Can Meal Replacements Save You From Bad Decision Making?

In a 2007 study, Dr. Brian Wansink, professor and Director of the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab, discovered that making healthy food decisions isn't just a one-and-done deal. In fact, according to his report, the average person makes more than 200 food decisions every single day.

For anyone who has ever worked to stick to an eating plan, this should come as no surprise. You start the day strong, but with every twist and turn you're faced with a calorie-packed landscape. Grabbing a coffee at the gas station brings you face-to-face with the candy aisle; the vending machine calls your name at lunch; the doughnuts that appear every morning in the breakroom. Your brain quickly tires and your healthy eating plan goes south.

Should You Take a Ride on the Carb Cycling Rollercoaster?

It feels as though there is no escaping carbohydrates when it comes to talking about healthy eating. The latest carbohydrate-focused diet to take center stage combines very low carbohydrate days along with days packed with carb-containing foods. Known as "carb cycling," the premise of this eating plan comes from the world of bodybuilders and professional athletes looking to quickly increase muscle mass—though that hasn't stopped the average person looking for a weight-loss solution to jump on the bandwagon as of late. But does this eating plan really "optimize" carbs to boost weight loss?

A Dangerous Day of "Healthy Eating"

Meet Patty, a happily married mother of two school-age children who works full time at her company's information systems department. Patty has a plan to stick to 1,400 calories a day to lose weight. However, due to slick packaging and masterful marketing, Patty may not realize that many of her so-called "healthy food choices" are actually destroying her plan to lose weight.

Like Patty, a lot of us probably have a hard time always choosing the best option. Take a quick calorie quiz from HMR Weight Management here to see how you’d do selecting “healthier” options when dining out.

Let’s see how Patty would do as she goes through her day…

After staying up too late the night before, Patty starts her morning with a cup of caffeine-charged coffee to reboot her fog-filled brain. Flavoring it with a little sugar and half-and-half is more calorie-friendly than those expensive coffee shop concoctions anyway, plus it's all natural and only adds a few calories, she thinks.

• 6 ounces black coffee
• 2 tablespoons half-and-half
• 2 packets sugar

Just then, the kids bound into the kitchen for breakfast. They pour sugar-coated, fruit-flavored cereal and milk into their bowls. Patty makes the decision to eat a healthier cereal of wholesome granola with skim milk.

• 1/2 cup granola
• 1/4 cup skim milk

After breakfast, everyone piles into the van. Patty drops the kids off at school, heads to the office, and gets straight to work. She spends the morning deeply immersed in several projects, so she's surprised when she glances at the clock and sees that it is already lunchtime. Patty had intended to pack her lunch the night before, but never got around to it, so she heads to the company's café to check out her options. There, she spots the chicken Caesar salad, which consists of chicken strips on a bed of romaine lettuce with various salad toppings, all tossed with Caesar salad dressing. She knows that's the ticket—low calorie and nutrient rich. For a beverage she opts for a soda, figuring just one little splurge won't hurt since her other food choices so far today have been carefully planned.

• chicken Caesar salad
• 16 ounce soda

Back on the job, Patty is approached by three of her favorite coworkers. They suggest heading to the local bar for happy hour after work. Although she hesitates, Patty doesn't want to forgo the fun and ultimately joins her friends. At the bar, she makes a conscious effort to keep her low-calorie meal plan on target. She nibbles on just a few crackers and cheese cubes, and orders a small glass of heart-healthy red wine.

• 5 ounces red wine
• 6 crackers
• 3 cheese cubes

Upon arriving home, Patty is surprised by her husband, who has cooked a pasta dinner. Because he knows she's watching her weight, he used whole wheat spaghetti and topped it with a basil pesto sauce. What a thoughtful guy, she thinks, thanking him for the wonderful meal.

• 2 cups whole wheat pasta
• 1/4 cup basil pesto sauce

After she and her husband clean up dinner and put their kids to bed, Patty feels like she can finally relax and unwind. She really wants ice cream, but makes a wiser choice to reach instead for the frozen yogurt to boost her calcium intake.

• 1 cup frozen yogurt

As Patty heads off to bed, she confidently thinks, "This healthy, low-calorie eating is a snap. I'm positive I hit my calorie goal or maybe even less. A few more days like today and I know I'll be one to two pounds lighter."

What would you guess Patty's calorie intake was for the day?

A. 1,389
B. 1,845
C. 2,542
D. 3,321


If you selected "C," you are CORRECT!

Coffee:

• 6 ounces black coffee = 4 calories
• 2 tablespoons half-and-half = 40 calories
• 2 packets sugar = 22 calories
  Total = 66 calories

Breakfast:

• 1/2 cup granola = 210 calories
• 1/4 cup skim milk = 21 calories
  Total = 231 calories

Lunch:

• chicken Caesar salad = 793 calories
• 16 ounce soda = 208 calories
  Total = 1,001 calories

Happy Hour:

• 5 ounces red wine = 125 calories
• 6 crackers = 80 calories
• 3 cheese cubes = 207 calories
  Total = 412 calories

Dinner:

• 2 cups whole wheat pasta = 348 calories
• 1/4 cup basil pesto sauce = 263 calories
  Total = 611 calories

Dessert:

• 1 cup frozen yogurt = 221 calories
  Total = 221 calories

TOTAL for the DAY = 2,542

In today's calorie-filled food environment, it doesn't take much to go over your daily calorie allowance. Patty made a conscious effort to take in only 1,400 calories for the day, but was actually 1,142 calories over her goal. An effective weight loss tool that has been shown to assist with food selection and portion control is the use of meal replacements.

Meal replacements are a great option for people who struggle to count calories and watch what they eat and want to take the guesswork out of weight loss.

HMR Weight Management is a meal replacement program that’s been offered in hospitals and medical centers for 34 years. Every time you use an HMR Shake instead of a higher calorie meal or snack, you can save calories and get closer to your goal. (For a limited time, get free shipping on your first order of any HMR food. Use code SPARKFREE at checkout.)

You Asked: What's The Best Diet for Long-Term Weight Loss Success?

Are you bombarded in the break room by the latest diet adventures of your co-workers? Are you thinking about starting that metabolism-boosting diet splashed on the cover of your magazine? You’d love to lose 30 pounds. But where do you begin? Eliminate carbs, reduce your fat, count points, track calories, push protein, use prepared meals? Is your head spinning from all these choices? 

How Fasting Affects Your Health

Many religions recommend fasting for both spiritual and/or health benefits. All religious fasts are different: Some restrict certain foods, while others only restrict the times of day in which one can eat. Few religious fasts involve a long-term or complete abstinence from food, but no matter what the nature of the fast is, you may wonder just how it really impacts your health.
 
Three religious fasts have been studied the most:

• Islamic Ramadan: During the holy month of Ramadan, which varies according to the lunar calendar, Muslims abstain from eating or drinking from sunrise to sunset.
• The 3 annual fasting periods for Greek Orthodox Christians:  The Nativity Fast (40 days prior to Christmas), Lent (48 days prior to Easter), and The Assumption (15 days in August).
• Biblical-Based Daniel Fast:  This fast typically incorporates a 21-day fasting period.

How to Prevent Muscle Loss When Losing Weight

When starting a weight-loss plan, most of us hope to lose body fat, specifically—not muscle mass. But when we lose weight, a large percentage of the total weight lost can be muscle. Is there any way to reduce that muscle loss?

You Asked: Can You Really Eat Too Much Protein?

For a healthy adult, eating more protein than your recommended daily range once a week or so won't have any major impact on your long-term health or weight loss (assuming you still eat approximately the same amount of calories for the day). Based on your food selections for that day, if you consume a larger-than-normal amount of protein you may notice:

• A change in bowel habits in the next 24-48 hours (due to a lower fiber intake)
• A sluggish or light-headed feeling (if you also ate very few carbs)
• Some abdominal discomfort if your fat intake sky-rocketed
• No noticeable changes at all

Are 'Negative Calorie' Foods Real (or Too Good to Be True)?

You might have heard that you can eat as much of you want of certain foods because it takes more energy to burn them than they actually contain. But is it true? Can eating more of these foods really help you lose weight?

Is the Junk-Food 'Addiction' Study Junk Science?

"I'm fat because of Oreo cookies!" screamed the woman as she entered the weight-loss class I was coaching last week. In hand, she waved the press release from Connecticut College, which blared the warning, "Oreos are just as addictive as drugs!" 
 
 
"I am addicted to certain foods, just like those rats were addicted to Oreo cookies," she continued on.  "It's supposed to be worse than being addicted to cocaine. How am I ever going to be successful with my weight loss?"

What Did the Founding Fathers Eat?

The Fourth of July is a time for flags, fireworks, food and fun!  It’s also a time to remember that safe and convenient food has not always been readily available in our country.  Today, the average person spends about 50 minutes in the kitchen each day preparing meals—about five minutes for breakfast, 15 minutes for lunch and up to 30 minutes for dinner. In colonial America, cooks would slave away over the stove for hours.  Talk about your American Revolution!
 
However, some of our modern dining habits actually do bear similarities to those of our colonial ancestors.  Beef, chicken, pork, fish, fruits, vegetables and baked products would have been familiar foods in colonial times. Colonial cooks used some of the same cooking methods we still use today, like frying, baking, broiling and boiling.  And while the colonists enjoyed their coffee, tea, and hot chocolate like we do, they didn’t have a Starbucks in every neighborhood!
 
Not much else was the same.  While we may not know exactly what George Washington ate for dinner on July Fourth, we do know several things about the preparation of foods in 1776.  Here are a few highlights:

How to Conquer Your Snack Attack

I’ll admit it up front: I am a snacker. In fact, I have a snack twice a day. My body screams for food around three p.m. every day, even though I make a point to eat breakfast and lunch. If I ignore the hunger, I end up grabbing and devouring handfuls of chips or cookies as soon as I get home around five p.m.  Therefore, I plan ahead and have a non-perishable snack stashed in my desk drawer at all times, usually homemade trail mix.
 
My second snack attack hits in the evening, and is not related to true belly hunger at all.  In the evening, I want to eat food for comfort.  You know what I’m talking about. At the end of a long day, all I seem to want is chocolate ice cream along with my favorite TV show, book or magazine. 
 
There is nothing inherently wrong with snacking. In fact, snacking can help with weight loss by warding off afternoon and evening binge eating.  However, the snack should be factored into your total calorie intake for the day, and should contain about 150 calories. A balanced snack should have about 15-30 grams of carbohydrates and three to five grams of protein.

Unfortunately, this type of healthy snacking is NOT happening in America, for children or adults.  While I know you are probably not really surprised by this statement, you may be surprised at the numbers. 

83 Cheap, Healthy Foods for Meals in Minutes

People often ask me what foods they should be eating. I think they expect that as a dietitian, I'll tell them they have to eat pricey, trendy health foods to lose weight. No way! I'm passionate about spreading the word that you can lose weight and get healthy as a family while sticking to a budget. That's why I'm so excited to share today's blog with you! It's a great resource for those of you who are new to healthy cooking or who don't know what to put in your cart at the supermarket.

What a great feeling! You’re driving home from work and automatically know that you have the ingredients in your cupboard, refrigerator and freezer to whip up a meal for your family in mere minutes.   No need to waste time or money with another trip to the grocery store or fast food joint. Ah!  Sit back, relax and enjoy the music.

The foods picked for this pantry list are ideal choices for weight loss--lower in calories, yet packed with nutrition.  They are also commonly available, budget friendly, familiar to most, and liked by many.  Their flavors and textures mesh well for tasty food combinations.  These "mix and match" marvels will have you making magic in the kitchen in minutes.

I've divided my list into food groups for easier shopping and included serving suggestions, too.

Should You Maintain Your Weight Before You Lose?

"Weight loss is really hard---but maintaining that weight loss is even harder!"  If anyone out there agrees with this statement; please raise your hand. 
 
That’s what I thought. There are lots of hands held high.  It seems that most people struggle with the yo-yo syndrome: lose the weight, gain the weight, lose the weight, gain the weight.  But, what’s a dieter to do?  Perhaps it is time to put the cart before the horse.
 
Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine recently conducted a "switcharoo" when it came to weight loss and weight maintenance.  They took 267 overweight and obese females and divided them into two groups.  The control group went through a traditional 20-week weight-loss program followed by an eight-week maintenance phase. 

The test group went through the eight-week maintenance phase first, and then focused on weight loss for 20 weeks.  The results were surprising to say the least, and significant.  While each group lost about the same amount of weight--17 pounds or 9% of their initial body weight--the "maintenance-first" group only gained back three pounds at their one-year follow-up but the "weight loss first" group had gained back seven pounds, on average. 
 
Sounds crazy, doesn’t it!  But guess what?  Those women who first spent eight weeks mastering the tools, techniques and skills for weight maintenance were better equipped mentally and physically to handle the day-in, day-out struggle of their toxic food environment after the 28-week program was completed.  Are you itching to discover how?  

Do Detox Diets Work? Are They Safe?

Spring is right around the corner, and as I glance around my home, I see that a thorough cleaning is in order.  Dust bunnies are multiplying under my bed, spider webs are glistening on my chandelier, and a layer of dust has settled on all places too difficult to comfortably reach. 

As I strategically plan my upcoming cleaning project, I start to wonder if my body is also in need of a cleaning, so to speak. 

Like many of you, I tend to go into hibernation mode during the winter months.  With less daylight hours and physical work to do outside, along with an influx of sugary treats and comfort foods, my body has been insulated by an added layer of fat. I'm surely not alone in feeling this way, judging from the number of questions we field on the site about detox diets this time of year.

While the idea of cleaning out harmful toxins in your body or removing body fat quickly may sound tempting and even beneficial, is a detox the answer?

Do Raspberry Ketones Really Help You Lose Weight?

Before you jump on the raspberry ketone bandwagon, there are a few things you should know about this over-priced, proclaimed weight-loss miracle in a bottle. I tell you what they don't want you to know about raspbery ketones, in my latest blog on Huffington Post. Click here to read it.