Question from GenX’r: I have been eating at least one hard boiled egg white approx. 4-5 days/week and an egg with a yolk about once a week. One of the guys in the office said I didn’t need to do that and sent me this link on eggs.   What do you think of this?

Answer from Martha: Good question GenX’r - I actually get asked this question a lot. BTW -for those of you who don’t know GenX’r - so far he is leading the New Hampshire Biggest Loser Competition Weight Loss Contest!

Here’s the deal:

1. The yolk has more vitamins and minerals than the white (check out the above link for more details pn the nutritional content).  But it also contains a lot more calories!

However, it sounds like you aren’t eating that many whole eggs or egg whites for that matter. In that case, I would say you could either have the whole egg or just the white. Now if you were eating several eggs a day, I would tell you to have egg whites. This is because the whole egg has a lot more calories (80 - 90 calories) as compared to the white (15 calories). A lot of my clients frequently eat omelets, therefore I recommend egg whites because it will save calories.  Compare about 80 - 90 calories for a whole egg vs. 15 calories for a white. Most of the protein is also in the white.

2. Studies have shown that egg yolk don’t have quite as a strong effect of raising LDL (bad) cholesterol as we once thought. Saturated and trans fats have more of an effect. That being said, if you have high cholesterol, I would still say you could have a few whole eggs a week - just don’t go overboard.

3. Lastly, I don’t agree with eating raw egg whites or egg yolks as suggested in that link your co-worker gave you. Raw eggs carry the risk of salmonella. Hmm… with the end of the contest coming up, perhaps someone is trying to “get rid of you”???

Keep up the good work!

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Frequent headaches? Irritable or depressed? Feeling more tired than usual? Bloated? Craving fatty/sugary foods?  Is it almost “that time of the month”?  You are likely suffering from the effects of premenstrual syndrome (more commonly referred to as PMS).

PMS is a disorder defined as the physical and emotional symptoms that occur repetitively during the second half of your menstrual cycle. For every woman the length, type and onset of symptoms is different. The question is what can you change about your lifestyle to help minimize these discomforts?

You’ve probably heard or read at some point about the PMS diet, the Cycle Diet or that you should take certain vitamins to prevent PMS. The truth is there are hundreds if not thousands of theories about the relationship between nutrition and PMS.  A popular theory is that vitamin and mineral deficiencies can cause PMS and/or exacerbate the effects of PMS. In actuality there is no scientific evidence to support a link between nutrient deficiencies and premenstrual syndrome.  However, there have been some recent studies that show supplementing your diet with certain vitamins and minerals can help reduce the severity of PMS symptoms. 

Vitamin E has been suggested by a few studies as a helpful supplement, though how it works is still not completely understood.  Another recent study indicated that taking Vitamin B6 can help reduce premenstrual weight gain and emotional symptoms.  Due to the way that vitamin B6 is absorbed by your body, it should be taken as part of the B-complex, which is a balanced combination of all the B vitamins.  It is also thought that vitamin B6 should be taken with magnesium to help ease PMS symptoms.  Magnesium has also been studied recently for its possible role in reducing PMS symptoms such as tension and anxiety. Below is a list of foods high in these nutrients. It’s important to remember that taking MORE of a vitamin and mineral is NOT always better.  Talk to your doctor before making any dramatic changes to the type and amount supplements you take.  If you’re not sure if you are getting enough vitamins/minerals from your diet, you can always take a multivitamin as a backup.

Here is the Vitamin E, Vitamin B6 and Magnesium content of various foods:

With all the information out there, it’s hard to know what guidelines you can really follow while still maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The best thing you can do is recognize and manage your own individual symptoms.  To help you make the right decisions, The American Dietetic Association recommends the following dietary tips for controlling PMS:
 
- According to recent studies, the intake of calcium can help regulate mood-related brain chemicals as well as the retention of fluid.  Calcium can then work double-duty as it is a necessary mineral for maintaining bone health.  All women should consume at least 1200 mg of calcium per day by eating dairy products and other calcium rich foods.
 
- Phytoestrogens have also been indicated as helpful in relieving PMS symptoms as well as providing other health benefits.  These naturally occurring plant estrogens can be found in foods such as tofu, soy and tempeh.  However, the total amount needed on a daily basis is still not known due to a lack of knowledge about the interactions of phytoestrogens and hormones in the body.
 
- Limiting sodium to a heart healthy intake of 2400 mg per day can help reduce fluid retention, which is what causes that bloated feeling.  It is important to remember that even if you feel bloated you should not limit your intake of fluid throughout the day.

So ultimately what can you do? The most important thing for managing PMS symptoms as with anything else is to follow general healthy lifestyle guidelines.
1. Consume a well-rounded diet including plenty of complex carbohydrates, fiber and protein but avoid sugary/fatty foods.  Carbohydrates help the body release serotonin – a brain chemical that gives feelings of “well-being.” 
2. Simple carbs like cookies/cake/chips are a quick fix for stimulating serotonin but they can make other PMS symptoms like bloating and weight gain worse – so make a conscious choice to pick whole grain breads and pastas.
3. Also, eat several small meals throughout the day to help manage “food cravings” and increased hunger. 
4. Be physically active and maintain a regular schedule including plenty of sleep.

**************************************************

I would like to thank Teri Chaffman, Dietetic Intern New York Presbyterian Hospital for writing this article.
 

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How many times have your overindulgences caused the scale to jump up by several pounds? Perhaps the cause was your Thursday night “drinks with the girls” which turned into midnight munchies. Or the weekend with your family which ended up in a food fest. Perhaps you had 3 business dinners out this week. Whatever the cause, the result is the same … the scale is now 2 pounds higher.

Gaining a pound or two is not a big deal as you can should be able to take it off rather easily. The problem occurs when you don’t make an effort to take it off immediately and 1-2 pounds turns into 5-10 pounds. Here is an example of “creeping weight gain”.  Let’s say you gained 2 pounds over the December holiday season. You weren’ t that concerned as you figured you could get it off easily. Then your work schedule got really busy in January and exercise fell by the wayside … 2 more pounds appeared. Your February cruise vacation packed on another 2 pounds. Before you knew it, your weight was up 6 pounds. 6 pounds is a lot more difficult to get off than 2 pounds! Now if you had tried to get those 2 pounds off immediately, you probably wouldn’t be in this predicament.

I often suggest “recovery” meals to my clients who have gained a pound or two from overindulging. The “recovery meal” (preferably at dinner) should be low in calories, carbs and sodium to help you drop several pounds quickly. This will get you back to your baseline weight. At that point, you can go back to your more normal way of eating (which hopefully is healthy!)

 Suggestions for “recovery dinners” (many of these suggestions are for take-out foods as city girls tend not to spend too much time in the kitchen!)

1. Steamed Chinese food (protein and veggies) with 4 T. sauce on the side  (375 calories)

2. Middle Eastern chicken kabob (6 0z) over salad, add your own low fat dressing (375 calories)

3. Turkey burger (no bun) with steamed veggies* or salad with low fat dressing (450 calories)

4. 6 oz cold cooked shrimp with lemon and cocktail sauce, salad with low fat dressing or veggies* (360 calories)

5. 1/4 rotissere chicken (remove skin) with steamed veggies* or salad with low fat dressing (400 calories)

6. Edamame, miso soup and 6 pieces sashimi  (Ok - so this one is not so low in sodium… but I had to include it as city girls love sushi!). Check out my previous post on calories in sushi. (400 calories)

7. Frozen dinner for 350 calories or less. Check out my previous post on frozen dinners. Try to select one that is lower in sodium. Add steamed veggies* or salad with low fat dressing.  (400 calories)

8. Egg white omelet (at only 15 calories per egg white,use as many as you want!) made with Pam and a lot of veggies. (175 calories for an omelet made with 6 egg whites)

Other tips: 

1. *The veggies can be fresh or frozen, steamed, grilled, roasted or sauteed with Pam or a little olive oil (about 1-2 tsp). Be careful of buying prepared grilled or sauteed veggies found in many gourmet stores as they tend to be loaded with oil. If you are having a salad, look for a salad dressing with 75 calories or less. Check out my previous post on salad dressings.

2. Avoid alcohol on these “recovery days”.

3. If you have a snack after dinner, make sure it is 75 calories or less. Suggestions: fruit, diet jello/pudding, diet ice pop, nonfat yogurt.

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Does your spouse keep a lot of tempting foods in the house that you have trouble staying away from? Personally, if I lived with someone who kept a lot of chocolate around, I would have some control problems.  (read my “Home Alone with a Chocolate Cake” post). I wanted to share a tip that one of my nutrition clients gave me this week.

Mr. X came to me for guidance on a weight loss diet. As I was interviewing him on his typical diet, he mentioned that he has trouble controlling his intake of sweets, especially chocolate.  He then told me his wife puts her chocolates in a box from The Container Store and actually locks it! I thought this was great idea. I had suggested this idea half jokingly to some clients in the past half. Now that I see it really works, I may start to suggest it more often.  Obviously the lock box technique didn’t solve all of Mr. X’s weight control issues - otherwise he wouldn’t have been seeking my guidance for weight control - however it did solve his problem of snacking on his wife’s chocolate (which added up to a sigificant amount of calories).

Bottom line, you can’t expect everyone in your household to deprive themselves of certain foods that you have trouble controlling. While it may sound a little radical, consider the “lock box technique”!

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Easter is fast approaching and so are the chocolate easter bunnies, chocolate eggs, marshmellow bunnies, etc.  I have clients who have already gotten into trouble by buying these goodies to get a “head start” for Easter. Once the bag of chocolate eggs are in your house, it can be difficult to keep the bag closed until Easter.

One of my fondest memories as a child was Easter. My siblings and I were each designated a room in the house. We would wake up in the morning and search “our room” for chocolate eggs, bunnies, peeps, jellybeans, etc. (Perhaps this fueled my chocolate obsession as an adult!). I remember having tons of chocolate goodies that lasted me for weeks.

While overconsuming chocolate in childhood is not the best idea, it can be even worse for an adult. Our metabolisms are much slower and it can take hours and hours of exercise to burn off the calories in a chocolate bunny! (one large chocolate bunny for 1050 calories = 2 hours of running or 4 hours of brisk walking)

Tips to control your Easter candy intake:

1.The lowest calorie candies are those made from marshmellow versus chocolate.
2. Don’t buy the candy too early. Wait until the day before Easter to make your purchase. The longer they are sitting in front of you, the greater your chances of indulging.
3. Keep them out of sight until you actually give them out.
4. Once the Easter meal or celebration is over, get rid of the extra candies. Give them to your friends, doorman or husband to bring to work.

 Here are the calories in some common Easter candies:

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Are you having trouble staying motivated to meet your goals? Check out my video on YouTube to hear my motivational tips. I gave this talk at Toastmasters - the public speaking group I belong to.

BTW - if one of your goals is to improve your public speaking, I would highly recommend you check out Toastmasters. I just completed my 10th speech.

Download these tips on my most recent newsletter (see link on the right for newsletters).

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Are you diligent with your diet and exercise program but still not losing weight? It’s possible that you are a little too diligent! Most of you have probably heard that eating too few calories can slow your metabolism, thereby making weight loss more difficult. This is true. Studies have shown that your body can slow its metabolism by as much as 30% when you undereat.

What is “undereating”?
This will depend upon your age, sex, weight, height, activity level as well your individual metabolism. For the average woman, consuming fewer than 1200 calories would be too low. The fewer calories you consume, the greater the impact on your metabolism. Consuming 800 calories or less on a daily basis has the greatest effect of slowing your metabolism. Not only does consuming too few calories slow your metabolism while you are dieting, it will also cause your metabolism to stay in “slow-down” mode for a period of time even after you go off the strict diet. This contributes to weight regain.

Typical sceniero
Let’s say you want to drop 20 pounds somewhat quickly for a special occasion - so you follow a strict 1000 calorie diet. You initially lose 10 pounds  in the first month, however your weight plateaus for the next two months. The scale doesn’t budge. You get frustrated and go off the diet and revert back to your old eating habits (which weren’t so bad to start with!) and find yourself regaining the weight you lost. In the past, your eating habits maintained your weight. The fact that you are now gaining has to do with the fact that your metabolism has slowed from strict dieting.

How can you increase your metabolism from eating too few calories?
1. Continue to exercise regularly. This will help to rev up your metabolism. Weight training is especially important to build muscle mass. The more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism will be. However, this does not mean you should “over-exercise”.  Exercising too much, along with undereating, will slow your metabolism even more!

2. Slowly increase your caloric intake. This will help to speed your metabolism. Everyone is different, however I have found that many of my clients do well with increasing their calories by approximately 100-200 a month. So for example, if you are currently consuming 800 calories a day, get up to 900 for 2 weeks or so, then increase to 1000. This will give your body time to adjust to the higher caloric intake without causing weight gain. Your eventual goal will likely be a minimum of 1200-1500 calories a day. Make sure you are adding in calories in a balanced manner - protein, fat and healthy carbs.  Continue to exercise as you are increasing the calories, however don’t increase your exercise. This will only offset your increased caloric intake.

Very few people actually consume too few calories!
I frequently have people come into my office claiming they hardly eat anything and are still not able to lose weight. In my experience, once these people keep a food record for a few weeks, they find they are actually eating more than they think. However, there are definitely some people who are eating too few calories. I would recommend you keep a food record for a week or two to see which category you fit into.

Bottom line, while we all have days where we might consume too few calories, doing so on a regular basis is self-defeating as it will only slow your weight loss and make weight gain more likely once you have gone back to your normal eating patterns. The best way to lose weight is to follow a moderate calorie restricted diet and engage in a regular exercise program that includes weight training and cardiovascular exercise.

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If you are pregnant, think twice before starting your day off with a cup of coffee or heading to Starbucks for an afternoon pick-me-up. New studies have now confirmed that pregnant women who consumed more than 200 milligrams of caffeine a day, (see below for the caffeine content of various foods/drinks)  had twice the risk of miscarriage as the women who consumed no caffeine at all. During pregnancy, caffeine can inhibit blood flow to the placenta. The findings are published in the January issue of American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Caffeine content of beverages and food:  

Coca Cola Classic — 34.5 mg (12-ounce can)

 Diet Pepsi — 36 mg (12-ounce can)

 Pepsi — 37.5 mg (12-ounce can)

 Diet Coke — 46.5 mg (12-ounce can)

 Mountain Dew — 54 mg (12-ounce can)

 Diet Pepsi Max — 69 mg (12-ounce can)

 Instant Coffee — 40-105 mg (150ml cup)

 Filtered Coffee — 110-150 mg (150ml cup)

 Tea — 20-100 mg (150 ml cup)

 Starbucks Coffee, Grande — 500 mg (16-ounce cup)

 Chocolate Cake — 20-30 mg (one slice)

 Caffeine Pill — 50-200 mg (read label to determine exact dose)

Check this post for more info on caffeine

Bottom line, if you want to consume caffeine in pregnancy, check with your doctor first and heed the 200 mg maximum level of caffeine. Keep in mind that you don’t know how much caffeine is in the coffee served at your local cafe. I would recommend ordering decaf or  1/2 regular and 1/2 decaf.

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There are 3 weeks left to this 3 month weight loss competition. Two of the guys are battling neck in neck for 1st place - GenX’r and R.G. These two guys have averaged a 22 pound weight loss in the past 9 weeks! Impressive. Some of the other guys are also doing quite well … and then others seem to be struggling a bit.

Interview with some of the participants:

Martha: Ok - so 3 weeks left to the competition. Do you guys still feel like you are dieting or is it becoming more of a “way of life”?

John I: Though my weight has ballooned out of control, I blame this entirely on not being able to do any cardio due to a hip injury. I have maintained my weight training routine throughout the contest, but this has not been enough to help me loose weight
R.G: Still feels like a diet. I’m dying for Pizza right now. Martha: so what would happen if you allowed yourself a slice of pizza? Not so terrible at 500 calories a slice. Would one slice turn into 4 slices?
GenX’r: Absolutely, a way of life

Martha: Are there some changes that you have made in the past 8 weeks that you think MAY remain permanent?

John I: I am very aware of the number of calories I take in each day, and feel counting calories will be /is  key for me to manage my weight.
R.G: Cutting out the late night snacking, smaller meal portions, and increased exercise. 
Gen’Xr: Yes,  my portion contol was tough initially, but now - I eat a lot less during the day & look for health snack food or I just pound a glass of water to kill the desire to eat.  Water is great!!!!  Martha: You are right about the water. A lot of times, we think we are hungry, but we are really thirsty. It can help quell the urge to eat. (And no - the pic is not of GenX’r … I am still patiently waiting for their pics!)
 

Martha: Have any of you informally dropped out of the race?

John I: I have been under Dr.’s orders not to do any running, cycling or hiking, or any exercise at all on my lower body, so this has prevented me from really “competing”, but I have not dropped out. Martha: so sorry to hear about your injury John. Bad timing too. I hope you are on the route to healing. I personally know it can take a long time. I had hip/hamstring/shoulder injuries for almost a year and could barely work out. Very depressing.
R.G:  Not yet but Gen’Xer is running away with it.
GenX’r: Stick a fork in the other guys - except for maybe one - they will not catch me!  So no, I have not informally dropped out, I can not say that about the other guys though.  :o)

Martha: Are you as motivated as you were when you started?

John I: I am more motivated now than before, given that I am heavier now that before and am determined to loose the weight and get down to around 200lbs.
R.G: Yes
Gen’Xr: I’m still motivated to win - but not as motivated as I was at the beginning. I’m motivated to stay “steady Eddie” - if you know what I mean. Martha: yes - slow and steady “wins the race”!

Martha: What tactics have you taken to keep the weight loss coming off (ie. eating less the day after splurging, less snacking, more exercise, less starch and more vegetables, etc.)?

John I:  Have tried to count calories but this alone ( dieting alone ) is not enough. I need to do regular (daily ) cardio in order to loose weight. 
 R.G: Less snacking, more exercise with increased weight training to go with the cardio
GenX’r: I limit myself to one “big meal/day” mainly on the weekends- healthy snacking throughout the week- staying active (3x/week)- a lot less starch (basically, cut it out of my diet) - I take in approx. 1400 calories/day.  I have breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and dinner  (maybe some popcorn at night if I’m watching a movie with my family). I can honestly say this has been fun & eye opening for me.  I never realized just how much food we take in, when we really don’t need to - it just becomes a habit to eat large meals - plus when you go out they feed you sooo much - it’s no wonder the USA has quite a large “overweight” population.   No wonder you are soo busy!  :o)   Your postings have been very informative and helpful through out this process.
Martha: Thanks GenX’r! Yes, I do have a busy job considering 66% of the population is overweight!!! I agree that the portion sizes in restaurants are out of control. For example, a portion of spaghetti and meatballs at Romano’s Macaroni Grill is 2400 calories!

Results for Week 8 & 9

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How many times have you started out really motivated to meet a  goal - whether it be to lose weight, exercise more or cut back on spending - only to find your motivation dwindle as the weeks go by? Staying motivated to accomplish a goal can be really difficult.

One of the most common questions I get asked in my private practice is “How can I stay motivated to stick to my eating plan …. or to stick to my exercise program?” This is a difficult question to answer as there are many components that go into making someone motivated.  One of the problems that I see is that we tend to set unrealistic goals (i.e. getting back to our college weight) or take on too many goals at once (i.e. I want to quit smoking, lose 40 pounds and get back into exercise).  We get caught up in our busy lives, get frustrated with slow progress (as most of us want “instant gratificiation”) and lose focus. Consequently, our confidence and motivation goes by the wayside.

Here are some tips to help you stay motivated and meet your goals:

1. First, give some serious thought as to what your goals are and why you want to meet them. For example, if you have a home office that is full of clutter and you have found it impedes your work performance, your goal could be to de-clutter your office. Improving your work efficiency would be a great motivating factor.  Or perhaps, you found out you have a health problem that can be controlled, at least in part, by a healthier lifestyle. Improving your health would also be an excellent motivating factor.

2. Assess as to whether or not you are really ready to make the needed changes. If you are in the middle of changing jobs or having relationship problems, now may not be the best time to think about making these changes. Making changes take a lot of focus and hard work.

3. Make sure your goals are realistic. If you haven’t exercised in years and/or have a really hectic schedule, setting a goal of exercising 6 times a week will likely set yourself up for failure. Exercising 3 times a week is a better goal to start with. Or perhaps your goal is to lose weight. If you are currently 45 years old and weigh 150 pounds, trying to get to your college graduation weight of 115 is not a realistic goal and will only set you up for failure.

4. Break the goals down into smaller, specific  goals. Think about setting monthly, weekly and even daily goals. This is what most of us do in our jobs, so why not do it in our personal lives? For example:
- If you want to lose 40 pounds, rather than focusing on this amount (which may seem overwhelming), start with a smaller goal of 1-2 pounds a week or 5 pounds a month. Once you have met that goal, aim for another 5 pounds. Meeting these smaller goals will give you the confidence to meet your larger goals.
- If you want to pay off your outrageous credit card bill, set a goal of paying off a specific amount each month.
- If you want to train for a 10K road race in 3 months, set up weekly training goals.

5. Enlist support. Asking for support from family, friends or co-workers can help you meet your goals. Ask your husband to buy a flavor of ice cream you don’t like (if such a flavor exists).  Ask your gym rat boyfriend to give you a gentle nudge to hit the gym with him 3 times a week. Ask your secretary to remove the candy jar from her desk (which is 15 feet from your desk) … or at least buy a kind of candy that you don’t love.

6. Track your progress. Writing your goals on paper can make them see more real. For example, if you are trying to limit your spending, keep a log of everything you spend. The same would go for a food or exercise record. Then write out what your daily or weekly goals would be. Compare what you actually did to the goals you set. Seeing that you were able to meet at least some of your goals can bolster your confidence.

7. Reward yourself each time you meet your goal. Of course, make the reward appropriate.  No point in rewarding yourself with a pizza after losing 2 pounds or buying a $800 pair of Gucci boots after you paid off a credit card! Here is a tactic that worked for one of my clients - she was trying to cut down on the amount of wine she had each night. So every night she was able to avoid wine, she added $5 to a jar.   This was a good incentive for her to meet her goal.

8. Maintain a positive attitude. Focus on what you were able to accomplish rather than what you weren’t able to do. Ok, so maybe you didn’t meet your goal of exercising 3 times this week. But you were able to exercise twice - which was more than what you were doing a few weeks ago. Or perhaps you didn’t meet your goal of losing 2 pounds this week. However you felt much more energetic and had fewer sugar cravings. Focusing on the positive rather than the negative will increase your chances of ultimately meeting your goals.

Bottom line, setting smaller, more concrete, attainable goals will increase your chances of meeting them. The more small goals you meet, the more confidence you will gain. It is also more likely that these small changes will start to become a part of your lifestyle. This will eventually enable you to meet your larger goals. Keeping a positive attitude is a key factor in helping you meet your goals.

So get out your pen and paper and start to tackle your goals step by step!

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