You’re in a rush - no time to stop to eat a salad or wait in line for a sandwich. But you pass the pizza shop and see the slices ready to go. You have probably wondered at times - how bad is pizza? It turns out, not so bad - as long as you don’t get the slices loaded with pepperoni or sausage. An average slice of NYC style pizza has approximately 500 calories. The thinner crust slices would have less (I haven’t figures these calories exactly yet!).

For a woman watching her weight, I usually suggest a 400 calorie lunch. Go ahead and have your slice … if you can keep it to one! It wouldn’t be a bad idea to add a salad to help fill yourself up. Avoid the slices with pepperoni or sausage as they will add another 200 calories or so. If available, choose a whole wheat slice or one with vegetables.

For guys, I usually recommend a 500-600 calorie lunch.  Your best bet would be to try to stick to one slice with a salad. If you NEED to have 2 slices, just make the other meal a bit lighter.

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Esther made it through a trip to the Hampton’s and a Greek brunch this week… and still lost 3 pounds!  Current weight is 139 pounds - for a total loss of 8 pounds.

Esther said she had a more difficult time this week sticking to her goals. I noticed a little more alcohol and a little less exercise. Last week she identified two potential problem situations - going to the Hamptons with her friend Nadine and meeting her family for a Greek brunch on Sunday. She felt she handled the Hamptons trip well (with the support of Nadine). The brunch proved to be a little problematic. See her food record below. However she felt that she handled it better than she would have if she weren’t on CGB.   Esther said that her “brother was like a hawk. He wouldn’t let me have another mini meatbaIl that I was eyeing - and then had me do 20 minuntes on his elipitical machine after the brunch since I wasn’t getting to the gym that day !!”   Way to go Esther’s brother! (We’d like a pic of you!)  (Pic is of Esther dogsitting Zoie in the Hamptons)

Did Esther meet her goals from last week?

Four days of Esther’s food records: 

Wednesday June 18 
Breakfast   
coffee   
banana   
Lunch   
Turkey burger, oil, vinegar   
salad w/ whole wheat pita bread   
Dinner   
1 glass red wine   
terra chips   
carrots, celery, humus, babaganoush   
pretzels   

 
Thursday June 19  
Breakfast  
coffee  
1 hard boiled egg  
4% cottage cheese 4 ounces  
Lunch  
boiled shrimp  
greens w/ feta, olive oil & lemon  
tzakiki sauce w/ carrots & celery  
Dinner  
1 bloody mary  
1 glass white wine  
steamers w/ butter  
1/4 piece bread  
4 raw oysters  
3 fried oysters
1/2 grilled flounder
grilled asparagus, 1/4 cup rice
1 ear of corn boiled
20 almonds

Monday June 16 
Breakfast   
1 vita muffin w/ 1 tsp jam 
coffee   
Lunch   
salad w/ grilled chicken oil & vinegar
watermelon  
Dinner   
steamed string beans, asparagus, broccoli,
w/ chicken, shrimp, ginger sauce on the side
1 cup brown rice  
1 fortune cookie  

Sunday June 22  
Breakfast:  
kashi cereal  
w/berries & milk  
Lunch/Dinner:  
2 glasses white wine  
greek spreads  
1 piece sm toast  
2 mini spinach pies  
2 small meat balls  
serving fried calamari  
3 baby lamb chops  
greek salad serving  
tasting of dessert  

My comments on Esther’s food records:
1. It was difficult to calculate your calories this week because you ate out so much. I am estimating that you ate an average of 1500-1600 calories this week.
2. I know this was a difficult week for you as you had several social occasions. Your alcohol intake was a bit high (5 drinks) - but I know this is substantially better than it had been in the past!
3. Your are eating much less sushi than what I have witnessed in the past - good job.
4. Once again, you had some really low calorie days that helped to offset the days where you ate more. This is a good tactic - assuming you don’t take on a binge/starve mentality.

Esther’s goals for this week:
1. Continue to aim for 1300-1400 calories
2. 2 alcoholic drinks this week
3. You are doing great with the trainer and pilates. Work on upping the cardio to 3-4 intense sessions this week (Pic is of Jill, Esther’s pilates instructor)
4. Try to limit the dressings/dips/spreads in restaurants this week
5. Have some lunches or dinners without carbs 

Keep in mind that while you did lose 3 pounds this week while not being 100% on the plan,  it doesn’t mean that you can stray each week and expect to lose this amount of weight. It is quite possible that because you lost so much last week, the scale may not drop at all this week. If that happens, don’t get frustrated!

Keep up the great work!

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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!

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We’ve all heard that you can slow your metabolism by eating too few calories. But at what point does this “slow down” in your metabolism happen? I recently got asked an excellent question from a CGB reader regarding this subject.

Question from Dax: Hey, I really like your website . . . and I’m a guy, is that okay?  I understand the science behind the slower metabolism on a restricted diet.  Your body becomes more efficient, which sounds like a good thing, but actually means that you run on few calories and, therefore, more calories would become fat.

However, I get confused by the numerous examples of the opposite.  Why did Christian Bale in the Machinist get so thin!  He claims he lost 63 pounds by eating nothing other than a can of tuna and an apple per day.  Why didn’t his metabolism keep him from losing the weight? (Pic is of Christian Bale before and after his weight loss)

Also, what is the fewest calories a man can eat without going too low?

Answer from Martha: First, I think it’s great that you enjoy my blog! I actually have a lot of male readers. I try to make many of my posts of interest to both guys and girls. Second, you asked an excellent question that I have actually wondered myself.  While I don’t have a scientific answer for you, here are my thoughts…

Studies have demonstrated that the metabolism does slow when the caloric intake has been decreased to a very low level, especially when this restriction has been ongoing AND a fair amount of weight loss has occured. The act of losing weight in itself will slow the metabolism. In addition, the new lower body weight will require fewer calories that the initial higher body weight. So this is a double whammy so to speak.

But you have raised a good point. How can some people, such as Christian Bale or anorexics, get to such a low body weight if their metabolisms slow down? My answer would be that they consume SO FEW calories that they still lose weight despite the slow down in metabolism. Many anorexics consume only 400 calories a day and may exercise for several hours a day. Christian Bale’s diet doesn’t sound far off from 400 calories.  BTW - check out this link for more info on Christian Bale’s 63 pound weight loss for the movie The Machinist. Another example would be liquid diets. I worked with these medically supervised fasts, such as Optifast, for many years when they were popular. The participants generally started out obese and ate only 500-800 calories a day (in the form of shakes) for months at a time. If they stuck to the diet, the majority of them lost a large amount of weight.  So despite the slow down in their metabolic rate, they were still able to lose weight.  But here is the problem -  when they start to eat even somewhat normally … their weight skyrocketed back up - usually rapidly. This is because their metabolism had slowed down and even small increases in caloric intake caused rapid weight gain.

So to summarize, weight loss can still occur in many people if very low calorie diets are adhered to. However this is not recommended as very low calorie diets are inadequate in nutrients and will make weight regain likely once the low cal diet is discontinued. The best way to lose weight is a moderate reduced calorie diet and regular weight training and cardio.

To answer your second question - I can not tell you exactly how low you can go with your calories before your metabolism will start to slow. This really depends upon your age, weight, activity level and your own metabolism. But I can tell you that you should not consume fewer calories than your BMR (basal metabolic rate). Check out this link to find out your BMR.

Hope this answered your question Daz and thanks for reading CGB!

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The BBQ season is here - which can spell diet disaster! Lately, I have been seeing BBQ overindulgences on my clients food records. This Sunday is Father’s day and I would bet that many of you will be attending a family cookout. Esther (who’s weight loss journey we have been following on CGB) has asked us for some support on how to handle her family’s Big Greek BBQ this Sunday on Father’s day. (Pic on the right is NOT of Esther’s family). Esther’s family likes to eat and it is pretty much a sure bet that the food will be overflowing.  

Question from Esther:
Martha, I need some guidance.  Tomorrow is Friday night and I am supposed to meet some friends for drinks.  I normally would use up my two drinks for the week BUT on Sunday I am going to my cousins house for a family BBQ Greek style which means three times the amount of food of a regular BBQ.  Any tips so I could stay on track?

Answer from Martha: You have a couple potential troublesome issues ahead - however I want to focus on the BBQ. BBQ’s can spell trouble for anyone watching their weight. It sounds like your Greek BBQ could be especially problematic! However, with some careful planning and willpower, you’ll be able to get through it without overindulging.  

Potential problems at BBQ’s

1. You are often there for many hours. The longer you are there, the more food will likely be consumed.
2. A lot of food may be served. Since the grilling can go on for hours, you may feel tempted to have a little “taste” of everything. A burger here, a hot dog 15 minutes later, then some ribs. A hour or so later, the steak goes on the grill, so why not have a little piece? And this is not even counting the side dishes. I actually see this on my clients food logs (for those who are brave - or honest - enough to record it!)
3. With the hot weather, the beers or vodka and lemonades can go down very quickly. The calories add up quickly too!
4. With increased alcohol, your discipline can fall by the wayside.
5. Often times, fatty meats such as ribs will be served, along with high calorie side dishes such as pasta or potato salad.

Tips to stay on track at your next BBQ
1. First, don’t go to the BBQ hungry. Low blood sugar will only lead to overeating. Make sure you have a light meal several hours before the event or a snack right before.
2. Drink A LOT of water during the BBQ. For 3 reasons - it will help you to stay hydrated in the hot weather, it will give you something to drink instead of alcohol and it can help make you feel fuller so you can eat less food.
3. If possible, find out what will be served ahead of time. This can help you prepare mentally what you will eat in advance. If most of the food choices seem on the heavier side, offer to bring a green salad or sliced vegetables ready to be grilled.
4. Once you get to the BBQ, take notice of what the food options are. Plan in your mind what you will eat instead of starting in on the food frenzy. You don’t have to have one of everything that is served. Wait for what you really want - even if it something fattening like ribs. It would be better to have a smaller portion of ribs than to load up on burgers, hot dogs and steak - without feeling satisfied.
5. I would definitely suggest you limit yourself to 2 small portions of a protein food - but take one without the bun. For example, maybe take a small burger on a bun and then a plain hot dog without a bun. Now if there are side dishes that you want such as pasta salad, I would recommend you avoid the bun.
6. BBQ’s can be quite healthy. You can grill fish, skinless poultry, veggies and fruit with a side green salad.
7. You can always take your relatives to a computer in the house to show them your journey on CGB! Knowing that others are watching you may curtail your urge to splurge!
8. Try to include a physical activity at the BBQ to do something besides eat. Maybe a game of frisbee!

Esther, from what I understand about your family, I would imagine there will be quite a lot of food served. Your best bet is to fill your plate with salad and take smaller portions of the foods you really want. Eat very slow and drink a lot of water.  Try not to have several plates of food - stick to one. You mentioned that your brother is aware of your weight loss attempts and will be watching you. That is great! The more support, the better. Remember, you will be writing everything down and reporting to us. Some pictures would be nice too!

With regards to your 2 allowed alcoholic beverages, I would recommend that you choose when you really want them the most. Maybe tonight with your friends - that way the alcohol won’t decrease your willpower for staying on track at the cookout.

Good luck at the BBQ!

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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!

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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!

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Esther has asked citygirlbites for support in losing weight. She has just finished the first week of her weight loss journey and has sent us an update. (We omitted the first week because she was on vacation and didn’t do so well….). Esther has lost one pound this week. Initial weight = 146  Weight May 23 = 145   She was a little discouraged as she felt she made many changes, however I pointed out the she ate out quite a bit. Eating out will almost always increase your caloric intake.  In addition. losing one pound a week is right on target! (Pics are of Esther and her trainer, Anastasia from Equinox, working out)

Here are Esther’s goals from week one:

Here are 3 days of her food records:

Saturday May 10th    (2100 calories approximately)
Breakfast: coffee , Kashi toasted almond bar 
Snack: Two hard boiled eggs , 1 piece laughing cow cheese , gardenia salad
Lunch: 1 sushi roll 1/2 salmon 1/2 yellowtail
Snack:15 almonds
Dinner: 2 glasses white wine, 3 1/4 pita bread with Greek spreads
grilled striped bass, Greek french fries ( handful ), 1/4 piece roasted corn
Snack: Berry Apple Sauce 

Tuesday May 20th  ( 1000 calories approximately)
Breakfast: coffee, banana  
Lunch: pea soup , 1 breadstick  
Dinner: 1 hamburger, grilled onions, shirataki noodles, grated cheese 1 teaspoon  

Wednesday May 21st  (1700 calories approximately)
Breakfast: coffee, peppermint tea  
Lunch: turkey club wrap, water  
Dinnner: 2 glasses white wine, 1/4 piece chicken quesadilla, salmon tartar appetizer, shaved fennel salad  

My observations:
1. Esther  had some really good days (1000-1200 calories - even a little too low!) but some other not so good days (1800 calories or more).
2. Last week she had 4 nights of eating out. Even though she has been making great choices for entrees and not eating desserts or bread, the appetizers and wine are bringing her daily caloric intake to 1800 calories or more.
3. This coming week, I’d like to focus on helping her cut back on calories when eating out. Areas to work on:
-  cutting back on wine
-  low cal appetizers without oil (tuna sashimi, shrimp cocktail, salad without cheese and dressing on the side - add sparingly)
- skip the appetizer altogether and just order a healthy entree
- restaurant food, even when grilled, tends to be cooked with a lot of oil. Avoid sauces and ask for minimal oil used in cooking. 
- since you have an active social life, direct your friends to restaurants that you know have healthy choices. Japanese is always a good bet. Check out my post on calories in sushi.
4. Her dinners at home look great. Make sure to add a lot of veggies to help yourself fill up.
5. I would suggest that she has more salads for lunch with lean protein. Just make sure you either use low fat salad dressing or small amounts of the “real thing”. Check out my post on salad dressings.
6. We will also judge her progress from her measurements or by how her clothes fit rather than just by the scale. Esther has dramatically increased her exercise. This can cause development of muscle mass which will make her lose inches but can slow the loss on the scale.
Starting measurements:
arm: 12″
natural waist: 30 1/2 “ 
lower abs : 36″
hips:  42 1/2 “
thighs: 25 3/4 ‘

BTW - Esther didn’t make it to Toast of the Town last Monday. She got sick from eating possible bad sushi (she thinks!). In any case, she avoided a diet disaster with unlimited wine and food!

Goals for this week:
1. Continue food records
2. I would challenge her to have only 2 glasses of wine for the whole week
3. Eat out only 2 times this week and be very careful!
4. Add in 2 more cardio sessions this week. Walking home from work and doing interval training with your trainer is great - but try to add 2 more sessions for 40 minutes or more (i.e. spinning class, speed walking on the treadmill or the eliptical machine).

Good luck! BTW - I heard you are attending a Sex and the City Party next week. Be careful!

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Most of us have our favorite foods we can’t live without. As a nutritionist, I get a lot of people asking me what I eat. While I enjoy eating a lot of different foods (most healthy, some not so healthy), there are a few foods that I always have to have in my apartment. I thought it would be interesting to see what types of foods other nutritionists can’t live without. Here are replies from some of my co-workers - registered dietitians and dietetic interns -  at New York Presbyterian Hospital. (Pics are of “nutritionists night out” … suprised I didn’t see wine listed as a favorite food/drink!)

Four foods nutritionists can’t live without:

C.S:    Non-fat yogurt, bananas, frozen vegetables (all kinds), almonds

D.H:    Oatmeal, whole wheat pasta, frozen broccoli, and chocolate 

B.O:    Smuckers Natural Peanut Butter, cherry tomatoes, grapefruits, rice and beans

M.Z:    Avocados, Sarabeth’s Fig Jam, cherry tomatoes, Laughing Cow Cheese; French Onion
Pheww that was hard because I can’t go without eating sushi for a week but I don’t keep it in my home; actually I don’t keep very much at home.

T.K:    Meusli - I mix my own, dried soba, canned fish, eggs

J.B:    Greek Yogurt 0% Fat, unsalted matzo, Swiss Miss Hot choc (50 calories), plaintain or fresh apple

J.H:    Dried cranberries, high fiber (4-5 g) bread,  cheese (usually cheddar, or sliced havarti), oranges, strawberries or apples
 
J.H:    Hummus, peanut butter, bread (always a loaf whole wheat sliced bread but a french baguette or challah is usally around too!!)
apples

R.W:    Natural chunky peanut butter, garlic lovers hummus, philadelphia fat free cream cheese, and chunky spicy salsa. I find that these spreads are an easy/cheap way to get me to eat my vegetables and make for healthy snacking. 

C.G:    Vanilla almond milk, Fiber One cereal, celery and hummus, dark chocolate

G.W:    Two foods I NEED to have are reduced fat peanut butter and sliced american cheese (reduced fat also). 

S.T:    Salad supplies- lettuce, tomatoes, cukes, mushrooms, fat free cheese slices/string cheese, some kind of sugar free candy/treats for my sweet tooth such as jello sugar free puddings and jellos, Fiber One cereal  

S.Z:    Fage 0% Greek Yogurt, soy nuggets, Puffins peanut butter cereal, part skim string cheese 

A.A:    Apples, carrots, almonds, chocolate 

T.C:    Skim milk, yogurt, cereal - Quaker Oatmeal Squares, whole wheat bread

G.A:    Bread, milk, cereal and fruit juice. That’s mostly because of  my children.

M.N:    Granola, cheese, tomatoes, peppers 

C.D:    Almonds, unsweetened apple sauce, oatmeal, chocolate    

M.M. (me!):   Fage 2% yogurt, blueberries (fresh or frozen), All Bran or Fiber One cereal, eggs.

 Well, there you have it. Most of our favorite foods are on the healthy side. Common favorites include almonds, peanut butter, whole grain bread, yogurt and various fruits and veggies. This doesn’t mean we don’t eat junk food on occasion!

What are the foods/drinks that you can’t live without?

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Citygirlbites has received a plea for help. Esther, a loyal citygirlbites reader, is trying to lose weight and thought taking her “case” public would help keep her motivated. Esther is a typical city girl. She works long hours, gets home late, minimal time (or sometimes motivation!) to exercise, has an active social life, eats out frequently, likes her wine…

Esther  has been battling her weight for the past few years (maybe more). Unfortunately, she has been losing her battle. Like many of you, she has tried numerous diets and exercise routines. Lost a few pounds here and there…but nothing significant or sustainable. If anything, her weight has been slowly going up. So Esther has decided to take her case to citygirlbites. She feels “going public” may help keep her motivated as well as control her urges to stray if she knows she will need to “cheat” (don’t like to use this word, but I will anyway!) in front all the readers. She has even agreed to put her pic on the blog.

Esther’s Story:
Martha:Esther, tell us why you decided to approach citygirlbites to “broadcast” your story.
 Esther: Since I am a city girl bites loyal fan I thought why not ask Martha to put me on her blog so I could not only feel accountable for myself but to make myself accountable to any blog readers.
 
Martha: Tell us a little bit about your weight history.
Esther: I have always been weight conscious and dieted on and off since junior high school.My weight fluctuated but usually it was a five pound difference up or down.I don’t know exactly when my weight increased a substantial amount but somehow my weight went from 121 to 131 to a high of 146 which is still a little unbelievable for me only being 5″2.

Martha: What kinds of “diets” have you tried?
Esther:In the past I would try anything that came along from the Scarsdale diet to drinking and eating grapefruits to “ burn fat “.  Since the weight I would usually lose would come right back on I realized that I needed a nutrition plan that didn’t deviate that much from how I normally eat. I then tried Jenny Craig which didn’t seem to take any weight off and I didn’t like eating foods that were prepared in advance and prepackaged.  The most recent plans I’ve tried are Atkins, South Beach and just plain Mediterranean eating ( from my origin ).  I’ve been avoiding processed foods and “fat free” “fake” food.  My main problem seems to be my portion control.

Martha: Tell us about your exercise program:
Esther:I’ve been a member of Equinox gym for seven years and when I go, I love being there, but getting there has not been consistent. I received an email from Equinox for a weight loss challenge so I decided it would be an opportunity to push myself and try to commit hoping for results.  During the challenge I’ve committed to working out with my personal trainer Anastasia twice a week as well as going to the gym for pilates & spinning classes.

Martha:Esther, tell us what your major problem areas are when it comes to controlling your weight (ie. eat out a lot,  alcohol, have trouble with bread basket, not enough consistent exercise, etc.)
Esther:I think aside from my portion control, I seem to be out of control when I socialize.  I try to stick to healthy meals but tend to sample other peoples plates.  I also have a habit of snacking in the evening whether it be more than one 100 calorie pack, too many nuts… and a few glasses of wine. I also attend a lot of industry events ( a few a month ) that pass around hors d’ouevres and champagne, wine… When I do go to industry events or out to dinner with friends, I end up skipping the gym.

Martha: Now that you are in serious weight loss mode, please tell us what you are eating on a typical day.
Esther: Here was a typical day (although there is really no such thing as typical for my schedule)
Friday May 9th: 
Breakfast: 
coffee 
once small cheese pie ( eggs, cheese) 
 
Lunch: 
2 small pieces of chicken 
1 smart ones pasta w/ vegetables in tomato sauce 
 
Snack: 
1 piece string cheese 
grapes & strawberries 
bite of dessert 
 
Dinner: 
1 1/2 glasses of white wine 
tapas:  steamed clams, 1 bite fresh mozzarella, 1 artichoke, 2 pieces zucchini sauteed in olive oil, 1 piece grilled octopus with lemon & olive oil 
chicory salad with oil & anchovies 
1/2 piece of steamed striped bass, one slice of steamed potato 
strawberries w/ one spoon of zabalone 
1 small espresso 
No exercise this day

Martha: I can see that eating out is a bit of a problem… more on this later!

Here are my recommendations to get you started:  
1. I would recommend a 1300 - 1400 calorie diet plan for you, assuming you are following  my exercise recommendations.

2. Keep daily food and exercise records, including beverages. We will post one weekday and one weekend day (I will choose the days to be posted!!) on citygirlbites.

3. Exercise recommendations:
a. trainer 2x/week
b. cardio 2-3 sessions/week
c. optional 1 pilates sessions/week
d. walk home from work at least 2 days a week. (this is a 45 minute walk)

4. Each week you will set goals and then report if you met them the next week. You also must report each “cheat”. Send in weekly reports of your weight, exercise schedule and how you did on your eating plan.

Martha:Now that we have your picture up,  if any of you city girls or guys see Esther on the street, give her some words of encouragement. On the other hand, if you catch her in a cheese shop purchasing chunks of cheese or see her grabbing food from others plates  in restaurants or see her ordering one too many glasses of wine, PLEASE confront her. She needs our support!

 Esther, BTW - I heard you are attending a potential problematic event Monday evening … Toast of the Town . For those of you who aren’t familiar with this event, here is a description “Well-dressed New Yorkers of all ages attend Wine Enthusiast’s Toast of the Town at the New York Theatre at Lincoln Center for an opportunity to sample over 500 different wines and dishes from select New York City restaurants”. Be careful Esther - we are watching you!!! We look forward to your first report this Friday.

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