Shrink Your Stomach The Natural Way-Say What???


Have you ever noticed that when you go on vacation and let loose (which for me means to eat, eat, and eat more than I ever would at home) and you are consuming large portions of food that when you get back home you still seem to eat more and it takes quite a bit to fill you up and make you feel satisfied (Wow that was a long run on sentence if there ever was one)? Recently when I was on vacation in Costa Rica I could not stop eating and I loved it (my friend even commented that she had never seen me eat so much in her life!) but when I returned home to try to settle back into my normal routine I still wanted to eat lots and lots in order to feel full. I knew that I had to get my stomach and eating habits back to a happy medium.

I found the trick to shrinking your stomach hence helping your weight loss and maintenance efforts in my new favorite book called Nature's Prescriptions. I like this idea because it is free, not too tough and really does work (I do gripe and groan for the first couple days but then it kicks in and you will be feeling much better). The key (drum roll please) is to stick to a regular meal plan-typically one that focuses on eating smaller meals more frequently.

Just remember that because you eat more meals doesn't mean you get more calories. You are simply dividing them more evenly throughout the day so you are less likely to get hungry and overeat. You want to avoid large meals and stuffing yourself because you will undo all your good work and increase your stomach size again. Generally, this takes me a couple days to get back in the habit of eating several small meals. I am a big supporter of the several small meals a day as it keeps your stomach at a good size and your metabolism going and revved up throughout the day.

I'm Coming, I'm coming Just Waaaaayyyy Behind!!!

Hi everyone! As I am sure you have noticed I have been very, very, very behind in my writing, commenting and entrecard dropping. It is on my mind but have had so much with work and the kids this last week. I just wanted to say THANK YOU to all of you wonderful, super blog friends who have continued to comment and drop. I will be doing drops and commenting tonight and all this week to get back on track. Hope everyone has been well and I miss blogland-having serious withdrawals:)

Hot Mama Award! Thanks Bill!



I woke up to a fun surprise yesterday! My friend Bill at My Piece of Paradise awarded me with the Hot Mama Award. Bill is one of my favorite bloggers and I love to stop by his blog each day to see what is new. I hope that you will stop by and see what he is up to as well.

I want to say thanks for making my day with this fun award and I would like to pass it on to all you HOT MAMAS out there as well. How fun!

Mmmmmmm These Foods Sound Good And Healthy But Aren't

Don't you just hate when you are all proud of yourself, thinking how well you have eaten only to look at the label and discover that you actually could have just had the candy bar instead because the label didn't really coincide with your idea that this was healthy? That has to be right up there on my most frustrating things. I take food and trying (key word is trying) to be healthy very seriously so if I eat a something I didn't really want but thought was healthy and gave up the much coveted candy bar for-I get a little upset. I want to share with you a few foods that you might think are really good for you but in reality are not so you won't run into that
problem.

Don't Be Fooled By These Food Frauds

**Tuna Fish Sandwich With Mayonnaise-The typical tuna fish sandwich found in a restaurant has about 700 calories and 43 grams of fat. Tuna fish has about 35 calories per ounce and is packed full of omega 3's but mayonnaise has 100 calories per tablespoon. Maybe better to try a low-fat cheese sandwich or Turkey with mustard.

**Multigrain Tostitos-A one-ounce (8 chips) serving of Multigrain Tostitos has more sugar (1 gram) than any of its “Four Wholesome Grains.” That is tricky advertising I think.

**Protein Bars-I am sure there are a few good ones out there but overall most are just glorified candy bars according to Ms. Zuckerbrot author of the F-Factor Diet. They are often high in calories, fat and do little to satisfy a persons hunger. This one really gets me. I can't tell you how many of these I have had in lieu of a nice piece of fruit or some berries thinking I was being so healthy.

**Kelloggs Nutri-Grain Pancakes-Now I have to admit that whenever I hear grain, whole wheat I instantly think-ooohhhhh, that must be good for me. Apparently not always because the box boasts that these pancakes are “Made with Whole Wheat and Whole Grain,” but they consist primarily of white flour. More here.

**Pretzels-Are you kidding me? I cannot tell you how many bags of pretzels I used to eat in college thinking I must be just about the healthiest girl in the place. Some people go under the misguided notion that pretzels are a healthy alternative to crisps. Certainly, one serving of pretzels contain one gram of fat compared to the 10 grams contained in the same serving of crisps. However, they basically have no nutritional value at all. In fact, any they did have, such as fibre, has been taken out in the process of making them. It explains why you never feel full eating them. More here.

**Granola Bars-While granola is made with whole oats that are high in fiber, the oats in granola bars are glued together with ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup, honey, and barley malt -- all of which quickly raise blood sugar.

**DanActive Immunity Dairy Drink-This Dannon product claims to help “strengthen your body's defenses.” But the only study Dannon did to see if drinking DanActive kept people from getting sick found that it didn’t! More here.

**Fat-free, Sugar-Free Muffins- Regardless of whether a muffin is fat free or sugar free, they still usually have around 600 calories, according to Zuckerbrot from the F-Factor diet."It’s nothing but cake in disguise, especially these double chocolate chip-type muffins,” she said. “But even bran muffins, they’re very dense, very high in calories. The same thing goes for scones. People think that because they’re not sweet, they’re healthy. But scones are full of butter.Baked Beans-Beans are a great source of fiber and protein but most pre-made cans of baked beans are loaded with sugar. 1 cup of baked beans may contain up to 24 mg of sugar (about the same as an 8 oz can of soda).

**Fruit Cocktail Or Applesauce-I know they seem healthy because of the fruit but keep in mind that many are loaded with added sugar and heavy syrups. Eat some fresh fruit instead.

**Reduced Fat Peanut Butter-I must admit to really falling for this one. I love peanut butter and what could have been better but lower fat, right? Wrong. Real peanut butter that is made with plain peanuts is high in protein and fat but they are the healthy fats that your body needs. Reduced fat peanut butters are generally made with a bit of real peanut butter and then mixed with fillers like sugar. I recommend sticking with regular peanut butter,obviously.

I learned a lot doing this post and am glad to know these things so that I can avoid these pitfalls. I think it can be really hard sometimes to weed through all the food hype so hopefully this helps you on your journey to living a fit and healthy life.

Happy Easter!!!! Too Many Chocolate Bunnies Too Count!


Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Easter!!! We had a great time at the Easter egg hunt and are now stuffed with candy (very healthy-not). I must admit that this is one of those times when the chocolate demon comes out in me. I have had more chocolate bunnies, eggs, etc than I care to reveal.


Happy Easter!!
Heidi

Healthty, Healthier, and Healthiest With These Detoxifying Foods

In the world today with all the processed foods, pollutants, chemicals, and pesticides, amongst other things being put into our bodies it is nice to know that there are some foods that can help our bodies to detoxify and heal. Below are a few foods that can help your body cleanse itself naturally.

Broccoli-has been shown to detoxify carcinogens in liver cells.

Spinach-high in fiber and B vitamins soothes the nervous system, helps protect against and possibly reverse macular degeneration.

Capsaicin
-the “hot stuff” in chili peppers has been found to soothe the stomach lining, detoxify the body and fight colds.

Green Teas-induce detoxifying enzymes for chemical or cell protection.

Sweet Potatoes-these delicious delights have double the vitamin C, more fiber and fewer calories than white potatoes and contain antioxidants that may reduce inflammation in bones and muscles. They are also a good source of beta-carotene, which protects against respiratory infections. They may also protect against sunburn and help wounds heal and scars fade.

Legumes-such as lentils and kidney beans are among the best sources of folate which helps fight heart disease.

Now, I will confess to having an intense dislike for sweet potatoes (along with ketchup, mayonnaise and meat) but after reading all the good that they do I think I need to reevaluate and give them another try. The others seem easy to fit into your diet but the sweet potatoes will take some effort on my part.

Have a happy and healthy weekend!
ref-toyourhealth.com

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