diet.com

diet.com is a website for tips and tricks on health and dieting. They are very similar to ediets.com but a lot more towards health. They have great articles on dealing with stress and fitness. You can join their diet plan for only $2.29/week (varies on specials). One thing they do have great video on fitness workouts.

Also, they have a blog and forum board which you can get feed back from other people to are struggling on loosing weight and other issues. diet.com have great recipes from different meals, cuisines and nutritions. The tracker device is an entry that you can put your time in for calories and what exercise you have done.

Join in for the expertise of diet nutritions and doctors from diet.com.

Whole Grains - Attacks the Belly Fat

You do the crunches, the sit-ups and all the core exercise, but you want to loose more, fast, of the belly spare tire fat. Whole grains attack the fat around your stomach, mid-waist area. So, instead of choosing the white bread or the flour pasta, choose the whole grains or wheat. They are now making whole grain/wheat potato chips (its about time).

Here are a few words and foods, you will find on the some packages of foods or on the nutrition labels and ingredients that you should be looking for:

• Whole wheat
• Whole oats/oatmeal
• Whole-grain corn
• Popcorn
• Brown rice
• Whole rye
• Whole-grain barley
• Wild rice
• Buckwheat
• Triticale (wheat and rye)
  
• Bulgur (cracked wheat)
• Brown rice
• Bulgur
• Oatmeal
• Whole-grain corn
• Whole oats
• Whole rye
• Whole wheat
• Wild rice

Weigh In - Ugh! Gain 4 lbs.

I beginning to hate Wednesday weigh-ins. Due to the stress from work and the lack of sleep, I didn't do so good on my diet and weight. I gained 4 lbs. BUT I did go to my doctor's appt. this morning and in 2 months, I have dropped my cholesterol from 217 to 178. My diabetes drop from 7.5 to 7.0 which is good but not good enough (6.5 is the regular). My high blood pressure seems low but better than high (98 over 70).

I think I will go away on a little weekend vacation to re-group and get some sleep from all the stress and lack of rest from the past 3 weeks. I'll probably sleep over at some hotel with a pool and gym to work out at and watch some TV "cable" and order some room service. Just maybe relax my body in some hot tub and hopefully that will do the trick and get back to my normal routine of life and dieting.

Always Think Positive, Never Negative. Thinking negative will bring you and your body down to a stop and your problems will be solved or recover.

Rough Day

I had a rough day, yesterday. I just wanted to go back to bed and sleep the day away.

Have you ever had those days, anything or anyone around you just arritate you? Something just tick me off, inside and I want to scream (I did it in my car during my lunch hour). But the screaming didn't work, I even went to the store to walk it off but no luck. I felt anger, upset, pissed off with the world and everything else around me. I didn't want to think about paying bills, my sugar level or even dieting. After work, I bought a chocolate brownie and large pizza, so I didn't have to worry about doing the dishes.

I know it was a big mistake on buying the pizza and brownie, and I regret it of eating it. I threw away the bread of the pizza except 3 slices and the brownie, well, that was gone fast with a glass of milk. I know my weigh-in tomorrow will be bad.

And I know I when I'm pissed off the next time with the world, I should brush it off my shoulders and walk it off, maybe window shop and try to keep an open mind and think of other things.

Play the Food VS Food

It can be difficult when you go out for lunch or a snack to a fast restaurant. Let play a game and see if you can choose the right choice.

Sesame Bagel with 2 Tbsp. Cream Cheese VS 2 Egg McMuffins.

Glazed Doughnut VS Old-fashioned Cake Doughnut.

McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese VS Burger King Whopper with Cheese
___________________________________
Results:
1. Two Egg McMuffins has more protein and less fat and calories than the bagel.
2. Glazed Doughnut is 3X less fat and 2X less calories than the old-fashioned doughnut.
3. McDonald's Quarker Pounder with cheese wins with the half the fat and 300 fewer calories.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 cup skim or lowfat milk, steaming
1/3 cup lowfat cheddar cheese
1 cup broccoli, steamed
1/4 cup onions
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon chicken or vegetable bouillon, soup base

Place all ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor. (Have your milk steaming and your broccoli cooked. Cut up your cheese and onion and put in your cornstarch and soup base of your choice.) Have some crackers with it. This is a perfect meal when its cold and you want something healthy and tasty.

(High speed blenders - go to speed 1 (15 seconds) and slowly increase speed to 10 and run it for 1-2 minutes.)

Women Health Website

Women's Health is a great website on step by step exercises. They have wonderful articles on weight loss, health, sex relationship, beauty, life and nutrition. Check it out for your self. Also, they have a free newsletter you can sign up for weekly articles and fitness.

Temptation in the Work place

Today, at work, someone brought in Wedding cookies, from pastry with icing to finger sugar lady-locks to brownie bars to chocolate candy. I don't know about you, but cookies/bars are my best nibbling snack friends. I love to have cookies with my hot tea in the morning, it's so gooood. But I have to be proud of myself, I didn't have one cookie or bar. Yeah! I mostly, just stayed out of the kitchen.

Temptation in the work place is are to over come the snacking. Try to fill yourself with tea or water. Have your green tea or black tea to kill your appetite. Have a piece of sugar-free gum, something to chew in your mouth. Or even have those 100 calories bars (Hershey's or Kraft).

Most of all, stay out of the kitchen. If you have to go in there like get water or you lunch from the ice box, just focus on one thing by getting you item. DO NOT browse around and start looking what in the venting machine or on the table for the donuts. FOCUS and GET OUT.

Cool Ad

This ad is a creative advertising of fitness company that I want to share with you, all. Makes you think. It has a saying at the bottom of the ad, "Everytime you want to put something in your mouth—think twice."

Break

I have been very tried, lately with work and life, itself. Last week, I worked a 10 hour shift and there was no lunch break or time to breath. I was lucky to get a chance to go to the bathroom. Everyone get those days at work when it comes to deadlines or even life with go shopping and getting chores done. Your head want to explode with all the pressure. Your body get so exhausted and leak that you just want to take a break of all duties. And that what I did. I put the scale, workout dvds, calories book and even the sports bra away for one week (well, maybe a week and half).

I felt awful later because I went on the scale and saw that I gained 5 lbs. I don't feel good about it but I do feel a little better with less stress. I believe, it's OK to take a break to release the stress of pressure. Like doctors says, stress does gain weight.

So, beside relaxing and doing nothing, I got a canvas and painted my stress and went wild and crazy on it. I have not painted for more over 10 years and it was a mess but fun to do. I call it 'Night Eclips'. It look better when its in the dark with candles are lit.

So, what I am saying, it is good to take a break from dieting to release your anger and stress from your body. Do something fun, something you always want to do, will be a good start to go back and face your problems and aggression.

WomenHeart's Cookbook

It's hard to find a book that explain about food that are health and then have recipes to make. Well, no more looking. The title of this book, explain it all. Heart healthy cooking recipes that it explains a healthy way of eating. First, it explains about 40 heart-y foods to keep your heart healthy. Then, it has wonderful recipes of these foods to make into tasty meals. You will feel guilt-free in giving and making these recipe to your family and yourself. It is a better way to learn to stay healthy. Read the reviews by other people who tried these recipes on amazon.com.

Carrots

What's up, doc? Not all vegetable are for the rabbit. Carrots are the top of the list of vegetables. They are a great source of Vitamin A for our eyes, arteries to our liver. Eating carrots increases the levels of red blood cells and protect against radiation. And one more thing about carrot, they are the source of protection against CANCER.

Cooking carrots is a great side dish for your vegetable and a wonder snack. You can make puree of carrot to juice them and making pancakes. Also, you can eat the leaves on the carrots. It might be bitter tasting but the nutrition out of it, is better than the carrot itself. So, put some in you salad or your juice making.

Cancer, Circulatory, Digestive, Respiratory

Jennie-O Turkey

Oh me, Oh my, Turkey. I love turkey. Turkey sausage, sweet and hot. Ground turkey patties, making meat loaf, and taco. You can even put in your chilly and lasagna. If you don't know how to make these wonderful dishes, go to Jennie-O. They have there great recipes in the making of healthy delicious meals for you and your family. They do have a download (pdf ) of their recipes. Check it out for yourself and your health.

If you don't have acrobat reader program, please go to adobe. It is free.

Happy V-day

Though it is Valentine's day, today, still think out your heart. Have a fruit dessert rather than the creamy cheese cake. Have small amount of chocolate, it's better to drag your chocolate rather than eating half the box (less calories). Workout with your soul mate by walking in the city street and window shop. Also, you can enjoy a drink to two to celebrate your love by sipping wine during your meal, so your stomach will be fill faster.

You can still enjoy V-day by thinking of your soul mate health.

Lost 4 lbs.

Yeah! I lost 4 lbs. WOW! I was not sure I would loose any exepecially the pasta I ate from last weekend. I did though bought myself a scale. My other scale was always off when I stand on it. When I leaned a little to the left, I lost 5 lbs. and I leaned to the right, I gain 7 lbs. When I leaned forward I gained a lot. I like it when I leaned to the left.

I research a lot of scales on line and it seems that Taylor made company are the best with the reviews of 4 out of 5 stars. Weight Watchers are good, too but expensive and not sure (a good of the reviews says, it brake and off its weight by 10 lbs. in a month). I did get a digital instead of the magic red wand version.

Taylor 7329 Electronic Lithium Scale - see picture above.

Don't Cheat

I know, it is hard to get on the scale and get disappointed. I know, I didn't do so good last weekend, I had pasta and tomato sauce with Italian bread and butter. But we, all, have to face the truth and reality. It is a struggle to face it, but it will be a lesson to learn for the next time you face one of your demon, bad foods like pasta.

I always think, it is an awaking, a learning process to correct what I should have done. I mean it is OK to have pasta or anything other bad foods but not to over to it. Like, I know, I should not have to Italian bread. I should have had wheat or herbal bread. Everything we do wrong is a lesson to learn and to move on from.

Steam-Zip

Ziploc Brand "Zip-n-Steam" are a great way to cook your meal without the fat. It allows the food to be steamed under pressure so that it is cooked thoroughly and evenly for healthy meals. You can cook vegetables, fish and even fruit which is great apples on top of you pancakes. Check it out on the Ziploc website for recipes. Click on green square at the button on the bottom "Browse Recipes".

Apple

Heart doesn't begin with the letter "A" but Apple does. The vitamin C in apples helps keep your cholesterol levels stable (even lowers the levels by 10% by having 2 apples a day). Also, the pectin, which is a solution in apples, carries out lead and mercury from your body safely. The malic and tartaric acids in apples helps to balance the acid by-products of indigestion and helps your body cope with leftover protein or fatty foods. So, when cooking, put an apple in your dish like purée an apple on your pork or stuffed an apple in your goose.

Eating RAW apples are great source for our body's digestive system. People who suffer from arthritis, rheumatism and gout should eat apples regularly. This fruit is an wonderful detox especially after the holidays.

Apple : Circulatory - Digestive - Joints

iyogalife

iyogalife.com is a great website to learn yoga exercise. They have wonder step by step instructions and video to do the moves on yoga exercise. From strenching to breathing, they have great tips to release and balances your body into center of control. They have beginners to advance levels in different poses. They have yoga cures which is different poses in needs of a pacific part of your body. Like if you need back exercise, they have a listing of poses instructions on it. Yoga is a wonderful exercise to have in your everyday life. One thing I like is their custom workouts. I call them yoga dancing. You can sign up for their e-newsletters for more tips on yoga.

Cravings

Cravings—a powerful desire for certain foods—seems to be attached to our brain's reward system. OUr emotions and pleasant situations, like the birthday cake that mom make you, can trigger a craving. When you eat a food you crave, your brain releases dopamine, a natural chemical related to pleasure. So, what do you do next time if this craving start to happen again though you are stuffed for lunch?

Accept defeat. Choose NOT to act on the craving for food. Try to ignore the craving and admit to yourself that you want the food. You will always be pulled to the food prevents you from acting on the feeling every time it comes up.

Give in, a LITTLE. You can surrendering to your craving sometimes – as long as you can control your portion sizes. Instead eating out of the bag, put your chips in a bowl.

Imagination. Try to keep your imagination of food in your short term memory of your brain. Remember when your mom made those hot chewy chocolate brownies and the smell of the chocolate in the house. Remember the good times with your mom, not the eating of the entire cake pan of brownies.

Substitutions. Instead of the candy or cake, go for apple bran muffin or a piece of sweet fruit. Read the nutrition label on the package of chocolate cookies or any other sweet food and replace it with something else with LESS fat and calories.

You know what is best for you. Act on it.

Homemade Banana Ice Cream

Here is a simple and easy made desert with no weird ingredients.

1 Banana (it adds up to 1/2 cup)
(Optional: dark Hershey chocolate chips and vanilla wafers)

Peel the banana and slice into pieces into a zip lock bag. Then put in the freezer over night. The next day, take out of the freezer (It might look dark brown, if it was a ripe banana but don't be alarmed. You can keep the banana in the freezer for 5 to 8 days.) Let it sit out for about 5 minutes to thaw. While it is thawing, you can get out your food processer or high speed blender. Put the banana in the processor, close lid and switch ON. Let it process until the banana looks like soft ice cream, light and fluffy. You could add cinnamon, if you like. Add vanilla wafers or chocolate chips (TIP: dark chocolate had less sugar). Enjoy a cool, full-filling and health treat.

Numb All Over

Did you ever feel numb all over your body and it hurts all over? Your body feels exhausted and weak, it like your walking on air but your mind is not there. You feel like you are getting a cold or flu but it is not that. It hurts to smile and you feel sad. Your mind is somewhere else and you can't think and your in the dazes. I hate this feeling, so does everyone else.

It's hard to snap out this this unpleasant feeling. The more you push yourself, the more your body turns you down. The best result is to let your body relax and meditate. Lie on your back with a pillow under your head and knees for support. Cover yourself up with your soft blanket (Snoopy's pal, Linus blue blanket) and listen to soft rock or your favorite music artist to calm your nerves. You could lite up a vanilla or lilac candle to sooth your mind to calm your senses.

Close your eyes and put your arm to your side. Just let your body go into a deep relaxing feeling. Work on relaxing your body from one part to the next. Start with your toes, to your feet, to your calves, to your thighs and so on, to the top of your head and fingers. You'll feel heavy and relax, let the surface underneath you hold your body. Don't hold anything back. Listen to your heart beat to the sound of the music. BREATH in and out from your diaphram and lungs as you breath in the senses of scent of the candle. Move your head, side to side by stretching your neck muscles. Keep listening to the music. You may want to "Hmmmmmmmmm" when you exhale during your breathing. It might be silly, but it releases tension in your chest.

You'll probably fall asleep but, he,y your body is asking for it. I always believe that you should listen to your body and react to it. Never push yourself to the extreme. Treat your body well and it will treat you better.

Chick-fil-a Nutrition Fact

Once again, there are times, you don't have time to cook or prepare your food when you are hungry. I saw an article about Chick-fil-a Restaurant that they are easy on the fat and they have a good selection of great foods.

1. Grilled Chicken Sandwich - 270 calories (Arby's chicken - 578, Wendy's - 320 and KFC Snacker - 290)
2. Medium Waffle Fries - 350 (Arby's Home style Fries - 377 (Curly-397), Wendy's - 420 and McDonald's - 370)
3. Unsweetened Ice Tea (which is freshly made and good) - 0 calories
4. Grilled Chicken Wrap - 410 (which are big and enough; watch for the dressing - choose the mustard, ranch, honey mustard or BBQ sauces or reduced fat)
5. They do have side salad or fruit cup, see if they will replace them, instead of fries. It might cost you an extra .50¢ but it will keep your cholesterol lower (stay away from fried foods).

So, choose their Grilled Chicken and medium Waffle Fries with Unsweetened Tea MEAL for only 620 calories (add an 50 more for lite sauces).

Manage Weight Loss Website

Here is a good tips and educational website about losing weight and staying healthy, Manage Weight Loss. This site is a free resource to make you choose healthy food choices and lifestyle changes for you and your family. You can find topics to improve your health and sense of well-being related to weight loss, relationship, diet, exercise, nutrition, vitamins and supplements.

They, also, have a BMI (Body Mass Index Calculator). Sign up to their newsletter and get good topics on weight management.