Halloween Candy Quiz

Halloween Candy Quiz

The Trick to Managing the Treats

Halloween candy showed up in August (as though we needed to get a jump on our holiday shopping!) and will still be on sale in November. What is the trick to managing your weight when the food you love is everywhere?

Scaring Away the Cravings

Halloween can be a scary time of year for those trying to eat less. You may be haunted by all the candy in the house, leading to a full-blown chocolate binge, sugar hangover, and vows to do better tomorrow. I call this the Eat-Repent-Repeat Cycle.

The tricky part is that labeling the foods you love as evil actually increases their power over you. When what you really crave is considered "bad," you feel guilty for even wanting it and deprived because you can't have it.

The result? You find yourself foraging treats from the pumpkin basket and burying the candy wrappers at the bottom of the garbage can so your children won't find out. Of course they inevitably discover that you've been sneaking and stealing their candy. Talk about guilt!

How to Stop Raiding Your Kid’s Trick-or-Treat Loot

Minimize your exposure.Wait until the last minute to buy Halloween candy then buy only what you really think you'll need for the big night. Get the stuff kids love rather than bags and bags of your favorites.

Remember, it's not your food.
All too often we eat whatever shows up--Halloween candy, donuts in the break room, or samples in the grocery store. But you didn't choose to put it there so stop mindlessly putting it in your mouth!

Get your own.
You'll be less tempted to get into the kid's holiday candy if stop depriving yourself the rest of the year. Scary, I know. (Learn how in Dr. May’s post Fearless Eating.)

Share!
If you really want some candy, ask your child to share a few pieces with you. Through observation, they learn that it is possible to balance eating for nourishment with eating for enjoyment.

Eat what you love.
Skip the sugary kid candy (unless that's what you love) and instead choose a few that you really love. Set them aside to eat when you really want them. I like to keep mine in a plastic bag in the freezer.

Save room for dessert.
If you're going to eat Halloween candy (you know you are!), then adjust for it. After all, does it really make sense to eat all your dinner to earn dessert?

If you love it that much, act like it!
Enjoy those M&Ms® one at a time, mindfully without distractions. (To learn how, read Dr. May’s post on Mindful Eating.)

Just right!
The fun-sized treats are the perfect size for a few mindful bites of heaven. And those first few bites are always the best, so think before you dive in for more.

Eat fearlessly without guilt.
We all know that guilt leads to more eating, not less, so let it go.

Don't torture yourself with exercise.
Being physically active feels good and provides numerous benefits for your health. Just be careful not to turn it into punishment for eating or penance for eating something “bad.”

Pass it on.
Halloween is a great time to teach your kids how to enjoy a little candy as part of a healthy and active lifestyle.

Michelle May, M.D. is the award-winning author of Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat: How to Break Your Eat-Repent-Repeat Cycle (Read chapter one). Dr. May is a recovered yo-yo dieter and the founder of the Am I Hungry?® Mindful Eating Workshops that help individuals break free from mindless and emotional eating to live a more vibrant, healthy life

Momentum!

The following is a great article regarding exercise momentum from SparkPeople.com If you haven't visited this site, go there today. It's chalk full of great motivators, tips and tools for helping you on your weight-loss journey...

You're 5 Minutes Away from Major Momentum!

Can you relate to any of these scenarios?

Alice is feeling overwhelmed because she has a lot of weight to lose. She doesn’t know where to begin, so that frustration has prevented her from even starting an exercise program.

Sherry exercises for 30 minutes 3 times a week, but doesn’t feel like exercise is part of her daily routine. She’s looking to make it more of a habit.

Bill can’t seem to find the motivation to get started with a program. He doesn’t think exercise is really going to make him feel any different, so what’s the point?

Jane has decided to start an exercise program, so she goes to the gym two hours every day for a week. At the end of the week she is tired, sore and already burned out. She doesn’t make it to the gym again for several weeks.

These scenarios are all very common. Many people have problems developing a consistent exercise routine—whether they just don’t know where to begin, or don’t know how to make exercise as natural as brushing your teeth every morning. Still others just need a boost of motivation and energy now and then.

If finding the motivation to work out seems like a daunting task to you, here’s a great place to start: 5-10 minute "SparkStart" workouts! Although 5-10 minutes will not give you immediate weight loss results, it will help you develop a routine and a foundation to build on. Sometimes all you need is a push in the right direction!

A SparkStart gives Alice a very reasonable starting point. It helps Sherry stay consistent with her exercising throughout the week. Bill will notice he has more energy and feels better after his quick workout. And Jane will begin to change her "all or none" mentality and focus on small steps to develop a habit. So regardless of your current level of activity, a 5-10 minute SparkStart workout can be a great source of motivation and the "spark" you need to move your program into gear!

Here’s what SparkGuy (SparkPeople founder and C.E.O.) had to say about the 5-10 minute workout:

"You won’t immediately see big improvements from this, BUT it will help you turn exercise into a habit so that you don't need to keep going through the frustration of starting over. After doing this consistently for awhile, you'll start noticing small improvements that will motivate you to do even more - and your energy level will slowly start to increase. I've seen people get incredible results using this method."

SparkStart workouts include easy exercises you can do at home when you get up in the morning, while you’re making dinner, or while waiting for the laundry to finish drying. Pick something you enjoy so you are more likely to stick with it. Below are some examples to help get you started. All of these workouts can be modified depending on your fitness level and time available.

Workout 1: Light jog in place (2 minutes), jump rope (2 minutes), light jog (2 minutes)

Workout 2: Sit-ups (2 minutes), 25 push-ups, sit-ups (2 minutes), 25 push-ups

Workout 3: Light jog in place (2 minutes), 1 set squats (8-12 repetitions), 1 set lunges, 1 set squats, 1 set lunges, leg stretches (2 minutes)

Workout 4: Take your dog (or just yourself!) for a quick walk around the block

Workout 5: Walk/run up and down the stairs 5 times

Workout 6: Brisk walk in place with arms pumping, knees up (3 minutes), 25 jumping jacks, brisk walk (3 minutes)

Workout 7: Light jog in place (2 minutes), fast jog in place (5 minutes), light jog in place (2 minutes)
More examples of strength training exercises and stretches can be found in the Fitness Resource Center .

To give yourself a real boost, start an exercise "streak". Do some sort of activity every day (could be 5 minutes, could be longer) for as many consecutive days as possible. Challenge your family members or co-workers to see who can carry the longest streak! Post the number of days in your streak on your office wall or refrigerator door. It’s a good source of motivation and a great way to keep exercise in the front of your mind!

So are you up for the challenge? Are you ready to "spark" your workout? There’s no time like the present, so get started today!

Misperceptions About Weight and Size

Perception is everything in the way we see our weight. Satisfaction and dissatisfaction are based a private reality. Some fat people think they are thin and some thin people think they are fat, which shouldn't be a problem except that perception influences the way we take care of ourselves and our self-care, in turn, determines our likelihood of staying healthy.

Assessing Weight Perception

In research settings, when clinicians assess satisfaction with weight and body image, they use instruments to gauge the way individuals think about their appearance. For instance, Stunkard’s 1983 classic Figure Rating Scale (shown below) is commonly used to assess body image perception in studies. Research subjects would be asked to select the figures that represent their current, actual, and ideal size, which would then be compared to figures selected by the research scientists. This scale and others are appropriate for initial screening of whether perception is off at either end of the range.

“I'm not fat; I'm fluffy, big-boned, etc.”

A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine last week showed perception is off for a subset of the obese population. The study consisted of a survey of more than 2000 men and women who participated in the Dallas Heart Study between 2000 and 2002. Everyone in the survey was in the obese range with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or more. (At 5’4”, BMI 30 is 174 pounds and at 5’11", it is 209 pounds.)

The participants were asked to look at images of nine figures that varied in size from underweight to overweight (like Stunkard’s Figure Rating Scale) and to chose the figure that looked most like them. Eight percent of the respondents saw themselves at a normal weight even though they were actually obese and two-thirds of them said they were at low risk of ever becoming obese.

Most Likely to Misperceive

This study concluded that underestimation of body size is more common among African-Americans, Hispanics, and heavy people who are active. It’s easy to see how we could miss a weight problem when everyone around us is overweight. Other studies have shown that, in general, people with more education and higher earnings have a more realistic view of their appearance, and that women, are more likely to see themselves as heavier, regardless of size, presently or in the past. Likewise, people living in societies that put a premium on thinness commonly express the opposite misperception, seeing themselves as fat when they are thin. How often do we hear people say, “I can’t stand my body,” when their bodies are perfectly functioning and normal in every way.

Ignorance is Bliss

Reuters reports that, in the Dallas survey, people who misperceived their body weight were happier with their health and felt healthier than those who did recognize their obesity. They were also more likely to think they would not develop high blood pressure or diabetes or have a heart attack or stroke during their lifetimes. In addition, they were less likely to see their doctors or seek out screenings for diabetes, blood pressure, and their potential for stroke.

The Bottom Line: It’s great to have a positive body image regardless of weight and size and, in the short run, one is only as healthy as he or she feels. But it is also naïve to think that the complications of obesity don’t apply to any of us. It's not a good idea to be blind to risks down the road. For ourselves and our loved ones, it is best to use objective health determinants like height for weight, BMI and body composition to identify impending problems and to nip them in the bud.

By Mary_RD on Oct 26, 2010 10:00 AM in Tips & Updates

Which McDonald's item should you choose?

McDonald's Regular Hamburger
McDonald's Premium Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich (no mayo)










Scroll Down to See The Winner


Which McDonald's sandwich should you choose?
A regular-sized hamburger from any fast food joint is usually a smaller portion, making it a good choice. And grilled chicken makes for a lower-fat alternative to breaded chicken. Plus, the tomato slice and leaf lettuce on McDonald's Premium Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich both pack some vitamins that McDonald's Regular Hamburger lacks. But between a hamburger and a chicken sandwich, which has fewer calories?


The Low-Cal Winner
McDonald's Regular Hamburger


Although the grilled chicken is lower in fat (4.5 grams compared to the burger's 9 grams), the low-calorie winner is the hamburger. At 250 calories, a regular hamburger can satisfy your fast food craving without much damage. The Premium Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich, while still one of the healthiest sandwich choices, weighs in at 370 calories—and that's with no mayo in sight! If you're looking for a lower-calorie grilled chicken option, McDonald's Honey Mustard Snack Wrap with Grilled Chicken contains just 260 calories and 9 grams of fat. Leave off the cheese and you will save 40 calories and 3 grams of fat. Now that's a fast, healthy bite!

RESULTS TIME! Half-Way... week 5!

We're at the HALF WAY point...and here are your current TOP 10!


1. Holt, Derick -12.2%
2. Almarez, Martin -12.0%
3. Hooker, James -11.3%
4. Parreira, Merry -10.6%
5. Holt, Rick -9.6%
6. Baucom, Debbie -9.2%
7. Parreira, Joe -9.1%
8. Gonzales, Elizabeth -7.7%
9. Lellhame, Sabrina -7.5%
10.Davis, Tami -7.2%


PAST WEEK'S CHALLENGE... I asked you so send me your favorite lo-cal snack to share in an upcoming column in our blog. I received a good handful, and you should see them on the blog by the end of the weekend. Our winner, drawn randonly from those who sent in ideas was... TAMRA PARTIN! Tamra, you can pick up your copy of the Biggest Loser book on Monday at weigh-in. Here was Tamra's lo-cal idea:

Homemade Mocha:
Cup of Coffee = NO CALORIES
Hot Cocoa Mix = 25 Calorie Pack

Take care of a sweet tooth and save money and calories by not going to Starbucks!!!

THIS WEEK'S MINI CHALLENGE... The next mini-challenge will cover a 2 week period, beginning today and ending on November 1st. Everyone who loses 2 lbs or more will be put in a drawing for The Biggest Loser Fitness Program book. Fast, Safe, and effective Workouts to Target and Tone Your Trouble Spots.

Speaking of Fitness Programs,starting a fitness program doesn’t have to be overwhelming when you are armed with the proper tools to get things rolling. Once you’ve committed to getting in shape, there are several things you can do to ensure you’ll exceed your short and long term fitness goals. There are also some things you should avoid at all costs to ensure you stay on the path to fitness and wellness. What exactly are the rules when it comes to fitness?

Do
•Write down your fitness goals. You’re more likely to stick with a program once you have set some specific goals.
•Always strive to eat a well balanced diet that includes ample servings of vegetables and fruit.
•Break down your meals so you are eating several mini meals per day.
•Assess your current fitness level before starting an exercise program. By doing so, you’ll be able to establish goals that meet your specific fitness needs.
•Consider talking with your health care provider before embarking on a fitness program, particularly if you are struggling with a health condition such as diabetes or obesity.
•Supplement your diet with essential fatty acids. You can do this by eating two servings of fish per week.
•Choose alternatives to satisfy your cravings when possible. Consider frozen fruit over ice cream or opt for a mini chocolate instead of the whole candy bar.
•Always stretch before and after your exercise routine.
•Don’t overdo it! Try doing too much at once and you’ll burn out swiftly. Slowly increase the intensity of your workouts.
•Diversify your workout routine. If you do the same exercises day after day, you’ll quickly tire and are more likely to skip workouts.
•Work out with a friend. You’ll help motivate each other.
•Keep healthy snacks available at all times. You’re less likely to grab junk food if something good for you is readily available.


Don’t
•Over-train. Your body needs time to recover in between workouts.
•Skip breakfast. Eating breakfast will jump start your metabolism and provide you with the energy you need to get through the day.
•Skip stretching.
•Skimp on sleep.
•Set unrealistic goals. A healthy rate of weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week. If you have 50 pounds to lose, don’t expect it to come off overnight, you’ll set yourself up for disappointment.
•Compare your successes and failures to others. Everyone is unique, and what works for some may not work for others.
•Work out randomly. Work out regularly to maximize the benefits you’ll reap from a consistent fitness routine.
•Give up. Consider talking with a friend in times of discouragement.
•Forget to reward yourself on occasion.

"One of the most common mistakes first-timers make is taking on too much at once. You’ll be too sore and too tired within a few short days to continue. Always start out slowly, ALWAYS." - D. Cavalone, Personal Trainer

Always remember to keep an open mind and remain flexible when starting a new exercise routine. At times you may find it necessary to change your routine slightly. Life is a dynamic ride and you’ll find your fitness journey is too. If you’re willing to try new things and set reasonable expectations, you’ll reap the rewards of your fitness program and successfully achieve your fitness goals.
-Antigone Arthur

What is "Normal" Eating? - Part 1

Test Your Knowledge with the Normal Eating Quiz

Do you often wonder how “normal” your eating habits are, or how they compare to what experts consider to be a “healthy” approach?

If you’ve adopted a philosophy of a "lifestyle” approach to weight loss, then you know that a crash diet—or any other temporary diet—isn’t a good idea. But what does “normal” eating look like, especially when you have quite a bit of weight to lose? Do you sometimes wonder where to draw the line between doing what’s necessary to lose weight, and becoming too focused on what you eat? Are you confused about whether normal eating is something you start doing after you’ve lost the weight, or something you should aim for now as part of your weight loss program? And can you recognize the difference between normal eating behaviors and attitudes, disordered eating, and full-fledged clinical eating disorders—and determine when you or a family member might benefit from professional help?

If you feel a little confused about all this, you’re not alone. There are a lot of confusing and contradictory claims floating around about what’s “normal” when it comes to food.

This article, the first in a series of three articles discussing "normal" and abnormal eating habits, contains a quiz that will help you identify your own eating behaviors, attitudes and assumptions. When scoring your quiz, you'll learn how your behaviors stack up against what the experts say about healthy, normal weight loss and effective long-term weight maintenance.

Quiz: Are Your Eating Normally?

The six statements below discuss common eating behaviors and attitudes. If you agree or mostly agree with the statement, mark it True; if you disagree or mostly disagree, mark it False. Write down your answers as you go along so that you can compare your responses with the explanations below.

1. True or False: It is normal to eat when you are hungry and stop when you feel satisfied.

2. True or False: People should trust their food preferences to guide them in making healthy food choices.

3. True or False: To lose weight, you must adhere to strict goals for daily calorie intake and exercise.

4. True or False: It is abnormal to eat for any reason other than meeting your body's nutrition and energy needs.

5. True or False: "Good" foods should be eaten regularly and "bad" foods should be avoided as much as possible.

6. True or False: Since you have to eat fewer calories than you burn to lose weight, you should expect to be a little hungry most of the time.

ANSWERS

1. True—It is normal to eat when you are hungry and stop when you feel satisfied. Every healthy person has an innate, biochemical system that regulates hunger and satisfaction in response to your body's actual needs. Problems such as emotional eating or poor impulse control may have led you to lose contact with this system over time. But you can reconnect with it and use it to establish normal eating behaviors and patterns that you can rely on, even while you are working to lose weight.

2. True—You should use your food preferences as a guide when making choices. We all have innate tastes and preferences, such as a “sweet tooth” or a preference for salty and fatty foods. Under normal circumstances, these preferences enable you to make food choices that meet your nutritional needs. Unfortunately, most of us live in a food environment that provides many food choices that appeal to our innate preferences, but provide empty calories (soda) or have excessive calories, salt, fat or sugar for their nutritional value (candy bars). This means you will need to beef up and use your nutritional knowledge to navigate your way to “normal” food choices. Trying to deny your desire for sweet, fatty or salty foods will usually cause more problems than it solves.

3. False—To lose weight you must maintain a calorie deficit over time. Your body does not operate like a bank account with cutoff times and daily account balancing. It is always in the process of using or storing energy, based on what you're doing at the moment. Tracking calories eaten and burned over a 24-hour period is merely one convenient way for us to monitor things. Going “over” on calories on any one day does NOT mean you have blown it. And it certainly doesn’t mean you should continue overeating and start over later, or that you should go to the opposite extreme of restricting food the next day. It is simply a very small bump in a very long road.

4. False—It is normal to eat for other reasons besides nutrition. Food is never just fuel. Our bodies react to foods in many ways, producing feelings of pleasure and relief from unpleasant physiological states such as anxiety, stress, and low mood. We learn from our earliest moments to associate eating with comfort, caring, and human connection. Likewise, human cultures have always given many deep, social, and even spiritual meanings to food and eating. It is completely normal to use food for all these purposes. However, it's not normal to use food as your primary way of meeting these needs, or to push away uncomfortable feelings and thoughts.

5. False—There are no "good" or "bad" foods. A healthy, active body can utilize a certain amount of virtually all kinds of nutrients, including refined sugar and saturated fat—it’s simply a question of reasonable amounts. Normal eating does not abide by strict or inflexible rules, or even “healthy” ones. It is about finding your own balance between pleasure, health & fitness, good nutrition and meeting your weight goals.

6. False—You should not feel hungry all the time. As long as you have surplus fat to burn, your body should be able to handle a reasonable caloric deficit without experiencing chronic hunger. If you are eating normally, you can expect to feel hungry every 4 hours or so, which is when your regulatory system typically wants you to eat something. If you are hungry more often than that, you may be eating too little, aiming to lose weight too quickly, eating unbalanced meals, or mistaking appetite (the desire to eat for reasons other than satisfying your body's needs) for hunger.

Fast Food: Convenient and Healthy

When you are on the go, you need to get things done and get them done now. Unfortunately, for some people, this means everything is done “on the go.” However, just because you live your life in the fast lane doesn’t mean that your eating habits have to stay there, too.

Today more than ever, fast food restaurants are trying to jump on the bandwagon of society’s push to live a healthier lifestyles by advertising low-fat and healthier options on their menus. Take advantage of this! Obviously, the best and most effective ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle are by exercising and maintaining a nutritious diet, but everybody knows there are those times when you are forced to grab your grub from the drive-thru. So the question is, how can you eat fast and healthy?

The first of two ways you can cut down on your fat and calorie intake is by ordering salads or grilled, not fried, sandwiches. Fast food chains McDonalds and Wendy’s both offer a variety of healthy and tasty salads on their menus, all under $4. If you are not in the mood for crisp veggies, then try McDonalds’ grilled chicken sandwich with only 10 grams of fat and 230 calories or the Jr. Hamburger from Wendy’s with only 9 grams of fat and 270 calories, both under $2.

There is always the fresh and fast option of Subway, which has 6 sub sandwiches under 6 grams of fat, all under $5. Even though we are all familiar with Jared and his love for Subway, his ability to have the discipline to limit the type of fast food he put into his body helped his weight loss more than anything. So come on! It’s simple and you can do it! Eat to fill your nutritional needs, not just to curb your hunger. You can eat healthy while still getting the treat of eating out if you practice these simple ideas:


• Ask or look for the nutritional information available for restaurants. Be mindful of what you are eating.
• Go easy on the condiments and extras, i.e. cheese, sauces, super-sizing.
• Eat in moderation.
• Eating fast food here and there won’t hurt, but don’t make it habitual.
• Substitute grilled for fried.
• Drink ice water or milk instead of soda.
• Beware of fat filled salad dressing.
• Chicken is often less fatty than beef.
• If you splurge on fast food for lunch, make extra sure that your dinner is healthy and nutritious.

Results Time! Week 4

TOP 10 through week 4
Holt, Derick -10.88%
Hooker, James -10.31%
Almarez, Martin -10.30%
Holt, Rick -9.08%
Parreira, Merry -8.61%
Baucom, Debbie -7.08%
Davis, Tami -6.94%
Parreira, Joe -6.88%
Gonzales, Elizabeth -6.77%
Briggs, Jonathan -6.40%


LAST WEEK'S WINNERS.... The mini challenge last week was to show up for one of our FREE workout sessions. We threw your name in a hat each time you showed up from last Tuesday through Monday morning, then we pulled 3 names to receive a free Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred with Weights DVD.
And the winners are: AMBER LANTZ, SOPHIA JIMENEZ, RAMONA LOPEZ!

THIS WEEK'S MINI CHALLENGE... This next challenge is for our BLOG! Healthy snacks are all around us, except when we seem to be STARVING! E-mail me with your favorite "Healthy Snack", include the number of calories and serving size, and I will start compiling them immediately on our BLOG where all of you can view them. When you get hungry and don't know what to grab, check out the blog and see what your fellow challengers are eating! Oh, and of course, if you email me a snack idea for this challenge you will become eligible to win the NYT Bestseller: The Biggest Loser...The Weight-Loss Program to Transform Your Body, Health, and Life!

Nearly 25 people have now lost more than 5% of their overall body weight in these 1st 4 weeks, and as you can see, our leaders are now passing the 10% lost mark. This is significant and reason to celebrate!


Losing just 5 to 10 percent of your body weight reduces your risk of serious diseases.

Many people want to be healthy more than they want to be skinny. One of the most important reasons to lose weight and maintain that weight loss has to do with your health. Excess weight is associated with many health problems, some of them life-threatening.

Heart Disease
It’s the leading cause of death in both men and women in the U.S. Being overweight can have as much of an impact on your heart’s health as smoking and high cholesterol, according to medical studies. It increases the risk of high blood pressure, which is associated with a risk of strokes, and promotes abnormal levels of blood cholesterol. If you sport a spare tire or a beer belly, do what you can to get rid of it: Abdominal weight is linked to an increased risk of heart disease.

Type 2 Diabetes
According to the American Diabetes Association, you’re at risk of developing this blood sugar metabolism disorder if you are overweight, have a sedentary lifestyle, and are over the age of 45. Uncontrolled, type 2 diabetes leads to serious medical problems, such as heart disease, kidney disease, and blindness.

Cancer
Several years ago, an important large-scale study on the relationship between cancer and obesity was conducted by the American Cancer Society. It involved 750,000 Americans from 26 states and analyzed information on the participants’ body weights, smoking habits, and cancer deaths over a 13-year period, from 1959 to 1972.

After adjusting for the effects of age and cigarette smoking, the study found that people whose body weight was 40 percent higher than average had an overall increased risk of cancer death -- a 33 percent increase in men and a 55 percent increase in women.

Overweight men had higher rates of colorectal and prostate cancers, and overweight women had higher rates of gallbladder, breast, cervix, endometrium, uterus, and ovarian cancers.

Osteoarthritis
This condition involves a wearing away of the tissue that protects your joints and can be both painful and debilitating. According to the Arthritis Foundation, being overweight contributes to, and aggravates, osteoarthritis.

Sleep Apnea
With this sleep disorder, the upper respiratory airways collapse, resulting in people snoring loudly, waking up suddenly, and then returning to sleep. It causes poor sleep and severe daytime fatigue.

Summing UpIf you are overweight, losing even a little weight can help you be healthier. Medical experts generally agree that losing just five to 10 percent of your body weight reduces your risk of serious diseases.

Do You Know If You Are REALLY Hungry?

No, it’s not a trick question. The thing is, most of us overweight folk are so used to putting something into our mouths whether we’re hungry or not hungry; upset or not upset; happy or not happy—that we totally lose touch with what real hunger is.

“It goes back to listening to your body,” Bob said in a phone conversation just today. “When my contestants get to the ranch and start eating healthy meals and snacks on a regular schedule with lots of exercise, then after about two weeks, they really know what hunger is.”

“At first they’re like, ‘I’m not gonna eat.’ Then, after working out so hard they don’t feel like eating. But finally it kicks in,” he said.

If a contestant feels really, really hungry, despite having eaten as planned, Bob encourages them to have a small snack, but a healthy one and more protein than carbs. Then just keep on going and eventually your hunger meter is going to settle into normality.

One important mental game not to play with yourself, he says, is to think that because you’re working out, you’re entitled to eat more. Yes, you’re going to be hungrier, but pay attention to what your body is telling you and if you must snack, do it in the new healthy way you’re adopting. You can re-program your thinking!

13 Keys to Success

From Biggest Loser Club Experts

6 Exercise Keys to Success
1) Doing 200 – 300 minutes of cardio per week (or building up to it).
2) Making sure your cardio exercise is challenging. Beginners do a steady, challenging pace. Experienced exercisers alternate a hard day with an easier recovery day to help recover from hard efforts.
3) Making steady and measurable improvements in your cardio fitness.
4) Doing strength training for each major body part (chest, back, legs, shoulders, core) 2 – 3 days per week.
5) Making sure the resistance you use for your strength exercises is very challenging.
6) Making steady and measurable improvements in your strength.

7 Nutrition Keys to Success
1) Eat every 3-4 of your waking hours (which will give you 5-6 small meals/snacks per day).
2) Eat protein and/or fat with carbs.
3) Choose high fiber carbs and not white flour carbs.
4) Make sure that you have a good source of protein at lunch and dinner.
5) Choose healthy fats, like nuts, seeds, fish, avocado, and olive oil, and eat a couple of servings daily. Don't cut your fat intake too low.
6) Make sure you're eating 2-3 fruit servings each day.
7) Make sure you're eating at least 3 servings of vegetables each day.

Chicken & Spinach Soup w/ fresh pesto

This fragrant, Italian-flavored soup takes advantage of quick-cooking ingredients—boneless, skinless chicken breast, bagged baby spinach and canned beans. It features a simple homemade basil pesto swirled in at the end to add a fresh herb flavor. If you are very pressed for time, you can substitute 3 to 4 tablespoons of a store-bought basil pesto.

Makes 5 servings, about 1 1/2 cups each

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 cup carrot or diced red bell pepper
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 8 ounces), cut into quarters
1 large clove garlic, minced
5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons dried marjoram
6 ounces baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans or great northern beans, rinsed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
Freshly ground pepper to taste
3/4 cup plain or herbed multigrain croutons for garnish (optional)

Directions

1.Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add carrot (or bell pepper) and chicken; cook, turning the chicken and stirring frequently, until the chicken begins to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Stir in broth and marjoram; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
2.With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken pieces to a clean cutting board to cool. Add spinach and beans to the pot and bring to a gentle boil. Cook for 5 minutes to blend the flavors.
3.Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, Parmesan and basil in a food processor (a mini processor works well). Process until a coarse paste forms, adding a little water and scraping down the sides as necessary.
4.Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Stir the chicken and pesto into the pot. Season with pepper. Heat until hot. Garnish with croutons, if desired.
Nutrition Information

Per serving: 204 calories, 8g fat, 18g protein, 6g fiber, 691mg sodium

RESULTS FOR WEEK 3

TOP 10 through week 3
1. Holt, Derick -9.21%
2. Almarez, Martin -9.14%
3. Hooker, James -8.66%
4. Holt, Rick -8.38%
5. Parreira, Merry -6.84%
6. Parreira, Joe -6.65%
7. Rodrigues, Darren -5.74%
8. Jimenez, Jose -5.53%
9. Gonzales, Elizabeth -5.50%
10. Jimenez, Sophia -5.42%


As a group, we have now lost a total of 758lb in 3 weeks!

THIS WEEKS NEW MINI CHALLENGE: By including exercise in your weight loss program, you’ll discover that not only will the weight come off, but your metabolism will improve, your fat will be replaced by lean, muscle tissue (rather than loose, jiggly flab), you’ll feel more energetic and mentally alert, and you’ll be better able to keep the fat off. Our goal for you this week is to come and try out one of the early morning or evening Biggest Loser exercise classes that we offer our challenge participants free of charge. For each Biggest Loser exercise class you attend, your name will be put in a drawing for 1 of 3 Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred with Weights DVD's. If you attend one class this week, your name goes in the drawing once...If you attend 3 of the classes this week, you get your name in the drawing 3 times! I'm attaching our workout schedule to this email, or you can visit our blog for the schedule of times as well by clicking http://BLTurlock.blogspot.com


Last weeks Mini Challenge winners: Last week we challenged you to lose 2lbs in one week. 33 of you lost 2 lbs or more! Great job. Our 5 winners are (names randomly chosen)
Mike Curry
Jaylen Schindler
Ronna Uliana
Paulette Cooper
Darren Rodrigues
Congratulations! You each won a Biggest Loser Complete Calorie Count Book! The book will be in your file next monday at weigh-in!

This week not only saw 33 people LOSE 2 lbs or more, but we also had a large contingent of folks who really struggled. As a matter of fact, we had over 40 people who GAINED weight this week. Am I surprised? No. 3 weeks into a diet plan, that's when it starts getting tough. The novelty is wearing off. The reality is setting in. This is just plain hard work! The truth is, after the 3rd week has usually been when i quit and give up.

You may have been dieting for a few weeks, started off well, but over the last couple of weeks your weight loss may have slowed down. In fact, you may even have gained a couple of pounds and right now you may be wondering if you can be bothered to continue. You may even be thinking to yourself: "Just one more bad week and I can stop dieting and slip away quietly."

If this sounds like you, let me ask you a question.


Q. Have you experienced this type of situation before? For example, did your previous diet plan end in similar circumstances? Did slower weight loss cause you to feel disillusioned about your progress and then to quit the diet altogether? If so, what happened when you stopped dieting? Did you feel better? Were you happier? What has happened to your weight since that time?


Bearing in mind your answers to these questions, let me try and explain the reality of losing weight. Not the hype, not the false promises, but the reality.

Most of us become overweight as a result of bad eating habits. To reduce weight, we need to change these habits. But this change can only happen over time. Starting a diet won't erase all your regular cravings for fattening foods overnight. You need at least a couple of months to feel comfortable with your new eating habits.

Unfortunately, most dieters expect miracles! They think that as soon as they start dieting, all their bad eating habits will fly out the window. And when this doesn't happen, they become unhappy and frustrated and - usually after about three weeks - give up their diet altogether.

As we say to all our participants, the truth is that losing weight requires patience and, above all, realistic expectations. Most people who expect rapid continuous weight-loss are doomed to rapid disappointment. You need to persevere, and be prepared to "bounce back" from the inevitable bad days and bad weeks.

But it's definitely worth it.

I mean, how does quitting your diet help? Sure, it might take some pressure off you temporarily, but pretty soon you're going to look in the mirror and think "Ouch!" And all your old negative feelings about yourself are going to come flooding back. Which will probably lead to more comfort-eating and more weight gain.

So quitting a diet is no solution to anything.

The people who succeed at losing weight are not "perfect dieters". They do not lose weight every week. They do not have a secret store of super-human willpower that stops them from wanting to binge on ice cream, chocolate or pizza. They have bad days and bad weeks, just like any other dieter. The thing that distinguishes them and the thing that helps them succeed, is that THEY DO NOT GIVE UP WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH. They don't fold if disaster strikes.

Recipe: Curtis Stone's Turkey and Vegetable Chili

Here's a healthy alternative to a hearty favorite, chili!

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

For the chili:
1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, medium diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small red chili, seeded and small diced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 large carrot, peeled and small diced
1 large celery stalk, medium diced
1 small yellow bell pepper, seeded and medium dice
12 ounces 1% lean ground turkey
4 medium size ripe tomatoes, medium diced
8 oz cooked white or black beans
4 cups baby spinach
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup plain fat free Greek style yogurt
Micro cilantro to garnish, (can substitute with chopped chives or chopped cilantro)


METHOD

•Place a large saute pan over medium high heat, then drizzle with the oil.
•Add the onion, garlic, and red chili and sauté for 2 minutes, or until tender.
•Sprinkle the cumin over the onion mix and stir well, then add the carrot, celery, and bell pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the vegetables begin to get tender.
•In a separate saute pan, brown the turkey in the remaining oil over medium high heat, then transfer to the vegetable mix.
•Add the tomatoes and the beans and cook for a further 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the tomatoes have broken down and most of the liquid has evaporated.
•Stir in the spinach and remove from the heat.
•Season the chili to taste with freshly ground black pepper
•Spoon the chili into serving dishes
•Spoon a tablespoon of the yogurt onto each garnish with the micro cilantro and serve.

Nutrition Facts:
Calories 280
Total Fat 7g
Sat Fat 1.5g
Cholesterol 35mg
Sodium 120mg
Total Carb 28g
Dietary Fiber 9g
Sugar 7g
Protein 29g