Diet for healthy post-baby weight loss

Eager to get back into shape now that you're no longer pregnant? For long-term success – and to keep yourself feeling good along the way – keep these tips in mind.

Don't start dieting too soon

Your body needs time to recover from labor and delivery. Give yourself until your six-week postpartum checkup before you start watching your calorie intake and actively trying to slim down. And if you're breastfeeding, experts recommend that you wait until your baby is at least 2 months old before you try to lose weight.

Starting a diet too soon after giving birth can delay your recovery and make you feel more tired – and you need all the energy you can muster to adjust to life with your newborn. In addition, if you're nursing, dieting can affect your milk supply. If you're patient and give your body a chance to do its work, you may be surprised at how much weight you lose naturally, especially if you're breastfeeding.

Be realistic about weight loss

Keep in mind that you may not be able to return to your exact pre-pregnancy weight or shape. For many women, pregnancy causes permanent changes such as a softer belly, slightly wider hips, and a larger waistline. With this in mind, you might want to adjust your goals a bit. For a reality check, see our photo gallery of real post-baby bellies.

Embrace exercise

There's no magic pill to help you lose weight: A healthy diet combined with regular exercise is the best way to shed the pounds – and to keep them off. And it's important to exercise while trying to lose weight to ensure you're losing fat instead of muscle.

Once you're ready to begin losing weight, start by eating a little less and being more active – even if you're just taking a quick walk around the block with your baby in the stroller.

Lose weight slowly

Don't go on a strict, restrictive diet. Women need a minimum of 1,200 calories a day to stay healthy, and most women need more than that – between 1,500 and 2,200 calories a day – to keep up their energy and prevent mood swings. And if you're nursing, you need a bare minimum of 1,800 calories a day (most nursing moms need more like 2,000 to 2,700 calories) to nourish both yourself and your baby.

If you're breastfeeding, you'll want to make sure to take it slow – losing weight too quickly can cause a decrease in your milk supply.

Too-rapid weight loss can also release toxins that are stored in your body fat into the bloodstream – and into your milk supply. (Toxins that can make it into your bloodstream include environmental contaminants like the heavy metals lead and mercury, persistent organic pollutants like PCBs and dioxins, and solvents.)

Weight loss of about a pound and a half a week is safe and won't affect your milk supply if you're nursing. To achieve this, cut out 500 calories a day from your current diet (without dipping below the safe minimum) by either decreasing your food intake or increasing your activity level.

Eat up – and take your time!

With a new baby and schedule, it can be hard to find the time to eat. But skipping meals can make energy levels lag – and it won't help you lose weight. Many moms find that eating five to six small meals a day with healthy snacks in between (rather than three larger meals) fits their appetite and schedule better. (A small meal might be half a sandwich, some carrot sticks, fruit, and a glass of milk.)

Don't skip meals in an attempt to lose weight – it won't help, because you'll be more likely to eat more at other meals. And you'll also probably feel tired and grouchy.

Even if you've never been much of a breakfast person, keep in mind that eating breakfast can help keep you from feeling famished – and tired – later in the morning, and it can give you the energy to be more active.

In addition, numerous studies show that skipping breakfast can sabotage your weight loss efforts. According to the National Weight Control Registry, which has tallied the successful strategies of dieters who have lost an average of 66 pounds and kept it off for 5.5 years, 78 percent of the dieters eat breakfast daily. Slow your eating down, too, if possible. When you take your time eating, you'll notice that it's easier to tell when you feel full – and you're less likely to overeat.

Be choosy about foods and drinks

Research shows that consuming low-fat milk and dairy products and choosing whole grain products like whole wheat bread and whole grain cereal can help you lose weight. Other good choices include low-fat, high-fiber foods such as fruits (like apples, oranges, and berries) and raw vegetables (like carrots, jicama, and red pepper strips) for healthy snacks.

Other ways to squeeze in more fruits and veggies: Make fruit (or veggie) smoothies, use fruit or vegetable salsas or vegetable reduction sauces (sauces made from puréed vegetables) over fish or chicken, add shredded carrots to your sandwich, try grilled vegetables, and try puréed vegetable soups. (Puréeing your soup makes it creamy without having to add cream, which is high in calories and saturated fat. It's also a great way to eat veggies you might not ordinarily eat on their own.)

Fat has twice as many calories as carbohydrates or proteins, so trimming the extra fat from your diet is probably the easiest way to cut calories. Look for low-fat or fat-free dairy products (you don't need to drink whole milk in order to make quality breast milk!), choose broiled or baked rather than fried foods, and limit your intake of sweets, which have extra calories from sugar and fat.

Keep in mind, though, that fat is an important nutrient, so your goal isn't to eliminate it from your diet. In fact, including some fat at each meal will help you stay full and keep you from overeating carbohydrates. (Too many calories from any source – fat, protein, or carbs – can lead to weight gain or keep you from accomplishing weight loss.)

The trick is to choose "good" fats rather than "bad" fats. The best fats are mono- and polyunsaturated fats, like those in canola oil, olive oil, avocado, olives, nuts and seeds, and fatty fish like salmon. The oils to avoid are saturated and trans fats, which can contribute to heart disease and perhaps diabetes, and can be transferred to breast milk, too.

Saturated fats are found in meats and dairy products, and trans fats are typically found in many fried foods, snack foods, and baked goods. (Food labels specify which kinds of fats the products contain.)

Finally, although you should be drinking about 8 or 9 cups of fluids each day, watch what you drink – a surprising number of calories can be hidden in juice, soda, and coffee drinks.

Daily food plan for healthy post-baby weight loss

The food plan below adds up to 2,200 calories a day for breastfeeding moms. For non-breastfeeding moms, it totals 1,800 calories a day. Use this as a rough guide – your individual calorie needs will vary depending on your weight, metabolism, and activity level, and also on how much you're breastfeeding.

View and print daily food plan.


Source

6 ways to beat your food addiction

It’s an all-too-common scenario: You wake up in the morning swearing today’s the day when you’ll eat clean, nourish yourself with a healthy breakfast at home, and pass up the glistening bakery goodies that tempt you every day. 

You make it to work without incident and then stress hits—any kind of stress, from a new project deadline to a caustic remark from your boss. A little while later, you find yourself with pastries in hand, wolfing down sugary anesthetics and wanting more. When you finally pop out of your food trance, and the reality of what you’ve done begins to settle in, the ensuing feelings of shame and guilt stoke your stress levels more and you’re already plotting your next food fix. 

You wonder: Why do I keep caving to these cravings? Where’s my discipline and willpower? This is your brain addicted to food.

That’s right. Addicted. You might tell yourself, "I’m not addicted to food; I just love a good sweet now and then." 

Well, I’m here to tell you that food addiction is real; it affects more people than you know, and manufacturers actually design food products so that they are as addicting as possible. Yes, that perfect combination of salty, sweet, and savory was created to make sure you keep reaching for more. That’s why I wrote The Hunger Fix, because I want to change the game that is rigged against you.

Here are six ways to beat food addiction:

1) Take the test. First, you need to find out if your relationship with food is a healthy one. 

Take my Food Addiction Quiz. This is a special assessment developed by Yale University researchers to evaluate your relationship with food. Experts believe that the majority of people who are overweight or obese have some level of food addiction. However, anyone of any age and size can have this issue.
 

2) Know your staples from your treats. Our brains are rigged to seek out the delicious reward of natural carbs like berries from a bush or veggies from the ground. We savor healthy fats from avocados, olive oil, and fish and lean meats. Our brains drive us to forage around to find these foods so that we have quick energy (from carbs) and long-lasting fuel (from fat). These natural whole foods have sustained us since the dawn of time. Our brains were acclimated to the taste of these rewards. Every now and again, we’d savor a treat that contained more natural sugar (grapes) or fat (dairy or meat). This mix of staples and treats became our natural balance of healthy nutrients.  

Flash-forward, and now we have manufacturers creating “hyperpalatable” foods—full of sugar, fat, and salt. And because they are ubiquitous, cheap, and easily accessible, fewer people cook. Grab and go is now the way to go.

3) Rein in your reward center. When hyperpalatables compete with natural foods, your brain’s reward center, which secretes the pleasure chemical dopamine, gets hijacked. Insulin levels go up and push you to want more and more. Suddenly, that bowl of fresh berries can’t compete with the über rewards of a Pop-Tart or a chocolate-coated breakfast bar. 

An occasional treat, such as a birthday dessert, also leads to a dopamine rush, but then your brain settles down to more normal levels of dopamine. But when you can get your hands on hyperpalatable foods 24/7 and you start the day with that sugary/fatty/salty pastry and grande sugary coffee drink, you end up with an endless appetite for more.

4) Recognize the “False Fix.” After constant exposure and consumption of these hyperpalatables, which I refer to as “False Fixes” in The Hunger Fix, your brain actually changes. The brain cannot tolerate this level of hyperstimulation. As a result, it decreases the number of dopamine receptors so that you no longer feel it as over-stimulation. That’s the good news. The bad news is that by doing this, your typical serving of food is no longer as rewarding. You find yourself not feeling as pleased and satisfied. You know the end result. Not satisfied, you end up with second and third and fourth portions, packing on weight along the way.

But wait, there’s more: At the same time your reward center is being hijacked, the brain’s CEO, the prefrontal cortex (tap your forehead and that’s where the PFC is located), is becoming damaged and impaired. The PFC can no longer help you rein in impulses or stay focused and vigilant. That’s why, when someone is in full-on addictive mode, moderation is a moot point. Revolutionary and groundbreaking new studies funded by the National Institutes of Health funded have shown that the brain scans of food addicts show the same changes and damage as those of a cocaine user. And, for your information, research also shows that table sugar (sucrose) is more addictive than cocaine.

All right, what’s the solution? Science-based detox and recovery from the foods and beverages that you know are causing you to lose control and overeat.

5) Know your enemy. Make a list all of your False Fix foods that you know will lead you to feel out of control and overeat. As you prepare to detox, look around you and inventory the persons, places, and things that enable your food addiction. This isn’t just about switching up False Fix foods for Healthy Fixes. It’s also about examining your entire lifestyle so you can make new, healthier choices to support your recovery. You’re not going to change everything overnight, so you’ll start with small but powerful steps to ensure sustainable, long-term success.

6) Remember these words: MIND, MOUTH, MUSCLE. That will help you organize how you’ll detox and recover.

MIND: Reclaim your brain. A strong PFC is absolutely required to repair and reclaim your reward center. And you can repair your PFC with transcendental meditation and mindfulness. The key is to practice them daily to stimulate new brain cell formation and to repair damage. When you meditate you cause actual brain changes to help repair and strengthen brain cells.

MOUTH: Get high…naturally. Achieve a natural “high” from whole foods that increase dopamine production naturally. Specific foods—watermelon, spinach, avocados, tofu, and sesame seeds, to name a few—perform magic and reestablish normal reward responses for natural foods. Also, use powerful protein and fiber combinations—carrots and hummus, peanut or almond butter and apple slices, for instance—that satisfy and stop the urge to splurge on sugary/fatty/salty foods.

MUSCLE: Every step you take during the day stimulates brain growth, including your PFC, which translates to a bigger, stronger, more focused brain. And one of the mottos of The Hunger Fix is big brain, small waist. 

You’ll make smarter decisions and shed extra weight if your brain is healthy. Research has also shown that regular physical activity will also keep you calmer and decrease the chance of relapse. All you need is regular moderate exercise to make this work. Walking is the easiest way to go for most people. Doing it outdoors and stepping up the pace when you can enhances the entire experience and results. I’m not talking marathons here, folks. Just getting up and moving.

The bottom line is that food addiction is real—it’s been acknowledged by world-class scientists—and we need to start taking it seriously. And, more important, we have the ability to reverse the damage and reclaim our healthy, natural relationship with food.

Comment below what you thought of the article. Do you struggle with a food addiction? Have you found any of these tips helpful? Comment below any tips you've found helpful along the way! Love hearing from you x



Source
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/12/12/6-ways-to-beat-your-food-addiction/

6 Ways Sleep Can Help You Lose Weight

If you've ever needed a reason to sleep in, this is it.

Well, this is upsetting: Forty percent of Americans get just six hours of sleep or fewer per night, according to a recent Gallup poll. And groggy mornings and a cranky attitude aren't the only side effects of insufficient shut-eye, either—missing out on sleep can also lead to weight gain. In fact, an analysis by researchers at Columbia University found that people who sleep less than seven hours per night are heavier, gain more weight over time, and have a harder time losing weight!

If you're trying to slim down or shape up, hitting the sack is just as important as sweating at the gym. These six reasons are your best excuses to hit the snooze button and get more sleep.

It Stops Late-Night Snacking

The longer you’re awake, the more likely you are to consume calories you don’t need, which can cause you to gain up to two pounds a week, according to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania. Over the course of seven days, they found that sleep-restricted subjects (sleeping from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m.) gained more weight than their well-rested counterparts (sleeping from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m.), mostly because they ate 550 calories from 11 p.m. to 4 p.m., a time that the other group spent in bed asleep.

It Helps You Burn More Calories

Not only do you have more energy to take on the day after a good night’s sleep, but your body also torches calories, even when you’re not working out. A study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that normal sleepers' resting energy expenditure—the amount of calories burned when you’re not moving—was five percent higher than their tired counterparts. They also burned 20 percent more calories after a meal versus sleep-deprived people.

It Boosts Fat Loss

Even if you eat the exact same diet as your friend, if you’re not getting the sleep your body needs, you won’t drop as much fat as them. A recent study from the University of Chicago compared the weight-loss results from sleeping eight and a half hours per night versus only five and a half hours per night. In both conditions, people ate the same number of calories (about 1,450 calories per day). While both groups lost about six and a half pounds, more than half of that weight was fat for well-rested people, compared to only a quarter for tired participants.

It Helps You Shop for Healthier Food

Never go grocery shopping when you’re hungry—or exhausted. In a study published in the journal Obesity, sleep-deprived men bought nearly 1,300 calories in food more than well-rested men. And this was independent of hunger because all the participants (sleep-deprived or not) had been fed a standardized breakfast before the test.

It Encourages Portion Control

In a Swedish study, well-rested and sleep-deprived participants were asked to complete a computerized "ideal portion size" task where they could manipulate their serving size on a screen. Their findings: Sleep-starved people added 35 additional calories in snacks to their digital “plate” compared to well-rested participants.

It Keeps Your Brain Focused

Your brain functions differently without sleep. Researchers at Harvard Medical School performed brain scans on people who reported high daytime sleepiness and measured their brain activity in response to high-calorie foods. The scans revealed reduced activation in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex—an area of the brain involved with inhibition and behavior control. Translation: Lowered inhibitions indicate a tendency to overeat when you're tired.

What's more, another study from Columbia University also found brain activity differences in sleepy people's response to food. Their study revealed increased activation in the insular cortex, which regulates pleasure-seeking behaviors. Importantly, unhealthy food activates this region more than healthy food, which means that skipping out on sleep could make it harder to skip out on a trip to the vending machine.

Source
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/sleep-weight-loss

Diet Myths Debunked: Can Chewing Help You Lose Weight?

Will chewing a whole bunch make you lose weight?

One tactic some dieters use to shed pounds is chewing. They chomp each bite as many as 50 times before swallowing. Is chewing a legitimate was to shed pounds? We’ll delve into this longtime dieting strategy.

Chew On This

A 2011 article published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition compared the chewing habits of obese verses lean men. Researchers found that after 40 chews, the men took about 12 percent fewer calories than after 15. Even though the obese men’s bites were smaller than the leaner men, the obese folks ate more calories overall.  Although this study does show promise, we need to remember that there were only 30 total men tested (which isn’t very many).

Another Theory

Another theory is that it takes the body about 20 to 30 minutes to register that it’s full and satisfied. Chewing food slowly allows you to eat less food, giving enough time for the brain to realize that you’re full.

Try this experience (it’s worked on my husband): when it’s time for dinner, write down how hungry you are from a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being extremely hungry). Then eat a small vegetable salad or bowl of soup (like chicken or vegetable). Wait about 20 to 30 minutes, and then write down again how hungry you are. Many of my clients are surprised to find how much less hungry they are after that small amount of food.

The Bottom Line: Chewing food doesn’t magically melt away the pounds. However, the research does point to the fact that chewing may be a helpful weight loss technique. You don’t need to count every bit you take, instead stop rushing and shoving food down your throat. Instead take the time to enjoy your food.



Source
http://blog.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/2011/09/23/diet-myths-debunked-can-chewing-help-you-lose-weight/

Lose 8 Pounds in 2 Weeks

You really can have it all

Wouldn’t it be a dream if you could enjoy the best foods summer has to offer—and lose weight? You’re in luck: Our indulgent mix-and-match meal plan features healthied-up versions of all your warm-weather faves (even burgers and lobster rolls!). 

Couple this 1,350-calories-a-day diet with our workout plan, and you can shed up to 8 pounds (about one bathing suit size) in just two weeks. Get ready to eat, drink, and shrink. 

• Breakfast
• Lunch & Dinner
• Snacks

Breakfast

About 400 calories (choose one daily) 

Open-Faced Caprese Omlet
Bulk up your omelet with veggies and cut back on the eggs and cheese to net an almost 200-calorie save.

Whisk together 2 large eggs; gently cook on medium-low heat in1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oilto make an open-faced omelet. Top evenly with 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheeseduring cooking. Slide omelet onto a plate, and top with 1 sliced medium vine-ripened tomato. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar, sprinkle with sea salt to taste, and garnish with 8 fresh basil leaves.

Nut Butter and Nectarine Open Sandwich

By trading a bakery-size bagel for an English muffin, you’ll slash 210 calories from your morning meal.

Spread 1 tablespoon roasted almond butter onto each of 2 toasted whole-grain English muffin halves. Very thinly slice 1 nectarine and arrange on top; sprinkle with a pinch of ground ginger or cardamom.

Granola Yogurt Parfait

Use plain yogurt instead of a sugary one—and save up to 70 calories.

Layer 6 ounces plain fat-free Greek yogurt with 2/3 cup granola mixed with 1/2 cup puffed wheat cereal, and 1 sliced peach.

Grab-and-Go Egg Sandwich

Need to eat on the fly? Swing by a restaurant drive-through and order 1 take-out egg sandwich(around 400 calories), such as Wendy’s Artisan Egg Sandwich with Applewood Smoked Bacon.

By choosing bacon instead of sausage, you’re cutting more than 100 calories from your breakfast. Enjoy with 12 ounces unsweetened iced tea with 1 teaspoon sugar.

Lunch and dinner

About 400 calories (choose two daily)

Turkey Cheeseburger With Guacamole
This stacked burger is piled high with veggies and is half the calories of a regular one.

Grill or pan-grill 1 small (3-ounce, about 93% lean) ground turkey patty; sprinkle with salt and black pepper to taste. Serve on 1 grilled whole-grain bunsmeared with 1 1/2 table-spoons guacamole and topped with a3/4-ounce slice of sharp cheddar cheese, 2 large red onion slices, 3 large heirloom or beefsteak tomato slices, and 2/3 cup packed baby salad greens. Serve burger with an additional cup packed extra baby greens, splashed with champagne vinegar.

Peppery Linguine With Pesto

Mixing pasta with veggies and pesto saves about 400 calories, versus digging into a heavy Alfredo entree.

Toss 1 1/3 cups cooked (2 ounces dry) whole-wheat or spinach linguine with 2 tablespoons each of the pasta cooking liquid and basil pestoThen mix with 1 cup thinly sliced red, orange, and yellow bell peppers; half of a small, very thinly sliced (crosswise) Serrano pepper; and sea salt to taste.

Sushi and Salad

To choose rolls wisely, steer clear of words like "tempura" and "spicy"—these cooking preparations can easily double your calorie count.

Have 1 tuna roll and 1 avocado roll, served with 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Enjoy with 1 side seaweed salad.

Chicago-Style Chicken Hot Dog

Sink your teeth into this leaner poultry frank—it has 150 fewer calories than the typical dressed-up dog.

Spread 2 teaspoons mustard on1 whole-wheat hot dog bun; top with 2 tablespoons drained sweet pickle relish and 1 grilled or boiled organic uncured chicken or meatless hot dog. Add 2 sliced cherry tomatoes, 2 tablespoons minced sweet onion, 1 tablespoon minced green bell pepper or bok choy, and a dash of celery salt. Serve with 1/2 cup store-bought potato salad.

Lobster Wrap

Made with a tortilla instead of a buttered bun and with a lightened-up mayo mixture, our version of the typical lobster roll is 300-plus calories lighter.

Top 1 (8-inch) whole-wheat tortilla with fresh lobster salad:2/3 cup cooked, chilled lobster meat, 1 tablespoon each mayo and fat-free plain Greek yogurt,1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh tarragon, 1/8 teaspoon each hot-pepper sauce and grated lemon zest, and a pinch each of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Top with 3/4 cup sliced Boston lettuce or other leafy greens, and roll up. Eat with 1 cup red bell pepper strips or zucchini slices, raw or grilled.

Grecian Cobb Salad With Lemony Hummus Dressing

The ultimate girlfriends’ summer lunch out—have a skinny version (430 calories less than usual) together outside.

Top 3 cups packed mesclun with2/3 cup each sliced unpeeled English cucumber and grape tomatoes; 3 ounces grilled seasoned chicken breast strips;3 tablespoons each thin strips sundried tomatoes (rehydrated) and crumbled feta cheese; and 1 tablespoon pan-toasted pine nuts. For dressing: Whisk together 3 tablespoons hummus, 1 tablespoon water, and 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Pizza Gone Glam

Instead of picking deep-dish, order up 2 medium slices of regular cheese pizza (or heat a 400-calorie portion of your favorite frozen one like Amy’s Kitchen Cheese Pizza)—and save 150 calories.

Then fab up the pizza with your favorite seasonal veggies, such as1/2 cup each sliced baby bella mushrooms and fresh baby spinach or arugula; sprinkle withItalian seasoning or truffle sea salt to taste.

Snacks

About 150 calories (choose one daily)

Endive Boats With Baba Ganoush
Swap potato chips and French onion dip for this refreshing and low-cal snack.

Fill spears from 1 head Belgian endive with 2 tablespoons store-bought all-natural baba ganoush. Garnish with fresh parsley. 

Free anytime snack
2 cups raw (or 1 cup cooked) veggies; season with ground black pepper and sea salt to taste.

Grilled Apple A La Yogurt

Snack on this instead of apple pie—and save 250 calories.

Core and halve 1 medium apple; cut each half into 6 wedges, and grill over direct medium heat until rich grill marks form (about 6 minutes per side). Microwave on high until fully softened (about 1 minute). 

Top with 3 tablespoons fat-free or low-fat vanilla yogurt, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon graham cracker crumbs and apinch of ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.

Shrimp Cocktail and Prosecco

Indulge in this skinny app plus drink pairing.

Enjoy 10 large shrimp and 1 1/2 tablespoons cocktail sauce while sipping 3 ounces prosecco. 

Red Grape and Aged Goat Cheese Skewers

Nosh on this instead of crackers and Brie for a 150-calorie save.

Start with 15 red seedless grapes and 1 ounce aged goat cheese. Slide 5 grapes onto each of 3 bamboo skewers; top each with a 1/3-ounce piece of cheese.

Snack mix and mangopolitan

It’s summer happy hour made light! 

Toss together 1 cup air-popped popcorn with 12 pistachios; season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Then mix up this cocktail: 2 tablespoons chilled 80-proof mango or lemon vodka, 3 tablespoons mango nectar, and6 tablespoons sparkling lemon or lime water

Triple-Chocolate Ice Cream Sundae

Trim 500 calories from the typical sundae with this petite version.

Top 4 mini scoops (2 tablespoons each, or 1/2 cup total) 98% fat-free chocolate ice cream or low-fat frozen yogurt with 2 teaspoons finely chopped semisweet chocolate or mini chocolate chips. Dust with 1/4 teaspoon cocoa powder, and top with 1 tablespoon whipped cream. Garnish with 3 or 4 small fresh mint sprigs.

Source
http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20488303,00.html