Timing is everything, they say, and I somewhat agree when it comes to food. There are lots of diets that talk about when to eat, when not to eat, what time to stop eating for the day, what time to start eating after you wake up...etc, etc.
The whole timing thing is important, but for me it's comprised of two truths and a lie:
Truth: Eating many small meals throughout the day IS healthier than eating only two or three large meals. By eating small meals/snacks all day, you are keeping your metabolism going and not over-stuffing yourself in one shot. The human body does better when it processes smaller amounts of nutrients and calories throughout the day. Forcing it to break down 3 times as much food as your body has capacity for (which is typical of an American portion-sized lunch or dinner), causes the metabolism to slow and the body to store more of the calories as fat. Bad news.
The other benefit to small meals throughout the day is that you never go hungry. You're always eating and keeping yourself satisfied and your metabolism revving at top speeds.
Truth: Eating late at night is bad for you....maybe. This fact IS true, but only when you have a regular sleep schedule modeled after the typical American lifestyle at present. If you wake up early, spend all day active (awake) and go to bed between 9pm and midnight, yes eating late at night is bad for you. The reason why this is so is uncovered in the lie:
Lie: Eating late at night is bad for you. Your body doesn't care what time it is, it only cares what part of your body cycle it is in at the time. If you follow a similar schedule to the one I outlined above, then eating late means you are eating right before you go to bed. This means that your body will either have to process the foods you eat at a slower rate while you're winding down at a lower energy level, or the food may sit in your system processing at a snail's pace while you sleep. This causes much more of the calorie intake to be stored as fat. Again, bad news. But if you woke up at noon, spend all day active (awake) and go to bed at 3am, eating at 9pm isn't going to hurt you. You still have 6 hours then left in your day to process the food and that is plenty of time.
Timing can be everything, but you have to time your eating with what works best for your schedule. Whatever time you go to bed and wake up, these are my main recommendations:
-Work out before your first meal. It kick starts your metabolism for the day.
-Eat breakfast! It revs up your metabolism and keeps your from becoming ravenous around lunch time
-Smaller meals more often is always the healthiest choice
-Midnight desserts are okay sometimes, but never make eating before bed a habit
What do you think about these timing rules?
And just out of curiosity, what is your favorite midnight snack?
-Mine is pie ;)
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
A V-day throwdown throwback
Here is an old article I wrote on my open and honest feelings when it comes to this, most superfluous holiday:
Battle of the sexes
Is Valentine’s Day tougher for men or women? This is where I stand:
Many people have negative opinions about Valentine’s Day, often complaining about the nature of the holiday itself. If you’re in a healthy and loving relationship, every day should be what Valentine’s Day pretends to be,” There shouldn’t be a holiday that dictates when you have to tell your partner that you love them; you just should
And yet, Feb. 14 remains as it has always been. Every year, when Valentine’s Day rolls around, the world becomes painted in shades of red, pink and white, and on every TV channel, billboard and radio station, there are ads for jewelry stores, florists, greeting cards and chocolate retailers. What do these ads have in common? They are reminders, both subtle and blatant, of what men need to be doing for their special someones on this particular day. Yes, most of the time, these ads are strictly designed for men.
The staple of Valentine’s Day is, by nature, designed to be gifts from men to their girlfriends, wives and other special women in their lives. While there are always exceptions to every trend, teddy bears, flowers and chocolates are gifts that are generally designed for women. You never see a billboard reminding women to get their husbands the latest Madden or hear an advertisement from Hooters explaining how much their husbands and boyfriends would appreciate a dinner there. The most women are required to do, it seems, is purchase lingerie as a prize to their significant others, should they meet the expectations set upon them on this holiday.
On Valentine’s Day, the expectations on men far outweigh the ones on women. Traditionally, men are supposed to spend every moment of the day doing special, romantic things for their wives or girlfriends, surprising them with expensive and classy gifts. What are the expectations on women? Besides reciprocating the purchase of some romantic gesture, like a watch or a symbolic necklace, the woman is practically free of requirements for this occasion. The man is expected to lavish her with gifts, pay for the meals and events, and arrange spectacular surprises at every turn, while the woman merely sits back and gives her husband or boyfriend a token of her affection at some point.
So many girlfriends and wives make their husbands work so hard just to meet a certain standard of gifts and romantic gestures on this one day, and the consequences of not exceeding their expectations are often severe. People have actually gotten divorced because their boyfriend or husband forgot to buy them a gift, card or flowers. It’s stupid and unfair.
Why do men submit themselves to this quasi-slavery? Often, they are focused on the pot of gold at the end of their rainbow of hard work, in the form of romantic attention from their spouse or girlfriend, as they likely have picked up some wearable Valentine’s Day gifts for them.
That sounds nice, but when you really think about it, it only further subdues men on this day.
Men practically have to jump through hoops of fire to win a prize they usually get by default every other day of the year. Women seem to have all the control. If they’re satisfied with the man’s performance, the man gets a treat. If not, he gets to sleep on the couch. This kind of behavior practically equates men to dogs.
The worst that women have to complain about is how horrible their boyfriends and husbands performed on Valentine’s Day, while men have the burdens of gift costs, event planning and the pressure to please their significant others.
This holiday may have been about mutual expression of love at one point, but now it is simply an exercise in how much greater one woman’s boyfriend or husband is than the next.
Just once, I would like to see a man get pampered on Valentine’s Day. I’d love to see him get surprised with the new issue of Maxim at breakfast. I’d love to see his girlfriend plan an entire afternoon of sports-watching and Halo playing followed by dinner at his favorite barbecue pit or pool hall.
If nothing else, should a man perform exceptionally well on this holiday, they should be given their own special day where their wives and girlfriends have to worry and stress over showing their affection and appreciation in different but equal ways.
Battle of the sexes
Is Valentine’s Day tougher for men or women? This is where I stand:
Many people have negative opinions about Valentine’s Day, often complaining about the nature of the holiday itself. If you’re in a healthy and loving relationship, every day should be what Valentine’s Day pretends to be,” There shouldn’t be a holiday that dictates when you have to tell your partner that you love them; you just should
And yet, Feb. 14 remains as it has always been. Every year, when Valentine’s Day rolls around, the world becomes painted in shades of red, pink and white, and on every TV channel, billboard and radio station, there are ads for jewelry stores, florists, greeting cards and chocolate retailers. What do these ads have in common? They are reminders, both subtle and blatant, of what men need to be doing for their special someones on this particular day. Yes, most of the time, these ads are strictly designed for men.
The staple of Valentine’s Day is, by nature, designed to be gifts from men to their girlfriends, wives and other special women in their lives. While there are always exceptions to every trend, teddy bears, flowers and chocolates are gifts that are generally designed for women. You never see a billboard reminding women to get their husbands the latest Madden or hear an advertisement from Hooters explaining how much their husbands and boyfriends would appreciate a dinner there. The most women are required to do, it seems, is purchase lingerie as a prize to their significant others, should they meet the expectations set upon them on this holiday.
On Valentine’s Day, the expectations on men far outweigh the ones on women. Traditionally, men are supposed to spend every moment of the day doing special, romantic things for their wives or girlfriends, surprising them with expensive and classy gifts. What are the expectations on women? Besides reciprocating the purchase of some romantic gesture, like a watch or a symbolic necklace, the woman is practically free of requirements for this occasion. The man is expected to lavish her with gifts, pay for the meals and events, and arrange spectacular surprises at every turn, while the woman merely sits back and gives her husband or boyfriend a token of her affection at some point.
So many girlfriends and wives make their husbands work so hard just to meet a certain standard of gifts and romantic gestures on this one day, and the consequences of not exceeding their expectations are often severe. People have actually gotten divorced because their boyfriend or husband forgot to buy them a gift, card or flowers. It’s stupid and unfair.
Why do men submit themselves to this quasi-slavery? Often, they are focused on the pot of gold at the end of their rainbow of hard work, in the form of romantic attention from their spouse or girlfriend, as they likely have picked up some wearable Valentine’s Day gifts for them.
That sounds nice, but when you really think about it, it only further subdues men on this day.
Men practically have to jump through hoops of fire to win a prize they usually get by default every other day of the year. Women seem to have all the control. If they’re satisfied with the man’s performance, the man gets a treat. If not, he gets to sleep on the couch. This kind of behavior practically equates men to dogs.
The worst that women have to complain about is how horrible their boyfriends and husbands performed on Valentine’s Day, while men have the burdens of gift costs, event planning and the pressure to please their significant others.
This holiday may have been about mutual expression of love at one point, but now it is simply an exercise in how much greater one woman’s boyfriend or husband is than the next.
Just once, I would like to see a man get pampered on Valentine’s Day. I’d love to see him get surprised with the new issue of Maxim at breakfast. I’d love to see his girlfriend plan an entire afternoon of sports-watching and Halo playing followed by dinner at his favorite barbecue pit or pool hall.
If nothing else, should a man perform exceptionally well on this holiday, they should be given their own special day where their wives and girlfriends have to worry and stress over showing their affection and appreciation in different but equal ways.
Re-fueling
I've been feeling alot better lately now that I've changed up my diet a little. I have much more energy in dance class, despite the sore tailbone I'll be nursin for the next month or so... I really think this surge of energy comes from the foods I'm eating, and, even more so, the absence of certain foods I've cut out.
The refined carbs I was stuffing myself with on a daily basis via pizza, dough knots, pretzels, white rice and hoagie rolls, was giving me spikes of energy right away, and then leaving me with a burnt out fuse for the rest of the night. Not good for dance class. I barely made it through half of a zumba class after work last week.
I've given up cheese. I've given up dairy in general, actually. It really wasn't something I would eat very often, but it's made its way back into my diet lately, and I've been noticing negative effects in my dance classes and my workouts. I've been feeling much better since I've stopped eating cheese and other dairy products, having much more energy and a general lack of achy insides. Last night, I had a small cone of ice cream in an attempt to finish the last of the dairy products in the house, and what do you know? I went to bed with a tummy ache. Go figure.
The question is: Will I eat wedding cake? We'll see...
For dancers, avid gym-junkies, and athletes, I really do recommend dropping the white refined carbs and really limiting dairy products. These things spike you up and weigh you down, respectively, and you just might see a good difference in your performance, especially if you avoid these foods on days that you work out, dance or play.
What are the foods I HAVE been eating? Here is a list of foods that both my taste buds AND my body seem to love:
-Brown or brown and wild rice
-Fiber gourmet or whole wheat pastas
-Amy's frozen meals (Yum!)
-LUNA BARS
-Fruits
-Fresh veggies (It's no secret, I love carrots!)
-Sweet potatoes (with just cinnamon on top, baked...so good and low cal!)
-Stuffed peppers with brown rice, tomatoes, broccoli, spinach and boca burger. Yummy :)
What are the foods that fuel you? Maybe you can add a few more ideas to my list of pre-dance favorites!
The refined carbs I was stuffing myself with on a daily basis via pizza, dough knots, pretzels, white rice and hoagie rolls, was giving me spikes of energy right away, and then leaving me with a burnt out fuse for the rest of the night. Not good for dance class. I barely made it through half of a zumba class after work last week.
I've given up cheese. I've given up dairy in general, actually. It really wasn't something I would eat very often, but it's made its way back into my diet lately, and I've been noticing negative effects in my dance classes and my workouts. I've been feeling much better since I've stopped eating cheese and other dairy products, having much more energy and a general lack of achy insides. Last night, I had a small cone of ice cream in an attempt to finish the last of the dairy products in the house, and what do you know? I went to bed with a tummy ache. Go figure.
The question is: Will I eat wedding cake? We'll see...
For dancers, avid gym-junkies, and athletes, I really do recommend dropping the white refined carbs and really limiting dairy products. These things spike you up and weigh you down, respectively, and you just might see a good difference in your performance, especially if you avoid these foods on days that you work out, dance or play.
What are the foods I HAVE been eating? Here is a list of foods that both my taste buds AND my body seem to love:
-Brown or brown and wild rice
-Fiber gourmet or whole wheat pastas
-Amy's frozen meals (Yum!)
-LUNA BARS
-Fruits
-Fresh veggies (It's no secret, I love carrots!)
-Sweet potatoes (with just cinnamon on top, baked...so good and low cal!)
-Stuffed peppers with brown rice, tomatoes, broccoli, spinach and boca burger. Yummy :)
What are the foods that fuel you? Maybe you can add a few more ideas to my list of pre-dance favorites!
Monday, February 7, 2011
A new dawn, a new day
A new life...and I'm feelin' good.
That's pretty much how it feels every time we lose a pound, run a previously unattainable distance, or reach any goal in fitness. It feels like a new dawn has arrived, birds singing and everything.
I hope to feel this way soon for reaching my latest goals, but for now, I am enjoying the spirit of change. I am changing my lifestyle and my diet back to what it was when I was at my healthiest. After all, as a dancer my body is my INSTRUMENT and it has to come first and foremost in my life. I must treat it well.
Not just dancers, though. Everyone should put their bodies first. You only get one body and any amount of damage or mistreatment can be devastating to long term health and even make life inside that body a little shorter.
I try not to think about the damage that I've done with my body with ASPARTAME. For at least a year, I drank pretty much nothing but diet coke everyday, at least 2 liters per day while I was at work. It was tasty and satisfying at the time, but I hate to think about the fact that I caused myself migraines, digestive problems and possibly cancer in the future all to save a few calories on something I shouldn't be drinking anyway (sodas).
There is NOTHING in soda that we should be putting into our bodies. It is full of liquid chemicals and artificial ingredients and tons of sugar/syrups. Nothing else. No nutrients, no vitamins. Just sugar and chemicals. PLEASE stop drinking this!
Diet soda is even worse, by the way, because in addition to chemicals and syrups, it contains artificial sweeteners that are made with alcohols, dangerous acids and even arsenic! I know it's hard; it is hard for me to give it up. But PLEASE stop drinking sodas, especially diet sodas!
And for me, right now, that's just the tip of the iceberg. I've given up sodas, but I've also given up other foods that are doing nothing for me but adding some jiggle factor. I don't like jiggle factor...at all.
Foods that will be eliminated from my diet whenever I can help it:
-Sodas/Diet sodas
-Anything that contains artificial sweeteners
-White flour breads and pastas**
-Processed foods
-Anything with more than 7g of sugar per human sized serving (the amount I will eat, not the serving size listed on the box)
**White flour breads and pastas have been my bane these past two months. I have been eating way too many pizza crusts, cheeseless personal pizzas and calzones, pastas, white breads and plain garlic knots, and as a result I have ZERO energy and extra pounds.
I don't like that at all
So I'm redoing my diet right. I'm stripping the walls and repainting my diet with a fresh healthy new rubric that will give me more energy and keep my muscles from flabbing out.
I'm going to Whole Foods and Native Sun today. Upon return (after ballet) I will write a list of great foods that are full of nutrients and will keep us full of fiber and flavor at every meal. Do you know of any good foods/brands? Share please!!
That's pretty much how it feels every time we lose a pound, run a previously unattainable distance, or reach any goal in fitness. It feels like a new dawn has arrived, birds singing and everything.
I hope to feel this way soon for reaching my latest goals, but for now, I am enjoying the spirit of change. I am changing my lifestyle and my diet back to what it was when I was at my healthiest. After all, as a dancer my body is my INSTRUMENT and it has to come first and foremost in my life. I must treat it well.
Not just dancers, though. Everyone should put their bodies first. You only get one body and any amount of damage or mistreatment can be devastating to long term health and even make life inside that body a little shorter.
I try not to think about the damage that I've done with my body with ASPARTAME. For at least a year, I drank pretty much nothing but diet coke everyday, at least 2 liters per day while I was at work. It was tasty and satisfying at the time, but I hate to think about the fact that I caused myself migraines, digestive problems and possibly cancer in the future all to save a few calories on something I shouldn't be drinking anyway (sodas).
There is NOTHING in soda that we should be putting into our bodies. It is full of liquid chemicals and artificial ingredients and tons of sugar/syrups. Nothing else. No nutrients, no vitamins. Just sugar and chemicals. PLEASE stop drinking this!
Diet soda is even worse, by the way, because in addition to chemicals and syrups, it contains artificial sweeteners that are made with alcohols, dangerous acids and even arsenic! I know it's hard; it is hard for me to give it up. But PLEASE stop drinking sodas, especially diet sodas!
And for me, right now, that's just the tip of the iceberg. I've given up sodas, but I've also given up other foods that are doing nothing for me but adding some jiggle factor. I don't like jiggle factor...at all.
Foods that will be eliminated from my diet whenever I can help it:
-Sodas/Diet sodas
-Anything that contains artificial sweeteners
-White flour breads and pastas**
-Processed foods
-Anything with more than 7g of sugar per human sized serving (the amount I will eat, not the serving size listed on the box)
**White flour breads and pastas have been my bane these past two months. I have been eating way too many pizza crusts, cheeseless personal pizzas and calzones, pastas, white breads and plain garlic knots, and as a result I have ZERO energy and extra pounds.
I don't like that at all
So I'm redoing my diet right. I'm stripping the walls and repainting my diet with a fresh healthy new rubric that will give me more energy and keep my muscles from flabbing out.
I'm going to Whole Foods and Native Sun today. Upon return (after ballet) I will write a list of great foods that are full of nutrients and will keep us full of fiber and flavor at every meal. Do you know of any good foods/brands? Share please!!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Have your cake
And eat it! Because, what is the point of having cake if you can't shovel it into your mouth with a fork like a little kid at a birthday party?
On the other hand, cake isn't always in everyone's diet. It's certainly not in mine, but I have such a weakness for sweets. This morning, I am having dutch apple pie for breakfast. Gasp! It sounds so bad for me, right? Not this pie. Each of the 50 pies I have in my freezer are 140 calorie mini pies that are filling, nutritious and DELICIOUS!
Now, anyone who knows me, knows that I don't share my pies. But what I will share are my little secrets on how to get the most delicious desserts for 200 calories or less:
-http://www.lighttouchfood.com/store/
This site is where I order my pies from. They offer a wide variety of desserts and sweet treats like muffins, cheesecakes, cookies and brownies that are all sweetened with fructose and have less than 200 calories each. It seems expensive, but if you buy in bulk it saves a ton. I buy my pies in cases of 48, at just under $2 per pie. If you think about it, that's pretty cheap for a dessert these days, especially one that's good for you.
-P.F. Changs Mini desserts
They have 6 varieties of mini desserts that are sinfully delicious, but heavenly to your figure. I'm addicted to these, I swear! These include
Mini Carrot Cake
Mini Red Velvet Cake
Mini Great Wall (chocolate layer cake)
Mini Apple Pie
Mini Tiramisu
Mini Lemon Dream
(Tiramisu and Great wall are my favorites and they're only 100 calories each!)
-Homemade bananas foster
Oven baked bananas coated in cinnamon topped with a drizzle of chocolate syrup and some whipped cream. No sugar except in the syrup and whipped cream, and try to use low cal/low fat varieties of each to save even more calories for yourself.
Um, Can I have some now?
-Simply Delicious Cakes
This one is for my Jacksonville people, but there may be a similar bakery in other cities that offers a cake like this. Its a layer cake made only with Splenda instead of sugar, from the layers of moist cake to the mousse frosting. It is one of the best cakes I've ever tasted, and everyone who tasted some of the 6" cake I bought a few weeks ago never guessed (and still don't believe me) that its both sugar free and low calorie. Now I'm not an advocate for Splenda, but out of all of the artificial sweeteners, it is probably the least harmful option. Its okay every once in a while, and this cake is definitely worth it at 200 calories per slice (a good sized slice too!). It can be ordered in a variety of flavors and sizes so go see Theresa and pick one up today! (www.simplydeliciouscakes.com)
Tonight I had a PF Changs mini tiramisu for dessert. So good, I'm still thinking about it. :) I'm saving the mini great wall in my fridge for tomorrow unless I decide it's a pie kind of day!
Do you have any low calorie desserts you'd like to share? Please do! I'm always up to try new things that won't break my diet!
On the other hand, cake isn't always in everyone's diet. It's certainly not in mine, but I have such a weakness for sweets. This morning, I am having dutch apple pie for breakfast. Gasp! It sounds so bad for me, right? Not this pie. Each of the 50 pies I have in my freezer are 140 calorie mini pies that are filling, nutritious and DELICIOUS!
Now, anyone who knows me, knows that I don't share my pies. But what I will share are my little secrets on how to get the most delicious desserts for 200 calories or less:
-http://www.lighttouchfood.com/store/
This site is where I order my pies from. They offer a wide variety of desserts and sweet treats like muffins, cheesecakes, cookies and brownies that are all sweetened with fructose and have less than 200 calories each. It seems expensive, but if you buy in bulk it saves a ton. I buy my pies in cases of 48, at just under $2 per pie. If you think about it, that's pretty cheap for a dessert these days, especially one that's good for you.
-P.F. Changs Mini desserts
They have 6 varieties of mini desserts that are sinfully delicious, but heavenly to your figure. I'm addicted to these, I swear! These include
Mini Carrot Cake
Mini Red Velvet Cake
Mini Great Wall (chocolate layer cake)
Mini Apple Pie
Mini Tiramisu
Mini Lemon Dream
(Tiramisu and Great wall are my favorites and they're only 100 calories each!)
-Homemade bananas foster
Oven baked bananas coated in cinnamon topped with a drizzle of chocolate syrup and some whipped cream. No sugar except in the syrup and whipped cream, and try to use low cal/low fat varieties of each to save even more calories for yourself.
Um, Can I have some now?
-Simply Delicious Cakes
This one is for my Jacksonville people, but there may be a similar bakery in other cities that offers a cake like this. Its a layer cake made only with Splenda instead of sugar, from the layers of moist cake to the mousse frosting. It is one of the best cakes I've ever tasted, and everyone who tasted some of the 6" cake I bought a few weeks ago never guessed (and still don't believe me) that its both sugar free and low calorie. Now I'm not an advocate for Splenda, but out of all of the artificial sweeteners, it is probably the least harmful option. Its okay every once in a while, and this cake is definitely worth it at 200 calories per slice (a good sized slice too!). It can be ordered in a variety of flavors and sizes so go see Theresa and pick one up today! (www.simplydeliciouscakes.com)
Tonight I had a PF Changs mini tiramisu for dessert. So good, I'm still thinking about it. :) I'm saving the mini great wall in my fridge for tomorrow unless I decide it's a pie kind of day!
Do you have any low calorie desserts you'd like to share? Please do! I'm always up to try new things that won't break my diet!
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