What I ate

Food Journal for Wednesday 11-28-07

9:30am
1/3 cup oatmeal
2 tbs sugar-free strawberry preserves
1.5 scoops protein powder with water

12:00pm
1 serving Red Curry Thai Chicken (which I made)
-3/4 cup brown rice
-1 serving skinless chicken
-fresh broccoli and squash
-lite coconut milk
1 oz mild cheddar cheese
5 whole wheat crackers

2:15pm
1 serving Red Curry Thai Chicken
1 oz mild cheddar cheese

4:45pm
1/2 roast beef sandwich on wheat bread with mustard

9:15pm
1 serving Red Curry Thai Chicken
1 oz sharp cheddar cheese with 3 whole wheat crackers

32 oz water
2 cups coffee

Approximately 1710 calories

The rundown:
Okay, the calories were a little high for me if I am trying to lose weight and I didn't drink enough water. I got a little too happy with the cheese. If I had not had the cheese, I could have saved 330 calories! But let's say I wanted to maintain my weight, then the amount of calories I had was just fine. Also, I waited too long to eat after my 4:45 meal. I should not have gone beyond 3 hours between meals. So, I should have eaten no later than 7:45 and instead I ate at 9:15. : (

Starting Dec 1, 2007 I will begin preparing for my next figure competition that is in April 2008. At that time my diet will become very strict. So, look at future posts and see how I eat during contest prep. ; )

Go Grocery Shopping!

Next time you go to the grocery store skip the junk food aisles, please. And try out these food choices below. If you eat a diet with the following foods, eating 5-6 small meals per day, you will lose weight. Listed below are categories of foods that contain healthy options.

Grains
Kashi cereal varieties
oatmeal
whole-wheat bread
whole-wheat pasta
whole-wheat crackers
brown rice

Protein
turkey sausage
turkey bacon
deli meat
skinless chicken breast
ground turkey for turkey burgers
fish (no breading)
lean beef
canned tuna in water

Dairy
eggs
low-fat cheese
light yogurt
2% or less milk

Fruit (any fresh fruit is fine. stay away from frozen and canned fruits because they have added sugar.)
apples
oranges
bananas
strawberries
pears
plums
blueberries
cantaloupe
melon
grapes

Snacks
nuts
Cliff bars
sugar-free jello
sugar-free pudding
pretzels
100 calorie popcorn (NO other 100 calorie snacks!)

Vegetables (all are fine, below are just some examples)
(canned and frozen varities are okay)
broccoli
green beans
romaine lettuce
green leaf lettuce
spinach
carrots
tomatos
squash
zucchini
peppers (green, red, yellow, orange)
sweet potatos
onions

Condiments
low-fat dressing (only use seving size)
vinaigrette dressings
light Miracle Whip
mustard
light butter
zero calorie butter spray
olive oil

Miscellaneous
Kashi frozen dinners (only the Kashi varieties)
natural peanut butter
sugar-free preserves/jelly
pickles
soup (NO cream based soups like cream of broccoli)
Splenda instead of sugar


You'll notice that there are no drinks listed. That is because you should be drinking water instead. I would skip juice because it is full of sugar and empty calories. Also, avoid soda pops. Drink water instead. You will also notice that there aren't too many prepared foods listed. That means you will have to cook! The easiest way to cook chicken is to throw it on the Foreman Grill. Make a lot at once. Make enough to get you through about 5 days. That way the food is always there and ready to eat. This will help you avoid eating fast food and junk you should not eat.

My challenge to you: for one week, avoid fast food, restaurant food, junk food like cookies, candy, etc., coffee drinks like lattes and only eat the foods listed above. If you can do that for one week, you will not only feel better but you'll lose a pound or two. Go ahead and try it, it's only a week. ; )

Why lift?

3 Reasons Why You Should Lift Weights

1. Look better in your clothes
Well, this is sort of obvious. Women can look forward to wearing sleeveless shirts with nicely toned arms. Men can look forward to having a more athletic look with broad shoulders.

2. Speeds up your metabolism
This is one of my favorite things about lifting weights! The more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns while at rest. This is why people who lift weights a lot can eat more food without gaining weight like people who do not have much muscle.

3. Get stronger
Building strength all over your body will make everyday tasks easier. Standing for long periods of time won't be so exhausting, tasks like cleaning and carrying groceries won't be so tiring either.

What I ate

Food journal for Wednesday 11-21-07

Okay, I must admit it, today wasn't perfect. But, here is my excuse ... my in-laws are in town for the holiday, so I allowed myself to cheat a bit. But, after Thanksgiving, it's back to proper eating. ; )

8:30am
1 /2 cup oatmeal
2 Tbs sugar-free strawberry preserves
1.5 scoops protien powder with water

10:00am
1 package of instant cocoa with water

11:30am
Roast beef sandwich on whole wheat with mustard
1 cup broccoli

2:00pm
Turkey sandwich on whole wheat with mustard
1 cup broccoli

5:00pm
Turkey sandwich on whole wheat with mustard

9:00pm
(At The Cheesecake Factory)
B.L.T. salad with ranch
1 slice strawberry cheesecake (my cheat)

approximately 1750 calories
*a little high on the calories but considering I had cheesecake, not too bad.

Tiff's Top 10 Tips For Weight Loss

1. Eat 5-6 small meals per day.

2. Eat every 2-3 hours.

3. NEVER skip breakfast!

4. Cut out sugary foods. Read the nutrition facts. For example, 1-2 grams per serving is okay. 10 or more grams per serving is definitely too much.

5. Cut out liquid calories such as soda, juice, specialty coffee drinks, etc.

6. Trade white breads and pastas for whole grain varieties.

7. Eat more lean protien such as skinless chicken, fish and lean cuts of beef.

8. Drink more water. Aim for 2 liters per day.

9. Absolutely no junk! No cookies, chips, donuts, candy etc.

10. Avoid fast food at all costs.

Look for future nutrition posts for explanations on these tips. ; )

Cardio. Cardio. Cardio.

I can't tell you how often I hear: "I've been doing a ton of crunches. I mean, I do like hundreds every day. How come my stomach isn't flat?" Well, I hate to break the news to you, but doing even thousands of crunches isn't going to get you a flat stomach.

Shocked? Most people are. Here is how it works: When you want your waist measurement to shrink, you need to get rid of the fat on your stomach. The best way to strip the fat off your mid-section -- and anywhere else for that matter -- is to do cardio.

Any kind of cardio will do. Walking, running, biking, using cardio machines like the elliptical, cross-trainer, stair master, treadmill, whatever. They all work.

The key is to make sure you are exercising in your target heart rate zone for a minimum of 20 minutes. I would recommend that a beginner do 20 minutes of cardio three times per week and work up to doing 1 hour three or four times per week.

So, what's this target heart rate zone? Well, let's not overcomplicate things right now, I'll talk specific numbers later. But the idea with your target heart rate zone is that you want to be exerting yourself enough so that you are sweating at least a little. If it is difficult to hold a conversation with your friend while running or walking on the treadmill, then bingo you know you're in the right zone.

Here is an easy way to think of it. On a scale of 1-10 -- where 1 is you're sitting on the couch watching TV and 10 is you're running for your life -- you should be between 6 and 8.

So I'd tell a beginner who wants a flatter belly to do cardio three times a week for 20 minutes each time at about a 6 pace.

After you burn the fat around your mid-section, then you'll start to see those nicely defined abs you've been working so hard at with all those thousands of crunches. ; )

What I ate

Food journal for Wednesday 11-14-07

Currently, my diet is designed for weight loss.


9:30am
1/4 cup oatmeal
2 Tbs sugar-free strawberry preserves
1 scoop protein powder with water

12:00pm
1 serving baked boneless skinless chicken
1/2 cup brown rice
1/2 cup broccoli

2:30pm
1 pc baked chicken leg
1 cup broccoli

5:30pm
protein shake
-1 cup light soy milk
-1 scoop protein powder
-1 small banana
(made in blender)

9:20pm
1 pc baked chicken leg
1 cup broccoli with 1/4 cup reduced fat cheese

Total calories=1230

2 cups coffee w/ Splenda and light cream
2 liters of water

My Food Diary

Saturday, April 23, 2011

9:00am
Egg, bacon, tomato & cheese sandwich on whole wheat
1/4 grapefruit

12:30pm
1 cup Light n Fit yogurt w/
 -2 fresh strawberries, sliced
 -sprinkle of almonds

4:00pm
1 pc baked salmon w/ pesto sauce
1/2 cup couscous
2 large asparagus spears

6:00pm
1 apple

8:30pm
4 small slices bbq chicken pizza on lavash bread

10:00pm
1 orange (dessert/snack)

Drank 60 oz of water today.