Okay, so who has tried these noodles? I bought my first package about 2 years ago. I saw them in the grocery store and thought they looked interesting. However, once I got home and took a closer look, I thought they looked more scary than interesting. They sat in my refrigerator for a month or so. Once I got brave enough to try them, I opened the package and noticed a strange smell.  I rinsed them out and added tomato sauce. They still tasted weird. I have since found out that they taste best if you rinse them, then boil them for a few minutes, then drain and add the sauce of your choice.  Not bad!

I actually kind of like them. However, word of warning… if you are cooking for your boyfriend for the first time, I am not suggesting you make him shirataki noodles. You might not hear from him again. However, for those citygirls who crave pasta, shirataki noodles are a  decent substitute.  

What are shirataki noodles?
They are thin, chewy, low carb Japanese noodles. Shirataki comes from the root of a plant  and is grown in various parts of Asia. They are given many names in different places, including Konnyaku potato (or just konnyaku), konjac, konjaku, etc. The fiber is also known as glucomannan.

What are the benefits of shirataki noodles?
There is some evidence that glucomannan, when tested as a powdered supplement, can play a role in blood sugar control, as well as produce improvements in cholesterol control and weight loss (see this report). It also contributes to fiber intake, and can be a substitute for starchy noodles.

What is the nutritional content?
Here is the good news - you can eat the whole 8 oz package for only 40 calories, 1 gm fat, 30 mg sodium, 6 grams carbs and 4 grams of fiber. For those of you who carb counting, you can subtract the fiber, so it really only has 2 grams of carbs. What a difference compared to pasta or other grains!

Where are they found?
Shirataki noodles are found in Asian markets, health food stores and many grocery stores. In NYC, I found them in most health food stores, Gristedes but not Food Emporian. They are found in the refrigerated section of the store and come “wet” in packages of liquid.

How do you prepare them?
They need to be rinsed under hot water. I have found them to taste best if you boil them for a few minutes as this helps to get rid of the “odor”.

How do you incorporate them into meals?
They be used in place of pasta. You can add them to salads or soups as well. They really do not have much of a taste, so be sure to add to them to something that has a taste!

Basic recipes:

While my name is Martha, I am no Martha Stewart. No slaving in the kitchen for me (although something tells me Martha Stewart does not slave in the kitchen … bet she has plenty of helpers). Here are some of my simple recipes:

1. Asian style: Saute ~ 3 oz chicken, tofu, lean meat, shrimp, etc. in Pam in a nonstick skillet. Cook and remove. Add in sliced baby carrots and other veggies (I like pea pods or broccoli). You might want to steam them slightly first. Add ~ 3 T. juice from a can of mandarin oranges, a splash of rice wine vinegar, a splash of mirin (sweetened rice vinegar), sprinkle of powdered ginger or better yet grated fresh ginger, a splash of soy sauce - or you can just use Paul Newman’s low fat sesame soy vinigarette dressing. Cook the veggies until tender (a few minutes). Add back in the protein. Add in the noodles (which you already rinsed and boiled for a minute or two).

2. Basic Tomato Sauce. Sautee onions, mushrooms, garlic and add your favorite tomato sauce from a jar. Add the noodles and a little parmesan cheese. You can also add lean ground beef or turkey breast to the tomato sauce.

More Recipes  

Check out:

 Recipes from Jimmy’s Moores Low Carb Blog: (Use your discretion as nutritional content is not given for these recipes) 

 Low Carb Pasta with Chicken and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce 

Hungry Girl Shirataki recipes

 Enjoy and please post your favorite Shirataki recipes!!

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Here is a speech called “Fuel Your Workout” that I presented at Toastmasters,  a public speaking group. I hate to watch myself on video…  but I will be brave and post it anyway (btw - I don’t think I really have a “lisp” like I do in the video….at least I didn’t think I did!)

If you can not access the video that is posted here, try this link:  Fueling Your Workout on YouTube.  For more details on sports nutrition, check out my post “Fuel Your Workout” a few weeks ago.

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The following is an excerpt from the book titled Eat, Drink and Be Gorgeous, from one my colleagues, Esther Blum, Registered Dietitian. Her book contains the secrets to beautiful skin, a fantastic figure, and peace of mind—all while living the good life.
“I am blessed to live and work in New York City. It is one of the most romantic and fabulous places to date. Restaurants are a dime a dozen, and each one has its own special atmosphere and succulent treasure trove of food. Nomatter what you’re craving—Thai, Japanese, oodles of noodles, or a fat, juicy steak—you’ll find it here. Upscale restaurants are still catering to the low-carb dieting sector, and even fast-food chains are catching on to the idea that weight loss can sell even when a girl is on the go. But no matter how fabulous the food is, and how much we are enjoying ourselves, one question still remains: What should a Gorgeous Girl eat on a date?

I can’t tell you how many times I hear from my clients that they’re more stressed about what to order on the date than going on the date itself! If you are trying to eat carefully and the process of eating out seems daunting, take the pressure off yourself by figuring out what you want to eat. Feel free to suggest a restaurant that appeals to you ahead of time. Your date will appreciate your initiative, and you’ll get to sit back and enjoy yourself. Isn’t five minutes of planning worth an evening’s peace of mind?

Before we even cover that territory, let me give you the single most important rule for going out in the evenings: Do not starve yourself during the day. You must eat during the day, especially if you’ve got a date that night. Eat your breakfast, eat your lunch, and eat one or two snacks in between meals. Nobody likes a party pooper, and if you go all day without meals your blood sugar will plummet, making you a cranky cookie and a very unappealing mood swinger (this is not to be confused with a wild swinger). Whether it’s a party or a date, plan ahead of time and make sure you don’t neglect yourself during the daytime hours because you’re worried about overeating at the big event or trying to keep your tummy flat. If you’ve taken care of yourself during the day, you will be less hungry by the time nighttime rolls around and less likely to overeat.

Game-Day Strategies
The day of your date, keep everything as routine as possible. Don’t skip meals or let your hunger get to the point of no return, or your body will attack you warrior-princess-style and you will end up bingeing at dinner to quell your pangs of hunger. You will go to bed with an uncomfortably full stomach, forcing your body to digest during what should otherwise be a time of rest. It’s just dinner you’re going to, not the Last Supper. Grazing and snacking is truly the way to go, rather than saving up all your calories for one giant blowout.

I’ve listed below some sample lunch and dinner meal plans that should serve as guideposts for you. Ultimately, you’ll need to check in with yourself and decide what foods on the menu are going to make your taste buds tingle and make the meal that much more enjoyable for you. You should also ask yourself how hungry you truly are when you start to eat; ask again at midmeal to prevent yourself from overeating. In a world where stress is abundant and our pleasures are booked within time slots, wouldn’t it be wonderful to at least have the knowledge that we’re treating ourselves with some level of gentle loving-kindness by giving ourselves what we really need? You’re welcome.

If you are going to be consuming alcohol on the date, it is crucial to have food in your stomach beforehand to absorb and metabolize the booze properly. Alcohol initially raises your blood sugar, then lowers it, wreaking havoc on your blood sugar balance, energy levels, sugar cravings, and mood swings. It also loosens up even the best nutritional intentions, making your stomach an unrelenting food whore that just won’t quit until it gets paid. Remember, there are peanuts at the bar for a reason, so eat up!

Ideally, you’ll know ahead of time exactly which restaurant you’ll be eating at. That way, you can look up the menu online or have it faxed to you so you can look it over and make sure it appeals to you. (Wouldn’t it be a complete disaster to go to an Indian restaurant for the chana saag, only to discover it isn’t on the menu?) But what do you do if that option is not available?

Here are a few important guidelines:

Eating Right on Date Night
Keep in mind that this info doesn’t just apply to date nights. These guidelines work whenever you find yourself in a restaurant:

• Figure out how hungry you are before you start eating. Rate your hunger on a scale of 1 to 10, where a 1 is ravenous and a 10 is overstuffed. Ideally you should start eating at a 2 or 3 and stop somewhere near 5, when you are satisfied. Don’t let yourself get too hungry or too full. Somewhere in between is just right.

• Look over the menu and figure out what appeals to you. Do you want something sweet? Salty? Crunchy? Chewy? If you’re worried about eating healthfully but just know you won’t be truly satisfied until you have the mac and cheese, then just order it and commit to stopping when you’re full. Divide the portion in half and see if you are still hungry after the first half is gone. We live in a world where food is abundant; try to remember that you can always come back to it later, when you are hungry.

• Order a meal that has some protein in it: Lamb, chicken, fish, turkey, ostrich, buffalo, venison, Rock Cornish hen, rabbit, and steak are all excellent choices. When your meal arrives, start by eating the protein first. Protein is the only nutrient that turns off your body’s hunger mechanism and will therefore prevent you from overeating.

• Order foods the way you want them cooked. Specify to your waiter whether you’d like something broiled or grilled, if you’d like sauces on the side, or if you’d like substitutions made. Learn to decipher jargon on the menu, or ask the waiter. Crackling or crispy means something is fried, grilled means it is grilled (but usually brushed with oil or marinated beforehand), sautéed means that the chef has cooked the food in oil—and usually a fair amount at that—and poached means a food is cooked in boiling water or steam. When in doubt, ask.

• If low-carb eating is your bag, then send the bread basket back. Substitute a second vegetable for the starch, and start off with a salad or vegetable-based soup for an appetizer. Did you know that people who eat soup before a meal lose more weight than people who don’t? Soups are very filling and low in calories, so you can feel full quickly without eating too much.

• Make sure that you get some fat in your meal as well. Fat will slow down the absorption of foods in your stomach, making you feel fuller longer and turning off your hunger signals, so that ultimately you will end up eating less. Slowing down your digestion will also slow down your absorption of any alcohol you’ve consumed too quickly, keeping you relaxed enough to enjoy yourself, yet respectable enough to get a second date. The healthiest fat you can find in a restaurant is olive oil. Commercial salad dressings are loaded with thickeners, sugars, and poor-quality oils, so try to stay away from them. Order oil-and vinegar-based dressings, or get a shot of olive oil and vinegar on the side. Feel free to order any salads or appetizers containing avocados, olives, almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds, tahini dressing, or any other nut or seed combo to get a dose of healthy fats as well.”

                                          Check out Esther’s book!

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No one wants to be called a loser …unless you are a successful weight loss loser! I always wonder how some people can lose weight and keep it off while others regain it. In my nutrition practice, I have a fairly good success rate in helping people lose weight. I spend a lot of time helping my clients analyze their “problem areas” and come up with solutions as how to deal with them. This results in weight loss for many of my clients. But does the weight loss stay off? I am not sure because I lose touch with many of my clients.

Here is the sceniero: 

- Client sees me and gets an eating/exercise/behavior plan
- Meets with me on a regular basis, gets weighed
- Usually (but not always) keeps a food record
- We discuss his/her food intake, exercise and eating behaviors and
   problem solve as needed. 
- As time goes on, the scale drops.
- The client reaches their goal weight, thanks me profusely, may see
   me one or two more times…then disappears (despite my strong
   recommendation to see me every few months to “check in”). 

So here is the story of a successful loser. This patient has lost over 50 pounds and has kept it off for 1 yr. 

The client: picture on the right - identity protected by bag (not really him - but I found the pic amusing!)
A.W. is a 51 year attorney with a very busy schedule. Height: 5′10 Weight: 243  pounds on 12/05.  He eats all his meals on the outside. Breakfast was 2 bagels (one was not enough…and he treated his staff to breakfast so several dozen bagels were always purchased), lunch was large sandwich with potato salad, dinner was always take-out (usually Chinese) or restaurant dining (lots of bread), night time snack was huge portions of nuts. A.W. admitted he was a compulsive eater and could not control his portions of many foods (such as nuts and bread). He played tennis several times a week for exercise. Luckily he had a supportive girlfriend (lovely woman!) who enjoyed cooking healthy for him on the weekends and was a good influence in restaurants.

The solution: we worked out an eating plan that promoted a 53 pound weight loss in 9 months by 9/06. Despite the fact the A.W. is more or less at his goal weight, he still meets with me every few months to make sure he stays on track.

 So this is why A.W. is a successful loser ….
- A.W. knows himself well.
- He has a problem with controlling his intake of certain foods and will likely always have this problem. He does not keep these foods in his house.
- He has substituted his problem foods with other foods like hot air popcorn (he can eat large portions of this for a lot less calories than the nuts) and broth based soups.
- He does not start with bagels (except for once a week) because he knows one will not satisfy him.
- He and his girlfriend do not allow the bread basket to be placed on the restaurant table.
- He weighs himself on a regular basis and saw his weight creep up by 7 pounds over this  summer.  As a lawyer he has an analytical mind, so he analyzed why he had started to gain weight. He can up with the following problems: his secretaries had started to buy him jumbo burritos for lunch (”they are so good he says!” “I am sure they are I said… but now you have to cut it down to once a week”) ,  he had started snacking on large portions of sugar free chocolate (we reviewed the fact that sugar free does not mean low calorie!), and his weekend portions of “healthy” food had started to creep up.
- I agreed with A.W. about his suspected causes of weight gain. 
- We reviewed his eating plan and set new goals.

So the morale of the story is that once you have lost weight, it does not mean it is guaranteed to stay off. You still need need support or monitoring. Some people are able to do it on their own by weighing themself on regular basis. Others need to check in with someone like me! (Or weight watchers, etc.). Making permanent changes in your eating/exercise behaviors is a very difficult thing to do. The more support you can enlist, the better - A.W. has me, his girlfriend and once again his office staff.

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Been there, done that, swore you would never do it again. What am I talking about? The dreaded hangover! The kind where your head is pounding, you can barely open your eyes, your mouth feels like cotton balls, the nausea is overwhelming and junk food is calling your name. 

Causes of hangovers
There can be several causes for hangovers. Obviously overindulging is the major cause. While the amount of alcohol needed to really wreak havoc varies by size, gender and genetics, most studies quantify “binge drinking” as consuming more than five drinks in a night–or more than three drinks in one to two hours. According to a 2003 survey by the National Center for Health Statistics, one in five adults had consumed more than five drinks in a day during the previous year. Hmmm…only once in a year?  In my experience, it seems a little more than this.Other causes could be drinking a beverage that does not agree with you. Colorless cocktails like vodka and gin are kinder on the body than dark whiskey or even red wine. I know for me margaritas tend to do some damage.

Not eating enough or being dehydrated prior to drinking can increase the risk of a hangover. Personally, if I did not drink enough fluid during the day, even 1-2 glasses of wine can cause a major headache the next day.

Lastly, women are more susceptible to hangovers because they have less of the enzyme needed to break down alcohol.

Why do hangovers occur?
The major reason is that alcohol dehydrates you. Alcohol blocks hormones in your kidney that normally would keep you from racing to the bathroom. With each drink, you effectively lose more water than you take in. Ever wonder why you keep running to the bathroom while having a few beers at happy hour? Dehydration leads to headaches. Here is another problem: when breaking down alcohol, your body pumps out lactic acid and other byproducts that hinder the production of glucose (sugar) and electrolytes (salts and other minerals that keep your body functioning properly). This can cause that weak woozy feeling you experience the next day.

So how should we deal with hangovers?
Of course, the best way to deal with hangovers is to prevent them! Moderation is always best. But if you do have one too many, here are some tips that may or may not help you:

• Sleep! Stay in bed as long as you can and give your body a chance to recover.
• Re-hydrate yourself. Drink plenty of water (though water is not that appealing to me if I feel hungover) or any beverage that appeals to you.
• Drink a sports drink like Gatorade or Powerade. This will help to replace the electrolytes that your body lost during the night before.
• Eat something. This can help to coat your stomach from the previous nights overindulgence in adult beverages.
• Pain relievers such as aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen all can help with headaches. However, be careful when mixing acetaminophen, such as Tylenol and Excedrin, with alcohol as it can cause damage to the liver.
• Alternate between a hot and cold shower.
• In Ireland, it was said that the cure for hangovers is to bury the ailing person up to the neck in moist river sand. Hudson River anyone????
• A last resort: Legend has it that a morning nip - the “hair of the dog that bit you”-can keep a hangover at bay. However, this would not be my first recommendation!

Does anyone have any tips to share with how they deal with hangovers?

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I frequently get asked questions on the benefits of pilates vs. weight training. Since I am not an expert in this area, I turned to one of my colleagues.  The following article on  is from the fitness newsletter of Julia Derek, personal trainer. Her monthy newsletter is called Fit and the City - appropriate for us city girls. Check it out for other informative articles. 

Question: I’m a woman in my mid-thirties who’s looking to lose weight. I weigh 160 and my height is 5 feet 4 inches. My sister tells me that I should take up Pilates because this will make me longer and leaner. My best friend says, no, lifting weights and doing cardio is the way to go. Now I’m confused. Who is right?

Answer: If you’re looking to lose weight, a combination of cardio and circuit-weight training is definitely the way to go! Consider the following study: Pilates was put to the test by researchers at Auburn University-Montgomery. They found that it does deliver for toning your “abs,” outperforming “crunches.” Monitoring a small group of 10 Pilates veterans, the researchers found that a basic workout used only as many calories as a session of moderate stretching–276 calories an hour for a 165-pound person. Intermediate Pilates was comparable to basic step-exercising; advanced routines burned calories at a rate similar to speed-walking at 4.5 miles an hour. A medium intensity circuit-weight training session followed by cardio has the potential of burning at least double that amount of calories.
Unfortunately, many exercise programs targeting women, like Pilates, make false promises that a particular exercise routine will make them longer and leaner. Short of chopping away surgically at muscles, there’s not much you can do to lengthen or shrink your natural muscle shape. Some anorexics or severely underweight people who manage to lose so much weight that they lose lots of muscle tissue may be able to lean down and appear to change their shape. But as this is very dangerous, I certainly don’t recommend this!

It’s also almost impossible for women to develop “bulky” muscles as we have a lot less testosterone compared to men. Heck, even for men it’s hard to develop bigger muscles! The big bodybuilder-type guys you see at the gym are there for hours every day. They are also very likely to have taken a few steroids. The reason some people feel that weight-training makes them look bulky has to do with body fat remaining on top of the muscles. Yes, cardio and weights burn a lot more calories than Pilates, but not the equivalent of a bottle of wine with steak dinner every other night…

So your best friend is right, Pilates won’t exactly slim you down. Of course, Pilates does do an excellent job of improving core strength and postural awareness, which can make you look longer and leaner. In other words, if you stand taller and extend your arms farther, you will have the appearance of longer muscles…

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I belong to a public speaking group called Toastmasters. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in improving their public speaking skills! Anyway, moving on to the point of this post… a few months ago, I listened to one of the members, Christy, give a speech on her sugar addiction.   Since I have many clients who also report having sugar cravings, I thought it would be interesting if I interviewed Christy to find out a little more about her sugar cravings and how she handles them.           (Christy is on the right)

Martha: Tell me what happened when you first found out you had issueswith sugar and sweets.

Christy: I first made the connection between food and mood, specifically how sweets affect me, when I was experimenting with the Zone diet. I noticed that I felt much more energized when I cut back on sugar and started eating more balanced meals with lots of vegetables, slower burning carbs and lean protein.

Martha: How does eating sugar make you feel physically and mentally?

Christy: I feel great when I first eat something sweet - it’s that sugar high that gets me going. I feel happy and giddy and energetic. But shortly afterwards, I start to feel spacey and tired. Then I get depressed and hungry and then, of course, I start craving sugar again.

Martha: What happens if you have just one cookie or candy?

Christy: Sometimes I can stop, but I’ll just have crazy cravings until I can balance myself out again. Usually it just takes a balanced meal to straighten me out, something that has slow burning carbs and protein in it to help balance out my blood sugar. Sometimes I’ll go back again and again to indulge. But this is very rare for me now.

Martha: If you eat a sweet, how long does it take you to get back in control? What triggers your cravings?

Christy: The time it takes me to get back in control really depends on what’s”eating” me. See, I know I don’t need sugar - no one does. We humanslived for hundreds of years without refined sugar or sweets. But sugar can and often does represent something else for us - comfort,security, love. If I’m feeling like I’m missing something in another area of my life - i.e., if I’m feeling insecure, not grounded or lonely - I may try to fill that void with sugar.

Martha: How do you handle your sugar cravings?

Christy: First, I try to bring awareness to my craving - what’s causing it -and just sit with that feeling for a few moments. If it’s a reallystrong craving, I try to delay going for something sweet - maybe for 10 or 15 minutes - drink a glass of water, take a little walk, get distracted. By this time the craving usually passes. And then I can move on with my day. If it’s really, really bad, I try to find something to satisfy the craving that isn’t quite as detrimental as going for the cookie or candy - maybe I’ll eat a piece of fruit or a
sweet vegetable - and that can make the craving go away.

Martha: I would like to thank Christy for sharing her story. Most of you who have been reading my posts,  know that I also have sugar cravings (chocolate cake anyone?)  Check out Christy’s blog: http://adeliciouslife.wordpress.com/

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While this topic does not have too much to do with nutrition, I wanted to post it because I feel it is an amazing physical accomplishment by my brother, Dustin Baker. Dustin is a great athlete who has completed many marathons, iron man triathalons, etc. But he is always looking for a new challenge. Well, he found it!

Here was the event: a 750 mile bike race in France called Paris-Brest-Paris. This race consists of a 750 mile, out-and-back bike race from Paris to a coastal town in France called Brest. The course is relatively flat near the start/finish, but includes a great deal of climbing as you approach and leave Brest. You have to complete the distance in 90 hours or less (or you do not finish the event in qualifying time).  There are 18 mandatory checkpoints along the way where officials track your progress. Total climbing for this event is 30,000 ft. Since you need to complete the event within 90 hours, it is nearly impossible to stop to sleep.

What did they eat? Of course, I was interested in this aspect of the race from a sports nutrition standpoint. Dustin says “from a nutrition perspective, this event forces you to consume a great deal of calories.  My friends and I figured we probably ate about 2,000 calories per meal 4x per day. This did not include food consumed while biking. A typical meal at the checkpoint would include: huge pile of either pasta or rice with meat sauce,  2 large baguette’s, bowl of tomato cream soup, small taboule salad w/ pasta, bowl (French tradition) of coffee, 1 - 2 cans of Coke, 2 pieces of pound cake, 1 cup of custard, and stuff for the bike jerseys.  We repeated this process 4x per day.  Believe it or not, this entire meal would be consumed within 15 minutes in order to be back on the bike as quickly as possible.  Within 30-40 minutes of leaving each checkpoint, we would begin eating on the bike. Eating on the bike consisted of energy bars such as Cliff bars and Power bars - about 300 calories of food an hour”.  Dustin consumed mainly water while riding as opposed to sports drinks because he was eating so much and did not need the extra carbs and electrolytes from a sports drink.

How much did he sleep? Since I am somewhat obsessed with getting adequate sleep, I was very interested in how much sleep he was able to get. Not much was the answer! Dustin biked for 30 hours and then slept for 2 hours. He then biked another 50 hours and slept for 4 hours.  He slept approximately  6 hrs. over a 76 hr. period.  The event provided sleeping cots at some of the checkpoints.  For 2-3 Euro dollars, you could rent a cot and blanket.  They would have someone wake you up at your preferred time.  There were hundreds of people sleeping in large gymnasiums for as little as 1hr. Some of the competitors chose not to sleep at all, or sleep on the side of road if they could not keep themselves awake!

The results: Dustin and his friends finished in 76 hrs. This year’s Paris-Brest drew 5,000 riders from all over the world.  Due to the inclement conditions, i.e. rain, wind, cold temps, ect… 25-30% of field did not finish in the qualifying time or was forced to abandon. It rained almost the entire event except for a few hours. Dustin and his friends were expecting to be about 5 hrs. faster, but the challenging weather slowed their progress

The next time you feel too tired to workout, keep this in mind: 
Dustin slept a total of 6 hours and rode 750 miles. Of course, this is not normal human behavior and I certainly would not expect the overwhelming majority of people to try it.  But the next time you are feeling too tired to drag yourself to the gym, remember Dustin’s story. Often times feeling fatigued is mind over matter!

Joel, Chip, Dustin and Jeff

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Question from Susan: I work late and then go to the gym. I usually end up eating dinner at 9 pm. Is this making it more difficult for me to lose weight?

Answer from Martha: Eating late dinners is a problem for many people. Maybe in suburbia people eat dinner at 6 pm, but most of the city girls and guys I know eat at 8 pm or later. You are not alone!

So this brings us to the question - will eating late at night contribute towards weight gain or make it more difficult to lose weight? Most health experts agree that it is the total amount of calories that you consume in a day that has the greater effect on your weight as compared to the time you eat.  So technically, if you eat dinner at 9 pm versus 7 pm, it should not make a difference one way or another when it comes to your weight… as long as you are sticking to your daily calorie goal.

If you are diligent about sticking to your weight loss calorie goal (more on determining these calorie goals will come in a future post), you should be able to lose weight despite eating a late dinner.

However, if you find your weight will not budge (despite being careful with your total calories), you might want to try to eat a lighter dinner. I would suggest that you eat a good sized snack (~ 200 calories or so) prior to working out.

Suggestions for snacks include:
- 1 T. peanut butter on a small banana 
- 4 oz cottage cheese and fruit
- a string cheese and 100 calories of whole grain crackers
- energy bar

Then eat a light dinner (300-400 calories) after working out.

Suggestions for dinners include:
- egg white omelet with veggies and whole grain toast
- steamed Chinese food with 1/2 cup brown rice
- miso soup, salad, 3 pieces of sushi and 3 sashimi
- 4 oz chicken breast or turkey burger and 2 cups veggies
- frozen dinner and veggies  

One more thought…while your total caloric intake is what is most important when it comes to weight control, we can’t totally discount the way you space out your calories. Eating multiple meals or “feedings” as I like to call them, tends to help speed the metabolism more than just eating 1-2 large meals - even if the calories were the same for the both scenieros. I have many clients who eat minimally during the day and then gorge at night. Your best bet from an energy standpoint as well as from a metabolism standpoint is to eat something every few hours.

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I remember when I was a kid and we had “frozen dinner” night every Friday. My mother would take all three kids to the grocery store and we would get to pick out our frozen dinner. I remember always choosing fried chicken with some kind of apple cobbler dessert…likely a Swanson’s dinner. (You couldn’t pay me to eat this now!). Years ago, there were not many dinners to choose from. Times have changed. Depending upon the store you go to, there can be hundreds of options ranging from Italian, “spa”cuisine, South Beach, Indian, vegetarian, etc.

Since frozen dinners  are processed and tend to contain high amounts of sodium, I do not recommend eating them everyday. However I see no problem with eating them several times a week - especially if you supplement with extra vegetables. They are certainly a better choice than most take-out dinners you would normally order. For a comparison, check out my posts on Take-Out Chinese and Japanese food.

The pros of frozen dinners:
1. Convenient for someone with a busy schedule who does not have time to cook.
2. Portion controlled and therefore a much lower calorie choice than other take-out foods (ie. Chinese, pizza, etc.)
3. Less expensive than dining out.
4. Easy and quick to prepare. Your dinner can be ready in 5 minutes.
5. There are a wide variety of frozen dinners to choose from.

Suggestions for chosing a frozen dinners
1. You need to find one you like! Some taste great while others are barely edible.

2. Make sure you scrutinize the food label. Some dinners contain 2 or more servings. For example, one eggplant parm dinner contains 360 calories, but there are 2 portions in the box. The portions are rather small, so I bet most people would consume both servings - 720 calories. Choose dinners or entrees with no more than 300-400 calories (assuming you are trying to watch your weight).

3. If you are craving pasta, a frozen dinner would be the way to go. Look for a dinner with no more than 400 calories. This is a much better choice than a restaurant order of pasta for ~ 800 calories or more. Or if you made pasta yourself and ate 1/2 the box…~ 900 calories (not including the sauce). Many of my clients have a difficult time controlling their portion of pasta when they make it.

4. Select meals with no more than 6 grams of saturated fat.

5. Ideally, look for meals with a sodium content no higher than 600 milligrams.

6. Add on a side salad and/or a serving of veggies to add nutrition, fiber and volume. Some of those dinners are on the small side - adding veggies will make it look like you are getting more food! 

7. I usually recommend “balanced” dinners. These are dinners that contain protein, a small serving of carbohydrate and a vegetable. Some dinners are now including whole grains such as brown rice instead of refined grains (ie. white rice, white pasta). Some dinners are also including double portions of vegetables.

8. If you are looking for entrees lower in carbs, check out South Beach.

 *this means I was not able to obtain that info or forgot to write it down when I was in the grocery store!

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