YH0906

Kilojoule bomb in your beverages

There are four-and-a-half slices of bread in your glass of wine and three-and-a-half slices of bread in your Grapetiser - in terms of kilojoules, that is. Shocked? Read on.

The day when the addition of sugar to water was conceived was arguably the moment in time when all of western civilisation was doomed to rounder tummies, thighs and hips – as well as an escalating obesity epidemic.

Just think about it for a moment: isn’t it better just to stick to plain, unsweetened water and other low-kilojoule drinks and have the odd piece of chocolate cake, instead of piling on the kilos with sugar-laden beverages?

Beverages were never meant to be kilojoule bombs – except, perhaps, for bone-boosting milk, sports drinks and special formulations for the clinically malnourished. Beverages were meant to be, well, beverages. Their sole purpose: to quench thirst.

Right now, however, we’re at a point where one of the most popular drinks on the planet – a 340ml can of Coke – fetches a whopping 585 on the kilojoule scale. And don’t be fooled by the healthy image of fruit juices. While these may be more “natural”, a drink such Grapetiser ranks even higher on the scale: 762kJ for a 340ml can.

Maybe it’s time to take a good look at the drinks in your life. Consider the following table:

Now, bear in mind that a single slice of Blue Ribbon white bread (without any toppings) has a kilojoule count of 221.

Effectively, this means that a 250ml glass of dry white wine has as many kilojoules as four-and-a-half slices of bread. A can of cider or milk stout isn’t far behind, and neither are Coke, Fanta and Grapetiser. Even a small glass of apple juice has more kilojoules than two slices of bread.

Think of what you had to drink during the whole of yesterday: orange juice for breakfast, two cups of coffee and a latté at the office, a can of Coke on your way home, a glass of wine with dinner, and a glass of water before bed. A rough estimation of your kilojoule intake: 3400kJ (equivalent to 15 slices of bread!).

What to drink
The number of kilojoules you can save if you cut sugar from your beverages is immense. So, what should you be drinking?

A US Beverage Guidance Panel recently rated a range of beverages in terms of their potential health benefits or possible risks, according to a fact sheet released by the Nutrition Information Centre of the University of Stellenbosch (NICUS).

The panel rated drinking water as the preferred drink to fulfil daily fluid needs, followed by tea, coffee, low-fat and fat-free milk and drinking yoghurts, diet- or artificially sweetened cool drinks, cool drinks or drinks with some nutritional benefits (fruit or vegetable juices, full-cream milk, alcoholic beverages and sports drinks) and, lastly, sweetened drinks or nutrient-poor drinks.

In other words, the panel came to the surprising conclusion that it’s better to drink a cup of coffee (without the sugar and cream, of course) than it is to drink a glass of orange juice. On its own, coffee has no kilojoules and it’s packed with antioxidants. But unfortunately not all of us can tolerate caffeine equally well.

In the same way, most of the drinks listed above have pros and cons.

With water, however, one can never go wrong, except, perhaps, if you’re in an area where the water isn’t safe to drink. But then you can opt for bottled water. Just make sure that you choose still or sparkling water without the added sugar and flavourants.

“Water is highly recommended for daily fluid intake. It provides no additional energy, which makes it very ideal for any overweight or inactive adult. It also provides variable amounts of minerals such as calcium, magnesium and fluoride, depending on its source,” NICUS says.

The bottom line? Go for drinks that contain more water and less sugar and think twice about what you choose when buying a beverage. When you then choose to eat the odd sweet treat, you can relax in the thought that your overall daily sugar intake is within healthy limits. – (Carine van Rooyen, Health24)

Reference:
The New Complete Kilojoule, Carbohydrate & Fat Counter: South African Edition. Published by STRUIK (2006)

I had a nice surpirse just when I thought I was getting no where and that all the eating well and exercise was not working. I got a nice comment from my boss who said “Hell you have lost alot of weight”. I felt on top of the world. The Cm’s are shriking the Kg’s are soon to follow .

This has helped me keep on Track:

It’s a common scenario: Come Friday afternoon, all your motivation, dedication and planning goes out the window! Follow the five tips below to make sure your weight loss stays on track over weekends:

1. As the old saying goes, ‘if you fail to plan, you plan to fail’. Make sure you have as many meals as possible planned ahead of time so you won’t be tempted to cheat.
2. If you are eating out, don’t even look at the menu. Tell your waiter what you are looking for and he should be able to recommend a dish. And remember to order all sauces and salad dressings on the side!
3. Keep your end goal in mind. Remind yourself that if you cheat, you will be taking a step back from that goal.
4. Try to exercise every day and watch your portion sizes.
5. If all else fails, keep Mary’s words in mind – “Nothing tastes as good as thin feels!”

I hope it can help you. Until my weigh in next week Take care :o)

After a disappointing weigh - in , you may feel frustrated , ready to throw in the towel and head toward the nearest bakery.  But if you really want results over time, here is what you should do.

1. Don’t Give up - there is a power in perseverance. Although you may feel like all your hard work was for nothing it is crucial to stay motivated.

2. Congratulate yourself for your hard work and remain postive about the coming week - Think of all the things you did right(no after dinner eating) as they are bound to pay off in the future.

3. Remind yourself that one weight gain is not failure - if you are sticking to the plan, five it some time and your body will catch up.

4. Take a Walk - Exercise makes one feel empowered and will give you some time to consolidate your thoughts.

5. Remember non-scale victories - Don’t just measure your success by what the scale showed today. As your clothes looser? Did you make it through an evening without mindless nibbling? Did you handle stressful day by doing something other than pigging out afterward? Non - scale victories are the ways to measure your success and build up your confidence.

Weigh gains are simply natural parts of the weight loss process. It is HOW you DEAL with the gains that will really determine your long-term success. 

End of Part 1, Part 2 to follow.

I lost 1kg this week , I weighed in on Saturday, going through emails and etc, I came across this so I wanted to share it with you all.

Beginning a weight-loss plan doesn’t have to mean drastic changes. You don’t need to live at the gym or munch on celery sticks alone to get on track.

Instead, think of more realistic, sustainable changes you can make to your lifestyle.

• Trim back your eating a bit here and there, not altogether. For example, stir-fry your vegies with one teaspoon of oil instead of two.
• Make some wise food substitutions, like opting for low-fat cottage or ricotta cheese instead of regular cheddar cheese.
• Kick it up a notch in the exercise department by upping your incedental movement. Take the stairs instead of the lift or escalator.

All or nothing
“People put too much pressure on themselves to change everything in their diets, which sets them up for failure,” believes New York-based dietitian Shari Mermelstein. Her advice? Set your sights on making several small diet and lifestyle changes, and you’ll lose weight without really missing out.Need some incentive? Try this on for size: Cut back 400 kilojoules on a daily basis and you could lose about 4.7kg in a year. 400 kilojoules:

• 250ml glass of soft drink
• 1 tbs of butter
• 30g of cheese

Skimming off the top
Here are six simple slim-down ideas:1.       A spoonful of sugar can add up over the course of a year. Add one less teaspoon of sugar (62 kilojoules) to your cup of morning and afternoon coffee each day and you’ll save about 6,500 kilojoules — the equivalent of about 1kg per year.2.       Slim down that bowl of cereal: Switch from 1 cup regular whole milk to skim milk (about 200 kilojoues less per cup) every day. Once your taste buds adjust, you’ll be thrilled! That’s a tad more than 2.2kg lost by this time next year.3.       Take the scenic route. Park your car as far as possible from the entrance to your office, shopping centre or a restaurant and get those legs moving. Ten minutes of daily moderate paced walking (five minutes each way burns about 85 kilojoules) can take off over 1.8kg a year.*4.       Get your vitamin C boost with a fresh orange (250 kilojoules) instead of a cup of juice (460 kilojoules) each day. Your 12 month weight loss: 2.3kg.5.       Go sugar-free by switching from regular to diet soft drink (400 versus 0 kilojoules per glass). If you drink one glass per day instead, that’s nearly 3.2kg lost in a year.6.       Flavour your sandwiches with low-fat condiments like mustard instead of creamy mayo. Leave off 1 tbs of creamy dressing (410 kilojoules) every day and you’re looking at close to 4.7kg a year.
*For a 70kg person at 4.8km per hour. 

By Jaclyn Johnson
There will always be those fattening foods that are easy to make, easy to get, and easy to crave. You think “OK, I know this is bad but it can’t be that bad!” Think again. Here are the top seven foods you should never ever feed your family or yourself!

1. Doughnuts It’s hard to resist the smell of a doughnut, which is why I never step foot in the store. Doughnuts are fried chock-full of sugar and white flour and loads of trans fat.
According to the Krispy Kreme website, an average 3.5-ounce sugar doughnut weighs in with about 400 calories and contains few other nutrients besides fat. These sugary treats may satisfy your craving but it won’t satisfy your hunger as most of the calories come from fat.
“Eating a lot of refined sugar contributes to blood sugar ‘swings’ or extreme fluctuations,” eDiets Chief Nutritionist Susan Burke said.

2. Cheeseburger with fries The age-old classic may be delicious but think twice before sinking your teeth into that Big Mac. The saturated fat found in cheese burgers has been linked to heart attacks, strokes and some types of cancer.
“In fact, fast-food portions are gargantuan, almost double the calories per meal compared to 20 years ago,” Susan says. “Twenty years ago the average fast-food cheeseburger had about 300 calories. Today’s BK Whopper with cheese has 720. To burn the excess 420 calories, you’d have to run for 40 minutes. For example, in 1985 a medium French fry had 240 calories, 2.4 ounces. Today’s ‘medium’ is 6.9 ounces and 610 calories.
“This fast-food meal of cheeseburger and fries has way too many calories and fat grams, not to mention grams of saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol and sodium.”
Let’s break down this meal. First, take the white-flour bun (refined carbohydrates), then add some processed cheese (saturated fat and trans fat, plus lots of additives and preservatives) and then top off with fried red meat (cholesterol and saturated fats). And let’s not forget about the condiments such as the always fattening mayonnaise.
Not sounding so appetizing anymore, huh? Oh, and let’s not forget about the infamous side dish. You cheeseburger will most likely come with a side of French fries, which is sadly the most popular vegetable dish in the U.S. Don’t kid yourself, French fries are not vegetables, they are extremely high in fat and contain a tiny amount of nutrients.

3. Fried Chicken and Chicken Nuggets With the recent class-action lawsuit between The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and KFC, the health risks posed by fried foods are becoming more public. The CSPI is suing the food chain for their use of cooking oil containing unhealthy trans fats. The lawsuit seeks to order KFC to use other types of cooking oils and to inform customers how much trans fats KFC’s food contains.
Foods cooked in highly heated oils (most notably partially hydrogenated oil) have been known to cause cancer, weight gain and other serious health risks if ingested regularly. A 10-piece chicken McNugget from McDonald’s has 420 calories, 24 grams of fat and 1120 milligrams of sodium. One Extra Crispy Chicken Breast from KFC has around 420 calories and eight grams of saturated fat. So unless you want to super size yourself, it’s best to make a clean break with fried foods.

4. Sugary Cereal Not all cereals are created equally. And while your kids might beg for the latest cookie or marshmallow chocolate surprise cereals, it is a safe bet they are about as healthy as a dessert. Keywords to look out for are puffed, dyed and sweetened.
Most kids’ cereals are so highly processed they no longer look like the grains they were originally made from. A healthy alternative is oatmeal. Although, if you are buying pre-packaged oatmeal make sure to check the label and see how much sugar it contains, you might be surprised.
“A little sugar isn’t a problem but when the first ingredient on the box is sugar, then watch out,” she said.
“There is no fruit in Froot Loops. But the unsweetened original Rice Krispies are fine, and you can sweeten them naturally with blueberries and strawberries.”

5. Processed Meats. What falls under the category of processed meats? Hot dogs, sausage, jerky, bacon, certain lunch meats (polony) and meats used in canned soup products. Almost all processed meats have sodium nitrite added as a preservative.
A recent study conducted at the University of Hawaii found that sodium nitrite can act as “a precursor to highly carcinogenic nitrosamines — potent cancer-causing chemicals that accelerate the formation and growth of cancer cells throughout the body.” So eliminate these meats from your diet before they eliminate you!

6. Canned soup. Sometimes regarded as a healthy food, soups can be very deceiving. You must stay on your guard because many canned soups have high levels of trans fats, sodium and artificial preservatives such as MSG. Just one serving (which is roughly one cup) can have almost 1,000 milligrams of salt. Also, steer clear of soups that are cream-based, they can be high in calories and fat.
Susan says it is important to “read labels from back to front. Ignore the health claims, and instead focus on the ingredients and serving size. Watch out for hydrogenated fat (trans fat) and sodium. If you’re buying bread to go with you soup, the first ingredient should be whole grain — either whole wheat, rye or other grain. If it just says ‘wheat bread,’ that doesn’t mean whole wheat.”

We all want our family to be healthy and happy, so steer clear of these foods.
Dear Dr. Abby: I Hate My Body!
By Dr. Abby Aronowitz DearDrAbby.com
Dear Dr. Abby: I just hate my body. Sometimes it motivates me to diet, but sometimes I just don’t care. How do you make peace with your size if you hate it? –Disgusted
It’s not easy. We have been brainwashed to believe that fat is ugly, and research has proven that discrimination against overweight people is common. Therefore, if we are overweight we have internalized the message that we are unattractive and therefore hate ourselves.
Where did you learn that you are less attractive or less worthy as a person? Sometimes we hear this from family members, or society at large. However, the most damaging messages come from yourself. Putting yourself down is unacceptable.
Catch yourself insulting yourself. Would you ever say these things to anyone else? Never! It would be considered rude and abusive. Well, here’s a lightbulb; it’s abusive to say them to yourself, too!
From now on you’re not allowed to hate yourself for anything you wouldn’t hate another person for. You’re not allowed to say anything to yourself that you wouldn’t say to another person. Self acceptance begins by eliminating disgusting self talk. It doesn’t mean you like your body; it simply means you’re not abusing yourself over it.
Think about a friend who struggles with their weight; do you love them more or less depending on how many fat cells they have at any given time? Offer yourself the same kindness.
Learning occurs best in an atmosphere of support, rather than criticism. We take better care of that which we love than that which we hate. Treating yourself with the respect you would afford another could actually help you to live a healthy lifestyle.
Eliminate the negative evaluation, and simply accept your body as it is — the product of your struggle at this point in time. Now, give yourself a hug!

Yes, I am not where I want to be with regard to my weight. I have been getting back on track, I am needing to lose weigh as I wanting to have a baby and the doctor wants me to drop the weight. My deadline is the end of October this year, so Iam pushing myself and I keep saying to my self how badly do you want this and want to start a family?? it has help me say no thanks to the chocolate and etc. Thanks to everyone for your support and how I can support you as well on our journey to a healthy and slimmer person.

Chocolate,Minus the Love Handles

By Carly Young, LifeScript Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Other than on Valentine’s Day, about 75% of chocolate purchases are made by women. When this romantic holiday rolls around, it’s the men who are doling out the treats. From heart-shaped boxes of caramel-filled delicacies to teddy bears holding milk chocolate roses, men spend a whopping $1 billion on sweets in the days leading up to the year’s most romantic holiday. It’s the one gift he can count on to be a success. But what’s a figure-conscious girl to do when faced with a 10-pound box of Godiva chocolates? Here’s how to indulge in your guy’s thoughtful gift without breaking the calorie bank:- Purchase an opaque, airtight container to store your bounty in. This way, you won’t feel pressured to polish off the box before the candies go stale.- Once your chocolate is safely stored, set a limit for yourself before you open the lid, say, one piece every night.- Store the treats in a Ziploc bag in the freezer. You’ll have to thaw each one for an hour before eating, which gives your more time to contemplate whether you really want it.Did your sweetie give you racy lingerie along with those chocolates? Slip it on while you indulge. While form-fitting attire is sexy, it’s also unforgiving and a good reminder to not eat the whole box. After all, it’s way too easy to overindulge when you’re wearing elastic-waist, XL sweatpants.

By Jennifer Gruenemay, ACE-Certified, LifeScript Staff Writer
Sunday, August 19, 2007

Fifteen pounds in one year. That’s how much weight you could gain by drinking just one regular soda every day. At around 150 calories each, and with no nutritional value whatsoever, sodas should definitely be classified in your book as a “once in a while” treat, not an everyday indulgence. Not only is your waistline at risk if you have an uncontrolled soda obsession, but your health is, too. According to the Nurse’s Study of more than 50,000 women, those who had one or more sodas every day not only gained extra weight, they also raised their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 83%. If you must indulge in a daily soda, try diluting part of your regular soda with diet soda and then moving over completely to the diet soda side. Or, if you want total control over your life and what you put in your body, fill up on water flavored with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. It’s the best drink available for your body, and it’s free.

www.hotexercise.com
Everyone has a certain type of body shape. You might be a pear shape, an hourglass shape, a ruler shape, or an apple shape. Let’s take a quick look at what these shapes mean.

For Men:

Pear Shape – Before you accuse me of calling you a fruit, read on! A man with this type of body shape is usually larger in the hips and thighs than in the chest and arms. He is usually petite in the arms and chest. A lot of men with this body type have an athletic type build.

Hourglass Shape – No, guys. This doesn’t mean you’re girly. This is actually the shape many football players have, with small waists and hips, and broad shoulders and muscular thighs.

Ruler Shape – You are probably pretty thin, with minimal muscle build up.

Apple Shape – This type of body shape means that the man has a larger chest and arms, with a small waist. Men with this body shape usually have a small butt and legs, and may look top heavy.

For Women:

Pear Shape – You have larger hips, with a smaller chest and arms. Most women with this body type have flat stomachs and chests.

Hourglass Shape – This is one of the favorite shapes of a woman. Your shoulders and hips are about equal in width, and you have a small waist and normally flat tummy.

Ruler Shape – You have a thinner body, with minimal curves.

Apple Shape – You have larger shoulders and larger breasts, with smaller thighs, and thinner or smaller hips and butt.

Unfortunately, we all get our body shapes genetically, which means “tough cookie,” if we want to get rid of them. However, we can utilize targeted exercises to shape up our bodies, and this will help us look great, no matter what body shape we are. Here are some great targeted exercises for each shape.

Pear Shape – For this shape, you need some great exercises that will balance out the difference in the bottom part of your body, and the upper part. Do aerobic activities that target the lower body, and resistance exercises for the upper body. You will be slimming the lower part, and building the upper part. Some great ones for you are push ups, chin ups, leg lifts, jumping rope, and elliptical training.

Hourglass Shape - Cardio is great for this body shape, along with resistance exercises. Try things like swimming, stationary biking with a bit of resistance, jumping jacks, bicep curls, shoulder presses and squats. This kind of exercise will help keep your weight in check, ensure a good balance between upper and lower body.

Ruler Shape – You don’t really need to do much extra. Your regular and balanced routine is fine, and ensuring that you get a healthy diet and nutrition. Some people with shapes like this want muscle building, so go for resistance training that targets the upper and lower body.

Apple Shape – Most likely, if you have this shape, you want to focus on losing weight. Losing weight all over will balance out your larger upper body. Do low resistance exercises with lots of repetitions, such as stair climbing, running and incline walking.

Good luck, and remember, we might not be able to change our body shapes completely, but we can change them for the better

1 Step Back, 2 Steps Forward
– By Mike Kramer, Staff Writer
“Fall seven times, get up eight.” - Japanese Proverb”Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.” - John Quincy Adams”The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.” - Chinese Proverb”Never give in. Never. Never. Never. Never.” - Winston Churchill”Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.” - Samuel JohnsonThese quotes all say the same thing. No matter how many obstacles you run into, what matters is that you’re able to overcome each of them, one at a time.”Two steps forward, one step back” is usually a negative term to describe someone who is having trouble making progress. But switched around, “1 Step Back, 2 Steps Forward” means that instead of grousing or feeling guilty about a misstep, you can still come out ahead if you put your head down and push forward.Steps back can take many forms: a family vacation, breaks in your routine, personal tragedies, injuries, or that lost weekend in front of the tube. A big mistake people make when trying to get healthier is that when they fall off a bit or something happens, they think they “have to start over”. Wrong! When missteps do happen, a better strategy is to simply take two steps forward. You’re still ahead of where you were before, far beyond the starting line.

In tennis, losing one point isn’t the end of the world. It happens to the best of them. In fact, if you can consistently win a few more points that you lose, you may end up in the hall of fame. With healthy eating and exercising, as long as you’re consistently out-stepping your steps back, you’re ahead of the game. If you expect perfection (and many of us do), you’re setting yourself up for disappointment and guilt.Guilt can be debilitating to your healthy habits. When you mess up (or even when things are messed up for you), it’s natural to feel guilty. At that point, you have a choice: to let that guilt plummet you into a cycle that could spit you out worse off than before, or to accept the step back and say “where do I go from here?”Of course, consistent success is still something to strive for. You don’t want to roller-coaster up and down. That’s an “old” habit, remember? And the 1Step/2Step strategy doesn’t lessen the need to do your best. You should still work hard to keep those steps back from happening. But it helps to be prepared with a plan and a positive attitude for when they do happen.