You've probably heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but have you ever heard why it's so important? When looking at weight loss, statistics show that people who skip breakfast in the morning in an effort to lose weight are far more likely to be obese. Those who skip breakfast tend to indulge in more calories at their next meal, or consume high calories foods to stave off hunger until lunch time rolls around. Several studies even show that individuals who eat fewer, larger meals accumulate more body fat over time than those who consume smaller, more frequent meals.
For this very important meal, you want to have something that has some carbs, protein and fiber, and a little fat. This winning combination will get your metabolism revved up for the long day ahead, and keep you satisfied and focused. Try this breakfast of champions and say goodbye to hunger pangs:
Morning Muesli (to be made the night before)
1/2 C milk (can be soy, almond, etc. I use So Delicious coconut milk for some healthy monounsaturated fats)
1/2 C oats (any kind here, quick-cooking, steel cut, etc.)
1 T chia seeds (read here for more information: http://gymjunkie-katie.blogspot.com/2011/08/discover-chia-seeds.html)
1 T nuts (walnuts or almonds are an excellent choice here)
1/2 C fresh berries
Directions: At night, mix everything EXCEPT fresh berries in a medium-sized bowl (I use a cereal bowl). Combine until oats are soaked with milk. Cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, add your fresh berries and enjoy!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
Want to lose weight? There's an app for that!
I think I have said this at least 987 times, but it bears repeating: the single best way to be held accountable for the food choices you make is to keep a food journal every day. It is a visual reminder of how many calories you are consuming, in addition to the nutrients your body is getting. If you need more reasons why this might be beneficial to you, please see "Dear Diary" from July: http://gymjunkie-katie.blogspot.com/2011/07/dear-diary.html.
I have spent the past week trying out an application on my new iPhone called "Lose It!" (yes, I am excited about it, but the name of the app comes with an exclamation point). Let me start by saying that this tool is INCREDIBLE. It takes all of my personal information and asks me how many pounds I want to lose each week, ranging from maintaining current weight to losing 2 pounds per week. From there, it gives me a daily calorie allowance. Every morning, I open the app and begin by inputting my exercise for that day, which immediately increases my calorie allowance (yay!), and then I enter my breakfast.Throughout the day, I continue to log everything I eat and all the exercise I get that day (you can even count vacuuming!); your calorie allowance is adjusted throughout the day with each addition you make.
The food and exercise database is incredibly expansive; I have had almost no instances of not being able to find a food or exercise. For those rare occasions when you can't find what you're looking for, you are able to quickly and easily enter your own custom food and exercise, which it not only adds to your log for that day, but also saves for future use. For example, I wear a heart rate monitor that accurately records my calories burned, so I usually enter that information each day. Every calorie burned should count!
Those of you without iPhones (do these people exist?) are probably asking, "What about ME?!" Never fear - most smart phones now have apps with similar capabilities to the Lose It! app. On my old Blackberry, I used an app from Livestrong that had very helpful tools to track both food and exercise: http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/blackberry-calorie-tracker/.
If you don't have a smart phone, you can also use the Lose It! app on your computer: http://www.loseit.com/index.jsp. It's not as convenient, but you can take the notebook idea from "Dear Diary" and then input your information online at the end of the day so that you get the comparative data that this program offers.
If you know of any other apps or online programs that you can give feedback about, feel free to post them in the comments section below!
I have spent the past week trying out an application on my new iPhone called "Lose It!" (yes, I am excited about it, but the name of the app comes with an exclamation point). Let me start by saying that this tool is INCREDIBLE. It takes all of my personal information and asks me how many pounds I want to lose each week, ranging from maintaining current weight to losing 2 pounds per week. From there, it gives me a daily calorie allowance. Every morning, I open the app and begin by inputting my exercise for that day, which immediately increases my calorie allowance (yay!), and then I enter my breakfast.Throughout the day, I continue to log everything I eat and all the exercise I get that day (you can even count vacuuming!); your calorie allowance is adjusted throughout the day with each addition you make.
The food and exercise database is incredibly expansive; I have had almost no instances of not being able to find a food or exercise. For those rare occasions when you can't find what you're looking for, you are able to quickly and easily enter your own custom food and exercise, which it not only adds to your log for that day, but also saves for future use. For example, I wear a heart rate monitor that accurately records my calories burned, so I usually enter that information each day. Every calorie burned should count!
Those of you without iPhones (do these people exist?) are probably asking, "What about ME?!" Never fear - most smart phones now have apps with similar capabilities to the Lose It! app. On my old Blackberry, I used an app from Livestrong that had very helpful tools to track both food and exercise: http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/blackberry-calorie-tracker/.
If you don't have a smart phone, you can also use the Lose It! app on your computer: http://www.loseit.com/index.jsp. It's not as convenient, but you can take the notebook idea from "Dear Diary" and then input your information online at the end of the day so that you get the comparative data that this program offers.
If you know of any other apps or online programs that you can give feedback about, feel free to post them in the comments section below!
Friday, September 2, 2011
Recipe for Health: Pear-Raspberry Bundt Cake
This is one of the easiest, most delicious cake recipes I have found. I love that it sneaks in fruit!
Pear-Raspberry Bundt Cake
*adapted from a recipe in Weight Watchers magazine, May/June 2009
2 (15 oz) cans pear halves in light syrup, drained (I have also used 1 C apple sauce instead)
1 (18.5 oz) box yellow cake mix
3/4 C buttermilk (I use light, low fat)
1/2 C egg substitute (I use 2 egg whites)
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 t almond extract
1 (6 oz) container fresh raspberries
GLAZE
1 C confectioners' sugar
2 T orange juice
2 T sliced almonds
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 10-inch bundt pan with nonstick spray; dust with flour and tap out the excess.
2. Puree the drained pears in a food processor (I used a stick blender). Transfer to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often until puree is reduced to 1 C, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and freeze until cool, about 15 minutes (note: you do not need to do this if you use apple sauce).
3. With an electric mixer on low speed, beat the cooled puree, cake mix, buttermilk, egg, vanilla and almond extracts in a large bowl until blended. Increase mixer speed to medium-high until well-blended, about 2 minutes. Gently fold in raspberries with a spatula.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
5. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack 25 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and let it cool completely on the rack. Wrap well and freeze up to 2 months if desired. To serve from frozen, let stand at room temperature until thawed, about 4 hours.
6. If serving immediately, make glaze. Whisk the confectioners' sugar and orange juice in a bowl until smooth. Place cake on a rack over wax paper. Pour the glaze over the cake, letting some of it drip down the sides. Sprinkle with the almonds and let stand until set, about 1 hour. Transfer the cake to a plate and serve.
Pear-Raspberry Bundt Cake
*adapted from a recipe in Weight Watchers magazine, May/June 2009
2 (15 oz) cans pear halves in light syrup, drained (I have also used 1 C apple sauce instead)
1 (18.5 oz) box yellow cake mix
3/4 C buttermilk (I use light, low fat)
1/2 C egg substitute (I use 2 egg whites)
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 t almond extract
1 (6 oz) container fresh raspberries
GLAZE
1 C confectioners' sugar
2 T orange juice
2 T sliced almonds
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 10-inch bundt pan with nonstick spray; dust with flour and tap out the excess.
2. Puree the drained pears in a food processor (I used a stick blender). Transfer to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often until puree is reduced to 1 C, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and freeze until cool, about 15 minutes (note: you do not need to do this if you use apple sauce).
3. With an electric mixer on low speed, beat the cooled puree, cake mix, buttermilk, egg, vanilla and almond extracts in a large bowl until blended. Increase mixer speed to medium-high until well-blended, about 2 minutes. Gently fold in raspberries with a spatula.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
5. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack 25 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and let it cool completely on the rack. Wrap well and freeze up to 2 months if desired. To serve from frozen, let stand at room temperature until thawed, about 4 hours.
6. If serving immediately, make glaze. Whisk the confectioners' sugar and orange juice in a bowl until smooth. Place cake on a rack over wax paper. Pour the glaze over the cake, letting some of it drip down the sides. Sprinkle with the almonds and let stand until set, about 1 hour. Transfer the cake to a plate and serve.
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