Today, I have started counting calories again. While it is time consuming and a little bit annoying at times, I saw great results the last go round. Not only did I lose a significant amount of weight when I was counting calories (and exercising) but I learned a lot about portion sizes and about healthy and non healthy foods. I started actively comparing items I purchased based on the nutritional facts and making healthier choices.
Overall it gave me a much better sense of what I was putting in my body. The nutrition facts on products can be scary, and I have literally tossed products back on the shelf after reading them, thinking to myself, there is no way I am ever going to eat that. If this is your first attempt at counting calories beware it can be a little shocking at first!
Personally, I use the Calorie Counter app by MyFitnessPal on my android phone, however there are dozens of different apps and websites available for you to choose from. I like MyFitnessPal because you can track as little or as much as you like including weight, workouts, and more. It also has a neat little feature where the app tells you that if you do this good everyday you should be down to so many pounds in 2 weeks.
So here is back to reading nutrition facts and logging every sip and bite, may it be well worth the effort!
Showing posts with label nutrition facts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nutrition facts. Show all posts
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
10 Healthy Snack Choices
When the munchies strike, don't let it ruin your day! There's plenty of healthy choices, it's just knowing what to grab. So the next time you hit the store or the pantry grab some of these snacks and snack guilt free!
1. White Cheddar Popcorn (1 3/4 cups = 160 cals) That's a lot of popcorn! Make sure you stick with air popped.
2. Glazed Cashews ( 1/4 cup = 150 cals) Calories vary by nuts, but nuts have a lot of the good fats that your body needs and help lower bad cholesterol.
3. "Grown Up" Cereal (3/4 cup w/ skim milk = 220 cals) Stay away from sugary coated kid's cereals, I like Raisin Nut Bran
4. Hard Pretzels Sticks (53 sticks = 100 cals) Pretzels are a great salty snack and make great party food.
5. SunChips ( 15 chips = 140 cals) I love SunChips, and they make a great alternative to fried potato chips.
6. Apple w/ Peanut Butter (Apple + 2Tbsp PB = 260 cals) This is not the easiest on the go snack, but if you're home this makes a great filling snack.
7. Raisinets (1 bag = 100 cals) Chocolate covered raisins or cranberries make a great treat when you are craving something sweet.
8. Fudgesicles (1 Popsicle = 100 cals) These sweet frozen treats are a wonderful replacement for calorie laden ice creams.
9. Yogurt (6 oz = 150-200 cals) I can't say enough good things about yogurt, especially for women's bone health.
10. Smoothies (1 cup = 170-250 cals) Smoothies make a great filling snack that also gives you lots of natural vitamins and energy.
1. White Cheddar Popcorn (1 3/4 cups = 160 cals) That's a lot of popcorn! Make sure you stick with air popped.
2. Glazed Cashews ( 1/4 cup = 150 cals) Calories vary by nuts, but nuts have a lot of the good fats that your body needs and help lower bad cholesterol.
3. "Grown Up" Cereal (3/4 cup w/ skim milk = 220 cals) Stay away from sugary coated kid's cereals, I like Raisin Nut Bran
4. Hard Pretzels Sticks (53 sticks = 100 cals) Pretzels are a great salty snack and make great party food.
5. SunChips ( 15 chips = 140 cals) I love SunChips, and they make a great alternative to fried potato chips.
6. Apple w/ Peanut Butter (Apple + 2Tbsp PB = 260 cals) This is not the easiest on the go snack, but if you're home this makes a great filling snack.
7. Raisinets (1 bag = 100 cals) Chocolate covered raisins or cranberries make a great treat when you are craving something sweet.
8. Fudgesicles (1 Popsicle = 100 cals) These sweet frozen treats are a wonderful replacement for calorie laden ice creams.
9. Yogurt (6 oz = 150-200 cals) I can't say enough good things about yogurt, especially for women's bone health.
10. Smoothies (1 cup = 170-250 cals) Smoothies make a great filling snack that also gives you lots of natural vitamins and energy.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Great Combo
In the last few months I have developed a love for oatmeal and cranberries. As a child I hated oatmeal and cranberries, and I'm not sure if eating better, or just growing up caused the change in my pallet.
I have had cranberry oatmeal granola bars, cranberry and granola cereal and then two days ago I found cranberry oatmeal cookies at the store. Yum! These cookies were amazing. It was a two pack of jumbo cookies from the bakery at Safeway. The only bummer is the bakery doesn't list their nutritional facts on the packaging.
So, today I am hunting down a low calorie cranberry oatmeal cookie recipe to try. I always have oatmeal and dried cranberries in the pantry and I am looking forward to making some of my own here at home. These would be a great filling snack and would even make a great breakfast for someone on the go.
I will follow up on this post with the results, recipes and nutrition facts!
I have had cranberry oatmeal granola bars, cranberry and granola cereal and then two days ago I found cranberry oatmeal cookies at the store. Yum! These cookies were amazing. It was a two pack of jumbo cookies from the bakery at Safeway. The only bummer is the bakery doesn't list their nutritional facts on the packaging.
So, today I am hunting down a low calorie cranberry oatmeal cookie recipe to try. I always have oatmeal and dried cranberries in the pantry and I am looking forward to making some of my own here at home. These would be a great filling snack and would even make a great breakfast for someone on the go.
I will follow up on this post with the results, recipes and nutrition facts!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Children and Healthy Habits
Growing up, I knew I was over weight. What I didn't know was how to change it. I was told to get out more often, eat better. No one taught me about calories, nutrition facts or aerobic exercise. I'm not angry about it, health and weight education was not as readily available as it is today.
When I was thirteen, my family and I talked to my doctor about my weight I was prescribed the diet drug combo knows as Phen-Fen, until I fell to the floor with chest pains and was told to quit immediately. Since then I have tried other diet pills and crash diets. No one taught me about lifestyle changes and healthy habits.
I am very thankful that now, when my kids are growing up, healthy choices are in the spotlight. People have gotten tired of being fed over sized, high calorie meals and are now pushing corporations to make changes. The government is also making steps towards changing how people think and feel about their food, and Kudos! to Michelle Obama for her "Let's Move" campaign and Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution for bringing that to our children.
I am proud to say that my children are aware that what they eat and exercise are important. They both know and understand what a nutrition label is and why I am reading them. (They even brought me home 2 of my favorite Naked Juices instead of cake for my birthday yesterday, because they know I am trying to lose weight and eat better.)
It's important for us to teach our children about making healthy choices. Talk to your kids when you are reading labels, tell them why the ingredients you are using are healthy, tell them why you are grabbing a diet instead of a regular soda. They listen and absorb more then you would think. Help your children make the choices that will lead to a healthier lifestyle as adults.
When I was thirteen, my family and I talked to my doctor about my weight I was prescribed the diet drug combo knows as Phen-Fen, until I fell to the floor with chest pains and was told to quit immediately. Since then I have tried other diet pills and crash diets. No one taught me about lifestyle changes and healthy habits.
I am very thankful that now, when my kids are growing up, healthy choices are in the spotlight. People have gotten tired of being fed over sized, high calorie meals and are now pushing corporations to make changes. The government is also making steps towards changing how people think and feel about their food, and Kudos! to Michelle Obama for her "Let's Move" campaign and Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution for bringing that to our children.
I am proud to say that my children are aware that what they eat and exercise are important. They both know and understand what a nutrition label is and why I am reading them. (They even brought me home 2 of my favorite Naked Juices instead of cake for my birthday yesterday, because they know I am trying to lose weight and eat better.)
It's important for us to teach our children about making healthy choices. Talk to your kids when you are reading labels, tell them why the ingredients you are using are healthy, tell them why you are grabbing a diet instead of a regular soda. They listen and absorb more then you would think. Help your children make the choices that will lead to a healthier lifestyle as adults.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Why do I want to lose weight?
I have been overweight since I was 10 years old. I was a skinny kid and then we moved, I didn't know anyone and dived head first into books and drawing. I spent most of my days on my bed reading, writing, and drawing; anything but get out and get physically active.
By my mid-teens I had found some friends and had become more active and I did a lot of walking and started to lose just a little bit of weight. Then, at the very young age of 16, I got pregnant, this did not help me lose any weight. I didn't put much on with my son, and lost most of it over the next few years.
At the age of 22 I had my second child, and put on 50 pounds. I only lost about 15 pounds in the year or so after the pregnancy. Then over the last few years I just let myself slip even more till I weighed 5 pounds more then I did at my heaviest pregnancy weight.
Then, a year ago, I was told that my cholesterol was borderline high and with the family history of heart attacks and my previous trips to the ER for chest pains, I had made up my mind. It was time to fix things.
After spending almost a year reading nutrition facts and labels and trying to eat healthier, I realized I still wasn't losing any weight. I felt better about what I was eating, but not any better about my figure.
So, for Christmas, I asked for the Wii Fit. I started working out 2-3 days a week doing a random combination of exercises available through the Wii Fit. After a month of not really seeing much in the way of results, I had decided to switch to strictly cardio. Now I workout 5 days a week for 30 minutes or more and I have lost 12 pounds and 16 inches in 2 months.
I feel much better then I ever did. I don't get winded doing simple things any more. My pants keep getting looser and I've had to give away a bunch of clothes that are too big for me now. Which feels great.
Now we know I have medical reasons for trying to lose the weight but that's not the only reason. Like most of you trying to lose weight, I just want to look better too. I want to buy those clothes that have never fit me, I want to be able to wear a bathing suit with out shorts and a t-shirt over them. I want people to look at me and see me, not the extra weight I am carrying.
Why do you want to lose the weight? What keeps you motivated to work out and eat better? I'd love to hear what helps you and what keeps you going!
By my mid-teens I had found some friends and had become more active and I did a lot of walking and started to lose just a little bit of weight. Then, at the very young age of 16, I got pregnant, this did not help me lose any weight. I didn't put much on with my son, and lost most of it over the next few years.
At the age of 22 I had my second child, and put on 50 pounds. I only lost about 15 pounds in the year or so after the pregnancy. Then over the last few years I just let myself slip even more till I weighed 5 pounds more then I did at my heaviest pregnancy weight.
Then, a year ago, I was told that my cholesterol was borderline high and with the family history of heart attacks and my previous trips to the ER for chest pains, I had made up my mind. It was time to fix things.
After spending almost a year reading nutrition facts and labels and trying to eat healthier, I realized I still wasn't losing any weight. I felt better about what I was eating, but not any better about my figure.
So, for Christmas, I asked for the Wii Fit. I started working out 2-3 days a week doing a random combination of exercises available through the Wii Fit. After a month of not really seeing much in the way of results, I had decided to switch to strictly cardio. Now I workout 5 days a week for 30 minutes or more and I have lost 12 pounds and 16 inches in 2 months.
I feel much better then I ever did. I don't get winded doing simple things any more. My pants keep getting looser and I've had to give away a bunch of clothes that are too big for me now. Which feels great.
Now we know I have medical reasons for trying to lose the weight but that's not the only reason. Like most of you trying to lose weight, I just want to look better too. I want to buy those clothes that have never fit me, I want to be able to wear a bathing suit with out shorts and a t-shirt over them. I want people to look at me and see me, not the extra weight I am carrying.
Why do you want to lose the weight? What keeps you motivated to work out and eat better? I'd love to hear what helps you and what keeps you going!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Safeway's Online Features
I shop at Safeway. I like the products, the deals, and how closely it is located to my place. Another thing I like about Safeway is their online shopping tools. Now I know most places let you shop online, but that's not the cool part. Safeway, (and possibly others, I have yet to check) have a little button next to the items you are shopping for that says more information.
Can you guess what some of that info is? That's right the nutritional facts! This tool is great for when you are creating menus or just curious about the ingredients and nutrition facts.
This tool is also very helpful for me, because it helps me find and input my calories quickly. This makes calorie counting just a little bit simpler. It also saves the amount of time you stand in the aisle at the store looking at labels, time you could be using to work out or just enjoy yourself.
There are some items that will not have the nutritional information available such as items from the bakery or hot deli counter. I try to avoid a lot of these items simply because I have no idea what I am putting in my body at that point. Try and find a comparable treat with the nutrition facts on the package if this happens to you, and tell yourself those cherry turnovers probably have like 600 calories!
Can you guess what some of that info is? That's right the nutritional facts! This tool is great for when you are creating menus or just curious about the ingredients and nutrition facts.
This tool is also very helpful for me, because it helps me find and input my calories quickly. This makes calorie counting just a little bit simpler. It also saves the amount of time you stand in the aisle at the store looking at labels, time you could be using to work out or just enjoy yourself.
There are some items that will not have the nutritional information available such as items from the bakery or hot deli counter. I try to avoid a lot of these items simply because I have no idea what I am putting in my body at that point. Try and find a comparable treat with the nutrition facts on the package if this happens to you, and tell yourself those cherry turnovers probably have like 600 calories!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Taco Bell or Taco Hell on your diet?
For lunch today my significant other offered to bring home lunch. I was having a hankering for Taco Bell, so I decided to do a little research on Taco Bell's nutritional facts. I came across some things that I was happy with, then I noticed some things that just took my breath away.
Number one would be Taco Bell's Volcano Nachos. Holy cow are these things bad for you. I wouldn't even recommend eating a half an order. There's a whopping 980 calories in these bad boys.
Let's list the facts:
980 calories,
560 calories from fat
9 grams of saturated fat
60 grams of total fat
0.5 grams trans fat
45 mg of cholesterol
1620 mg of sodium
89 grams of carbs
15 grams of fiber
6 grams of sugar
21 grams of protein
Now I will commend them on the fact that the Volcano Nachos do offer about 50% of our recommended fiber for the day. I however, do not think it outweighs the amount of calories, fat, and the 66% of sodium you get from these puppies.
Number two on my list is Taco Bells Taco Salads. I have to admit I have a bit of a beef to pick here. Taco Bell offers 4 taco salads, but don't be fooled! The Taco Salads range from 660-910 calories!! The salad section on Taco Bell's nutrition site has the highest caloric value average for all the groups.
If you really want Taco Bell, and I do, look at the nutrition facts and find the things you like that are the lowest in calories, the crunchy taco only has 170 calories, the beef soft taco only 210 calories, or try one of the many Fresco options they offer.
Just stay away from those Volcano Nachos. Your heart and waistline will thank you!
Number one would be Taco Bell's Volcano Nachos. Holy cow are these things bad for you. I wouldn't even recommend eating a half an order. There's a whopping 980 calories in these bad boys.
Let's list the facts:
980 calories,
560 calories from fat
9 grams of saturated fat
60 grams of total fat
0.5 grams trans fat
45 mg of cholesterol
1620 mg of sodium
89 grams of carbs
15 grams of fiber
6 grams of sugar
21 grams of protein
Now I will commend them on the fact that the Volcano Nachos do offer about 50% of our recommended fiber for the day. I however, do not think it outweighs the amount of calories, fat, and the 66% of sodium you get from these puppies.
Number two on my list is Taco Bells Taco Salads. I have to admit I have a bit of a beef to pick here. Taco Bell offers 4 taco salads, but don't be fooled! The Taco Salads range from 660-910 calories!! The salad section on Taco Bell's nutrition site has the highest caloric value average for all the groups.
If you really want Taco Bell, and I do, look at the nutrition facts and find the things you like that are the lowest in calories, the crunchy taco only has 170 calories, the beef soft taco only 210 calories, or try one of the many Fresco options they offer.
Just stay away from those Volcano Nachos. Your heart and waistline will thank you!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Good Influence
It can be very hard to stay motivated when trying to lose weight. Finding ways to stay positive and encouraged can be hard. One of the things that motivates me to stay on track is my family.
As you may know from my past postings I've never been a very active person, nor have I paid much attention to my health. I now know I was neglecting more then my own health.
I have started trying to better the whole family's health by improving what we eat and trying to get everyone to engage in more physical activity, and it's working!
My kids have started asking me "Is this a healthy snack Mom?" and they ask me questions about the nutrition facts when I read them out loud to them. They know that soda is a special treat for special occasions.
I've even caught my fiance several times looking at the nutritional facts and making faces as he realizes what I've been realizing the last many months since I made the switch.
Now my kids still HATE wheat bread, but all in all the whole family is thinking about their eating and everyone is trying to keep active. My new habits are even rubbing off on my close friends, who not only listen to my advice and use it but bring me ideas and suggestions they pick up elsewhere.
It feels really good when you can be a positive influence on other in your life. It helps keep me motivated to know that I'm not just improving my health and lifestyle, but I am teaching my kids what's important in the process.
As you may know from my past postings I've never been a very active person, nor have I paid much attention to my health. I now know I was neglecting more then my own health.
I have started trying to better the whole family's health by improving what we eat and trying to get everyone to engage in more physical activity, and it's working!
My kids have started asking me "Is this a healthy snack Mom?" and they ask me questions about the nutrition facts when I read them out loud to them. They know that soda is a special treat for special occasions.
I've even caught my fiance several times looking at the nutritional facts and making faces as he realizes what I've been realizing the last many months since I made the switch.
Now my kids still HATE wheat bread, but all in all the whole family is thinking about their eating and everyone is trying to keep active. My new habits are even rubbing off on my close friends, who not only listen to my advice and use it but bring me ideas and suggestions they pick up elsewhere.
It feels really good when you can be a positive influence on other in your life. It helps keep me motivated to know that I'm not just improving my health and lifestyle, but I am teaching my kids what's important in the process.
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