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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hopefully these tips will keep you out of the bathrub!

Related posts

• No related posts.

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

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

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

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

Related posts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Related posts

• No related posts.

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

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

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

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

Did Esther meet her goals from last week?:

Four days from Esther’s food records:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Keep up the great work!

Related posts

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

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

Here is the full report:

Tomatoes Linked To Salmonella Outbreak ATLANTA, June 4, 2008

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Related posts

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

Here’s a great way to start your Sunday off - attend  Boot Camp taught by Julia Derek in Central Park.  You all know Julia as she a frequent contributer to CGB. Not only is Julia an excellent teacher (and I know because I have taken her classes …ouch!) with many years of experience, she is also entertaining. Other potential perks: the possibility of  meeting other city girls and city guys!

Fit & The City Sunday Boot Camp in Central Park will include:

High intensity workout for all ages and all fitness levels in the heart of Central Park taught by experienced fitness instructor Julia Derek. Gain strength, lose inches, and have fun doing it!  Email julia@adrenalinefitnessny.com to reserve your spot and find out details about this event.

When: Sundays (first class June 15) at 9:30 am (lasts for an hour).
Where: Great Lawn, Central Park
Cost: $15

For more info about Julia, go to www.adrenalinefitnessny.com

Fit & The City Saturday Yoga Class in Central Park

If you’re in town during the weekends , please join us for a Vinyasa Yoga class in Central Park! Destress, strengthen your body, gain flexibility. Class is aimed at intermediates and is taught by Vinyasa/Hatha instructor and Integral Yoga Institute graduate Alex Starodubstev. All you need is a yoga mat and 15 dollars! Please email julia@adrenalinefitnessny.com for more information and to reserve your spot today.

When: Saturdays (first class June 14) at 9am (one hour).
Where: Sheep’s Meadow, Central Park.
Cost: $15

For more info about Alex, go to www.adrenalinefitnessny.com

Related posts

• About Martha (0)
• About Martha (0)
• Will Eating Late at Night Make Me Gain Weight? (0)
• Warning: High Levels of Mercury Found in Tuna Sushi (0)
• Question on Diet Soda (3)

Esther is down 2 more pounds for a total of 4 pounds weight loss! Her current weight is 144 pounds. Congrats Esther! She has told CGB that taking her weight loss journey public has really helped her as she feels more “accountable”. After all, who would want to report that they ate 1/2 pound of cheese with 4 glass of wine in a night! This past week was especially diifficult as Esther ate dinner out 4 times. And eating out usually means more drinks… however Esther met her goal of only 2 alcoholic beverages. 

Did Esther meet her goals for last week?

Here are 3 days of her food records:

Friday June 6   
Breakfast   
iced coffee   
2 eggs with humus   
Lunch   
cosi sandwich (1/2 bread, grilled chicken)   
Dinner   
Japanese Hibachi dinner: clear soup, salad   
grilled, steak, shrimp & vegatables.   
pellegrino water   
vita muffin   

Tuesday June 3   
Breakfast   
1/2 banana   
hard boiled egg   
iced coffee   
Lunch   
Kashi entree   
chicken florentine   
iced coffee   
Dinner   
6 sm veg dumplings   
9 steamed shrimp   
1 tps of lite tarama   
1 tps of olive hummus   
mixed nuts: sunflower, pumpik, almonds   

Thursday June 5
Breakfast
1/2 banana
2 oz peak protein bear naked
iced coffee
Lunch
1 popeye’s chicken wing
3 slices of turkey, 2pc string cheese mustard
water
Dinner
mixed greens w/ olive oil & lemon
steak ( on George Forman grill)
dried apricots ( 4)

My comments on her week:
1. She averaged 1300 calories. Keep in mind that my calories are estimations as I don’t know exactly what her portion sizes were in restaurants nor do I know how the food was prepared.
2. Esther handled her restaurant dining extremely well! She had more “plainer” types of food such as grilled fish, steamed shrimp, etc. versus food prepared with more fat (i.e. pita and dips). Eating out 4 times this week and still losing 2 pounds is quite an accomplishment.
3. My guess is that her decreased alcohol intake is contributing to her better restaurant choices. Most people tend to have less willpower around food after they have had a few cocktails!

Esthers goals for this week:
1. Beware of the PMS cravings and low energy levels. Esther reports she is already having to really push herself to get to the gym due to fatigue/PMS. I guess this 95 degree weather doesn’t help much!
2. Be careful at Father’s day cookout. We will discuss this later in the week.
3. 2 alcoholic beverages this week
4. Continue to be careful with choices in restaurants
5. I am curious as to what Esther’s portion sizes are with her protein at home. Please weigh your protein 1-2 times.
6. Calories in your nut mix can really add up. Can you weigh the total mix of nuts (sunflower, pumpkin, almonds) once and tell me what it is ? You also might want to look around for the 100 calorie packs of almonds.   
7. Continue with personal training twice a week, one pilates, and 3 cardio sessions (maybe 2 spin classes and 30 minutes on treadmill or eliptical).

Keep up the good work!

Related posts

• Read Martha’s Quote in Womans Day on Snacking (0)
• Lifestyle Recommendations for PCOS (1)
• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey: Progress Report #2 (1)
• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey: Progress Report #4 (0)
• Calories in Chinese Food (5)

So you’ve  finally gotten serious with your exercise program. You’re exercising more days a week and have increased the intensity and duration of your sessions.  But you’re gaining weight!  What is happening? One of the reasons you increased your exercise program was to lose weight - not gain weight!

In my private practice, I’ve seen some of my clients gain weight as they increase their exercise. (Luckily they are seeing me … so I can reverse this problem!). There are several reasons as to why this weight gain can occur.

Reasons for weight gain while exercising:
1. Certain forms of exercise build muscle mass. Muscle weighs more than fat, which can show up as weight gain on the scale. If this is the case, you are likely losing body fat while gaining muscle. How do you know if you are gaining muscle and losing fat? You should see a change in the way your clothes fit despite the scale not budging or even going up. Your jeans may become loser around the hips or your skirt may zip easier.

 2. The second reason for weight gain is that you have increased your calories - either consciously or unconsciously. Exercise can actually make you hungrier or you may feel you “deserve” a little extra food since you have increased your exercise.

Overestimating calories burned in exercise 
Keep in mind that your exercise session is probably not burning as many calories as you think. Have you ever checked out what the cardio machines at your gym say you burn when you exercise? (Make sure you plug your weight into the gym machine) It is probably less than what you might have thought you would have burned off. In addition, these machines often times overestimate what you burn (especially the eliptical machine). More on this at another post!

Let’s say you burn 300 calories in your 45 minute treadmill session. Since you started your exercise program, you’ve added a 200 calorie energy bar (which you weren’t eating before) prior to exercising to boost your energy levels for your workout. In addition, you drink 100 calories of gatorade at the gym. And then after dinner, allow yourself a cookie (for 100 calories) because after all - you exercised and deserve a little treat. So while you burned off 300 calories in exercise, you increased your caloric intake by 400. There is a net increase of 100 calories. An extra 100 calories a day can promote a 10 pound weight gain a year!   

Tips to combat weight gain from exercising:
1.  If you are trying to lose weight, really try to stop the mentality of “I exercised, so I deserve a little treat”. Remember, the goal is to have a caloric deficit in order to lose weight.
2. Make sure you consume adequate protein at your meals. Focus on lean protein such as fish, skinless poultry, lean meats, egg whites, low fat cottage cheese and yogurt (the Greek yogurt is especially high in protein), and soy products.  Consuming adequate protein will help to control hunger.
3. If you find exercise increases your hunger, fill up on more veggies rather than carbs (or large portions of protein).
4. Make sure you are hydrated. Sometimes we think we are hungry when we are really thirsty.
5. If you exercising for 60 minutes or less, water is the ideal fluid replacement. Save a sports drink for exercising 60-9o minutes or more. You don’t need the extra calories.
6. Use your calories wisely. I usually recommend a pre-exercise snack(100-150 calories depending upon your caloric needs) to raise blood sugar levels if it has been 4 hours or more since your last meal. This may mean adding in a snack that you usually didn’t have.  Therefore, you will need to take the calories for this snack away from something else in the day. Suggestions: cut back on a glass of wine, piece of bread, slice of cheese in your sandwich, use low cal salad dressing, etc.  Keep in mind that this 100-150 calorie snack is for someone who will be performing moderate exercise. If you plan on running 8 miles or going for a 2 hour fast bike ride, you will need more calories. More on this in a later post.
7. Keeping a food record will really help to make you aware of everything you eat and drink.

Related posts

• Will Eating Late at Night Make Me Gain Weight? (0)
• Will Diet Foods Contribute Towards Making Your Child Obese? (1)
• When it’s No Longer a Diet (0)
• Week 5 New Hampshire Biggest Loser Progress Report (0)
• We No Longer Need to Exercise to Control Our Weight??? (0)

So Esther made it through week 2 with flying colors! She met 100% of her goals. She kept her eating out and alcohol intake to a minium. She handled the Sex in the City party admirably. Esther lost another pound this week. Starting weight: 146  Weight May 30: 144

Here were Esther’s goals for week two:

Friday May 30th 
Breakfast  
coffee  
1 hard boilled egg 
4 oz 2 1/2 % cottage cheese
Lunch  
sushi 1 1/2 rolls 
( spicy tuna, tuna, california)
iced tea  
Dinner  
tuna tartare 
vodka w/ club soda 
martini w/3 olives 
1 pretzel stick  

Wednesday:   
Breakfast   
2 hard boiled eggs   
4 oz 2% cottage cheese   
Lunch   
1 chicken cutlet   
1 cup brown rice   
sm can of zucchini in tomato sauce   
1 orange   
Dinner   
1 hamburger
roasted cauliflower & broccoli
shirataki noodles
water
1 orange

Tuesday May 27th    
Breakfast    
banana    
1 cup coffee    
water    
1/4 orange    
Lunch    
green salad w/ fresh turkey    
little cheese, olive oil vinegarette    
Dinner    
2 chicken cutlets w/ panko bread crumbs sauteed in grape seed oil    
1 cup of brown rice w/ lemon    

My observations on Esthers food records:
1. Your caloric intake averaged ~ 1300 calories. Excellent!
2. Try to have an afternoon snack daily. If possible, make it something nutritious like fruit or yogurt.
3. Increase your intake of vegetables at night when you eat at home.
4. Glad to see that you are eating Shirataki noodles as they are a great low cal replacement for pasta.
5. Continue have salads frequently for lunch, but make sure you limit your oil to one Tablespoon.

My interview with Esther:
 1. Martha: Overall, how do you feel you did this week? Still as motivated?
Esther: I thought I did extremely well this week.  I am more motivated as I go on and getting a lot of support from friends and family helps.

2. Martha: Any tricky social situations?
Esther: This week I only went out once so it wasn’t difficult.  I have two occassions I will be out next week not including the week-end.  The limit of two drinks per week is hard when going out but not difficult when I am home.

3. Martha: Any barriers to meeting your exercise goals?
Esther: I am trying to schedule the workouts into my daily routine.

4. Martha: Any other thoughts?
Esther: Probably just that I had expected to lose more then just one pound this past week as I stuck to the plan 100%  Martha:  Losing one pound a week is right on track.  Losing slower means that you are losing more body fat. Losing more than 2 pounds a week means that you are losing more water and some muscle. Remember, “slow and steady” wins the race!

Esther’s goals for next week:
1. Continue food records
2. Plan healthy afternoon snacks
3. Exercise program the same as last week (2 training sessions, 3-4 cardio and 1 pilates)
4. 2 alcoholic drinks a week
5. Be very careful with choices eating out
6. An average of 1300-1400 calories a day.

Keep up the great work!

Related posts

• Update from a Successful Patient (0)
• Read Martha’s Quote in Womans Day on Snacking (0)
• PCOS and Difficulty Losing Weight (2)
• Esther’s Weight Loss Journey: Progress Report #3 (3)
• Calories in Chinese Food (5)

Are you weight training on a regular basis and eating a healthy diet but still not building the muscle mass you had hoped for? Check out what Julia Derek, fitness trainer in NYC has to say about creatine. The following article was taken from her newsletter Fit and the City.  (Pic is of Julia)

Ask Julia: Does Creatine Work?

Q: I’m a 54-year-old male psychiatrist who works out regularly every week with medium to heavy weights. Most weeks I get in at least three one-hour strength workouts (with a day’s rest in between). We change the routine often to keep my muscles guessing. I have also changed my eating habits so that these days I eat a small meal every three hours instead of two or three bigger meals per day. According to my trainer, this is the best way to add muscle. I have certainly gained strength and definition, but I would like to become bigger. My friend suggested that I take creatine. Does creatine work?

A: Since it seems that you are doing everything possible to add size to your muscles, I think that your taking creatine is not a bad idea. Based on a variety of studies over the years, ingesting creatine is considered safe and does seem to work. The only side effect is weight gain from water retention in your muscles - and perhaps upset intestines (usually because the subject has taken more than the recommended dosage).
It appears that creatine does help your muscles to grow bigger. The reason for this is because ingesting creatine enables your musc les to work harder than normal and recover quicker. The increased workload thus results in bigger muscles. The following study (one of many similar I found) highlights this:

“Researchers compared the effects of creatine on body weight, body fat, bench press in eighteen male power-lifters, (average 27 years of age). All were preparing for a competition eight weeks away. The study was done for 26 days during the hypertrophy phase of the lifters periodized training. The experimental group consisted of nine subjects who were given a creatine/sugar drink combination, while the placebo group consisted of nine subjects that received only the sugar drink. The subjects initially ingested 20 gms/day for five days (five gram dose, four times per day) and then went to a maintenance dose of five gms/day for the last 21 days. The three RM bench press and Most-Reps-Performed (over five sets) were the methods used to assess strength changes; skinfolds and the Lifesize computer software (Nolds Sports Scientific, Sydney, Australia) were used to estimate Lean Body Mass changes.”

THE RESULTS

“Both groups improved their bench press. The creatine group improved strength performance by 8.9 kg (+/-) 3.3 kg and the placebo group increased by 2.5kg (+/-) 0 kg. This suggested that the resistance training program alone was effective in improving performance, however, the group who ingested the creatine had a better lifting performance. In addition, the creatine group was able to perform more repetitions (40 percent more) over the course of 5 sets than the placebo group (only seven percent more). This result alone suggested that creatine may have a strong influence on the body’s ability to recover more quickly during a workout and therefore allow the athlete to perform more work during the exercise session. Body mass (as measured by weight) did increase more in the creatine group, however, since no intra-muscular measurements (biopsies), cross-sectional area or body composition itself were done, the researchers believe that most of the body weight increase was likely to be fluid retention within the cells (cell swelling).”

Here are some recent guidelines on how to use creatine:

- use creatine monohydrate supplementation along with a sugar drink to facilitate loading (one needs to take almost twice as much creatine citrate to match the effects of monohydrate)
- adjust the dose according to your body weight (maintenance approx.100mg/kg)
- load for no more than one week (300mg/kg/day) and then go on to a maintenance cycle (100mg/kg/day)
- stop every month or so, to stimulate the body’s own homeostatic production of creatine
- take your full day of creatine intake in smaller amounts over the course of the day
- always ensure that you ingest your creatine immediately after your workout

Related posts

• No related posts.