuse. Yet, if you under eat all day and are hungry, you are simply "on a diet." Wrong, you are abusing your body.

You can lose weight by eating just a little bit less at night. There's a big difference between being "starving" and "not quite full." Chip away at weight loss by eating just 100 to 200 calories less at night, and you’ll be more successful in the long run than trying to live hungry all day. Give it a try!

Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD

738 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: weight_reduction, hunger, starvation, binge

Food Records: A helpful tool to lose weight

Posted by Nancy Clark RD CSSD Jul 8, 2008

If you want to lose undesired body fat, keeping food records is a good place to start. A new study reported in the August issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine reports that among 1,685 dieters, those who kept food records at least 6 days a week lost twice the weight of those who didn’t keep food records. (18 vs. 9 pounds).

Unfortunately, most of my clients hate to keep food records. Or, they keep them on “good days” but not on the days they overeat. Sound familiar?

Writing down what you eat takes energy. If you have the energy to eat well, you likely have the energy to write it down. On the flip side, if life is draining your energy, you feel stressed, and are eating poorly, you likely lack the energy needed to record what you consumed (nor do you want to face the facts). Yet, if you were to make yourself accountable on the “bad days,” you would likely eat less, and might even learn from the experience.

For example, you might learn that eating 10 Oreos did not solve any of your problems, rather just made you feel worse. The next time you feel tempted to smother your stress with cookies, you might think twice and ask yourself: “How many of these Oreo’s will solve my problems?” The answer, of course, is none. And the threat of having to record 10 Oreos might deter you from indulging. Give it a try?

Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD

Author

1,083 Views 2 Comments Permalink Tags: stress, weight_reduction, food_records

The "meno-pot"

Posted by Nancy Clark RD CSSD Jun 19, 2008

“I call this the meno-pot” my 49 year old client remarked as she grabbed the flesh around her abdomen. “And I don’t like it! I dread the thought of gaining more and more weight.” She believed she was destined to get fat with aging. Not the case.

The truth is, menopause is not a sentence to gain undesired body fat. Factors other than hormones come into play. "Midlife" is more to blame than menopause. Midlife changes in physical activity, poor sleep due to hot flashes, a sedentary workstyle name just a few. Some keys to minimizing the meno-pot are to make a priority of getting adequate sleep, staying active, and learning how to eat appropriate portions of food.

Not gaining weight in the first place is much easier than losing it... think twice before you eat and ask "Does my body need this fuel?"

My Sports Nutrition Guidebook (2008) has a strong section on how to lose weight and maintain energy to exercise--as well as how to manage the meno-pot.

Nancy

1,178 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: menopause, weight_reduction, mid-life