Do you have trouble sleeping when you aren’t in your own bed? Have you ever had to resort to sleeping in a bathtub? Read on…  Ok, so this post is not really about eating, but about sleeping. However, sleeping has to do with eating because when you don’t get enough sleep, you tend to crave more carbs and junk food the next day. In addition, inadequate sleep has been linked to heart disease and diabetes.

Now moving on to the bathtub story… I heard this story from a CGB reader (who shall remain nameless). She took a 1/4 share in the Hamptons. This person already has “sleep issues” and the thought of sharing a bedroom with several other people was somewhat anxiety provoking. She actually fell asleep in her bed, however was awoken an hour later to her roommate snoring VERY loudly. At that point, the thought of sleeping on the living room couch was not appealing as the other housemates would be coming home shortly - likely a little drunk and loud. The last option was to sleep in the bathtub, where at least she would get some peace and quite. Of course, she was soon awoken by someone who had to use the bathroom. Needless to say, this person got minimal sleep that night - which did not have a positive impact on her weekend in the Hamptons. 

I bet there are quite a few city girls and guys who also have trouble sleeping away from home. Sleep disturbances are very common. I know that many of my clients have them because I always ask about sleep habits in my counseling sessions. As I mentioned above, lack of sleep can lead to cravings, and of course fatigue. With the summer season here, many of us travel and sleep away from home. I thought this would be a good time to give some tips to help you improve your sleeping away from home.

Tips to improve your sleep away from home1. Bring earplugs and a sleep mask. You never know if you will have snoring roommates, loud housemates or traffic. Many city girls and guys I know sleep with earplugs every night, especially with the loud traffic and constant construction going on in the city!

2. You may also want to invest in a white noise machine. You can find them in stores such as the Sharper Image. Pack it in your travel bag. It will drown out the noise of your snoring roommate.

3. While it is fine to have a few cocktails, do not depend on alcohol to sedate you. While it may initially cause you to feel sleepy, it usually causes broken sleep and you may find yourself wide awake in the middle of the night.

4. If possible, try to read in bed before going to sleep. You could invest in a small reading light you attach to your book so you don’t bother your roommate. Reading in bed can help you to feel sleepy.

Hopefully these tips will keep you out of the bathrub!

Related posts

• No related posts.

As I had predicted, Esther did not lose any weight this week. This just goes to show that your weight doesn’t always correlate with how you did on your eating plan. For example, 2 weeks ago, she didn’t have one of her best weeks. I would have actually thought her weight would have stayed the same - or even gone up a pound -however she lost 3 pounds. This week, she did quite well with her eating plan and yet didn’t see a drop on the scale. Her weight is stable at 139. So the lesson learned here is not to get frustrated with plateaus in your weight loss. If you stay on track with your eating and exercise plan, your weight will eventually drop. Check out my previous post on Plateaus. 

My interview with Esther:
Martha: So you are entering in week 8. Still as motivated?
Esther: I’m definitely still in the mindset to keep going,  it’s more difficult when I am in a social situation

Martha: What type of problem situations, if any, did you encounter last week?
Esther: Going to the Fancy Food Show on Sunday was the most difficult.  It is a trade show for people that own restaurants and gourmet stores for them to sample all the different vendors of everything from fresh cheeses, meats, and desserts.  I stayed away from the sweets and tried to concentrate more on the cheeses, only tasted one tiny martini cocktail and took a lot of mini samples home so that if I have a craving it is only one bite of something. 

Martha: How about this upcoming week?
Esther: This week I have a family BBQ for my brother’s birthday on Saturday, but I am sure I will be watched by my brother & niece and won’t even consider cheating. (Pic is of Esther’s Dad, Mom, Esther, my niece Lizzy, and my brother the “hawk”)

Martha: I noticed you did a lot of dog walking( Esther was dog sitting Zoe, her friends dog). Do you think that helped to increase your activity?
Esther: Walking to and from my home to Zoe’s (the dog) home added at least two miles of walking per day.  Now that her parents are home I have to find another way to add that activity into my day.

Martha: Are you doing less socializing because of  your eating and drinking goals?
Esther: A little bit,  I usually eat out a couple of times a week and have cut it down to once a week.  I also have been bringing lunch to work 4 out of 5 days to make sure I eat right.
Martha: You are probably saving lot’s of money! You can use it to buy new clothes after you’ve lost more weight.

Martha: I remember you said that you joined a Weight Loss Challenge at your health club, Equinox. Any news on that?
Esther: The Equinox challenge is over today so I am getting the “official” weigh in either today or tomorrow.

Thursday June 26 
Breakfast  
iced coffee  
1 egg w/ light mayo & pickle  
Lunch  
1/4 lb boiled shrimp  
romaine w/ olive oil, vinegar  
sm piece feta cheese  
Dinner  
grilled salmon  
steamed brocoli w/ lemon & olive oil  

Sunday June 29
Breakfast:
iced coffee  
fancy food show at Jacob Javitts  
tastes of cheese, salami,   
ate a bite of most of the tastes and  
through the rest out.  Hard to judge   
calories, prob about 700?  
Dinner  
1 piece chicken breast w/egg white  
& panko crust cooked in pam  
20 pistacio nuts  

Saturday June 28
Breakfast
coffee
kashi go lean almond granola bar
Lunch
1 slice pizza
diet coke
Dinner
Sushi:
eel cucumber h/roll NO RICE
salmon/tuna/avocado h/roll NO RICE
spicy tune h/roll NO RICE
1 piece bonito sashimi
1 piece ikura sashimi
1 piece spicy scallop sushi
100 calorie pudding

My comments on Esther’s food records:
1. She averaged 1300 calories. Excellent!
2. Once again, she had really low calorie days to help offset the higher calorie days.
3. I noticed you are skipping breakfast often. I would recommend that you try to eat  breakfast - even if it is somehing light like a fruit or an egg or a yogurt. Eating breakfast helps to get your metabolism moving.
4. I think you handled the “fancy food show” well. It could have been a lot worse than 700 calories!
5. Your intake of fruits and vegetables were a little low this week

Esther’s goals for this week:
1. Continue 1300-1400 calories
2. Continue with 2 alcoholic drinks a week
3. Be very careful at the BBQ (and take lots of pics!)
4. Try to have 1-2 fruits a day
5. Increase your intake of veggies at night
6. Find a way to increase your walking now that Zoie went home!
7. Continue with the 3-4 cardio sessions, 2 peronal training session and one pilates session a week
8. If you’re not taking a multivitamin and a calcium supplement, you should do so.

Keep up the great work and happy July 4th!

Related posts

• Make it Through Your BBQ without Bloating Out! (0)
• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey: Progress Report #4 (0)
• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey: Progress Report #2 (1)
• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey: Progress Report #3 (3)
• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey Progress Report #5 (0)

You’re in a rush - no time to stop to eat a salad or wait in line for a sandwich. But you pass the pizza shop and see the slices ready to go. You have probably wondered at times - how bad is pizza? It turns out, not so bad - as long as you don’t get the slices loaded with pepperoni or sausage. An average slice of NYC style pizza has approximately 500 calories. The thinner crust slices would have less (I haven’t figures these calories exactly yet!).

For a woman watching her weight, I usually suggest a 400 calorie lunch. Go ahead and have your slice … if you can keep it to one! It wouldn’t be a bad idea to add a salad to help fill yourself up. Avoid the slices with pepperoni or sausage as they will add another 200 calories or so. If available, choose a whole wheat slice or one with vegetables.

For guys, I usually recommend a 500-600 calorie lunch.  Your best bet would be to try to stick to one slice with a salad. If you NEED to have 2 slices, just make the other meal a bit lighter.

Related posts

• Your Plate or Mine? An Excerpt from my Colleague’s Book (2)
• Work While You are on the Treadmill… and Lose Weight (1)
• Will Diet Foods Contribute Towards Making Your Child Obese? (1)
• Why Do Guys Lose Weight Quicker Than Women? (0)
• When it’s No Longer a Diet (0)

If any of you city girls and guys are looking for a great way to burn calories, see new places, spend time outside and meet new people, take up cycling! I have been into cycling for the past 6 years or so and usually spend at one weekend day doing a long ride. This past Saturday, my friends and I decided to sign up for the ride to Montauk. You had a choice of 30 miles, 66 miles, 100 miles or 145 miles. Since we weren’t completely insane, we bypassed the 145 mile ride and signed up for the 100 mile ride.

This ride started in Babylon, N.Y. The hardest part (aside from having a sore butt from sitting on the bike seat for 7 hours) was getting up at 4:45 am to make it to Babylon for the 7 am check in. This was tough for an insomniac like myself. Seems like I was just starting to fall asleep when my alarm went off!

Highlights of the Montauk ride:
1. Great food at the rest stops - especially the stop at the 70 mile mark where homemade pies were served. Delicious! (Pic is of Martha and John enjoying their second piece of pie)Here was some of the food that was served:
 - Homemade pie from legendary Briermere Farms, along with fresh whipped cream that is made on the spot
 - The famous Clovervale Bars — peanut butter and jelly spread on two graham crackers.  (It comes wrapped like an ice cream sandwich so you can put it in your pocket and ride!) 
 - Hummus with Pita (for those who want extra protein in the middle of the ride) 
 - Ice cream
- Artisan whole-grain breads from Balthazar Bakery 
 - Fresh fruit
- Larabars 
- Foccachia from Balthazar Bakery. Biscotti. Muffins from Yura Bakery. Pound cake in a half-dozen different flavors from La Bonne Boulangerie.
- Gatorade and water, of course

2. Very scenic ride
3. Ended the ride with more food and free beer.  Nothing better than having a few cold ones after 7 hours in the bike seat!
4. Biking 100 miles burns a ton of calories. My heart rate monitor said I burned 2150 calories. Quite a bit of these calories were consumed at the rest stops…
5. Last, but certainly not least, free massages after the ride. (Pic is of cyclist Tom C. getting a much needed massage in the “seat” area)

Related posts

• Watch Martha on Youtube Talking About Fueling Your Workouts (3)
• So You Think You Exercise A Lot? Check This Out… (6)
• NYC Obsession with Fage Greek Yogurt (0)
• Make it Through Your BBQ without Bloating Out! (0)
• Fit & The City Sunday Boot Camp in Central Park! (0)

Esther made it through a trip to the Hampton’s and a Greek brunch this week… and still lost 3 pounds!  Current weight is 139 pounds - for a total loss of 8 pounds.

Esther said she had a more difficult time this week sticking to her goals. I noticed a little more alcohol and a little less exercise. Last week she identified two potential problem situations - going to the Hamptons with her friend Nadine and meeting her family for a Greek brunch on Sunday. She felt she handled the Hamptons trip well (with the support of Nadine). The brunch proved to be a little problematic. See her food record below. However she felt that she handled it better than she would have if she weren’t on CGB.   Esther said that her “brother was like a hawk. He wouldn’t let me have another mini meatbaIl that I was eyeing - and then had me do 20 minuntes on his elipitical machine after the brunch since I wasn’t getting to the gym that day !!”   Way to go Esther’s brother! (We’d like a pic of you!)  (Pic is of Esther dogsitting Zoie in the Hamptons)

Did Esther meet her goals from last week?

Four days of Esther’s food records: 

Wednesday June 18 
Breakfast   
coffee   
banana   
Lunch   
Turkey burger, oil, vinegar   
salad w/ whole wheat pita bread   
Dinner   
1 glass red wine   
terra chips   
carrots, celery, humus, babaganoush   
pretzels   

 
Thursday June 19  
Breakfast  
coffee  
1 hard boiled egg  
4% cottage cheese 4 ounces  
Lunch  
boiled shrimp  
greens w/ feta, olive oil & lemon  
tzakiki sauce w/ carrots & celery  
Dinner  
1 bloody mary  
1 glass white wine  
steamers w/ butter  
1/4 piece bread  
4 raw oysters  
3 fried oysters
1/2 grilled flounder
grilled asparagus, 1/4 cup rice
1 ear of corn boiled
20 almonds

Monday June 16 
Breakfast   
1 vita muffin w/ 1 tsp jam 
coffee   
Lunch   
salad w/ grilled chicken oil & vinegar
watermelon  
Dinner   
steamed string beans, asparagus, broccoli,
w/ chicken, shrimp, ginger sauce on the side
1 cup brown rice  
1 fortune cookie  

Sunday June 22  
Breakfast:  
kashi cereal  
w/berries & milk  
Lunch/Dinner:  
2 glasses white wine  
greek spreads  
1 piece sm toast  
2 mini spinach pies  
2 small meat balls  
serving fried calamari  
3 baby lamb chops  
greek salad serving  
tasting of dessert  

My comments on Esther’s food records:
1. It was difficult to calculate your calories this week because you ate out so much. I am estimating that you ate an average of 1500-1600 calories this week.
2. I know this was a difficult week for you as you had several social occasions. Your alcohol intake was a bit high (5 drinks) - but I know this is substantially better than it had been in the past!
3. Your are eating much less sushi than what I have witnessed in the past - good job.
4. Once again, you had some really low calorie days that helped to offset the days where you ate more. This is a good tactic - assuming you don’t take on a binge/starve mentality.

Esther’s goals for this week:
1. Continue to aim for 1300-1400 calories
2. 2 alcoholic drinks this week
3. You are doing great with the trainer and pilates. Work on upping the cardio to 3-4 intense sessions this week (Pic is of Jill, Esther’s pilates instructor)
4. Try to limit the dressings/dips/spreads in restaurants this week
5. Have some lunches or dinners without carbs 

Keep in mind that while you did lose 3 pounds this week while not being 100% on the plan,  it doesn’t mean that you can stray each week and expect to lose this amount of weight. It is quite possible that because you lost so much last week, the scale may not drop at all this week. If that happens, don’t get frustrated!

Keep up the great work!

Related posts

• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey: Progress Report #4 (0)
• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey: Progress Report #2 (1)
• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey: Progress Report #3 (3)
• Calories in Chinese Food (5)
• Your Plate or Mine? An Excerpt from my Colleague’s Book (2)

Do you grab your lunch on the run? Wondering how healthy or unhealthy your favorite lunch choice is?  Or maybe you are stuck on the same old turkey sandwich or salad with grilled chicken and are looking for new lunch ideas.

I’ve decided instead of always bringing lunch from home (’m such a good nutritionist!), I’d start buying more lunches from the outside so I could investigate the nutritional content. Ok - so I’ll deal with the ridiculous prices for a lunch bought in midtown NYC for the sake of research. In the privacy of my office, I’ll dissect my take-out lunch by weighing and measuring the ingredients. Keep in mind that my reported calorie and fat grams will be only estimations as I don’t know exactly how the food is prepared.

So today, I decided to order the Lunch Bento Box Special for $11(from Ginza, NYC ). Here is what arrived:

- salmon teriyaki (3 oz - tiny portion - 180/15 gm fat),
- small california roll (175 cal/3 gm fat) 
- 3 pieces of a steamed vegetable (~ 15 cal/0 gm fat)
- 2 cups miso soup (100 cal/3 gm fat) salad with 4 T. (2 oz ) of orange Japanese salad dressing (200 cal, 20 gm fat)
- 2 shumai dumplings (60 calories)
- 1 cup rice (170 cal/0 gm fat) 

Total calories if you eat the entire meal: 900 calories / 45 gm fat.

Tips to improve this meal:
- omit the side portion of rice
- use only 1/2 of the salad dressing
- eat only the soup or salad

New and improved lunch: 550 calories and 25-31 gm fat.

My comments on this lunch: While the Bento Box appears very healthy, it is deceptively high in calories if you eat the whole thing! It is also a bit on the pricey side for lunch. The salmon teriyaki was dried out and the vegetable portion was very small. On the positive side - I like the fact that you get several different kinds of food in this “box”. It makes lunch more interesting.

Related posts

• No related posts.

Week 4 has come to an end and Esther has lost another 2 pounds! Her weight is now 142. She even made it through her family’s Greek BBQ with flying colors. She was carefully watched by her family who is aware of her weight loss attempts.

Interview with Esther:
Martha: Did you encounter any barriers this week when it came to your weight loss plan?
Esther: Several things. I had PMS -which makes me really tired and crave sweets. Getting to the gym was a struggle on some days (but I still did it!). In addition, you’ll see on my food log that I gave in to my sweets craving several times. I had a couple nights where I ate out. Eating out is always difficult for me.  I felt like I handled them quite well.

Martha: So how did you handle the BBQ? Did my tips help you at all?
Esther: Your tips definitely helped. I enlisted the support of  my family. My cousin Esther is also watching her weight so we watched each other. (Martha - the two “dieting Esthers”!) I started to waiver when the fresh apple pie came out with three different kinds of ice cream. It got to the point that I was staring at my cousin Robert’s 2 mini marshmallows left on his plate from his Rocky Road ice cream. He did me the favor an ate them before I could!!  My brother then got firm and told me to stop obessing ( I was staring at the pie considering trying to take the uneven piece staring at me). My cousin Steve came to the rescue and took me for a walk down the block !!!  (Pic is of Esther at the BBQ)

Martha: Do you see any potentional problem situations for the upcoming week?
Esther: I’m going to the Hamptons with a friend, Nadine,  from Wed night until Friday night.
We are going to bring healthy food and are only going to dinner one night so that will be the one cheat. I am also having lunch with my family at a Greek Restaurant on Sunday so will have to stay away from some of my favorites or only get tastes and eat a healthy course.

Did Esther meet her goals from last week?:

Four days from Esther’s food records:

Friday June 13 (out with friends)
Breakfast
coffee
raisin bread w/ tsp peanut butter tsp fresh jam
Lunch:
Special K cereal 140 cal
bare naked cereal 180 cal
fresh berries
skim milk
Dinner:
2 glasses white wine
fresh carrots, radishes
olives (plain sm green)
1/2 pita bread w/ cheese
salad with very little dressing
1 1/2 stuffed grape leaves 
1 lamb skewer grilled 
2 oreo cookies 
2 snackwell cookies 

Sunday, June 14 (at BBQ)
Breakfast:
iced coffee
half a bialy with nova and a tbspoon of cream cheese
one small cheese w/ egg greek thing ( no breading )
some fruit salad !
BBQ
perrier with lime ( NO ALCOHOL)
3 pieces of cheese
4 Israeli pickles
mixed salad w/ oil & vinegar
2 lamb shish kebob skewers
one spoon pasta salad ( sm spoon)
one spoon orzo salad ( sm spoon)
one piece greek meats ( inards ) grilled
plate of fruit salad

Monday June 9
Breakfast
coffee   
2% cottage cheese 4 oz   
1/2 banana   
Lunch:
cucumber, tomato olive oil & vinegar   
3 pieces turkey
Dinner:   
homemade coleslaw, light mayo, white vinegar   
1/4 roasted chicken   
watermelon   

Wednesday June 11  
Breakfast
iced coffee    
2% cottage cheese 4 oz  
Lunch  
homemade coleslaw lite mayo, white vinegar    
1 piece chicken thigh + drumstick    
water   
Dinner: 
1/2 portion seaweed salad    
4 pieces sashimi    
1 piece eel sushi    
1 piece spicy scallop sushi, 1 piece sp tuna sashimi    
6 pieces sashimi roll w/cucumber
1 oreo cookie    PMS
1 snackwells cookie PMS
3 prunes
130 calories of part skim milk

My comments on Esther’s food records:
1. It was difficult to estimate some of your calories as I am not sure of the portion sizes nor am I aware of the ingredients. But I would estimate that you averaged 1500-1600 calories.
2. I noticed that you had several really low calorie days (~ 700 calories). While I generally don’t recommend really low calorie days, it is a way to help offset those days where you eat a little too much. However you don’t want to get in the habit of feasting and then starving. But I think what you did this week was fine. Check out my previous post on recovery days.
3. I see that you had PMS cravings as you had more sweets this week. But to your credit, you kept your portion sizes of sweets really small. Good job! Check out my previous post on PMS cravings.
4. I didn’t see too many healthy afternoon snacks…
5. That diet coleslaw you made is a great idea - low cal and filling!

Esthers goals for this week:
1. Once again, aim for 1300 - 1400 calories
2. 2 personal training sessions, one pilates, 3 cardio and as much walking as possible
3. 2 alcoholic beverages this week
4. Continue to be very careful with eating out
5. Plan healthy afternoon snacks
6. You have identified 2 potentional problem situations for the upcoming week. Continue to enlist your family’s support for the Sunday brunch. It sounds like you and your friend Nadine already have a good plan for the Hamptons.

Keep up the great work!

Related posts

• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey: Progress Report #3 (3)
• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey Progress Report #5 (0)
• Make it Through Your BBQ without Bloating Out! (0)
• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey: Progress Report #2 (1)
• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey:Progress Report #7 (0)

Hold the tomato in your salad and sandwich! By now you have probably heard of the outbreaks of salmonella from eating certain kinds of raw tomatoes. It is recommended that you avoid the larger tomatoes such as red plum, roma and round red. The smaller tomatoes such as grape, cherry, homegrown tomatoes and those sold with the vine still attached are supposedly safe. At this point, I would recommend that you avoid all tomatoes in restaurants as you don’t know what kind of tomaotes they are.

Here is the full report:

Tomatoes Linked To Salmonella Outbreak ATLANTA, June 4, 2008

(AP) An outbreak of salmonella food poisoning first linked to uncooked tomatoes has now been reported in nine states.

U.S. health officials said Tuesday that lab tests have confirmed illnesses in Texas and New Mexico as the same type of salmonella, right down to the genetic fingerprint. An investigation by Texas and New Mexico health authorities and the Indian Health Service tied those cases to uncooked, raw, large tomatoes.

The New Mexico Department of Health said that so far, 39 people from nine counties in New Mexico have become ill from the strain of salmonella, called salmonella Saintpaul. There have been no deaths, but several people have been hospitalized.

The New Mexico patients, who began to become ill on May 6, have come from Bernalillo, Cibola, Curry, Dona Ana, McKinley, Otero, San Juan, Sandoval and Socorro counties.

At least 17 people in Texas and New Mexico have been hospitalized. None have died, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

An additional 30 people have become sick with the same infection in Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Idaho, Illinois and Indiana. CDC investigators are looking into whether tomatoes were culprits there, too.

In Texas and New Mexico, raw large tomatoes - including Roma and red round tomatoes - were found to be a common factor in the illnesses. But no farm, distributor or grocery chain has been identified as the main source, said Casey Barton Behravesh, a CDC epidemiologist working on the investigation.

“The specific type and source of tomatoes is under investigation,” she said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday alerted consumers in New Mexico and Texas that the outbreak appeared to be linked to certain types of raw red tomatoes and products containing raw red tomatoes, but said the specific type and source was under investigation.

The FDA suggested people in the two states limit their tomato consumption to tomatoes that have not been implicated in the outbreak. Those include cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, tomatoes sold with the vine still attached and homegrown tomatoes.

Salmonella is a bacterial infection that lives in the intestinal tracts of humans and other animals. The bacteria are usually transmitted to humans by eating foods contaminated with animal feces.

Most infected people suffer fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps starting 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness tends to last four to seven days.

Many people recover without treatment. However, severe infection and even death is possible. Infants, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are at greatest risk for severe infections.

In Texas and New Mexico, patients ranged in age from ages 3 to 82. Most were interviewed and most said they ate raw tomatoes from either stores or restaurants before becoming ill between April 23 and May 27.

Related posts

• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey: Progress Report #2 (1)
• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey: Progress Report #3 (3)
• Calories in Chinese Food (5)
• Your Plate or Mine? An Excerpt from my Colleague’s Book (2)
• Work While You are on the Treadmill… and Lose Weight (1)

We’ve all heard that you can slow your metabolism by eating too few calories. But at what point does this “slow down” in your metabolism happen? I recently got asked an excellent question from a CGB reader regarding this subject.

Question from Dax: Hey, I really like your website . . . and I’m a guy, is that okay?  I understand the science behind the slower metabolism on a restricted diet.  Your body becomes more efficient, which sounds like a good thing, but actually means that you run on few calories and, therefore, more calories would become fat.

However, I get confused by the numerous examples of the opposite.  Why did Christian Bale in the Machinist get so thin!  He claims he lost 63 pounds by eating nothing other than a can of tuna and an apple per day.  Why didn’t his metabolism keep him from losing the weight? (Pic is of Christian Bale before and after his weight loss)

Also, what is the fewest calories a man can eat without going too low?

Answer from Martha: First, I think it’s great that you enjoy my blog! I actually have a lot of male readers. I try to make many of my posts of interest to both guys and girls. Second, you asked an excellent question that I have actually wondered myself.  While I don’t have a scientific answer for you, here are my thoughts…

Studies have demonstrated that the metabolism does slow when the caloric intake has been decreased to a very low level, especially when this restriction has been ongoing AND a fair amount of weight loss has occured. The act of losing weight in itself will slow the metabolism. In addition, the new lower body weight will require fewer calories that the initial higher body weight. So this is a double whammy so to speak.

But you have raised a good point. How can some people, such as Christian Bale or anorexics, get to such a low body weight if their metabolisms slow down? My answer would be that they consume SO FEW calories that they still lose weight despite the slow down in metabolism. Many anorexics consume only 400 calories a day and may exercise for several hours a day. Christian Bale’s diet doesn’t sound far off from 400 calories.  BTW - check out this link for more info on Christian Bale’s 63 pound weight loss for the movie The Machinist. Another example would be liquid diets. I worked with these medically supervised fasts, such as Optifast, for many years when they were popular. The participants generally started out obese and ate only 500-800 calories a day (in the form of shakes) for months at a time. If they stuck to the diet, the majority of them lost a large amount of weight.  So despite the slow down in their metabolic rate, they were still able to lose weight.  But here is the problem -  when they start to eat even somewhat normally … their weight skyrocketed back up - usually rapidly. This is because their metabolism had slowed down and even small increases in caloric intake caused rapid weight gain.

So to summarize, weight loss can still occur in many people if very low calorie diets are adhered to. However this is not recommended as very low calorie diets are inadequate in nutrients and will make weight regain likely once the low cal diet is discontinued. The best way to lose weight is a moderate reduced calorie diet and regular weight training and cardio.

To answer your second question - I can not tell you exactly how low you can go with your calories before your metabolism will start to slow. This really depends upon your age, weight, activity level and your own metabolism. But I can tell you that you should not consume fewer calories than your BMR (basal metabolic rate). Check out this link to find out your BMR.

Hope this answered your question Daz and thanks for reading CGB!

Related posts

• Your Plate or Mine? An Excerpt from my Colleague’s Book (2)
• When it’s No Longer a Diet (0)
• Week 8 & 9 New Hampshire Biggest Weight Loss Competition Progress Report (0)
• Week 4 Results of New Hampshire’s Biggest Loser Competition (1)
• Week 2 Results of New Hampshire’s Biggest Loser Competition (0)

The BBQ season is here - which can spell diet disaster! Lately, I have been seeing BBQ overindulgences on my clients food records. This Sunday is Father’s day and I would bet that many of you will be attending a family cookout. Esther (who’s weight loss journey we have been following on CGB) has asked us for some support on how to handle her family’s Big Greek BBQ this Sunday on Father’s day. (Pic on the right is NOT of Esther’s family). Esther’s family likes to eat and it is pretty much a sure bet that the food will be overflowing.  

Question from Esther:
Martha, I need some guidance.  Tomorrow is Friday night and I am supposed to meet some friends for drinks.  I normally would use up my two drinks for the week BUT on Sunday I am going to my cousins house for a family BBQ Greek style which means three times the amount of food of a regular BBQ.  Any tips so I could stay on track?

Answer from Martha: You have a couple potential troublesome issues ahead - however I want to focus on the BBQ. BBQ’s can spell trouble for anyone watching their weight. It sounds like your Greek BBQ could be especially problematic! However, with some careful planning and willpower, you’ll be able to get through it without overindulging.  

Potential problems at BBQ’s

1. You are often there for many hours. The longer you are there, the more food will likely be consumed.
2. A lot of food may be served. Since the grilling can go on for hours, you may feel tempted to have a little “taste” of everything. A burger here, a hot dog 15 minutes later, then some ribs. A hour or so later, the steak goes on the grill, so why not have a little piece? And this is not even counting the side dishes. I actually see this on my clients food logs (for those who are brave - or honest - enough to record it!)
3. With the hot weather, the beers or vodka and lemonades can go down very quickly. The calories add up quickly too!
4. With increased alcohol, your discipline can fall by the wayside.
5. Often times, fatty meats such as ribs will be served, along with high calorie side dishes such as pasta or potato salad.

Tips to stay on track at your next BBQ
1. First, don’t go to the BBQ hungry. Low blood sugar will only lead to overeating. Make sure you have a light meal several hours before the event or a snack right before.
2. Drink A LOT of water during the BBQ. For 3 reasons - it will help you to stay hydrated in the hot weather, it will give you something to drink instead of alcohol and it can help make you feel fuller so you can eat less food.
3. If possible, find out what will be served ahead of time. This can help you prepare mentally what you will eat in advance. If most of the food choices seem on the heavier side, offer to bring a green salad or sliced vegetables ready to be grilled.
4. Once you get to the BBQ, take notice of what the food options are. Plan in your mind what you will eat instead of starting in on the food frenzy. You don’t have to have one of everything that is served. Wait for what you really want - even if it something fattening like ribs. It would be better to have a smaller portion of ribs than to load up on burgers, hot dogs and steak - without feeling satisfied.
5. I would definitely suggest you limit yourself to 2 small portions of a protein food - but take one without the bun. For example, maybe take a small burger on a bun and then a plain hot dog without a bun. Now if there are side dishes that you want such as pasta salad, I would recommend you avoid the bun.
6. BBQ’s can be quite healthy. You can grill fish, skinless poultry, veggies and fruit with a side green salad.
7. You can always take your relatives to a computer in the house to show them your journey on CGB! Knowing that others are watching you may curtail your urge to splurge!
8. Try to include a physical activity at the BBQ to do something besides eat. Maybe a game of frisbee!

Esther, from what I understand about your family, I would imagine there will be quite a lot of food served. Your best bet is to fill your plate with salad and take smaller portions of the foods you really want. Eat very slow and drink a lot of water.  Try not to have several plates of food - stick to one. You mentioned that your brother is aware of your weight loss attempts and will be watching you. That is great! The more support, the better. Remember, you will be writing everything down and reporting to us. Some pictures would be nice too!

With regards to your 2 allowed alcoholic beverages, I would recommend that you choose when you really want them the most. Maybe tonight with your friends - that way the alcohol won’t decrease your willpower for staying on track at the cookout.

Good luck at the BBQ!

Related posts

• Fit into Your Little Black Dress by New Years Eve (1)
• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey: Progress Report #2 (1)
• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey:Progress Report #7 (0)
• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey: Progress Report #4 (0)
• Does Alcohol Cause Weight Gain? (4)