Jojo Way Of Life

Favorite Foods for Losing Weight

2008-05-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

Why does the concept of weight loss conjure up images of, frankly, unappetizing foods? Why do carrot sticks always spring to mind?

The answer seems to lie in the common delusion that to pare pounds you have to barely eat, and the calories you do eat should be no more than required by a mouse. But researchers are repeatedly finding that food quality is more important than quantity when it comes to weight loss. Combined with adequate exercise, your meals can be regular serving sizes. The food just needs to be, well, wholesome.

“We’ve lost sight of that word—diet,” says Kristina Campbell, runner up in a recent weight-loss challenge held in Phoenix, Ariz. “Diet used to mean what your food is for the day, not losing weight.”

Below, Kristina and clinical nutritionist and author of Dare to Lose, Shari Lieberman, Ph.D., pinpoint some essential healthy foods for anyone who wants to lose weight and/or retain good health.

1. Yams and sweet potatoes.

Great diet foods because they’re low on the so-called glycemic index, says Dr. Lieberman. The glycemic index measures the values of various foods based on how quickly they break down and are absorbed into the bloodstream. The slower the digestion, the lower the score, the better the food is for regulating blood sugars, insulin, and overall metabolism—all of which affect fat deposition.

2. Oranges, apples and grapefruit.

Dr. Lieberman recommends these particular fruits because they contain high levels of the soluble fiber pectin. Fiber slows digestion, helps eliminate toxins stored in body fat, and gives you a feeling of fullness.

3. Killer sandwiches.

To lose 40 pounds in 21 weeks, Kristina relied on plenty of hearty sandwiches stacked with vegetables, such as tomato, cucumber, sprouts, lettuce and onion, as well as deli meats – but always oven-roasted turkey over anything vacuum-packed. For bread choice, Kristina suggests anything brown with lots of seeds and heavy grains you can actually see, because less-milled ingredients contain much more fiber.

4. Cereal

They can be a little hard to find, but low-sugar cereals packed with protein and fiber are hitting the market. The Kashi brand is one of the best, says Kristina. “I eat my cereal with skim milk and blackberries or raspberries, which contain about 8g of fiber per cup. That’s like three or four slices of bread!”

5. Salad

“If you eat a salad, make it valuable,” suggests Kristina, also a former five-star chef from New York City. “Get field or Asian greens and add a yogurt dressing. Plus you need a ton of vegetables and some good lean protein, like grilled salmon.”

6. Quiche

Quiche made with egg whites and just a couple of yolks is one of Kristina’s favorite protein sources. She also tosses in a little low-fat cheese, broccoli and spinach.

7. Yogurt

And other dairy goods that come in great-tasting, low-fat products.

8. Almonds

Nuts are loaded with monounsaturated fats—the good fats that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, known to lower cholesterol. Fats are as necessary to a healthy diet as protein and carbohydrates. “I recommend that 20 percent of calories come from [healthy] fat,” Dr. Lieberman says. Small amounts of nuts are a good starting point.

9. Peanut butter

Likewise, nut butters are a great source of those healthy, monounsaturated fats. Kristina likes unsalted, all natural brands of peanut butter. But almond or cashew butter is considered an even healthier option (especially if you’re allergic to peanuts!). Enjoy your favorite, but in moderation.

10. Hummus.

AKA pureed chickpeas, garlic, and a little lemon juice. Great with whole-wheat pita bread or organic corn chips.

11. Salsa.

Another favorite for dipping, and a homemade batch is easy to make. Fresh salsa is simply tomato, onion, jalapeno and cilantro. Now, tell me, what could possibly be unhealthy about that?

Eat Your Way Slim in 20 Simple Steps

2008-04-25T19:42:00.000-07:00

......I said eat your way slim, NOT eat your way THIN!! =P
There's a HUGE different between slim and thin. Women nowadays always option for THIN which is so wrong. Why THIN? Go all bony will make you look tempting? With cloths on probably you still can hide your bones and look slim perhaps but imagine without cloths on.

......Obviously women take care their image is to get praise and admiration no matter from the same or opposite sex, which now and then tend to imagining stuff. I doubt that they would wish the partner on their the bed looking all skeletal. Not very appetising right??!! lololo.. pardon my pun..

......Anyway, those 2cents written above basically is not trying to change others perception alone because sometimes me too can digress from slim to Thin, so this is kind of a message to myself as a women, female, girl and erm.. etc.. ^^

So here is the 20 Way to "Slim"...

1. Always eat dessert

Yes, always. "A small amount can signal that the meal is over," says Barbara Rolls, PhD, author of The Volumetric Eating Plan. She ends her meals with a piece of quality chocolate — and she's a doctor. Other options include mini-cupcakes or fruit.

2. Blot out the fat

You can use a napkin to blot a teaspoon of fat off a pizza slice. That may not sound like a lot, but multiply it by a slice a week, and that's more than a whole cup of fat you won't eat — or wear — this year.

3. Take the beltway

When junk food beckons, tighten your belt a notch. Not so you can't breathe, but so you have a gentle reminder of the size you'd like to be. "The scale isn't the only measure of weight," says Roberta Anding, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

4. Go public

Enlist the help of coworkers, friends, and family — and know they're watching. "The power of embarrassment is greater than will-power," says Stephen Gullo, PhD, author of The Thin Commandments.

5. Get spicy with it

Capsaicin, the substance that puts the hot in hot pepper, temporarily boosts your metabolism. Just make sure you're drinking a yogurt lassi with that searing-hot chicken vindaloo. Dairy blocks capsaicin's sweat-inducing signals better than water.

6. Milk it

Consuming 1,800 mg of calcium a day could block the absorption of about 80 calories, according to a recent University of Tennessee study. Jump-start your calcium intake by filling your coffee mug with fat-free or 1% milk, drinking it down to the level you want in your coffee, then pouring in your caffeine fix. That's 300 mg down, 1,500 to go.

7. Go organic

That's where you're likely to find bread and cereal with fiber counts that put the conventional choices to shame. Thought you were doing well with your 3-g-per-serving Cheerios? Nature's Path Slim blows it away with 10 g. (And it really doesn't taste like a shredded shoebox.)

8. Splurge on precut veggies at the supermarket

Sure, they cost more, but you're more likely to eat them. "Make low-energy snacks as easy as possible," Rolls says. "Keep vegetables as near to hand as you can. Make it so you have no excuse."

9. Practice fine dining

Pick a restaurant where you'll actually want to linger. "When the meals are not hurried, the presentation is beautiful and the portions are reasonable so you can regulate your attitude," Anding says. That means your body — not the empty plate — will tell you when to stop.

10. Don't skip your 3 pm feeding

"Have a 150 calorie snack [now], and it can save you 400 calories later," Anding says. An ounce of nuts or two sticks of string cheese weigh in at about 170 calories.

11. Increase your a-peel

Speaking of fiber, a lot of it's in the peel, whether it's potatoes, apples, or pears. Even oranges — don't eat the whole peel, but keep the pith, that white stringy stuff; it's packed with flavonoids. More nutrients, more fiber, less labor.

12. Drink with your dominant hand

If you're circulating at a party, Rolls suggests keeping your glass in the hand you eat with. If you're drinking with it, you can't eat with it, can you?

13. Plate it

Whatever it is, don't eat it out of the container and don't bring the container to the couch. "Part of satiety is visual," Anding says. "Your brain actually has to see the food on the plate, and when you reach into the jar, or the box, or the bag, you don't see it." If it's worth eating, put it on a plate. Eat what's there, then stop.

14. Keep your hands busy

Find a way other than food to work off your nervous energy. "It's behavior modification," Anding says. "Instead of grabbing a bag of chips, you pick up your knitting. Art works, woodworking works — anything that occupies your hands."

15. Take 10

When your mind strays from your desk to the vending machine, it could be hunger — or it could be boredom or irritation with your boss. If you're still thinking about snacking 10 minutes later, then you're probably hungry. Think of it as a chance to have one of the nine servings of fruits and vegetables you need each day.

16. Go out for ice cream

Or an eclair. Or even guacamole and chips. Just go out. Don't keep your danger foods in the house. You can't eat half of a carton of ice cream that's not there.

17. Start with salad

It's the holy grail of dieting — eat less by eating more. Rolls's research has found that eating a salad as a first course decreased total lunch calories by 12%. Avoid the croutons and creamy dressings, which have the opposite effect.

18. Just scrape by

Always order your bagel or burger with a plastic knife. Use it to scrape off the excess cream cheese and mayo. You could shave off as many as half the calories.

19. Send back the bread

All it takes is a wave of the hand, a smile, and a "No, thank you."

20. Go crazy — sometimes

Deprivation won't make you thin — or happy. Designate a meal or two a week when you can eat absolutely anything you want.

i adore oats

2008-01-04T04:44:00.000-08:00

I don’t consume rice as much as an average people do. “No, I don’t take half bowl of rice during meal”, “No, I don’t take a quarter plate of rice only”, as the matter of fact, I don’t eat rice at all in my average day at home. I skip rice totally since a year ago. “Oh my god, I can die without rice” and “What you eat then?” are norm response to me. My daily meal will not complete without OATS.

First of all, let me explain why I am so obsessed with oats.
- Oats are very high in soluble fiber. Soluble fiber is like sponges that actually absorbs cholesterol and carry it out of our system. Rice do no good to our bowel system, they don’t help ease constipation problem and to make the matter worst, the more rice you consume, the hungrier you’ll get later of the day (white flour tends to make you crave for more). Eating oats is a marvelous food because it makes us feel full longer and the more we eat, the cleaner we are. It is also full of vitamins and protein.

How do I fit oats into my meal?
- Breakfast: Oats with honey, oats with soy milk powder, or oats with evaporate milk
- Lunch & Dinner: Oats and top it with any food, from vegetables to fried chicken. Just consume oats like how you eat porridge. It is tasteless and sticky, just like normal porridge but better.

Instant oats is creamier while cooking oats has more benefits. I stock Quaker Quick Cook Oats and Instant Oats at home, so that I can consume oats even when I’m busy.. No matter what brand you chose or what type, oats is better than no oats at all. ^^

New Year's Weight Loss: 6 Tips

2007-12-26T07:19:00.000-08:00

It is a time-honored tradition to make resolutions at this time of year. If your resolution is to lose weight - and keep it off, then keep reading! Here are six simple tips that will have you losing weight in a balanced and healthy way.

1. Lose weight with water.
Water is essential for everybody - it is also the key to losing weight. If you haven't been drinking enough water, your body has developed a pattern of storing water. This water retention equals extra unwanted weight.

By drinking more water, you are not only flushing out toxins, you are also teaching your body that it no longer needs to store water. Drink at least 60 ounces of water (about 8 glasses) a day. Boil water and sliced lemons, and drink this throughout the day to help with fluid retention. If you are still not sold on the merits of water, try this on for size: water is a natural appetite suppressant.

2. Soup up your weight loss program.
A simple dietary change will have you shedding pounds: eat a bowl of soup at least once a day. Nutritious, low-salt soups will nourish you as they flush waste from your body. People who eat a serving of soup daily lose more weight than those who eat the same amount of calories but don't eat soup. Go for homemade soup whenever possible, as canned soups are loaded with salt and chemicals.

3. Eat early to keep weight off.
The human body follows a circadian rhythm, which means that the same foods eaten at breakfast and lunch are processed differently than when eaten at dinner. Studies show that when you eat your daily protein and fat at breakfast you tend to lose weight and have more energy; however, eating the same things at dinner tend to increase tendencies toward weight gain. I suggest that you eat your last meal of the day by 7 p.m.

4. Eat smaller meals, more frequently.
Follow an eating schedule with five little meals every day. Eating steadily through the day keeps you from becoming famished and overeating at your next meal. Make a low-fat trail mix from raw almonds, pumpkin seeds, dried plum, and apples and have it available at all times to avoid the tempting lure of high-calorie snacks.

5. Adopt a balanced approach to your diet.
Most of the fad diet programs out there nowadays are extreme in a few recommended foods, or else deprive the body of food altogether. This works in opposition to our metabolism and the results usually don't last, producing a yoyo effect that depresses your metabolic function - not to mention your self-esteem. We are natural beings that need a balance of nutrition from all sources.

Your diet should consist of a balance of organic sources of lean protein, complex carbohydrates, whole grains, legumes, nuts, fruits, and vegetables. Instead of white rice and pasta, opt for brown rice, bulgur, millet, or buckwheat.

Eat more green, chlorophyll-rich foods such as broccoli, kale, spinach, and asparagus. Eliminate candy, sugar, soda, and all simple sugars from your diet. Excess sugar ends up being stored as fat in your body, which results in weight gain. Also, keep dairy to a minimum because most dairy products are high in saturated fat. Avoid fatty foods, processed or fried foods.

6. Walk off the weight.
The No. 1 cause of weight gain is inactivity. Physical activity is the key to speeding up your metabolism and burning excess calories. The best way to be physically active is to use your legs! Walk as often and as long as you can. Always take the stairs instead of the elevator.

Step outside during your break at work and take a walk around your building. Consider joining a local hiking club. Try taking a walk 30 minutes in the morning or 30 minutes in the early evening.