I posted this article about 9 months ago. However I’ve had so many questions recently from my clients on calories in Chinese food that I wanted to repost it so everyone would see it. Many of my clients trying to lose weight eat this cuisine on a regular basis. I think most of us know it isn’t the healthiest food around, but I think a lot of people don’t realize how bad it can actually be for your waistline… 

 Chinese food tastes so good … but is so fattening! Most dishes are high in calories and fat due to the amount of oil used in cooking. In addition, many of the vegetables soak up the oil like a sponge (especially eggplant). Many of the dishes contain over 800 calories - and this is before you add the rice. And do not let the fact that a particular dish is vegetarian fool you. Some of these dishes are the highest in calories!

The Center for Science in the Public Interest decided to see how fattening Chinese food really was. They bought food from multiple Chinese restaurants and had it analyzed at a lab.

Here are the Calories in Chinese Food:
Egg drop soup (one serving in restaurant) 100 calories for each soup
Hot & sour soup
Wonton soup
Little pack of fried noodles 150 calories

These figures do not include rice. Add 200 calories for each cup of white rice

Tips for surviving Chinese food:

• Obviously steamed protein and vegetable dishes are your best bet for 325 calories. Add a few Tablespoons of sauce on the side. If you need rice, try to limit it to 1/2 cup of brown rice. All for 445 calories.

• Not a bad idea to start the meal with a soup - no crispy noodles of course. Soup helps to fill you up. One bowl is 100 calories

• Some restaurants also have special diet menus (called Revolution Diet Meals) where the dishes are prepared in a sauce with soy sauce, broth, ginger, black beans or garlic AND no added oil or cornstarch. These dishes would be substantially lower in calories than the regular dishes maybe by 200-300 calories due to the limited anount of oil used in cooking. However steamed food would still be the lowest.

• Try to eat with chopsticks. Hard to shovel in rice with chopsticks.

• Order your dishes lightly stir-fried. Avoid battered, breaded and double fried.

• How about ordering one chicken with brocoli stir-fry dish (700 calories) and one dish with steamed shrimp and veggies. (325 caloires). You can mix the two to cut calories. You should then be getting 3 meals from these orders of food for a total of 330 calories per meal. You can add 1/2 cup (100 calories ) - 1 cup of rice (200 calories) to each portion. So these meals will total 430 - 530 calories for entree and rice.

Related posts

• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey: Progress Report #2 (1)
• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey: Progress Report #3 (3)
• 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)

Question from George: Hey Martha, I headed to my girl friend’s house for a lite dinner of fish & veggies (you must be so proud).  What can I bring for dessert that matches the meal?

Answer from Martha:  George, I am so impressed with your dinner. It sounds like you are on your way to losing those 8 pounds! (George previously confided in me that his BMI was a little on the high side).

Here are some ideas for quick healthy desserts:
- Berries and whipped cream
- Sorbet
- Low fat or fat free frozen yogurt
- Fresh fruit
- Low fat biscotti (one per person!)
- Individually wrapped frozen dessert such as Skinny Cow Bars, Edy’s fruit bars, Weight Watcher’s desserts (maybe the “Weight Watcher’s”wouldn’t be a good idea to bring to your girlfriends house. She might take it as a hint she needs lose weight)

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)
• When it’s No Longer a Diet (0)
• Week 8 & 9 New Hampshire Biggest Weight Loss Competition Progress Report (0)

While the pace has slowed a bit, most of these guys are still going strong! During the past  3 weeks of the competition, these guys have averaged losing 1-5 pounds a week (ok - so one participant is off to a slower start with a 2.6 pound gain since week 1). But they are only at week 3 … anything can happen with 9 more weeks to go!

 Here are the results to week 3:

Related posts

• No related posts.

We think of Colorado as fresh air, skiing, mountain biking… really anything health related. Apparently they also enjoy a few pops. Men’s Health Magazine rated 100 cities with regards to their tendencies/habits/attitudes regarding alcohol. Colorado came in at 100 (100 = the worst!) and received an F.  NYC girls and guys came in at number 7 and got a B+.  That’s pretty good! Cabs come in handy. No drinking and driving (which you should obviously never do) for us.  You guys in the New Hampshire Biggest Loser Competition live in/near a city, Manchester, that gets a C- (you’re ranked 59 our of 100). 

Most Dangerously Drunk
100       Denver, CO                    F
99         Anchorage, AK              F
98         Colorado Springs, CO     F
97         Omaha, NE                   F
96         Fargo, ND                     F
95         San Antonio, TX             F
94         Austin, TX                     F
93         Fresno, CA                    F
92         Lubbock, TX                  F
91         Milwaukee, WI               F
90         El Paso, TX                   F
89         Spokane, WA                F
88         Washington, DC            F
87         Columbia, SC                F
86         St. Louis, MO                D-
85         Bakersfield, CA              D-
84         San Diego, CA               D
83         Cheyenne, WY              D
82         Aurora, CO                    D
81         Houston, TX                   D
80         Portland, OR                 D
79         Seattle, WA                  D
78         Boise, ID                       D
77         Tucson, AZ                    D+
76         Dallas, TX                      D+
75         Jacksonville, FL             D+
74         Toledo, OH                    D+
73         Madison, WI                  D+
72         Oakland, CA                  D+
71         Modesto, CA                 D+
70         Billings, MT                   D+
69         Fremont, CA                  D+
68         Oklahoma City, OK        D+
67         San Francisco, CA         D+
66         Sacramento, CA            D+
65         Los Angeles, CA            D+
64         Phoenix, AZ                  D+
63         Albuquerque, NM           D+
62         Chicago, IL                    D+
61         Providence, RI               D+
60         Fort Wayne, IN              C-
59         Manchester, NH             C-
58         Charleston, WV             C-
57         Burlington, VT                C-
56         Lincoln, NE                   C-
55         Corpus Christi, TX          C-
54         Des Moines, IA              C-
53         Indianapolis, IN              C-
52         Pittsburgh, PA               C-
51         Honolulu, HI                   C-
50         St. Paul, MN                 C
49         Tampa, FL                     C
48         Greensboro, NC            C
47         Las Vegas, NV              C
46         Baltimore, MD               C
45         Riverside, CA                 C
44         Norfolk, VA                    C
43         Detroit, MI                     C+
42         Arlington, TX                  C+
41         Grand Rapids, MI           C+
40         San Jose, CA                C+
39         St. Petersburg, FL         C+
38         Nashville, TN                 C+
37         Charlotte, NC                 C+
36         Wilmington, DE             C+
35         Orlando, FL                   C+
34         Minneapolis, MN            C+
33         Kansas City, MO           C+
32         Fort Worth, TX               C+
31         Tulsa, OK                      C+
30         Anaheim, CA                 B-
29         Wichita, KS                   B-
28         Lexington, KY                B-
27         Philadelphia, PA            B-
26         Montgomery, AL            B-
25         Rochester, NY               B-
24         Raleigh, NC                   B
23         Cincinnati, OH               B
22         Louisville, KY                 B
21         Bangor, ME                   B
20         Memphis, TN                 B
19         Boston, MA                   B
18         Hartford, CT                   B+
17         Sioux Falls, SD             B+
16         Birmingham, AL             B+
15         Baton Rouge, LA           B+
14         Columbus, OH               B+
13         Cleveland, OH                B+
12         Atlanta, GA                   B+
11         Newark, NJ                    B+

Least Dangerously Drunk
10         Jersey City, NJ              B+
9          Richmond, VA               B+
8          New York, NY                B+
7          Little Rock, AR              A-
6          Salt Lake City, UT          A-
5          Yonkers, NY                  A-
4          Jackson, MS                 A
3          Buffalo, NY                    A
2          Miami, FL                      A
1          Durham, NC                  A+

 Check out this link for more details on the survery.

Related posts

• Tips to Deal with the Dreaded Hangover (2)
• Binge Drinking and Breast Cancer (0)
• Recovering from Your Superbowl Splurge (1)
• Question on How to Handle Holiday Eating (1)
• Do You Have the Drinking (Alcohol) / Eating Syndrome? (1)

A city girls nightmare! Recent lab tests found very high levels of mercury in tuna sushi from 20 Manhattan stores and restaurants. Sushi from 5 of the 20 places had mercury levels so high that the Food and Drug Administration could take legal action to remove the fish from the market. This is bad news for me and for other city girls who love tuna. I am obsessed with seared tuna and tuna tartare - that’s what I would order 90% of the time if it were in the menu. The same goes for my favorite food - sushi.

The new study shows…
The New York Times purchased tuna samples from 20 stores / restaurant in Manhattan. There was so much mercury in the tuna samples from most of the restaurants, that a regular diet of 6 PIECES A WEEK would exceed the levels considered acceptable by the Environmental Protection Agency The places with tuna with the highest mercury content were from: Nobu Next Door, Sushi Seki, Sushi of Gari and Blue Ribbon Sushi and the food store Gourmet Garage. (Some of my favorite restaurants!).

The highest levels of mercury were found in bluefin tuna. The more expensive restaurants tend to serve bluefin tuna as it is a more expensive fish. Bluefin tuna, which is a larger fish, tends to accumulate more mercury from the fish it eats. Mercury enters the environment as an industrial pollutant. Other species of tuna, including yellow fin, tend to contain less mercury because they are smaller fish and would therefore eat less fish containing mercury.  However, it is almost impossible to tell what kind of tuna you are getting in a restaurant.

Previous warnings of mercury in canned tuna
In 2004, the FDA warned that pregnant women, women who might become pregnant and small children should limit their consumption of certain varieties of canned tuna because the mercury it contained might damage the developing nervous system. Fresh tuna was not included in the advisory. Most of the tuna sushi in the N.Y. Times samples contained far more mercury than is typically found in canned tuna. This new study is telling us we should all limit our intake of tuna.

Mercury and potential health problems
In addition to the dangers for small children and pregnant women, studies have suggested that mercury may also cause health problems for adults. The risks including an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and neurological symptoms.

The new guidelines for tuna consumption
More studies need to be done before the EPA can set guidelines for eating tuna. However until that time, some experts are advising everyone to avoid bluefin tuna altogether. Other experts are recommending that we should not eat a meal of tuna with these high mercury levels more than once every three weeks. I would recommend that you choose other types of fish in a Japanese restaurant (or any restaurant for that matter).

I’ll need to follow my own advice… so far this week I’ve had an order of seared tuna, tuna tartare and 2 tuna rolls. Guess no more tuna for me for the rest of the month!

See this link for the full article by Marian Burros. The article talks details of the study, recommendations by health experts along with how the owners of the 5 restaurants with tuna with high levels of mercury will handle it.

Related posts

• Question on Diet Soda (3)
• Effect of Coffee on Your Health (1)
• About Martha (0)
• About Martha (0)
• Your Plate or Mine? An Excerpt from my Colleague’s Book (2)

Most of these guys are still going strong. As I had predicted last week, the weight loss did slow. It is impossible and unhealthy to sustain a 6-8 pound weight loss a week.  The average weight loss this week was about 1 1/2 pounds (some guys lost more, some less and some gained!).  As I had also said last week, a good rate of weight loss for these guys now that they experienced their initial water loss that happens the first week of strict dieting, would be a 1-2 pound weight loss a week. This would be an average. Some weeks they might lose nothing at all while other weeks they might lose 3 pounds.

Here are the results from the week 2 weigh in:

I interviewed some of the guys to see how they were doing:

Martha: How is week 2 going? 
GenX’r:  pretty good, lost a few more pounds
R.G:  Week 2 is going OK but I got off to a bad start. I went to the Patriots game on Saturday night and did a little too much tailgating.
John I: Oh, have we started the contest yet ?
 

Martha: Still as motivated? 
GenX’r: Yes…I’m finding it a bit easier to get into a healthier routine & I’m liking the results (so does my wife :o)   Martha: obviously losing weight and getting healthy can have a positive effect on relationships!
R.G: Yes
John I: Uhm…sure

Martha: How are your energy levels?
GenX’r:  more energized (never concerned myself with calories before)
R.G: Still sluggish especially in the morning
John I: cutting calories ??? How many calories are in a hot pastrami sandwich ? Martha: the answer is 700-1000!

Martha: How many times a week are you exercising? 
GenX’r: At least 4 times/week  Cardio  every workout  and  light weights with more reps
R.G: 4 to 5 times a week. Mostly Cardio (treadmill, elliptical, etc)
John I: I snow shoed 35 minutes on Monday - all the way to the liquor store and back…

Martha: What is the hardest thing about sticking to this diet plan?  
GenX’r: Being disciplined enough to know when to say “no”   - my kids would tell ya - I’m good at saying “no”  :o)
R.G: Going out (dinner, football game, or party) but still trying to stick to the diet without getting carried away with all the food and drinks around.
John I: Coming up with a plan I can actually stick to
Martha: Yup - those are 2 major problem areas - staying disciplined when you are faced with temptation and finding a plan that you can stick to long term. The key really is to get back on track ASAP once you have strayed from your healthy eating plan. We are all human and will give into tempting food/beverages from time to time. That one incident will not be a problem…unless it opens the floodgates and you say “I might as well keep eating/drinking because I have already blown it!”

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)
• We No Longer Need to Exercise to Control Our Weight??? (0)

How many times have you started a diet only to go off it and regain any weight you lost (or more!) Why is it so difficult to lose weight and keep it off? We know what we need to do in order to lose weight - eat less and exercise more. But this is very difficult for most us to do for a sustained period of time. It is likely that our lifestyles have something to do with it.

Here are some of the most common reasons I see for difficulty losing weight:

- Our hectic schedules lead us to grab many meals on the run
- Work long hours
- Less time to exercise
- More technology which leads to an overall decreased level of physical activity
- Eating more meals outside of the home
- Jumbo portion sizes (portion sizes have increased over 50% in the past 20 yrs)
- Looking for a “quick fix” rather than focusing on making permanent behavior changes

While the majority of people have a difficult time losing weight and keeping it off, some people are able to do it. What makes them different from the people who regain the weight? I would like to share my top 10 tips that have helped some of my clients (”successful losers”) lose weight and keep it off. I am sure you have heard some of these tips before, however a little reinforcement doesn’t  hurt!

Top 15 tips for losing weight and keeping it off

1. Be aware of what you are eating. Calories are the most important factor in weight control.

2. Set a realistic goal weight

3. Plan ahead

4. There is no one diet that works for everyone

5. Increase activity level - include cardio and weight training

6. Eat more volume based (water rich foods) food such as vegetables, fruit and soup

7. Eat breakfast

8. Include protein at meals

9. Cut back on alcohol

10. Get enough sleep

11. Avoid the all or nothing mentality

12. Eat “mini” dinners several  nights a week

13. Choose low glycemic load carbs

14. Stress management

15. Stay hydrated

For the next few weeks, I will be doing more detailed posts on each of the above tips. Stay tuned!

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)

Question from Linda: I have PCOS (polycystic ovarian sydrome) and am trying to follow a lower carb diet. However, I’m having trouble finding something low carb to eat for breakfast. My favorite breakfast foods - cereal and bagels - are loaded with carbs. Help!

Answer from Martha: You are right - most breakfast foods are high in carbs. However with a little creativity, you can find lower carb breakfast choices. But first, here is a little info on diet and PCOS.

Low glycemic index diet and PCOS
Many of the symptoms of PCOS (irregular periods, hair growth, hair loss, acne, etc.) may be caused by high levels of insulin. Eating foods that rapidly turn to sugar will increase blood levels of insulin. So I often recommend that women with PCOS follow a lower glycemic index diet to help lower insulin levels. In addition, many women with PCOS find that they feel better and have an easier time losing weight when they follow a diet plan that has a lower glycemic index. 

So what is a low glycemic index diet?
Basically, this type of diet contains  meals and snacks that include moderate amounts of higher fiber carbs as well as protein and a little fat. This combination of nutrients allows for a slower rise of glucose, less insulin secretion and then a slower drop of glucose. It can help you feel full longer, have fewer cravings and sustained energy levels.

Even if you don’t have PCOS, you might want to try some of the following suggestions for breakfast. They are a lot healthier and lower in calories than a jumbo bagel, a donut or a giant cup of oatmeal loaded with granola, brown sugar and raisins.

Suggestions for low glycemic index calorie controlled breakfast choices:

* These breakfast choices were taken from the chapters I wrote on diet and pcos for Dr. Walter Futterweit’s book: A Patient’s Guide to PCOS.

Related posts

• The Silent Womens Condition: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (6)
• PCOS and Difficulty Losing Weight (2)
• Allison’s Story with PCOS (0)
• We No Longer Need to Exercise to Control Our Weight??? (0)
• Update from a Successful Patient (0)

Question from R.C: Help me City Girl! I can not control any of my urges. I am a junk food eating machine. I have a very negative self image…

 Answer from Martha: For those of you who have not been following my posts, R.C. is one of the contestants from the New Hampshire Biggest Loser Competition . As you can see from some of the comments to this post, his eating habits are being closely monitored by his co-workers. It appears R.C. likes donuts and junk foods.  

So R.C, here are the problems as I see it:

1. You enjoy the taste of junk food. I’m sure everyone has cravings for certain foods that aren’t the healthiest (I personally love milk chocolate …. and not the dark healthy kind) 

2. You are trying to cut back on what you are eating for the competition. It is possible that you cut back too much during the day. This can lead to overeating at night.

3. It is very difficult to change your eating habits. We are used to eating a certain way and our bodies fight us when we try to make changes - especially when we try to make many changes at once.

My suggestions to control your urges for junk food:

1. Get whatever you can out of your house. I realize that you have kids, but try to keep mainly healthy snacks in the house. This will benefit your kids as well. Or try to buy snack foods that your kids like but that you don’t love (if such a food exists). The more junk food you have around the house, the more tempted you will be to eat it.

2. Avoid having jumbo sized bags of junk in the house. If you have to have some snack foods in the house, buy mini bags such as 100 calorie packs of popcorn, cookies, etc. Buy individual sized ice cream treats versus 1/2 gallons. Check out my post on snack tips.

3. Start your dinner with a big salad or bowl of vegetable soup. Studies have shown that this will make you consume fewer calories at your meal. I will more about soups soon!

4. Eat slow. It takes at least 20 minutes for your stomach to trigger your brain that you are getting full.

5. Stay hydrated. Make sure you are drinking plenty of non-caloric liquid during the day. Being dehydrated can make you think you are hungry, when you are really thirsty.

6. Keep a food record of what you eat. This is very important and can help to deter you from eating junk. You will need to make the commitment to be thorough and honest with these records. You can email them to me if you like!

7. Make sure you are not eating too few calories during the day. It sounds like you are trying to be really “good” during the day, but then end up overeating at night. Make sure your breakfast and lunch are substantial. Include adequate protein at lunch (at least 4-5 ounces of turkey, chicken, lean meat, etc) . Plan a healthy afternoon snack. This will help to keep your blood sugar up so you won’t be so hungry for dinner. Again, make sure you are eating adequate protein and fiber at dinner.

Here are my comments on what you eat on a typical day (based on the food records you previously sent me):

Breakfast: Small bowl of cereal, yogurt, or banana for breakfast.
My comment: cereal, nonfat milk and fruit or yogurt and fruit are good ideas for breakfast. Just a piece of fruit is not enough.

Lunch: small sandwich or salad with a bunch extras like hard-boiled eggs, tuna, carrots, ect… 
My comment: Not a bad lunch. Just make sure there is a significant amount of protein in the salad or sandwich. Add raw veggies for fiber.  Use low cal salad dressings.

Afternoon Snack:
My comment: you didn’t mention an afternoon snack. You should be having something for about 100 calories such as a yogurt, string cheese, piece of fruit, etc. Check out my suggestions for crunchy snacks.

Dinner: You mentioned that “the wheels come off the cart” at dinner and later you start to snack on chips and sweets.

My comments: Start dinner with a salad and/or broth based soup. Fill up on cooked veggies, about a small fist sized portion of starch and ~ 7 oz of lean protein. Try to avoid kid food like mac and cheese, chicken nuggets. (not to make your wife a short order cook…but these foods are obviously not the best for “dieting”). Continue to drink a lot of water while you eat and eat slow!

Snacks after dinner: As I said previously, get the bad stuff out of the house and stock up on healthier snacks such as fruit, sorbet or fruit pops, Skinny Cow bars, diet jello, 100 calorie packs of popcorn. Limit your snacks after dinner to 150 calories.

Lastly, since you love junk food, think about allowing yourself 1-2 “treats” a week. A “treat” would be something not-so-healthy for approximately 300 calories. So technically, you could work 2 donuts into your diet a week and still lose weight!

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)
• When it’s No Longer a Diet (0)
• Week 8 & 9 New Hampshire Biggest Weight Loss Competition Progress Report (0)

Losing 9-10 pounds in a week? This is the amount of weight lost by 3 of the participants. I think these guys really should be on the Biggest Loser television show! And, unlike the tv show, they don’t have the luxury of working out 7 hours a day and having a chef serve diet meals.

So the results are in for the week 1 weigh-in:

Remember, these results are not typical (I sound like a tv  commercial!). It is difficult to lose more than 1-3 pounds of body fat a week. Losing more than that is weight loss from water and perhaps even a little from muscle. We all know that weight tends to come off quicker the first week or so of a diet - especially if the diet is low carb.

Here is the math for calories and weight loss:
Let’s say a guy weighs 235 pounds and is exercising about 4 - 5 times a week. His caloric needs to maintain his weight are approximately 3200-3400 calories. Each deficit of 500 calories that he cuts out of his diet would promote a pound weight loss.
- For example, if he were to consume 2800 calories a day, he would lose one pound a week.
- 2300 calories would promote a two pound loss a week.
- 1800 calories would promote a 3 pound loss a week.
- 1300 calories would promote a 4 pound loss a week.

So you can see how it would be impossible for someone to lose a 10 pound loss of body fat in a week. Without knowing details as to how many calories the participants consumed, I would estimate that the big losers (9-10 pound weight loss guys) lost 3 1/2  pounds of fat.
This is a pic of me holding onto 5 pounds of fat!

Expections for future weight loss:

1. As I said previously, much of the weight lost from the bigger losers is from water.

2. Sometimes when people lose a lot of weight in a week, they may not lose anything in the next week or two. This is because the body is holding back onto water. So don’t get discouraged if you weight doesn’t change much at the next weigh in.

3. These guys should be looking to lose an average of 1-3 pounds a week (after the initial water loss which occurs in the first 1-2 weeks). The more you weigh, the more you could generally lose. A guy who weighs 190 would not lose as quickly as someone who weighs 230. And a woman who weighs 140 pounds and is trying to lose 10, may only end up losing 1/2- 1 pound a week. 

4. If you consistantly lose too much weight on a weekly basis, you will be losing more muscle. This is not a great idea! Not only does it make you look more flabby, it will also slow your metabolism.

 5. I believe most of these guys are exercising. This is really important to help preserve muscle mass and keep the metabolism going.

Good luck to all the participants and keep up the great work! I look forward to following your progress as the weeks go by.

Related posts

• Your Plate or Mine? An Excerpt from my Colleague’s Book (2)
• Why Do Guys Lose Weight Quicker Than Women? (0)
• When it’s No Longer a Diet (0)
• Weight Loss, Exercise and Your Bones (0)
• Week 8 & 9 New Hampshire Biggest Weight Loss Competition Progress Report (0)