You are in a restaurant and your eyes automatically skim the menu for grilled items -  assuming they are low in fat. But are they really low in fat? While a grilled item is a much better choice than an entree with a sauce, such as chicken marsala or shrimp scampi,  you can’t assume there is minimal added fat to your “plain” grilled or broiled entree.  Most chefs will brush the meat/poultry/fish with oil or butter prior to grilling or after cooking. The amount of fat added will depend upon the chef.  So the question remains - how much fat is added to grilled, baked, sautéed or broiled items?

Tips for estimating fat used in restaurant cooking:

-  ½ tsp of fat per ounce of cooked meat/poultry/fish for pan fried without breading, grilled/broiled with fat in marinade or brushed with fat, fat added to dress meats before serving, or roasted or baked meats/poultry fish.       *For example: a 7 ounce piece of broiled fish could contain up to an additional 3.5 tsp of added fat (157 calories and 17 gmfat in addition to the calories/fat in the fish )

-  1 tsp of fat per ounce of cooked meat/poultry/fish that is deep fried with breading or batter.    *For example: a 5 ounce portion of fried calamari (~ 1/2 an appetizer size portion) could contain an additional 5 tsp. of added fat (225 calories and 45 grams of fat in addition to the calories/fat  in the calamari).

-  1 tsp of fat per cup of vegetables that are steamed/boiled/microwaved with fat or fatty meat added to flavor, and vegetables sautéed with limited fat   * For example: an order of sautéed spinach (2 cups) could contain an additional 2 tsp of added fat ( 90 calories and 10 grams of fat) in addition to the calories/fat in the spinach (which isn’t much!)

-  2 tsp of fat per cup of vegetables sautéed with generous fat, steamed/boiled/microwaved with generous fat added   *For example: some restaurants served grilled or sautéed veggies that are quite oily. This would contribute an additional 4 tsp. fat (180 calories and 20 grams of fat) for a 2 cup portion.

-  1 Tbsp of fat per cup of vegetables that are deep fried with breading or batter. No shocker here! We know anything deep fried is loaded with calories and fat.

These guidelines are from the Nutrition Data System for Research. Of course, they are only guidelines. The actual amount of fat added to the food will depend upon the chef!

Related posts

• No related posts.

It’s every city girls nightmare … you are feeling rather trim and turn to get a rear view of yourself in the mirror and see the dreaded CELLULITE!  You have lost a few pounds, can fit into your size 8 jeans and are hitting the gym 3 times a week. How is this possible you ask? Julia (see pic on the right), NYC fitness trainer, came up with this timely article in her newsletter Fit and the CIty (check it out!).

Ask Julia - Is It Possible to Get Rid of Cellulite?

Q: I’m a 40-year-old high school teacher who is happy with her body in general except for the fact that I have cellulite on my thighs and not just on the backside but on the front too. This has been going on for the last 7-8 years now despite that I work out with weights two times a week and then I also do either the stairmaster or I run 3-4 miles two to three times a week. I’m 5′6 and weigh 138. While I have to admit that I love food, I watch what I eat, I drink lots of water, and try to stay away from sweets and greasy food. From what I understand, those cellulite creams don’t really work, so I haven’t tried them. Now I’m thinking that maybe I should. Please help me! 

 
A: I know how irritating cellulite can be, so I will do my best to help you. As I’m sure you know already, the grand majority of women have some cellulite (myself included, I hate to admit…) while very few men do. The true cause of cellulite is not completely understood. However, it appears that in individuals with cellulite, there is irregular connective tissue under the skin. When enough fat is deposited under the skin, it will tend to bulge through the connective tissue much like a balloon bulges when you squeeze it. In essence, the irregular connective tissue squeezes the fat and causes it to bulge. This may explain why cellulite has an irregular or “cottage cheese” appearance. It also appears that women are much more prone to have this irregular connective tissue that can, with increased fat storage, lead to cellulite. Some of what you can do to combat cellulite, you are already doing it seems like: exercise regularly to increase circulation and minmize fat storage, eat a healthy diet of mainly unprocessed, organic, fresh foods (vegetables, fruit, lean protein, and good fats on top of that list), drink good-quality water and minimize intake of alcohol. It’s also important to lower your stress in life (as stress leads to more cortisol which leads to more fat storage) and sleep adequately. However, if you, in addition to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, can lower the subcutaneous body fat on your legs, your chances of a cellulite free life increase dramatically.

The reason just about every man, fat as well as skinny, have such smooth, cellulite-free legs is because they accumulate very little fat on top of their thighs and butt. This means that women who have little fat on their legs also have a cellulite-free lower body - despite their tendency for more irregular connective tissue. I have come to this conclusion based on years of measuring the subcutaneous body fat on hundreds of men and women. The only women with completely smooth legs are the women who store their fat more like men (around their stomach as opposed to on their butts and thighs) or women with an extremely low body fat percentage (12-15%).

Lowering your body fat percentage to such a low percentage is hard to do and not particularly healthy. But what you can do if you want to improve your cellulite is to try to get it down to, say 17-18%. Unless you are very muscular weighing 138 and measuring 5′6, I’m guessing your body fat isn’t close to this number but a lot higher, especially since you say your cellulite started appearing in your early thirties. This is a time most women notice changes in their bodies because they lose more and more muscle mass. Are you doing a full body workout when you weight train or are you just working out certain areas? Are you changing your workout routine regularly, including cardio workouts? Was it only recently that you started working out? If you don’t know how to properly train yourself, I suggest seeing a good trainer for at least a few sessions to learn more about what you should do to lower your body fat. Lastly, some experts claim foam rolling your trouble areas every day may improve cellulite. But stay away from creams as these only temporarily relieve your problems.

Martha: Thanks for the great article Julia.  Of course, once again it’s not fair… guys can eat more then we can AND they don’t get cellulite!

Related posts

• Why Do You Crave Carbohydrates? (0)
• Comparison of Heart Rate Monitors to Caloric Burn on Cardio Machines. (1)

You’re on the road, had no time for breakfast, but see a Dunkin Donuts sign looming ahead. Is it possible to find something healthy to eat there? If you had asked me this question years ago, I would have said NO! But while I wouldn’t give Dunkin Donuts an A+ for nutrition, it has added a few somewhat healthy menu items.

I have memories as a child of going to Dunkin Dunkin donuts every Sunday with my family and being allowed to choose 2 donuts. (I also worked at McDonald’s as teenager - no wonder I rebelled and became a nutritionist!). I remember the donuts being tasty, oozing with jelly or cream - but far from nutritious. I don’t think I’ve had a donut since the age of 16. So when I saw a Dunkin Donuts breakfast sandwich on one of my client’s food records, my first inclination was to tell her it was not a healthy choice. However I decided to do a little research first and found out I was wrong! Her choice was the egg white and veggie flatbread sandwich.  (See pic)

Nutritional content of some Dunkin Donuts menu items

In the chart below, I listed a few of the many item breakfast items found at Dunkin Donuts. Check out their link for the full menu with nutritional content. The majority of items are loaded with calories and fat.  My recommendations are based on the item being 350 calories or less and 7 grams of fat or less. While some of the donuts meet those criteria,  I just can’t bring myself to put them on the “recommended” list!

Navigating the breakfast choices at Dunkin Donuts

1. Avoid sandwiches made on bagels, croissants or biscuits as they will greatly increase the calories and/or fat content. Stick to the english muffins or flatbreads.

2. Avoid cream cheese - or at least use a very small amount. It will add 190 calories and 17 grams of fat (and 13 grams of saturated fat!) Yikes - this is more than most of us should consume in the entire day.

3. Skip the fancy coffee drinks and stick to plain coffee or tea.  Some of the coffee drinks have 300 calories or more.

4. If you really have the urge for a donut, try to stick to 2 munchkins or a French Cruller. I was actually suprised to see that most of the donuts were lower in calories than I thought (~ 300 calories per donut), however they tend to be loaded with fat - especially the artery clogging saturated fat. I usually recommend that you try to keep your saturated fat intake to 7%  or less of your total caloric intake (especially if you have high cholesterol). This comes out to be 9 - 15 grams of saturated fat a day - depending upon your caloric needs.

5. My first two choice for a breakfast at Dunkin Donuts would be the egg white and turkey sausage flatbread or  the egg white and veggie flatbread sandwich. They are fairly low in calories and fat. I was suprised to see that the turkey sausage sandwich was lower in calories and fat than the veggie sandwich! However, these sandwiches are also low in fiber (only 3 grams) and high in sodium (680 - 820 mg) - so don’t ditch your bowl of whole grain cereal with nonfat milk and fruit for this breakfast item!

Related posts

• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey:Progress Report #7 (0)

I literally had 5 minutes for dinner last night before going to a meeting. There are tons of restaurants and delis near my midtown nutrition office, however I didn’t even have an extra 5 minutes to have a sandwich made or eat a salad. So I turned to good old Subway. I haven’t eaten there in years. Intellectually, I know it has low cal healthy choices for sandwiches - after all, if it’s good enough for Jared who lost over 100 pounds, it must be good enough for me! However I kind of associate it with “fast food” and boring sandwiches. I am used to the fancier more interesting (and yes, fattening!) sandwiches served at other locations.  (Pic is of Jared)

But I decided to give it a try. I ordered the 6″ turkey sandwich with cheese (only adds 50 calories and 4 gm fat because the slices are so thin) with extra turkey (an extra 50 calories and 1gm fat), lettuce, tomatoes, veggies and mustard. It came to about $5.00. This is a lot cheaper than most of the sandwiches from other places such as Au Bon Pain, Pax, Metro Cafe, Hale and Hearty. I must say that it wasn’t bad! I was actually suprised at the low calorie content as it seemed like a fairly large sandwich with a lot of bread. I think the trick is that the bread is light and airy, which lessens the calorie content. Total calories: 380  Total fat: 9.5 grams

Overall, I would recommend certain Subway sandwiches for a low calorie, relatively tasty, inexpensive lunch or dinner. It beats the 700 calories or more fancy wraps and sandwiches  (that can cost $8.00) that are sold at other locations!

6-inch Jared Sandwiches with 6 grams of Fat or Less Values include wheat bread, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, pickles and olives. I would recommend adding in extra meat, as the portions they give you are on the small side. Mustard is the lowest calorie/fat condiment.

Ham
Oven Roasted Chicken Breast
Roast Beef
Subway Club®
Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki
Turkey Breast
Turkey Breast & Ham
Veggie Delite®
6-inch Sandwiches

Check out this link for the complete listing of sandwiches under 7 gm of fat and 400 calories or less (most of them are 300 calories or less!)

Related posts

• Sneaky Calorie Sabouteurs (1)
• Do You “Inhale” Your Food? (0)

Esther has dropped another pound and is getting near her short term goal of 130. Her weight is now 132 - done another pound from my last progress report and down a total of 16 pounds! She managed to make it through a birthaday party in Boston (with girls who like their wine and food!) and the Entourage Premiere Party with flying colors.  (Pics are of a svelte Esther doing pilates)

My interview with Esther:

Martha:  I hear you are were at a birthday party in Boston.  I know these girls like to eat and drink. How did you handle it?
Esther: I did better than in the past at the party. And on Sunday when all the leftovers were put out,  I had one serving and then sat on the couch to avoid overindulging.  Also, some of the girls hadn’t seen me since I started this journey and their positive reactions kept me wanting to stay on track.

Martha:  Overall, do you feel like some of the changes you are making are a real lifestyle change?
Esther: The more progress I make the more motivated I get.

5 days of Esther’s food records:

Saturday
Breakfast
iced coffee
1 banana
Lunch
diet soda
WENDY’S cheeseburger
4 french fries
4 Swedish Fish
Dinner  PARTY IN BOSTON    (pic is of Paula and Esther at birthday party in Boston)
1 martini
4 glasses red wine
2 stuffed mushrooms, 2 crabcakes, 1 beef skewer
1/4 cup sesame noodles, 1 pot sticker
sm portion antipasto
handful pistacio nuts
1 brownie, 2 pieces chocolate    (pic is of John and Lissy at Boston party.  I used to teach aerobics with Lis over 15 years ago! Yikes)

Sunday
coffee
1/2 cup antipasto salad
1/4 cup chicken salad
1/2 cup stuffed mushrooms (w/sausage)
1 cracker
sm piece brie
grapes
Dinner
shirataki noodles w/ sardines, black olives
1 oreo cookie, 100 calorie pudding

Monday September 8th
Breakfast
4 oz 4% cottage cheese
iced coffee
Lunch
mixed salad w/ olive oil & vinegar
grilled chicken kebab
2oz feta cheese
Dinner
mixed salad w/ olive oil & vinegar
grilled lamb kebab
1 grilled chicken leg
1 cup orzo

Tuesday September 2  
Breakfast    
iced coffee    
1/2 cup tuna salad (Eli’s)    
Lunch    
1 tomato w/ sea salt & vinegar    
kashi entrée’ shrimp w/ veg & grains    
iced tea ( unsweetened)    
Dinner    
The Pump - POPEYE    
grilled chicken, tahini, spinach & brown rice    
pellegrino    

Friday September 5
iced coffee
Lunch
4 pieces sushi, 1 california roll
sm salad w/ japanese dressing
Dinner
grilled chicken breast
4 oz greek haloumi cheese
sharataki noodles
20 almonds
15 grapes

My comments on Esther’s food records and goals for the next 2 weeks:

1. Congrats on handling several potentially difficult situations well! Your average caloric intake was on track.

2. You also did quite well with the exercise. Sticking to your exercise goals for 17 weeks is impressive!

3. As suggested in previous posts, I need to see how many ounces of meat or protein you are consuming (on occasion). Keep in mind that an extra ounce of meat (50 calories) a day can make you gain 5 pounds a year! So pick up a food scale near where you live. BTW - they sell them at Gracious Homes near your apartment.

4. While the Pump restaurant has really healthy good food, your choice (Popeye) tends to be higher in calories and fat due to the tahinini sauce. I know that the calories aren’t posted on their menu yet, however it is my educated guess that this entree it is a little too high in calories for you. Make another choice that doesn’t contain tahini sauce - or a least get it on the side and use only 1Tablespoon. FYI- tahini sauce has 90 calories and 8 gm of fat per Tablespoon!

5. Be careful with the haloumi cheese. It contains 90 calories and 11 gm of fat per ounce!

6. You did well with adding in salads, but continue to work on addding in more cooked veggies at night. Aim for at least one fruit a day.

7. Continue with 1300-1400 calories and 2 private training sessions, 1 pilates session, 3 cardio sessions or more and as much walking as possible.

8. Enjoy the Harvest in the Sqaure… but don’t go crazy!

Related posts

• Martha’s Birthday Party (2)
• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey:Progress Report #7 (0)
• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey: Progress Report Week 13 (1)
• Beware of Snacks at the Bar (0)

How many of you find your hand wandering towards the bowl of nuts, popcorn, chips, etc. while sitting at your local bar/restaurant? These snacks are usually loaded with calories and fat.  And of course salt to make you thirsty which will encourage you to drink more. These tempting snacks are strategically placed on the bar and can be quite problematic for those people watching their weight.

Like most city girls and guys, my friends and I often socialize over drinks and/or dinner. For some reason lately, I’ve been sitting at the bar (as opposed to standing) when I meet friends for drinks.  Sitting at bars is not a regular occurance for me… but it does happen! This get together tends to happen after work, before I’ve had dinner - and I’m hungry. So I order a glass of wine, get started with “girl talk” and then eventually find my hand reaching for the nearest bowl of snacks. Since I know these tend not to be the healthiest snacks, I rationalize by saying I’ll just have one or two. And I’ll do just that - eat one or two or three … very slowly. Then the effects of the wine kicks in and the rationalizing gets even worse as I tell myself I probably won’t have dinner, so what does it matter if I have a handful of nuts (now it’s a handful…not just one or two).  Before you know it, the bartender is taking away the empty bowl and replacing it with a new full bowl of snacks. And yes, this did happen recently to my friends and I at Rothmans ( with homemade chips) and BLT Steak (with really good flavored almonds).  (pic is of Esther observed with hand reaching towards chips on the bar)

The low down on freebie bar snacks:

- wasabi peas: 1/4 cup = 120 cal/4 gm fat
- almonds: 24 = 160 cal/15 gm fat 
- mixed nuts: 1/4 cup = 219/20 gm fat
- hot n’ spicy party mix: 1/2 cup = 180 cal/14 gm fat
- potato chips (often those good homemade kinds!): one ounce (12-15 chips) = 120-150 cal/10-15 gm fat
- popcorn (often the really greasy flavored kind):1 cup = 65 cal/4 gm fat
- hard boiled eggs: one egg = 80 cal/5 gm fat
- olives: one olive = 10 calories

Tips to avoid the bar snacks

1. Don’t sit or stand at the bar. While I realize these seats are prime real estate, it isn’t worth it to consume 300 calories or more.
2. If you are sitting at the bar, push the bowl of snacks far away from you. This way you will be less tempted to snack.
3. If you are hungry, order a light healthy appetizer at the bar. Many bars (at least the upscale ones) have low cal apps like ceviche and tartare’s.
4. If you know you will be going out for drinks and not dinner, have a light snack before you go out so you won’t be starving. Also, the effects of alcohol will be less likely to hit you so fast.
5. If all else fails, think about the last person who had their hand in the bowl of snacks. Not everyone has clean hands… say no more! I actually find this thought quite helpful in keeping my hands out of the snack bowl.

Related posts

• Tips to Deal with the Dreaded Hangover (2)
• The Effects of Alcohol on Men vs. Women (1)
• Is Your Glass of Wine Really “One Serving” of Wine? (3)
• Does Alcohol Cause Weight Gain? (5)
• Confession …I had a food frenzy after a few late night drinks (4)

What do these foods have in common: Japanese ginger orange salad dressing (the one that we all know and love), balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing, tuna salad sandwich and caesar salads. The answer is - they all contain  more calories than we think! I have been seeing these specific foods on my many of my clients food records lately and decided to dispel the myth that they are low in calories.

Japanese orange salad dressing
I was dismayed to find the the orange ginger Japanese salad dressing can contain up to 200 calories and 11 gm of fat for 2 T. That little take out container they give you contains 4 T. And I used to ask for extra as I thought it was low calorie.

Balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
Many people think balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing (or any vinaigrette dressing for that matter) is low in calories because it contains mainly vinegar. Wrong! It is 3/4 oil. The little container (4 T.) from Cosi’s contains 359 calories and 39 grams of fat.

Tuna salad sandwich
Fish is healthy, therefore it must be low in calories. Not necessarily as it depends how it is prepared. Tuna salad from a deli tends to be loaded with mayo and tuna packed in oil. The sandwiches are also usually jumbo sized. A deli tuna salad sandwich can contain 650 calories and 35 grams of fat. The tuna melts are even worse - containing over 1000 calories and 60 grams of fat (Cosi’s again!).

Caesar salad
Many of us associate salads with dieting. Not this salad! The fat and calorie laden dressing can make this salad add up to 1000 calories and over 80 grams of fat.

Related posts

• What’s for Lunch? Cobb Salad (0)
• My Dinner on the Run: Subway Sandwich (0)
• Do You “Inhale” Your Food? (0)

It’s a warm day and you are looking for something “light” to eat. You are also trying to drop a few pounds so your attention automatically turns to the salad section of the menu. A Cobb salad sounds healthy, after all it contains grilled chicken and heart healthy avocado. 1200 calories later, you have finished your “light” lunch.

One of the biggest misconceptions I see in my private practice is that salads are low calorie. Sure, then can be … but they can also have more calories and fat than a bacon cheeseburger. Chef, Caesar and Cobb Salads are the biggest culprits. Today, I’m going to address Cobb Salads. The calories in a Cobb Salad will vary depending upon where you get it. Think about the ingredients in this salad: greens and other assorted vegetables, bacon, blue cheese, maybe grilled chicken and some kind of fatty dressing. The dressing alone can add up to over 600 calories!

Here is a sampling of Cobb Salads from a variety of places. As you can see, some are acceptable choices (especially if you order a light dressing), while others can make up over 75% of your calories for the day! Looks like McDonalds and Pax take the prize for the lowest calorie Cobb Salads!

1. Pax Turkey Cobb Salad  220 cal / 12 gm fat    Blue cheese dressing 160cal /17 gm fat  Fat free italian or lemon herb dressing ~ 20 cal /0 gm fat

2. Cosi Cobb  425 cal /28 gm fat   Reduced fat sherry Shallot dressing 94 cal /6 gm fat   Cosi Vinaigrette 357 cal/ 39 gm fat

3. Generic Cobb salad per cup 179 cal /15 gm fat (from fitday.com)  However, keep in mind that the average salad = 4 cups.   This would bring the total to 716 cal /60 gm fat 

4.  Cobb_salad  Jerry’s Famous Deli (Marina del Rey, California)  757 cal/ 50 gm fat

5. McDonald’s Grilled Chicken California Cobb Salad - 280 calories/14 fat grams  Newman’s Own® Light Balsamic Vinaigrette - 90 cal/8 gm fat

6. Southwestern Cobb Salad from Chilis  970 cal/60 gm fat

7. Typical restaurant Cobb Salad 1000 - 1,200+ cal /90 gm fat

8. Au Bon Pain  330 cal /19  gm fat  Blue cheese dressing 230 cal/ 24 gm fat   Fat free raspberry vinaigrette 70 cal/0 gm fat

Bottom line, think twice before ordering a Cobb Salad. If you are going to a chain restaurant, check out the calories on line first to see what you are dealing with. If you really must have this salad, at least order dressing on the side and try to order a low fat dressing. If they are generous with the blue cheese and bacon, eat only 1/2. At least this will do some “damage control”.

Related posts

• Sneaky Calorie Sabouteurs (1)
• Do You “Inhale” Your Food? (0)

For all of you city girls and guys who are trying to watch your weight AND have a social life, you know how difficult it can be! Socializing often involves meeting for drinks or having dinner with drinks. The calories can add up quickly. For all of you CGB readers, you may have noticed this problem with Esther.  Check out Esther’s weight loss journey posts. (This is pic is of Esther enjoying a martini).

I don’t mean to single out Esther when I talk about drinking. I provide nutritional counseling all day long to my clients in NYC and find the calories in alcohol to be a major obstacle for some people trying to lose weight. Check out this link for calories in alcohol. Here is an example of one my NYC clients who is trying to lose weight:

Client A: He was a 65 year old man who was looking to lose 30 pounds. He reported his diet was quite healthy but that he ate dinner out every evening. He thought he made really healthy choices in restaurants. He avoided bread, desserts and sauces. When I obtained his diet history, I agreed with him for the most part. But then saw a major problem. He was having a martini with his wife before dinner than sharing a bottle of wine with her EVERY night. This was about 600 calories a day from alcohol. In addition, it turned out that his restaurant meals were higher in calories than he thought.

My plan for Client A:  I explained to him that we needed to cut out 500 calories a day from his diet (and increase his exercise) in order to promote a one pound weight loss a week. Since his calories from food were not sky high, cutting back on alcohol seemed the likely choice. He agreed that 600 calories a day from alcohol was quite a bit (and was actually quite suprised that his good sized martini contained 300 calories) so he  decided to aim for either omitting the martini and having 2 glasses of wine or omitting the wine and having 2 glasses of wine). I also made some recommendations for lower calorie appetizers (more on restaurant appetizers at a later post) and suggested he walk a mile each day to work.

The results: I saw client A 3 weeks later and he had lost 6 pounds! He also reported that he was able to sleep better and had more energy the next day.  FYI - alcohol has a negative impact on your sleep.

Bottom line, if you consume alcohol on a regular basis as part of your socializing AND are having trouble losing weight, I would recommend that you reevaluate the amount of calories you are consuming from alcohol. And of course we all know that alcohol can weaken our discipline to watch what we eat, can interrupt a good nights sleep and increase cravings for junk food the next day. It is important that we find ways to socialize that do not include large amounts of alcohol!

Addendum: I received an email from Esther asking if she could have more than 2 drinks a week. I had initially recommended she stick to 2 alcoholic beverages a week to help her lose weight. Esther is finding it very difficult to stick to this goal as she goes out quite a bit in NYC. “I don’t want to be a hermit for the rest of my life”.  I believe it is important to make your weight loss plan realistic, so I upped her alcohol goal to 4 drinks a week. While I certainly don’t want to turn my clients into “hermits”, I also want to encourage them to find ways to enjoy spending time with friends without consuming excessive amounts of alcohol.  (Pic is of hermit)

Related posts

• Tips to Deal with the Dreaded Hangover (2)
• The Effects of Alcohol on Men vs. Women (1)
• Is Your Glass of Wine Really “One Serving” of Wine? (3)
• Hold the Tomatoes… (0)
• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey: Progress Report #2 (1)

What city girl (or guy) doesn’t want to be trim with a bright smile? I think most of you would vote yes to that. Well, here is an idea to kill two birds with one stone.

In my quest to brighten my smile, I got bleaching trays from my dentist. I had heard this was better than the laser as it would last longer - though more cumbersome. For those of you who aren’t aware of how it works, it is quite a process. You have syringes that contain a bleaching gel. You put a drop onto each “tooth” in your bleaching trays (that have been made from an imprint of your teeth). You then sleep with the trays and voila … in about a month or so, your teeth will be significantly whiter.

So the point of this story is that these trays can help control night time eating. Many of my clients have a hard time controlling their night time snacking. I generally plan a small after dinner snack for them for 150 calories or so. But often times the snacking continues into the night …  So my suggestion would be to have your snack, then put in the bleaching trays. This will help to curb further eating since you can’t eat with them. It is such a process to assemble the bleach in the trays that it is less likely you will take them out to eat and have to re-do the whole process again.

The only downside is that you will have slightly slurred speech if you decide to make phone calls later in the evening with these trays in!

Related posts

• No related posts.