My mom has been limiting her carbs a ton. No more than 50g of carbs a day. And it’s working fantastically on her. I’m moving back home tomorrow, and she said that she’s gonna get me on the same diet. And I’m gonna start running again, so I can lose all of the weight I’ve gained since last semester. Yay.
There are so many “foods” out there today with health claims promising to lower your cholesterol, help you fit into that itsy bitsy teeny bikini, or allow you to eat a whole bag of chips for less than 140 calories. All of that seems great.. until you learn what’s really in those foods.
However, almost all of these foods are not really food at all. They’re unhealthy, processed junk full of chemical sweeteners and all kinds of crazy ingredients. Here are some top offenders (in my opinion!)
1. Fiber One Bar
I put this on my list because I used to eat them every day in high school. Wow, cool! It tastes like a candy bar .. and it’s only 90 to 140 calories! However, there is a ton of sugar and sweeteners in these. To lower the calorie count, artificial sweeteners are used, and we all know how bad those are for you. Actually I singlehandedly blame them for a lot of my wants to binge on sugary foods.
However, I will admit… the fiber is awesome. Like, really awesome.
Opt for : Luna bars, Lara bars, or make your own protein bars (the best option). They’re higher in calories, so be careful and don’t make a habit of eating them!
2. Yoplait yogurt
Oh my. Where do I begin? While I was on vacation just this year, I picked it up thinking it was a healthy option for breakfast. Halfway through eating it, I couldn’t take another bite after glancing at the nutritional information. 14g of sugar in the light yogurt, and I won’t even go into the ingredients on that list!
Opt for: All-natural greek yogurt. Try getting the plain kind and adding in honey & your own fruit if possible! I like Chobani the best.
3. Deli Meats
I do buy low sodium, antibiotic-free, hormone-free (that’s a mouthful!) turkey slices on occasion, but I make sure not to eat it on a daily basis. There’s a lot of sodium in them and they are still a processed food, believe it or not!
Opt for: Whole chicken & turkey breasts. It will taste more “real”, too :) You can still slice the chicken breast into deli-like slices!
4. Low Calorie Bread
Ugh, yuck. These are NOT A FOOD. For real, they taste horrible and just peek at that ingredients list! Isn’t bread supposed to be simple and clean? This is one “food” that is most definitely not clean or healthy… and it will not keep you full.
Opt for: Ezekiel bread
5. Light Salad Dressing
Nothing but sugar and chemicals.. and fat.
Opt for: salsa, hummus, basil pesto, olive oil, oil & vinegar, or make your own salad dressing! Get creative.
6. Diet Products
Anything that says “diet”… aka, diet coke, diet cookies, 100 calorie snack packs, etc. Seriously, get rid of your diet pop obsession! Once I stopped drinking 1-2 diet cokes a day, I also stopped wanting to binge and also stopped getting horrible headaches. Coincidence? I think not. Splenda/artificial sweetners suck!
Opt for: water & lemon, seltzer w/ a splash of 100% juice, coffee, tea.
7. Fat Free
Fat is not the enemy.. that is a complete diet falsehood that has been passed throughout our generation. Fat does not make you fat.. processed junk food and excess food makes you fat! Often fat free foods have added sugar and salt to make up for the lack of taste, so they may wind up being worse for you. The only case where this is untrue is with fat free dairy products!
Opt for: You shouldn’t be eating processed food anyways.. so.. just opt for the real version! In the case of things like peanut butter, get the full fat. It has the same calories and tastes better.
8. Canned fruits in fruit juice
When buying canned fruits (which honestly, I think is kinda gross. I do like canned veggies sometimes though!), make sure you do not get the kind in heavy syrup. There is so. much. sugar. in. that.
Opt for: Real, fresh fruit! If that’s not available to you, just make sure there is only the fruit in there. As for canned veggies, get no salt added or light salt.
I hope this helped to clear up some myths about all the “food” we have out there! Clean foods don’t need a label. They are usually one ingredient and can all easily be pronounced. I always think to myself, “If there is something in the label that I wouldn’t cook with in my own kitchen, why would I eat it?” Definitely some food for thought ;)
Stay healthy & happy!
(via healthyisclassy)
I became a vegan for lent this year.
No animal products from Ash Wednesday until Easter, except on Sundays. It sucks a little bit, but it is an amazing diet. It’s especially great for when I’m at work, because my choices are sooooo restricted. There is not a single pastry or sweet there that is vegan. And since I don’t work on Sundays, that means two months of no Panera pastries.
It’s so much easier to restrict completely than to try to control my portions. I noticed this when I used to starve, and it’s totally apparent now. I used to tell myself, “Just one,” or “Just half, I’ll save the rest for later.” That never happened. The second I eat one little thing, I explode into a binge. So the fact that I have to say no to all of these things makes it so much easier for me to have control.
I’m going to be so thin.
it's just a little make-up: Who needs a thigh gap?
REBLOG IF YOU DON’T GIVE A FLYING FUCK ABOUT A GAP BETWEEN YOUR THIGHS!
Go ahead and tell these ladies they’d look better with a god damn thigh gap…
…just saying. ;]
This is sexy!!
half of the…
As much as I’d like one, my body-type really makes it physically impossible. I guess I’ll just have to accept it.
(via thisthinisinprogress)
Source: skinnymaybeplease
Just a ten pound weight loss has many health benefits! The commitment you make to yourself to shed 10 pounds often is the start of more positive fitness and diet changes to follow.
1. Your joints will thank you! The next time you are in the grocery store, grab two 5-lb bags of potatoes and carry them around the permeter of the grocery store once. Then put them down and do your lap again. Notice the different with just those 10 pounds? Added weight taxes your body and your joints. Just losing ten pounds eases or wards off joint problems and even foot problems.
2. You can buy smaller clothes! Usually 10 pounds of weight lost is about one drop in size clothes.
3. It’s fun to exercise and usually the time it takes to lose 10 pounds will help you establish making exercise a healthy, vital part of your day! it takes 20-30 days to form a habit and it takes around 4-6 weeks to lose 10 pounds in a healthy way.
4. You might discover a love of new, healthier foods. Usually a commitment to lose 10 pounds involves eating less or eating differently and eating food that is healthier for you. Explore new healthier food choices and make a commitment to your heart health.
5. Your wallet will thank you! Fast Food Be Gone - Try to make a promise to yourself to not eat fast food for 6-8 weeks and see the benefits of money saved and the benefits from not eating high fat, high salt, processed food with questionable ingredients. Try saving the money and placing it in a vacation fund!
6. The doctor will be proud. Just losing 10 pounds can have benefits to your health such as decreasing your risk for diabetes, heart disease and lowering your blood pressure and other vital measurements. Smile at your next Dr. visit instead of expecting to hear negatives or worse, avoiding the visit altogether.
7. Your significant other will thank you! Boost your sex life, your energy levels and more with 10 pounds gone! The hormones released with exercise are energy boosters!! With that in full swing, you’ll also sleep better!
8. Your stress levels could go down. Stress produces Cortisol, which often rears it’s ugly head in the form of belly fat, especially in women. Take a look at your mid-section and if you are thick in the middle look at your intake, exercise levels and stress levels. Just ten pounds gone in the form of healthier eating and routine exercise can help decrease stress and stress hormones.
(via healthyisclassy)
Source: projectexcellence
Vegan Banana Oatmeal Pancakes!
These were absolutely delicious and so easy to make :)
1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup organic whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 1/2 cups soymilk
2 ripe bananas
Blend all but the bananas together and then chop up the banana and add that in. You can either blend it with the banana or not. I personally wanted chunks of banana so I blended one in and left the other one chopped up.
Nutritional Info (per pancake): Cals: 64, Fat: 1g, Sodium: 102mg, Carbs: 12g, Fibre: 1g, Sugar: 2.5g, Protein: 2g
My vegan diet starts in about 24 hours!
(via theskinnynewyou)
Source: fit-dontquit
