Diet rules and tips are everywhere you turn. Checking out at the grocery store, television commercials, and billiards all think they have the best diet rule to lose the most inches in the shortest amount of time. There is the no-carb diet, the fat-free diet, the liquid diet and more, yet americans are continuing to expand their waste lines. It’s very important for us to take each diet tip or diet rule as a grain of salt and really explore these tips before jumping head first into them.

These next few posts are going to be aimed at diet rules that should be broken.

Diet Rule #1: Don’t ever eat after 7pm

7pm is the magical number. Stop eating after 7pm and you will melt away the fat in no time

. . . FALSE!

Late night eating is a problem that most people face. In fact, a lot of people will double their daily caloric intake during the evening. So, eating late at night is something to be cautious. But 7pm is not a magical number. Research says that one should avoid eating 2-3 hours before bed time. 7pm is the magical number because the typical bedtime is around 10pm. But why? Well research has not proven that avoiding late night snacks will prevent weight gain. This 2-3 hour rule is strictly for personal comfort. Going to bed on a full stomach can cause indigestion, gas, and an upset stomach.

So, can you eat after 7pm? Sure. . . if you have self control.

Most temptations succeed in the evenings when one is exhausted or no one is looking. To prevent a binge fest, create a short list of health snacks to have late at night. Some healthy late night snacks might include air popped popcorn, carrots and celery, a piece of fruit, 60-calorie pudding cup with cool whip, yogurt, or a 1/2 cup of ice cream. Being prepared ahead of time will prevent overeating late at night.

Question: What is your favorite late night snack?

Currently mine is Special K crackers… I’m addicted

We have all heard about the dread Freshmen 15 and I’m sure those of you that are just starting out college would think that you would never gain 15 pounds in one year. But pride comes before a fall my friend!

Gaining 15 lbs during your first year of college is so easy with the all you can eat cafeteria, vending machines around every corner, late night donut runs with all your friends, and pizza nights… the list could go one. Between the newness of being off on your own and the stress of a new environment and classes, it’s so easy to gorge yourself with food, especially when all your friends are doing it too.

Whiles gaining the freshmen 15 at college or on a university campus can be easy, it is not inevitable. Here are some great tips to prevent weight gain during your college life:

Hit up the gym. Most universities / colleges have free gyms available to students around the clock. Check out your class schedule and plan at least 30 minutes of daily workout into your schedule. This will also give you a little bit of leeway in your diet as well.

All-You-Can-Eat College Cafeteria. Get rid of the “All-You-Can-Eat” mentality and go for only one plate full. For me this was hard because I know that I was not getting my money’s worth, but I also wasn’t paying for my waistline to expand as well. Your plate should consist of 50% greens, a choice of meat, and the other 25% whole grains. Watch your portion sizes as well. Don’t be fooled either, most foods are full of lard and fat. I was shocked when I asked what our cafeteria put in the eggs and the cook said mainly cream, butter, and lard. Dont be afraid to ask what is in the food! Stay clear of un-identifiable meats too! GROSS!

Avoid Late Night Eating. When everyone is hanging out till 3 in the morning, the best thing to do is go for late night pizza or donut run. Don’t deny yourself food if you are craving it, but also don’t over indulge. Healthy eating is about moderation so go have fun with your friends but only have a few bites. Or better yet, fill up on water.

Vending Machine Snacks. Sometimes vending machines is the only option while on campus. Go for something wholesome and nutritious. Skip out on the candy and go for pretzels, reduced-fat popcorn, or granola bars. When it comes to drinks, avoid those full of sugar such as gatorade, soda, and go for water, milk, or unsweetened iced tea.

Keep Your Dorm Free of Junk Food and Unhealthy Snacks. Loading up on healthy snacks will cut out unwanted temptations that call out your name when you studying and is great to have on hand when everyone is heading for ice cream late at night. The freshman 15 increases with every unhealthy snack you eat. Load up on fruits, veggies, oatmeal, low sodium soups, yogurt, string cheese, and fat-free popcorn.

Don’t Skip Meals. Ironically those that skip meals are more likely to gain weight. This increases your changes of overeating later when you are starving and want to grab anything in sight. Make sure to wake up early enough to grab something on the go for breakfast and plan ahead for healthy meals if you have a class during lunch or dinner.

Avoid Stressing Eating. With all the stress of a new environment and college class, food can become your best friend… especially those powdered donuts. Make sure that you become aware of when you are stressed and then decipher if you are really hungry or not. If you are stressed and want to turn to food, chew on some gum to relieve the stress.

College life is some of the best years of your life, so make sure that you are not taking away from that by stressing yourself out over your weight and appearance. Just stick to these tips and you will be be sure to avoid the Freshmen 15!

Why is it that when we mess up once on our diet during the day, we allow ourselves to mess up not just once but for the rest of the day… or months if that?

I have had those days where I end up eating a few cookies for a mid-morning snack and then find yourself at the end of the day allowing myself to have eaten a few bags of chips at lunch, a slice of cake, a burger with fries for dinner, and a huge bowl of ice cream for a late night snack . . . just from that one cookie!!!!

I like to call this the snowball effect. One bad decision leads to a multitude of bad decisions. Have you ever experienced those snowball days in your diet? If so, do you end up throwing the diet out the window for the day or do you find yourself working harder towards your diet?

When times like these hit, don’t freak out! One mistake is not going to make or break your diet. IMMEDIATELY pick yourself up and start over. Don’t allow one mistake of eating an extra 300 to 400 calories lead to an extra 2,000 calories by the end of the day. Why let everything your worked so hard for fly out the window because of that one mistake? If you find that you gave into temptation throughout your day, forgive yourself and continue to stick with the game plan you already mapped out!

The reality is, we are humans and it’s easy to make mistakes, but it’s how we respond to those mistakes that will determine our success.

Thinking of hitting the snooze button and working out later?

You might just want to do so.

Lack of sleep has been linking to weight gain.

Research has shown that those who received less than seven and  a half hours of sleep a night were more likely to gain weight. Those in the study who got an average of seven and a half hours of sleep lost up to 50 lbs over ten weeks without changing their diet.

What is that sleep/weight connection?

The hormones that control appetite, cravings, and metabolism of fat go haywire when there is a lack of sleep. There is an increase in ghrelin that make you want to eat more and then there is a decrease in leptin, which usually would trigger the brain to stop eating when you are full.

What a deadly combination!

Not only are you hungry and never full, but the body starts craving the junk foods because simple carbohydrates such as chocolate, crackers, and pastries can break down faster for quick energy.

… those tempting snacks just start calling your name!

One would think that sleeping more would be easy to lose weight… but that just not the case for some people. There is always something to do. It takes work to put down the papers or turn off the TV and hit the bed.

Here are just a few tips to get more sleep:

* Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day

* Keep a routine before sleeping so you can fall asleep quicker like bathing, reading, or meditating

* Limit your caffeine after noon and watch your alcohol intake a few hours before bedtime

* Only use your bed and or bedroom for sleeping purposes and not for work / studying / reading

So are you up for the challenge?

I challenge you to get at least seven and a half hours of sleep each night for the rest of this week!

Let me know how you feel at the end… you might be surprised at how well you eat and feel.

Not too sure what to eat at Burger King while on a diet? Here is a list of foods to avoid and others to enjoy!

Worst Breakfast:

Omelet Sandwich: 730 calories, 45g fat

French Toast Kid’s Meal (with syrup): 680 calories, 24g fat

Hash Browns (Large): 620 calories, 40g fat

Healthiest Breakfast:

Ham Omelet Sandwich: 290 calories, 13g fat

French Toast Sticks (3 piece): 240 calories, 13g fat

* Syrup: add 80 calories

CROISSAN’WICH Egg & Cheese: 300 calories, 17g fat

CROISSAN’WICH Ham, Egg & Cheese: 340 calories, 18g fat

Salads:

Salads are a great option at BK. Avoid the TENDERCRISP and go for the TENDERGRILL Chicken Garden Salad for 240 calories and 9g fat.

* Avoid These dressings:

– KEN’S Creamy Caesar Dressing: 210 calories, 21g fat

– KEN’S Honey Mustard Dressing: 270 calories, 23g fat

* Healthier Options:

– KEN’S Fat Free Ranch Dressing: 60 calories, 0g fat

Worst Chicken Options:

TENDERCRISP Chicken Sandwich: 790 calories, 44g fat

BK BIG FISH Sandwich: 640 calories, 32g fat

Original Chicken Sandwich: 660 calories, 40g fat

Healthiest Chicken Options:

TENDERGRILL Chicken Sandwich without Mayo: 400 calories, 7g fat

CHICKEN TENDERS 6 pc: 250 calories, 15g fat

BK VEGGIE Burger: 340 calories, 8g fat

Spicy CHICK’N CRISP Sandwich: 320 calories, 13g fat

* * * Although this is low in calorie, there is 2.5g of transfat * * *

Worst Hamburger Options:

TRIPLE WHOPPER Sandwich With Cheese: 1230 calories, 82g fat

BK Quad Stacker: 1000 calories, 68g fat

WHOPPER Sandwich: 670 calories, 39g fat

Healthiest Hamburger Options:

FLAME-BROILED Hamburger: 290 calories, 12g fat

WHOPPER JR Sandwich: 370 calories, 21g fat

(Hold the Mayo and Cheese to save extra unnecessary calories)

Sides:

French Fries Small: 230 calories, 13g fat

(Swap those fries for apple fries or apple sauce!)

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Have it Your Way… Eat Healthy at Burger King!

For more Burger King nutrition facts visit there website here

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Like I have mentioned in previous posts, weight loss and eating healthy is all about portion control. But how are we to know correct portion sizes when America has taken them and blown them out of proportion?
… No wonder we are ranked one of the highest obese countries in the world!

Of course, reading the serving sizes on the nutrition labels and measuring out your proportions is the ultimate means of correct proportions, but there are going to be times when you can’t such as you are running late for work, don’t have the nutritional label in front of you, don’t have measuring cups on hand, or are eating out.

Here is a little trick you can memorize so that the next time you are eating out, you aren’t eating triple the amount that you should have ate.

Meat:
3 oz of meat: a deck of cards
3 oz of fish: a checkbook
2 tablespoons of peanut butter: a marshmallow
4 small cookies: 4 poker chips

Breads:
1 slice of bread: a cassette tape
½ cup pasta: ½ the size of a baseball
1 cup of cereal: a fist
1 pancake or waffle: a cd
1 small potato: a computer mouse
1 piece of cornbread: bar of soap

Fruits / Veggies:
 1-cup veggies: a fist
1 medium fruit: a baseball
1 cup of cut-up fruit: fist
¼-cup dried fruit: a golf ball
½-cup of raisins: an egg
1/2 cup cooked broccoli: one light bulb
1 small potato: a computer mouse

Dairy:
1 cup of milk or yogurt: a fist
1 ½ oz of cheese: 4 dice

Fat/Oils:
1-teaspoon oil: a thumbnail
2 Tbsp salad dressing: a ping-pong ball
1/2 cup of potato chips, crackers or popcorn: one man’s handful
1 oz of chips or pretzels: two handfuls

Wendy’s any one?
Here are some really healthy options when eating there!

SALADS: 

SANDWICHES / HAMBURGERS:
Jr. Hamburger: 230 calories, 8g fat
- Add cheese for another 40 calories

Ultimate Grilled Chicken Sandwich: 320 calories, 7g fat

Grilled Chicken Go Wrap: 250 calories, 10g fat

AVOID THE CHICKEN CLUB SANWICH (550 calories, 26g fat), ANYTHING CRISPY, BACON or DOUBLE / TRIPLE IN THE NAME
- Ask to hold the mayo and cheese on any sandwich or hamburger. It cuts out unnecessary calories and fat!

NUGGETS / WINGS:
4 piece chicken nuggets: 190 calories, 13 g fat

SIDES:
Side Salad: 35 calories
- Don’t forget to add the calories from the dressing!

Mandarin Oranges: 80 calories

Plain Baked Potato: 270 calories
- Add the sour cream and chives and you just added 100 calories

Kids Meal French Fries: 210 calories, 10g fat

Small Chili: 190 calories
Large Chili: 280 calories
- Avoid the crackers and cheese and just added about 100 calories

If you ask me, I love their chili (without the cheese and crackers), a side salad, and a diet coke or ice tea.

Eat less and exercise more! So, I should try and eat as less as I can, right? Most people have it in their head that if one skips breakfast, “eats” a starbucks for lunch and then a small salad for dinner that they will be putting less calories in than they are out, leading to weight loss.

WRONG!